Industry leaders have their say on Victoria’s road out of lockdown
From bitterly disappointed pubs to small businesses losing faith in yoyo policies, three key industry leaders have their say on Victoria’s slow climb out of lockdown.
Opinion
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EARLY EXIT STRATEGY FOR PUBS A MUST
Victoria’s pubs and hotels are bitterly disappointed following the announcement of further delays to reopen.
Metropolitan publicans are facing an unrealistic and unviable business model of just 20 patrons for indoor trade starting in November.
These venues should be allowed to reopen immediately under already established COVID-safe plans, staff training, digital contact tracing and necessary hygiene and sanitisation practices.
Victoria appears to be focusing on an eradication model rather than managing a COVID-safe economy, which has been achieved in other states and territories.
Instead, pubs are accumulating debt at an alarming rate under the ongoing shutdown.
I fear a number of local pubs might not survive with costs of almost $10,000 per week ($250,000 over the lockdown period), and up to $25,000 per week for larger pubs.
The lockdowns are crippling businesses and creating debts that will see the demise of a number of local pubs. Victoria’s pubs are in a totally untenable hibernation situation.
We still have to pay rates, power, building security, insurance, land tax, corporate tax and the fixed overheads each day of the week, with many operators continuing to pay staff who are not entitled to government assistance, such as chefs on visas.
Pubs are on the edge of a debt cliff and we call on the Victorian government to immediately put into effect an earlier exit strategy.
The Victorian government must take into account the “trade off” factors in their health model between lives lost and livelihoods affected.
David Canny is the Victorian president of the Australian Hotels Association
RIGHT STEPS BUT NOT FAR ENOUGH
Small Business Australia is pleased to hear that elements of what small business industries have been asking for over the past month are finally being introduced.
The tens of thousands of small businesses who have joined our “Victoria — Let’s Be Open” campaign are disappointed that despite coronavirus cases falling below those in NSW, over 100,000 small businesses will remain closed for at least another two weeks.
The only conclusion that can be drawn is that the government has no faith in its own contact and trace system — which by the Premier’s own admission is still being rebuilt.
Had Victoria adopted the NSW tracing system six months ago, all businesses in Victoria would be open.
Small Business Australia continues to call for simple and fair policies from all tiers of government that allow small businesses to thrive.
In the Premier’s announcement there is nothing simple in understanding the rules.
Hairdressers can open on Monday, yet beauticians remain closed, while big retailers and unionised workforces are favoured over local community retailers.
The Premier has said the November state budget will bring healing to business.
The reality is you cannot heal dead businesses and the delays in opening up are killing thousands of businesses each day.
Small business owners have lost faith in the Andrews government, shake their head at the state’s forgetful “Chief COVID officer” Professor Sutton and the “Keystone Cops” hotel quarantine inquiry, while the yoyo policies have wiped out tens of thousands of businesses.
Every Victorian small business, dead or alive, must be fully compensated for their financial losses due to the many failures of government policy in combating COVID-19.
Bill Lang is the director of Small Business Australia
LET’S GET ON WITH THE REBUILD
As Victorians gathered around their televisions on Sunday to learn of their new lockdown liberties, for thousands of retailers the stakes were even higher.
Retailers have spent at least 78 days in continuous lockdown, on top of the lockdowns earlier this year.
Beauty salons, which, like hairdressers, are deeply intertwined in the mental wellbeing of their customers, have spent more time closed than open this year.
It has been a rollercoaster ride of expectations, delays and disappointment from the Victorian government.
But, from November 2, all going to plan, the uncertainty around reopening will end and the years of hard work ahead of us to rebuild Melbourne retail can begin.
Small business owners have been the hardest hit. Far from faceless Victorians, these hardworking men and women are the lifeblood of our Melbourne community.
Retail employs one in 10 Australians and these people are our friends, neighbours, sons and daughters, and our community leaders.
For these Victorians, the extended lockdowns have eroded their businesses, their livelihoods and their spirit. These businesses have taken years, even decades, to build.
There has been little to numb the financial pain — for some, only a few thousand dollars here and there; a drop in the ocean when compared with their mounting debts.
Rental deferrals, while important, have created mounting debt and hence another mental health pressure point.
With the Christmas season officially starting days after they reopen, every day counts in managing customer expectations and spreading demand.
Victoria needs to start its journey of living with COVID as other states have.
For retail, it couldn’t come a day too soon.
Paul Zahra is the chief executive officer of the Australian Retailers Association