It will need to be more than a routine "help package" if the Victorian government is genuinely committed to fairly dealing with the financial losses suffered by Lincoln Causeway businesses.
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We would all have suspected those businesses must have taken a decent hit.
But it was shocking to discover just how significant that has been since the Victorian government shut its border to NSW thanks to the COVID-19 outbreak in Sydney.
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The checkpoint made it impossible for those businesses to earn a living of any description, something that has now been relayed to the Victorian Parliament.
It was member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell who delivered the news, which should have made any MP - in government or otherwise - take serious notice.
The details of the impact truly are striking.
La Maison restaurant and the Victor Supper Club, key eateries that usually bring significant custom to the precinct, have had a 90 per cent cut in turnover, Ms Lovell told the Parliament.
GIGS art gallery had to close, she said, and enrolments at Musikids was down 50 per cent for term one.
Again, it was inevitable this was going to happen, but that does not mean it should be accepted at that and nothing more.
We have as a community, quite rightly, applauded the enormous efforts made by the Victoria Police members and other organisations who ran the checkpoints.
Their efforts have been outstanding, though they would not have expected anything less of themselves.
But similarly, the owners and workers at businesses on the Lincoln Causeway have taken a considerable hit for us all.
Importantly, Ms Lovell asked Small Business Minister Jaala Pulford what the government could do in the way of suitable financial compensation.
Given we are talking about only a small number of operators, surely this would be an easy request for the government to meet.
It is unlikely that the relevant minister or the government as a whole would do anything other than try to help.
But crucially, in all fairness, any compensation cannot be for a token amount.
