Federal Member for Bowman, Mr Henry Pike, welcomed the Federal Deputy Liberal Leader Sussan Ley to the Redlands on Friday.
This was the second visit from Ms Ley since the Federal election, the Shadow Minister for Small and Family Business, Industry Skills and Training and for Women
“It is great to have Sussan once again into the Redlands,” Mr Pike said.
“She is such a strong advocate in her portfolios in empowering women, supporting businesses and training the next generations.”
Ms Ley spent time visiting the Redlands Community Centre discussing the homelessness situation in the Redlands and the role that community groups are playing to support those most in need.
“It was especially confronting to hear the stories of the Covid lockdowns on the family units. Domestic Violence and suicides were on the increase during that period and the impacts these had on women and children was heartbreaking,” Mr Pike said.
With the housing and rental crisis, the availability to place vulnerable women and children has become extremely difficult. A valuable service that the Community Centre plays is in the support to find accommodation.
“This is why the removal of state government funding for the Redland Community Centre’s “Homelessness United” program has been so controversial,” Mr Pike said.
Ms Ley also took time to visit other innovative and successful small businesses within the Redlands.
According to the latest ABS statistics, there are 11,646 small and medium sized businesses within the Redlands with the majority sole operators or those employing only up to four staff.
“It was great to showcase some of our local success stories of innovative small businesses,” Mr Pike said.
“Sadly the new Labor Government radical’s IR laws that will hurt thousands of small businesses through increased industrial disruption.”
Ms Ley said that the Labor Government had no mandate to deliver radical industrial relations changes that would punish small businesses.