With Melbourne in lockdown, the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has urged Federal and State Governments to provide urgent financial support for sectors decimated by the new restrictions.
The Association welcomed Friday’s announcement of a business support package from the Victorian Government, but said the funding represents a fraction of what is required.
Details on the business support package are here.
In addition to Friday’s announcement, the NTIA is calling for:
1. Federal or State wage subsidies for foreign Visa workers, who have not received any financial support since the pandemic began.
2. An extension to all existing rental assistance and commercial property loan deferral schemes for hospitality and tourism business in Victoria until the end of the year, with provision for government funded mediation on tenant application where landlords are not passing on the benefit of those schemes.
3. A 100% refund on properties’ 2020 land tax on application by landlords that is directly paid to affected tenants in the sector and available on direct application by the affected tenants.
4. Blanket refunds of all trade-related licensing and permits fees by Local Councils in relation to the 2020 financial year and a refund of municipal rates in relation to 2020 financial year.
5. Payroll tax refunds to be made available to affected businesses regardless of their size.
6. Provide additional emergency relief grants to those hospitality businesses in the lockdown zones who have no capacity to make revenue from take-away and delivery options.
7. A commitment from the Federal Government to extend JobKeeper beyond September for hard hit industries including hospitality, tourism and events.
Michael Rodrigues, Chair of the Night Time Industries Association said: “This week has been a hammer blow to night time industries which have just started emerging out of hibernation. The lifting of restrictions on venues and operators was set to be a new dawn but has turned into a six-week nightmare. The cost to the economy and human lives and livelihoods will be horrendous.
“The Victorian Government is acting to protect public health, but it also needs to step up to help hundreds of thousands of Victorians who work in the hospitality sector. Friday’s funding announcement is welcome, but it’s a few drops of rain when we need a downpour. More action is needed today”.
Melbourne pubs in crisis as lockdown returns
Pictured main: In April, hospitality workers wrote their COVID-19 stories on aprons and sticking them to bar windows in protest at being ignored by the Government’s stimulus package.
