Gold Coast bar owner Scott Imlach says small businesses unfairly impacted by COVID-19 restrictions

A leading Gold Coast hospitality personality says bars are turning away thousands of dollars in revenue every night due to unfair Covid restrictions.

Patrons queue outside Burleigh bar Nightcap, unable to enter due to COVID-19 restrictions. Photo: Supplied

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GOLD Coast pubs and clubs are turning away thousands of dollars in revenue every night as they grapple with COVID restrictions they say are unfair and actually increasing the risk to the community.

Since March 13, 100 people have been allowed to gather in homes, or 500 in public spaces, while domestic flights have resumed without mandatory physical distancing.

In Victoria, which has experienced more recent and severe outbreaks than Queensland, the AFL is set to welcome 75,000 people to the Melbourne Cricket Ground – the world’s biggest sporting crowd since COVID-19 hit.

But the laws limiting venues to one person per 2sq m mean small bars across Queensland remain effectively restricted to 50 people, leaving patrons queuing on the streets where there is no contact tracing.

Patrons queue outside Nobby Beach bar Nightcap, unable to enter due to COVID-19 restrictions. Picture: Supplied

Operators say the square metre-based laws disproportionately affect them because liquor licensing dictated small bars could not be larger than 100sq m, meaning COVID restrictions effectively capped the number of patrons to 50 at a time.

Scott Imlach, whose bars include Nightcap at Nobby Beach and Nightjar at Burleigh, said it was impossible to run a profitable business when it was effectively against the law to run at capacity.

“It’s very frustrating. They can fit 52,000 in a sporting facility in Brisbane and 65,000 at the football in Melbourne (Thursday night),” he said.

“Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is on at the federal government about JobKeeper, why doesn’t she just lift these restrictions so people can have jobs?”

Hospitality boss Scott Imlach. Picture: Glenn Hampson

A spokesman for the Premier referred the Bulletin’s questions to the office of Health Minister Steven Miles, which in turn directed it to Queensland Health.

“The rules for larger sporting venues and smaller hospitality venues are actually the same,” a spokesman for the department said via email.

“Both are allowed 100 per cent capacity but still need to maintain the 2sq m rule and both are required to keep records through electronic means and/or a ticketing ­system.”

Mr Imlach, named the Gold Coast’s most influential hospitality figure for 2020, said the response was patronising given most small businesses could get nowhere near capacity under the rule.

“Are they counting the rugby fields at the stadiums as square metres? Every game I’ve been to I’m not sitting 1.5m away from other people,” he said.

“Our contact tracing is a lot better than sporting ­venues.

“We haven’t made a cent out of our businesses in a year, we’re just covering wages and costs.”

Gold Coast Central Chamber of Commerce president Martin Hall. Picture: Glenn Hampson

Gold Coast Central Chamber of Commerce president Martin Hall said businesses across the Coast shared a frustration that the government was not willing to consider different approaches for small businesses.

“There is a vast difference between stadiums and ­privately owned small businesses,” he said.

“The frustration we have is that there is still a lack of consultation between the government and industry representatives like the chambers.

“It has to be an ongoing conversation – it limits the ability for small businesses to survive.”

Mr Imlach said the cap on customers meant more crowds on the street where fights had broken out and no contact tracing could be done.

Queensland Health maintained it was managing the easing of restrictions “sensibly”.

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