Covid assistance: Marlo Hotel denied pandemic business support after ownership change

A popular pub in East Gippsland is crying foul over a criteria anomaly that has robbed them of financial help.

Marlo Hotel’s owners are mounting a last ditch bid for more than $100,000 in Covid business support cash they claim has been denied to them by the Victorian Government due to a criteria anomaly.

Guy Wells and two other business partners last August took over the East Gippsland pub and were immediately confronted with another statewide lockdown.

The hotel’s previous owners were receiving the Covid assistance grants, but with the pub’s trading name changing the new owners were told they were no longer eligible.

Marlo Hotel employees, from left, Cathryn Powney, Pari Pari, Max Lutze, David Armstrong, Brett Eaves and Bailey McClusky. The pub has missed out on Covid business support payments after an ownership change. Picture: Laura Ferguson

Gippsland East MP Tim Bull will raise the issue in state parliament this week with Mr Wells fearing their plight has been forgotten.

“We feel we’ve been left in a financial black hole,” Mr Wells said.

“We had to make a decision ‘do we tip all the staff out and burn some relationships very early on or do we grit our teeth and bank on the government having our back?

“We ploughed on and our biggest customers for takeaway in that time were Victoria Police and the others doing border patrols.

“So in essence we’ve supported the government’s employees, but we’ve not been supported by the government.”

The Marlo Hotel in East Gippsland.

Mr Bull said it was “dead set disgraceful” the new owners were denied the chance to register for funding because no fresh applications were being taken.

“Simply because they changed the trading name the payments stopped,” he said.

“But the Marlo pub is the Marlo pub and it was getting the money.

“They were doing all the right things, staying open, keeping their staff on and doing takeaway meals.

“It could be the only pub in Victoria that changed hands during Covid and had their money cut off.”

Mr Bull said the Australian Hoteliers Association was also lobbying the government on behalf of the Marlo pub owners.

Mr Wells said his partners, Dylan Clarke and Ollie Smith, bought the pub from its previous owners of more than a decade, Russell Bates and Matt Coad.

“I love the pub and spent a lot of time there growing up,” Mr Wells said.

“It’s such an important community asset.

“We want to continue to be that beating heart of the community which has been since 1886.”

The Victorian Government has been contacted for comment.