Hello

There has been some great work towards flattening the curve and protecting the vulnerable people in our community, but with Easter upon us, now is not the time to be complacent.

I know, especially for many of our elderly, and for those who have lost their jobs, this is a difficult time and you might be getting a little tired of being stuck at home. But, please, please I urge you to stay the course for now. We’ve done some hard yards in the past few weeks but we have to do this for a bit longer. We will come out of this and look back at this time and realise it was necessary to keep Australians safe.

Easter is traditionally for Christians the time of new life. This is a chance for us to protect the lives of family and friends by not holidaying with them or taking them out for drives. For young people desperate to catch up with mates for a few beers or a party, now is not the time. We’re all making sacrifices and those sacrifices are proving to be working with our infection rate flattening at present.

• To help parents and families who are essential workers, the Australian Government is providing subsidies to child care centres, so parents will receive free childcare during this time. This is designed to work alongside the JobKeeper payment, to assist centres and operators who have had a reduction in numbers of children in care.  
• A Jobs Hub has been set up to connect businesses looking for workers and help move people looking for work more quickly. If you are hiring, or needing to increase your workforce quickly you can email the Workforce Contact Centre on workforce@dese.gov.au. An up to date list of a selection of businesses and organisations that are currently hiring, and how to contact them, can be found at: www.dese.gov.au/covid-19/jobs-hub
• If you, or someone you know, is needing a bit more help to cope at the moment, you can access the Beyond Blue Coronavirus Mental Wellbeing Support Service. It’s free and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Visit: https://coronavirus.beyondblue.org.au or phone 1800 512 348.
• The $130 billion JobKeeper Payment legislation – which provides relief to workers and businesses affected by the coronavirus – has been passed by Parliament. A fortnightly payment of $1,500 will be available to 6 million Australians through their employers. Already more than 750,000 businesses have registered to be part of the JobKeeper payment.

Please remember to stay at home, only going out for essentials, keep up your hand washing and hygiene practices and social distancing. While you need to keep your physical distance, there are a range of ways you can still connect with friends and family online or just pick up the phone.

If you are looking for information about the coronavirus, please visit www.australia.gov.au it’s an accurate resource with information and links on health, financial support, community support, as well as specific state or territory information.

Kind Regards

Keith Pitt MP

Federal Member for Hinkler