Chamber of Commerce to hold Covid recovery meetings in Childers, Bundaberg

Businesses in the Wide Bay are following a worrying state-wide trend. Already contending with poor consumer confidence and supply shortages, business owners and their staff now face ailing mental health.

Representatives from the business community will meet in Bundaberg and Childers on Thursday, March 10, to discuss a plan of attack after the devastating impact of Covid-19 on local economies.

Wide Bay businesses say their confidence is lagging, despite hopes the state’s reopened borders would boost economic activity.

Instead, stakeholders say poor consumer confidence and labour market shortages are leading to a number of negative outcomes, including issues with business owners’ mental health.

A recent Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland survey showed business confidence was at the lowest point since the start of the economic crisis brought on by the pandemic in March, 2020.

According to CCIQ Policy and Advocacy general manager Amanda Rohan, multiple factors had combined to make a “difficult business environment in Queensland”.

The survey revealed about 60 per cent of the state’s business owners and staff were struggling with their mental health.

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“The financial and emotional impact of business restrictions, mandates, low consumer confidence, supply chain disruptions and staff availability mean businesses have little optimism to see them through,” Ms Rohan said.

“These businesses are desperate to know what’s next and what it will take for them to be able to recover long-term.”

Bundaberg Tourism chief executive officer Katherine Reid said a constant shifting of operating environments over the past two years had a significant impact on business confidence in Bundaberg.

“So much uncertainty has really taken its toll on the mental health of people in business,” she said.

“We are having these conversations with our tourism industry every day, however, we are pleased to see that business confidence in our industry is still strong.

“Average accommodation occupancy rates have been consistent with pre-Covid times and many businesses are experiencing strong trade, however they are experiencing labour shortages.”

Ms Reid said staff shortages could prove stressful, even if business was going well.

“With consistent trade comes a need for a skilled and willing to work labour force so staff shortages are compounding the stresses as trade picks up for our tourism businesses,” she said.

The comments come as Member for Hinkler Keith Pitt gets set to promote federal funding for local training organisations to provide people on the Cashless Debit Card with work skills.

Bundaberg and Fraser Coast business owner and Division 4 Bundaberg councillor Tracey McPhee said local business people needed to get together to talk it out.

“After the CCIQ survey results were released, we wanted to bring people together to discuss the survey results and develop ideas for how we can work together as a business community for a more certain and positive future,” she said.

Yale Morgan.

“We’re very fortunate that Yale Morgan, president of the Bundaberg Chamber of Commerce, will be presenting the results of the survey data, specific to our region, at both meetings.

“We’ve also invited all the local, state and federal government representatives from our region to the meetings. We hope the meeting will foster a greater understanding of the challenges businesses are grappling with.”

A mental health advocate will also be on hand at the meetings.

Darlene Terry will speak about mental health at both meetings.

“These meetings are really about raising awareness of the threat of mental health challenges amongst our business community,” she said.

“And we’ve got to keep in mind that staff are just as affected as business owners; if staff are worried about their job security over an extended time period it is bound to impact on their mental health.

The meetings will be held at Bundaberg on Thursday, March 10, at 10am at HSG at the Gardens and at the Paragon Theatre, Childers, on Thursday at 1pm.