‘Nobody around’: Grim reality facing Gold Coast businesses
Streets and venues had paltry numbers on what was dubbed ‘Freedom Day’ across the Gold Coast as local businesses marked their reopening following lockdown. ALL THE DETAILS >>>
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IT was more Grim Strip than Glitter Strip on Monday.
Streets and venues had paltry numbers on what was dubbed “Freedom Day” as businesses reopened.
But many who did reopen (some are waiting as they restock) had reduced hours, skeleton staff, limited patrons and questioned if it was worth it mid-week.
One operator lamented there was no “incentive to open at all”. The Gold Coast business community is also crying out for rent relief.
Surfers Paradise Beach Cafe owner Arthur De Snoo feared low trade would become the new norm on weekdays with lockdowns and border closures ongoing.
He scoffed at suggestions of business returning to normal despite the lockdown being lifted in the southeast.
“We’ve had 15 customers (on Monday) – there’s nobody around,” Mr De Snoo said, saying normally he would do 20 times that amount.
“The reality is with borders closed, you will only have trade on Saturday and Sunday and that’s it. There’s zero support.”
Surfers Paradise businesses could not keep paying full rent and he called for a return of rent relief arrangements and JobKeeper. Less than half of Beach Cafe’s staff have now returned to work.
It was a similar story at Mecca Bah in Broadbeach, with supervisor Rudy Chaaya running the restaurant on skeleton staff as the streets stayed “really quiet”.
“You don’t see a lot of people on the streets at the moment,” he said.
Workers have also been left in the lurch because the Australian government’s Covid-19 disaster payment only applies during a lockdown.
Eligible residents can claim $750 per week if they have lost 20 or more hours of work, and $450 if they have lost between eight and less than 20 hours.
Gold Coast residents who continue to lose shifts post-lockdown are not eligible.
Village Roadshow Theme Parks has announced Movie World, Sea World and Wet‘n’Wild will not reopen until Friday so staff can prepare for the new restrictions.
Gold Coast Central Chamber of Commerce president Martin Hall said many businesses were desperate for help with their biggest overheads – rent and labour costs.
“A conversation about this has to happen. If people can’t pay rent, they shut their doors,” Mr Hall said.
Rent relief measures for Queensland businesses expired in January, but there are still mediation services.
Surfers Paradise MP John-Paul Langbroek said business owners were relying on the goodwill of landlords to help ease rent pressures, but landlords had their own expenses.
“Small businesses and the chamber of commerce are saying ‘please help’, but that’s falling on deaf ears,” he said.
Destination Gold Coast CEO Patricia O’Callaghan said many tourism-linked businesses were this week weighing up whether it was worth reopening following the lockdown, with several already deciding to pack it in.
“Our airport is down 97 per cent down and a lot of our attractions and experiences are making tough decisions around whether they even reopen this week, with many looking at further reduced trading hours,” she said. “JobKeeper was critical and played a role in keeping this industry alive. Nobody thought we will still be in this position 18 months later and we do need some form of support.
“We know some businesses will be closing for good, they are making those decisions now we are 18 months in, they have depleted their cash reserves and some think they cannot go on any further.”
She pleaded with the federal government for financial relief, calling for a wage subsidy to allow tourism businesses to survive the downturn without any visitors travelling to the city.
“This is an incredibly difficult time and for the first time in this pandemic our operators are feeling really alone,” Ms O’Callaghan said. ‘To get us through to Christmas without key markets like Sydney we do need to look at a wage subsidy to ensure the very survival of this industry.
“We are pleading with the government to work with us to help get our industry through this period.”
Opposition Leader David Crisafulli has called for state government to fast-track financial applications for small business owners, get money into bank accounts quicker and a new sliding scale for support packages.
Small Business Minister Di Farmer said the state government had committed to a Queensland Small Businesses Commissioner to provide support and advice. In 2020-21, the role had saved firms time and money and would be permanently established.
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