Wheel of misfortune: Melbourne needs CBD oil to ease the pain
Private businesses in inner Melbourne say the CBD needs help returning to its pre-pandemic glory after they were forgotten in the Victorian budget spending spree.
Private businesses in inner Melbourne say the CBD needs help returning to its pre-pandemic glory after they were forgotten in the Victorian government’s multi-billion-dollar state budget spending spree this week.
With the bulk of workers out of the office and international tourists barred from entering the country, restaurants, cafes and tourist attractions are bracing for a grim holiday season.
Melbourne Star Observation Wheel head of operations and finance Daniel Greenbank said the world-famous tourist attraction had kept turning over the 231 days it was closed in the pandemic, meaning maintenance and lighting bills kept coming despite the massive drop in revenue.
He welcomed the state government’s funding boost to rural and regional tourism operators but said Melbourne’s CBD also needed help with getting people back into the city.
“While investment in new regional tourism and Melbourne arts infrastructure is great news for our city long term, we were surprised not to see more in this budget for initiatives that will attract Victorians back into the city when they are needed — which is right now,” he said.
Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium general manager Katie Isaac said the attraction’s biggest expense was looking after its animals while the aquarium was shut from March 23 to May 31, and again from July 8 to November 12.
“We cannot use a hibernation approach as it is impossible to put animal care and welfare on hold,” she said.
“Having been closed for many months without revenue and now operating with reduced capacity, we welcome any support the Victorian government can provide to help us recover and protect jobs.”
Restaurant and Catering Association chief executive Wes Lambert said the Victorian government needed to stimulate demand in the CBD again for struggling hospitality businesses, while also acknowledging that payroll assistance, regional tourism vouchers and stimulus grants included in the budget would help the state overall.
“This is a sector that was subject to some of the most prolonged restrictions anywhere in the world, and it seems the cash has been splashed everywhere but the sector that did so much of the heavy lifting keeping Victorians employed and the state economy moving along,” he said.
“R&CA was hoping for initiatives that could stimulate demand and get our sector moving again — as was announced in NSW — but unfortunately instead we have been left with the budget equivalent of table scraps.”
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian last week unveiled a voucher scheme to be used for dining out and entertainment.
Victoria’s Minister for Industry Support and Recovery, Martin Pakula, defended the provision of $200 vouchers to encourage people to travel to regional Victoria but not Melbourne’s CBD, saying he didn’t believe there was a problem with demand at hospitality businesses in the city.
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