Bramleigh Estate Warrandyte’s Mary-Anne Lowe angry over conflicting operating advice
A Warrandyte venue owner claims she and other function venue owners are dealing with a ‘grey area’ over guest limits at events, forcing her to make the call to close until the start of spring.
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A Warrandyte estate owner is shutting her doors until spring, claiming two government departments are giving her the ring-around about how to safely operate her business.
But the State Government insists information on staging weddings and funerals on its Business Victoria and Department of Health and Human Services websites is consistent.
Bramleigh Estate owner Mary-Anne Lowe said “grey areas” had emerged for her and other venue owners on guest limits for weddings and funerals following the coronavirus outbreak.
Current DHHS advice indicates up to 20 guests, the couple and celebrant can attend weddings, and for a reception in a restaurant.
But despite a limit of 50 people for funerals, only 10 people can attend a wake if it is held in a restaurant, or 20 people in a community hall.
Ms Lowe, who has ceremony spaces and a restaurant for receptions, said she had repeatedly phoned both departments for clarity in the past fortnight but had been handballed between them after long wait times.
She also claimed Manningham Council had given minimal support and not returned her calls.
“With funerals, you can have a funeral for 50, but 10 for the wake, so literally I have to kick everyone out except for 10 who can stay for tea and coffee,” she said.
“There’s all these double standards, all these operators having to make their own interpretations on what a rule is.”
Ms Lowe said she had since decided to close her venue until September to avoid breaching restrictions in the individual spaces.
“It’s a sad state of affairs when its easier to close your business than work within the grey area the government is getting is us to work in,” she said.
“I understand things have changed with the virus spike and things had to be wound back, but you need to be clear in the communication.”
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Small Business Minister Jaala Pulford’s spokeswoman Stephanie Hobbs said information provided by Business Victoria and the DHHS on the conduct of weddings and funerals was consistent.
She said the government had paid about $50 million to eligible businesses in the Manningham and Yarra Ranges regions through its business support fund and payroll tax refunds to support them after the virus outbreak.
Manningham Council director of city services Angelo Kourambas said the council had started a dedicated development program with various advisory services for local business owners.