Prime Minister Scott Morrison has callously abolished JobKeeper which has been supporting an estimated 4,136 workers and 1,344 businesses in Shortland.
Prior to today there were still over one million workers around Australia who were receiving JobKeeper, and that crucial assistance has now gone.
This week in Senate Estimates, Treasury admitted that anywhere between 100,000 and 150,000 jobs will be lost as a consequence of JobKeeper ending.
It is devastating that the Morrison Government seems content to just sit back and let this happen.
There are still far too many businesses and families who have not recovered from the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and need this support.
We've seen devastating floods this week which is going to add more pressure to those already struggling.
Local food banks in the Shortland electorate have been telling me for months that they are run off their feet, with some seeing up to a 600 per cent increase in demand for their assistance since the first cut to JobKeeper in September.
People who have been on JobKeeper who still need support will now be forced onto JobSeeker.
In a couple of days, that payment will be reduced to around $43 a day.
I am very concerned for people in the Shortland electorate who are struggling to make ends meet through no fault of their own.
The Morrison Government needs to recognise that there are still over one million Australians who are still doing it tough.
They should not be abandoned, yet that is what this government has done by removing JobKeeper.