The government also made QR check-ins compulsory at all workplaces.
Mr Fiedler said restrictions forced him to postpone a live music event over the Queen’s Birthday long weekend, which represented a major loss in revenue for his business.
“We had two bands organised to play on the Saturday night,” he said.
“It was easier to cancel because we couldn’t have the numbers that we needed to make it a viable event.
“This was the first time this year that we had organised live music.”
Mr Fiedler said South Australian border restrictions and a 25-kilometre travel bubble for Melburnians was causing a significant reduction in customers.
“The biggest impact has been no travellers,” he said.
“We haven’t had people travelling between Melbourne and Adelaide. They would often stay in our accommodation and have a meal at the pub.
“However, during the circuit-breaker lockdown we did do take away meals that were supported by the community, which we are very appreciative of.”
Support Packages
The State Government’s Business Costs Assistance Program is providing payments of $5000 to eligible small and medium-sized businesses affected by two weeks of restrictions.
A Licensed Hospitality Venues Fund also provided grants of $3500 for regional hospitality businesses and $7000 for Melbourne businesses.
Mr Fiedler said his business was eligible for a support payment, but he was calling for greater support to help his staff back into work.
“Without having JobKeeper and the numbers of customers we have coming into the pub, there’s less hours available for staff to work,” he said.
“We’ve got to scale down to make sure the venue can run viably.” Member for Lowan Emma Kealy said there was still a high percentage of businesses that were ineligible for business support grants.
“Sole traders who don’t pay themselves a salary or have an employer and earn less than $75,000 are not eligible for any small business grants,” she said.
“Arguably these are some of the businesses that have been hardest hit by the restrictions.
“For the government to look away and not help them out just because they don’t earn enough is really cruel.”
Ms Kealy said Wimmera businesses that relied on travellers had seen a significant reduction in trade.
“Businesses that have been most hard hit have been the ones on the highway that rely on commuter traffic between Victoria and South Australia,” she said
“South Australia still has really tough border rules for travellers – it’s been really difficult for those businesses for a long time.”
Ms Kealy is calling on the State Government to reassess how it manages future lockdowns in Victoria.
“Any response to how the virus is managed should be proportionate to where the COVID-19 cases are and how many cases there are,” she said.
“If all the cases are in Melbourne, then there should be absolutely no justification for restricting the activities, including business activities, in regional Victoria where we’re hundreds of kilometres away from any active cases.”
The entire June 16, 2021 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!
