Gold Coast businesses suffer from border closures dividing a community
Moving the border, changing restrictions and further assistance are some of the ideas desperate Gold Coast business owners impacted by the border’s “Berlin Wall” are calling for.
Business
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MARK Belcher likens the border patrol metres from his business on Griffith Street to the Berlin Wall.
The owner of Coolangatta Mexican restaurant The Aztec says he has never seen anything like it in 26 years and cannot wait for the arbitrary line that has two premiers at war to no longer be the talk of the town.
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“We have such a strong supporter base from Tweed Heads, Coolangatta and even further south and north,” he said.
“It’s only just recently that I’ve been able to get home delivery going thanks to the support of locals.
“If the Government were able to lighten the border control anytime soon it’d be appreciated.”
Raw Energy owner Matt Burke said it should not have come to this.
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“I understand there’s state politics at play but it’s actually ridiculous they’ve split a town into two,” he said.
“They could have easily chosen to place it further south of Tweed Heads and used federal police.
“If they wanted to stop people from Sydney, fair enough, but we’re one country so why not make it somewhere more accommodating?”
Next door at Earth Pantry owner Tegan Fennell, 35, said the restrictions had hit so hard some days the cafe was trading only $20.
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“It’s going to be impossible for us to maintain if borders aren’t lifted until September. Unless the Government want to make up the revenue we’ll lose, I don’t see the need for it to be that long.”
Managing partner Jack Roworth said the decrease in business had been compounded by regulars unable to cross the border.
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