The trouble-plagued ChooseCBR website is back online.
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The ACT government was forced to pull the bungled discount voucher website last week following a series of technical difficulties.
Despite the issues, the hospitality industry has urged Canberra businesses to throw their support behind the scheme again, saying the COVID-19 stimulus was needed for the industry.
The scheme, which offers ACT government-subsidised discounts of up to 50 per cent, was overwhelmed with demand last week, with close to $400,000 of vouchers claimed in two days.
As a result of the demand, the website's database crashed and the government had to shut the site for a week to implement solutions.
A number of tests have been conducted this week to ensure the website can handle high numbers of people.
"Testing has shown the system is now performing well in a simulated environment of 600 voucher redemptions per minute, while allowing significant numbers of customer registrations to occur at the same time," an ACT government spokeswoman said.
The spokeswoman said businesses would have to select whether to continue to take part in the scheme when it went live at 7am on Friday. Businesses will then be able to choose when they start accepting vouchers.
Australian Hotels Association ACT general manager Anthony Brierley encouraged hospitality businesses to stick with the program.
"It's a happy relief for many local businesses that the ACT government has been able to resolve the ChooseCBR issues so quickly," Mr Brierley said.
"The hiccups with the rollout last week should not deter the ACT government from undertaking similar bold initiatives in the future."
While the website crash was attributed to demand, questions have also been raised as to whether vouchers were misused. The opposition has called on the government to ensure all purchases made through the scheme are genuine.
However, the program's in-built audit process has not found any evidence of misuse.
Close to 800 businesses had signed up to the scheme before it went down last week. Among the businesses included were multinational fast food chains including McDonald's Manuka and several Subway and Zambreros stores.
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ACT Business Minister Tara Cheyne last week defended the fact that these businesses could sign up to the scheme, which was designed to encourage spending at local businesses.
The businesses are eligible as they are franchises and have an annual turnover of less than $10 million.
"Franchisees are small businesses and the unchanged nature of the scheme is an annual turnover of less than $10 million a year, and that's why they are eligible," Ms Cheyne said.
"Ultimately they are small businesses ... Canberrans are looking to spend their vouchers in a variety of ways."
In NSW, Hungry Jack's and KFC are among the most popular choices for residents to redeem that state government's vouchers.
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