Melbourne Mayor calls for hospitality lifeline
Melbourne’s Lord Mayor, Sally Capp, has called for JobKeeper payments to be extended beyond their 28 March end date and all workers ordered back to their offices as a way of rejuvenating the CBD.
In an interview with the Sunday Herald Sun, Ms Capp said Melbourne’s struggling CBD should be treated as a special case and should continue receiving financial support from the government, so the hospitality industry could get up and running again after all the lockdowns.
“There needs to be a co-ordinated approach between all levels of government to support local restaurants, cafes and bars that have been hit hard by the pandemic.
“We would welcome an extension of JobKeeper, or targeted financial support for the sector, from the Commonwealth Government (and) we look forward to the Victorian Government safely increasing capacity limits and allowing 100 per cent of workers to return to the city,” Cr Capp said.
According to Victorian Tourism Industry Council chief, Felicia Mariani, many businesses have had to cut staff , “and others are questioning whether or not they can actually go forward”.
Ms Mariani said increasing the number of city workers would help boost businesses’ confidence and financial situation, however additional financial support is also necessary.
Calls for help are echoing throughout the industry.
Restaurant and Catering Australia chief, Wes Lambert, has called on the Federal Government to introduce a ‘HospoKeeper’ program.
Justin O’Donnell, chairperson of Melbourne’s Chapel Street Precinct, spoke of “mountains of debt”.
“As Victorian suffered significantly longer lockdowns than the rest of the country, our businesses have not had the opportunity and time to recover,” Mr O’Donnell said.
“We need JobKeeper to be extended for all businesses that still qualify, so that they have the same amount of time out of lockdown (as businesses in other states) to get back on their feet.
“They must be afforded the same opportunity to survive.”
It is unlikely JobKeeper will be extended.
Irit Jackson, 17th March 2021
