Craig Lloyd, Murrindindi Shire CEO

Businesses in Murrindindi Shire will prepare for a ‘new normal’, Councillors were advised at last week’s monthly municipal meeting.

A three-phase plan has been adopted by Council, starting with supporting businesses through restrictions.

Key objectives for Phase 1 Recovery will be to:
• Minimise business loss:
• continued communication with businesses to understand their financial position will be important in order to provide them with timely advice, support and to direct them to appropriate Local, State and Federal Government programs
• assist as many businesses as possible to adapt operating conditions.

• Minimise job loss:
• communication and supporting businesses, as mentioned above, will assist with preventing job loss.

Key objectives for Phase 2 Recovery will be to:
• assist individual businesses to alter operating conditions for a ‘with-COVID’ operating environment
• support individual businesses to recover to ‘pre-COVID’ turnover.

Key objectives for Phase 3 Recovery will be to:
• Return to a growth economy
• continue to support businesses to achieve an increase in jobs, output and business
investment.
• Build a sustainable economy
• see growth in sustainable population-based sectors less reliant on tourism, such as education and training, healthcare and social assistance.

The third phase identifies the following strategies:
• Prepare for future disasters
• Drive economic growth and investment
• Build events sector.

The Plan has been developed in consultation with local business and tourism associations, the Murrindindi Shire Council Business and Tourism Advisory Committee, and with individual business owners and operators