Coronavirus: Hotels issue a ‘Stop JobKeeper’ plea

Frustrated hoteliers say they’re happy to see JobKeeper go in March to give people a reason to return to work.

Story Bridge Hotel owner Richard Deery. Picture: Glenn Hunt

Calls by tourism and hospitality industry leaders for JobKeeper to be extended beyond March have been shot down by their own members, who say the allowance has made it near impossible to fill casual jobs.

The Tourism and Transport Forum, Restaurant and Catering Association and Australian Hotels Association have backed a continuation of JobKeeper in recognition of the uncertainty of the current trading environment.

However, Brisbane’s Story Bridge Hotel owner Richard Deery and the owner of Montville’s Altitude hotel, Ryan Purcell, are among operators who say they’ve been forced to reduce trading hours because of a lack of staff at the busiest time of the year.

Mr Purcell said many other businesses were in the same boat, with plenty of customers but no one to serve them: “We’ve had (waitressing) jobs advertised for $60,000 to $70,000 a year, for four days a week work, and only one or two applicants. We can’t get people to take the work.

“In 12 years, it’s the worst I’ve seen it, and everyone’s dealing with the same problem.”

He said it was imperative the JobKeeper allowance was not extended beyond March, in order to motivate people to return to work.

Under the rules of JobKeeper, introduced by the federal government to help businesses retain employees during shutdowns, workers can refuse to return if they hold concerns about contracting COVID-19.

“The ball is really in their court and it’s really disappointing,” said Mr Purcell.

Initially worth $1500 a fortnight, the allowance has been progressively reduced, falling to $1000 a fortnight on January 4 ahead of its scheduled cessation on March 28.

Mr Deery’s experience is similar to that of Mr Purcell, with his hotel struggling to fill casual vacancies since licensed venues were allowed to reopen in Queensland in mid-2020.

He blamed the problem on “a myriad things” including the JobKeeper allowance, the higher Jobseeker payment and the shortage of backpackers from travel bans.

He said JobKeeper had served its purpose and should be replaced by some sort of stimulus package to help businesses, and encourage people to return to work.

His preference was a “voucher system” similar to that adopted by NSW, to encourage people to support local businesses, such as restaurants, cinemas and hotels.