earlier this year alongside a number of other major Australian companies, including retailer Harvey Norman, car dealer Eagers Automotive, and footwear seller Accent Group.
Premier had initially said its JobKeeper funds would be used to compensate staff for future lockdowns. On Monday, the business said while it had used the funds during Queensland and Western Australia’s snap lockdowns sales performance upon reopening had “fully offset the cost of supporting our teams”, meaning the JobKeeper funds were not required.
The $15.6 million in JobKeeper set to be repaid by Premier is not the total amount claimed by the retailer during COVID-19, with the company’s 5500-odd Australian employees eligible for nearly $80 million of the stimulus payments. “Premier Investments hasn’t disclosed its full JobKeeper receipt, but it could be as much as $110 million. Given the extraordinarily profitable year they’ve just had, nothing less than full repayment is appropriate,” he said.
domp There was a comment yesterday that COVID debt would take 30 years to pay back. It is obscene that this taxpayer money goes to company profits and we will have to pay more in the future to pay this debt. If you profited from the pandemic, pay it back! Make this information public
domp The govt should prosecute JH
domp I'll be boycotting Harvey Norman and anyone else who keeps the subsidies
Saints_Dragons domp Has he decided to pay rent arrears during lockdown as well? Or was that all bluster?
domp cancelfairfax
domp Boycott Harvey Norman. Simples
domp Name and shame them.
domp Let me correct this headline. Billionaire retailer Solomon Lew surprises no one with decision to keep over $90m in government JobKeeper subsidies. Ffs.
domp Why aren’t they made to pay them back? The poorest Australians are made to pay back. Where is mutual obligation for these greedy pigs?
domp Let us hope in that case he is going to provide charities with 15.6 to help homeless living in tents? Does not need to move into expansion of hair products as longer lives seem to be leading to less hair may be irreversible for many chosen to have inflated sunburn risks?
domp Nice to see, but they will waste it regardless Solomon.
domp He received $110 million. What about the rest of it? 🤔