Stop this parking ‘scam’: Staff plea to Lutwyche City shopping centre

Another Brisbane shopping centre is about to introduce paid parking, and staff are furious. They were told they’d have to pay $220 a month to take their car to work. Their response was quick and fierce.

An artist's impression of the upgraded Lutwyche City shopping centre.

A fracas has erupted at Lutwyche City shopping centre over the introduction of paid parking.

Staff and tenants angrily took to social media and launched an online petition today after being told last night that they would have to pay up to $242 a month to park at the centre when paid parking kicks in on May 1. The centre is currently undergoing an extensive renovation.

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But centre owners Abacus Property Group told City North News this afternoon that they had taken note of staff and tenants’ concerns aired at last night’s meeting, and would hold more meetings with concerned parties tomorrow.

Nutritious and Delicious Co naturopath Jeff Bain, who has worked at the centre for 30 years, said last night’s meeting between staff, Abacus and parking operator Point Parking was distressing.

“The anger among workers here is palpable,” he said.

“Many of us just found out about the paid parking this morning and the first thing we decided to do is set up a Facebook page and petition but it had already been done. We are also considering further action if they don’t respond.

“We see this as an act of corporate greed.

“Abacus Property Group has outsourced parking to Point Parking but in our view they are fully to blame.

“As the owners of Lutwyche City, Abacus Property Group have assets of over $2 billion dollars, including cash reserves of over $100 million yet they feel the need to screw some of the lowest paid workers to pay for the privilege to park their cars at work — $220 per month + GST.

“A fairer pricing structure for workers is zero dollars. This is a time of record corporate profits and glacial pace wage growth and retail sales and ever increasing costs of living. We should aim for nothing less than a full exemption for all staff.

“Surely they must realise that the money raised in parking fees, which is estimated to be over $500 000 per year, is money that won’t be spent in their retail stores? Staff at Lutwyche City will just have to go without their morning coffee or extend the time between hair cuts

and will have to pull back on discretionary spending.

“Once upon a time when businesses had some sense social responsibility parking was provided free.

“These days huge corporate landlords make obscene amounts of profits which never seems to satisfy them so they are always looking to make money by screwing over either the tenants or the workers it seems.

“Abacus Group have outsourced the parking rights to Point Parking whose business model it seems is providing an unneeded and unwanted service and scamming those who can least afford it.”

A petition has been launched, which collected more signatures than its 100-signature goal in just a few hours after its launch.

An Abacus spokesperson said a ticketless parking system would be operational by May 1 and that “the staff rates are developed in consultation with owners and Point Parking”.”

“At last night’s initial consultation session with the retailers of Lutwyche City, we

proposed staff rates of $220+gst per month, which on an annual basis equates to $8 a day.

“We are in the process of consolidating all the feedback from individual retailers.

“Lutwyche City has limited car spaces and best practice indicates that ‘Controlled Parking’ within retail environment improves the availability of convenient carparking for shoppers.

“The introduction to licensed number plate recognition was a condition of the Brisbane City Council development approval.

Artist impressions of Lutwyche City shopping centre renovation

“The misuse of carparking facilities by non customers is challenging in all shopping centre car parks located in proximity to public transport hubs. Northern Bus Interchange is less than a 100m walk from the centre and 1.5km walk to the Wooloowin train station. The introduction of Ticketless Parking will ensure the centre’s car parks are not misused by commuters.

“The $60 million investment to redevelop Lutwyche City is due for completion late 2019. “When completed, the centre will include a full line Coles, Woolworths and Aldi supermarket as well as over 50 Specialty retailers including Papillio’s Early Learning Centre.”

The centre includes a Lifeline store, which is operated by volunteers. A Lifeline spokesman said he would not comment on the issue until further discussions were held with Abacus.

Susie Pagano, who had owned Terry White Chemist Lutwyche for more than two decades, said carparking was a significant issue for her staff and customers. Ms Pagano said she looked forward to there being more consultation about the issue.

“Transitioning to paid carparking is going to be an emotional time,” she said.

“Some of the people who work (in the centre) are on minimum or award wages, and they are paying mortgages and child care, and some are single mums. There’s been no mention of a casual day rate for staff. The first thing that makes me think is that I am going to have staff come to me and say ‘Susie, I can’t afford to work for you any longer, I am going to have to look for a new job’. It’s hard for them and it puts pressure on me.

Artist impressions of Lutwyche City shopping centre renovation

“And patrons that come here to shop, they might go to the hairdressers and then Coles and then the optometrists — they make a day of it. Sure they will get the first two hours for free, but that means they might not buy that coffee and cake … My customers are Coles and the hairdressers and the optometrists. It’s like an ecosystem, the economy goes around and we feed into each other. I think the parking fees are way too much.

“And they (Abacus) haven’t even finished (renovating) the shopping centre, and they are going to be asking people to pay for parking. It’s a schmozle as it is.”