The South Australian Business Chamber Today — Thursday 23 September, 2021
The South Australian Business Chamber can reveal the true cost of the one-week lockdown in July following a comprehensive survey of South Australian businesses.
As published in The Advertiser yesterday, the harsh but necessary lockdown cost the South Australian economy up to $446m (including up to $83m for Regional South Australia).
We undertook this survey to better understand the impacts of the lockdown to advocate for what is truly needed for the business community should we be subject to similar circumstances in the future.
The report which we have now presented to government is the first true indication of business losses as a result of a South Australian lockdown, and includes the associated human impact.
Looking at the survey results from a macro level, we estimate restricted sectors revenue losses ranged from a median of $10,000 for employers in cultural and recreational services to $45,000 for employers in the construction sector, while median direct costs for all businesses under $2m turnover were $3,500, compared to $25,000 for businesses over $2m in turnover.
We appreciate that these staggering figures may not directly apply to you or your industry and may not reflect the true losses incurred on an individual level. However, we share these with you to provide assurance that, as South Australia’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry, we are constantly working towards the best possible conditions for all businesses across the state.
As we approach Mental Health Month in October it’s important to note that 73 per cent of survey respondents reported experiencing mental health impacts within their business from the July lockdown. This is a harsh reality of business circumstances throughout the entire pandemic and the South Australian Business Chamber recognises these issues have always existed and will not end when the pandemic does.
In October, the South Australian Business Chamber will be providing all businesses the opportunity to participate in a free, month-long mental health challenge, designed to help improve the mental stability of business owners and their employees.
You can read the final report here >
