Lockdown end to deliver $400m boost

Melbourne’s release from lockdown will deliver an economic boost of up to $400 million, but industry leaders are calling for an even greater easing.

Melbourne’s release from lockdown will deliver an economic boost of up to $400m a week, although industry is pleading for restrictions to be eased further to supercharge the city’s rebound.

The long-suffering hospitality sector has been given the green light to host up to 20 patrons indoors from Friday, and 50 outdoors.

But industry is calling for an even greater easing to match NSW restrictions, where venues are kept to density limits rather than customer caps and the retail sector has reopened indoors.

The Herald Sun revealed last week that key shopping malls and large retailers, including Myer and JB Hi-Fi, will remain closed when lockdown ends due to unworkable outdoor trading rules.

The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry estimates the end to lockdown will deliver an economic boost of up to $400m a week.

But chief executive Paul Guerra said Victoria was “short of where NSW is at and we need to close that gap quickly’’.

“Retailers will stay closed until we hit that 80 per cent (vaccination) mark, we know there are not many that are going to opt in for that outdoor trade because it’s just not viable for them,’’ he said.

Empty restaurants in St Kilda whilst Melbourne is still in lockdown. Picture: Alex Coppel.

Australian Hoteliers Association chief executive Paddy O’Sullivan said slowly reopening pubs was “a small step in the right direction’’.

“Twenty people inside your pub for Cox Plate day is not a big crowd but it’s something,’’ he said.

“We are going to remain optimistic that as the vaccination rates climb up steadily, there will be more freedoms announced in due course.’’

Mr O’Sullivan said the sector wanted patron caps, which he said were “unworkable’’ for larger pubs, to be axed, as in NSW.

Restaurant and Catering Association chief executive Wes Lambert said “any relaxation for the hospitality industry’’ helped.

He said “savvy operators in Melbourne’’ would take advantage of the eased restrictions “with modified seating times, price-fixed menus and bespoke experiences”.

The long-suffering hospitality industry has been given the green light to host up to 20 patrons indoors from Friday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Sarah Matray

But larger venues would suffer so the sector would “continue to push for amendments to the road map’’ as 80 per cent double vaccination rates and above were achieved.

“It is very important that as soon as practicable that the Victorian road map looks more like the NSW road map for hospitality, with just density restrictions,’’ he said.

Small Business Australia executive director Bill Lang said business owners crippled by repeated Melbourne lockdowns were on their last legs, if not already broke.

“The government has been forever in Victoria ‘go early, go hard’ and then it’s like ‘leave soft, leave slow, leave late’,’’ he said. “Businesses want to be able to fully operate and serve vaccinated people in the normal way.”

CLUBBING TOGETHER FOR HOPE

Melbourne’s live music venues will “bleed out slowly” unless they are given a reopening boost, industry leaders say.

Save Our Scene, which represents small to medium pubs, theatres and clubs, will launch a petition on Monday calling for a staggered plan to return to full capacity, and financial support while crowd caps remain in place.

It said the industry was ignored in the government’s reopening road map and was left with “nothing but fear and uncertainty”.

“Unlike many countries that have restarted their live music and club sectors, Victorian music venues are simply not in the picture when it comes to economic recovery,” the group said.

The industry was not given any more certainty under the revised road map released on Sunday.

Leanne Chance (Last Chance Rock n Roll Bar), Sasha Janssen (Whole Lotta Love Bar) and Asher Trainor (Gasometer). Picture: Jason Edwards

Save Our Scene said the restrictions on venues when 80 per cent of Victorians are vaccinated, including a maximum of 150 people indoors, and density limits of one person per 4sq m, or even 2sq m, were unviable. “We may be open, but we will be bleeding out slowly,” the petition says, adding that Melbourne’s global reputation for live music was also under threat.

A Music Victoria census found Melbourne had one live music venue for every 9503 residents, well ahead of London (one per 34,350), New York (one per 18,554) and LA (one per 19,607).

Sasha Janssen, owner and operator at East Brunswick venue Whole Lotta Love, said: “The industry is absolutely bleeding … As an industry, we need a clear road map, and an idea of when we (can) run our businesses again, as they should be run.”

Save Victorian Events accused the government of focusing on just a handful of events, such as race meetings, rather than providing certainty for the whole industry.