Federal Member for Corangamite, Libby Coker, has welcomed the federal governments stimulus package to support the economy as the impact of the coronavirus increases, saying she would also work with her colleagues to provide information and reassurance to the community on how best to protect themselves against infection.

The Governments announcement yesterday was welcome, supporting small business and tourism at this time is critical. Having visited businesses in the region and hearing about the impacts already hitting them, this is something I have been calling for over the past month.

I wrote to the Prime Minister and Treasurer urging them to provide a package of support in mid-February and would like to think that they listened to the information provided by local MPs about the experiences of businesses in our regions.

In relation to the $1 billion to support severely affected regions, we need more clarity on how this would work and I would again urge Scott Morrison to include the Great Ocean Road and Bellarine who have seen a significant reduction in visitors to the region.

Libby Coker went on to say that while support for apprentices and welfare recipients was also a good start, she said there was insufficient support for low income and casual workers should they need to take leave.

There is still uncertainty amongst workers. They understand the potential need to self-isolate, however this is directly countered by their ability to pay bills and feed their families. Much of the money provided will be going to the employer and is not guaranteed to reach the workers themselves.

I would again call on the federal government to act to support all workers, including casuals, at this extraordinary time. They shouldnt have the added and terrible pressure of not knowing whether they will be able to pay their bills.

Ms Coker also questioned whether a stimulus package of one per cent of GDP would be sufficient.

I note that many expert commentators are saying that the stimulus needs to be at least two to three per cent of GDP. Im glad to hear the Prime Minister clarify this package will be scalable because it is very likely we will need more stimulus.

Ms Coker pointed out that she was receiving a number of inquiries regarding community concern about prevention of spread and she was actively providing information to her electorate on the preventative actions recommended through state and federal governments.

My office is receiving a number of inquiries about how people can protect themselves and what information is available. We are directing people to the State Governments website and COVID-19 hotline and I am receiving regular briefings nationally and through the state.

Libby Coker MP will also write to local small business and trade associations to provide support and information on making an application for support. For more information please contact Libby Cokers office on 5243 1444.