“The State Government must provide financial assistance to thousands of Victorian businesses impacted by mass power outages,” writes the Opposition.

On Tuesday last, Opposition Leader John Pesutto and Shadow Police Minister and Member for Berwick Brad Battin visited small businesses affected by the blackouts across Victoria.

Half-a-million homes and businesses suffered power outages on Tuesday and thousands are still waiting to have their power restored.

Mr Pesutto said it was vital the Allan Government provided financial support for the thousands of businesses affected by the blackouts.

“Many are hardworking, family businesses who are the lifeblood of our communities and provide important jobs across the state,” he said.

“They’ve been severely impacted by an event they had no control over and which was the result of a system failure Labor had presided over.

“The Government received many warnings about the need to strengthen the resilience of Victoria’s energy transmission network but failed to act.”

Mr Battin said: “Many businesses right across Victoria, including here in my electorate in Berwick, have been forced to close and suffered significant losses as a result of a power outage that wasn’t their fault.

“They are incredibly resilient but it’s only right that the Government provide financial assistance to help these businesses recover.” 

This article appeared in The Buloke Times, 20 February 2024.