With the gradual lifting of COVID-19 restrictions we are more free to move around, a little less fearful, and keen to take our first tentative steps back to a normality that suddenly seems so long ago.

As we stick our heads from under the "doona" and look around, we have much to be thankful for. Due to our success in containing the virus, we can now move with confidence towards the reopening of the economy, and in our regional villages, towns and cities, there is new hope.

For larger industries reliant on overseas trade and the global economy, the road back will be slow and painful. But as doors slowly open for the businesses on our own doorsteps, we can help, right here, right now.

In regional areas, we know how to stick together and support each other when things get tough. We've done so over generations through fires, floods, droughts and anything fate cares to throw. We are the first ones out there with a fundraiser when one of our own needs help.

But now we need more than a trivia night, bake sale or charity appeal. We need all of us to walk into our local butcher, hairdresser, cafe, pub, restaurant and gift shop. We need to reach into our pockets and give back to these local people who have been hanging on in this crisis by the skin of their teeth.

The rewards will go both ways. After two months of failed cooking experiments and bad home hair cuts, we will appreciate what we've missed in their skills.

The government has looked after those who have lost their jobs; they've bumped up welfare payments and introduced one-off payments to help stimulate the economy.

That injection of funds has prevented financial devastation for many everyday Australians and their families. We have a shared responsibility to pay something back, and the closer to home the better.

Every time we buy a coffee, a meal, a bunch of flowers, or employ a local tradie, we are doing this.

Though our individual purchases may seem small, we are doing something huge, by breathing life back into our own towns, and showing that we are here for our small businesses and the local people they employ.

They need our money, but more importantly, they need to know we are here with them on this long road back.