Toowoomba pub owners, staff ‘shattered’ by venue closures
LICENCED venue owners and managers have been left “shattered” at the forced closure of all bars, pubs and clubs across Toowoomba.
Business
Don't miss out on the headlines from Business. Followed categories will be added to My News.
LICENCED venue owners and managers have been left "shattered" at the forced closure of all bars, pubs and clubs across Toowoomba and the rest of the country.
The sweeping shutdown of the city's night-life precinct comes after Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the closure of all "non-essential" gathering points in Australia, which also included gyms and other private stores.
National Hotel manager Janelle Smith said the small hope venues held onto last week, when the restrictions simply limited seating capacity, had evaporated.
"I'm shattered. It's pretty full on, this is all our livelihoods - everyone is just shocked," she said.
"The majority of us were abiding by the rules (last week) and if that had stayed we could've made it work, but it didn't last.
"This way, it's 10 times worse than the virus could have ever done.
"There are so many people out of work."
Ms Smith said her 10 casual staff were out of work, and she was likely to follow.
Bar Wunder owner Fiona Smith said while she wasn't entirely shocked by the announcement, it was a bitter pill to swallow.
"I guess I'm not completely blindsided by it," she said.
"The staff will be looked after, but the only problem is business owners can't go on the dole, so how are we going to pay our bills?"
Fitzy's on Church publican Brad Fitzgibbons didn't respond to calls, but the venue described the feeling as "sombre" on social media.
"To our incredible community, today is a sombre day for us here at Fitzy's Toowoomba and in line with the newly released legislation from the Federal Government overnight - we are now closed for trade," the post said.
"While the news actioned last night was a heavy pill to swallow, our number one concern is the safety of our staff, suppliers and patrons."
Met Hotel owner Kosta Theodosis and George Banks owner Phil Coorey were both contacted for comment.
Why Greg Goodman’s AI pivot has a bigger message for investors
The veteran property investor is replaying the strategy that turned a small commercial property trust into a $70bn industrial powerhouse.
Northern Rivers council axes public access
After several motions stating local communities were being cut from a fair and democratic process, a Northern Rivers council has voted to severely limit public access and question time in its meetings.