Nationals Member for Bathurst and Shadow Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole today questioned Premier Chris Minns on when struggling businesses affected by the Great Western Highway closure could expect assistance.
The Premier was not able to provide an update, instead hinting that businesses would be left to fend for themselves when he said, "all of the funds and resources and capital that we currently have we're putting into fixing the road."
Businesses across the Bathurst Electorate and the wider Central West are being caught in a growing economic crisis as the disruption on the Great Western Highway at Mount Victoria continues.
The road is expected to be closed for a minimum of three months.
Tourism operators are reporting visitors cancelling trips or avoiding the region altogether amid confusion on how to pass over the mountains, while businesses located near the closure say they are effectively cut off from customers, staff, and service providers.
Paul Toole said the ongoing closure, traffic chaos, and rising fuel costs are creating a "perfect storm" for local businesses.
"Tourists aren't coming, businesses near the closure can't get staff, services or customers through their doors, and businesses further west are struggling to move goods," Mr Toole said.
"It's the perfect storm to hit business owners right where it hurst most – their bottom line.
"This is no longer just a traffic problem. It is becoming a serious business and economic issue for the Blue Mountains and Central West."
Mr Toole said when tourists stay away, when staff can't get to work, when customers can't reach businesses and when freight becomes more expensive, the impact flows right through the local economy.
"For many small and family-run businesses, particularly in tourism, hospitality and retail, extended disruption like this can quickly become unsustainable," Mr Toole said.
"The highway is a critical economic artery between Sydney and the Central West that has been closed effectively by a natural disaster, yet Labor's failure to deliver any form of assistance is now hitting the state's economy hard.
"Freight operators can't afford to keep trucking; businesses can't afford to keep their doors open. This is a statewide problem with implications as far as the eye can see and the NSW Labor Government needs to provide support right now before it's too late."
