Over Half of Small WA Exporters Affected by COVID-19, Says Think Tank

COVID-19, border closures, and supply chain disruptions had a sizeable effect on the balance sheets of small businesses.

Workers load containers on a cargo ship at Port Botany in Sydney, Australia, on Dec. 2, 2020. Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images

A think tank has revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted over half of small exporters in Western Australia (WA).

At a parliamentary inquiry hearing on Oct. 8, Daniel Kiley, a senior research fellow at the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC), said that while international trade brought about many opportunities for Australian businesses, it subjected them to significant risks.