Support package welcomed

The “circuit breaker” lockdown in Victoria

 in place until 11.59pm on June 3

You must remain within a 5km radius of your home when shopping or exercising, unless your closest shops are further away.

• Masks must be worn everywhere other than your home, both indoors and outdoors, unless an exemption applies.

• There are to be no visitors to your home unless it is an intimate partner. However, single bubbles will be permitted, with people living alone allowed to make a bubble with one other person.
• Public gatherings will be banned.
• Restaurants, pubs and cafes can provide takeaway only. Essential retail, supermarkets, food stores, petrol stations, banks, bottle shops and pharmacies, other retail stores can provide click and collect.
• Schools will move to remote learning, except for vulnerable children and children of authorised workers. Higher education will also move to remote learning.
• Childcare will remain open.
• Funerals will be limited to a maximum of 10 people plus those running the service.
• Weddings cannot proceed unless end of life or deportation reasons apply.
• Religious activities will not proceed other than through broadcast with a maximum of five people.
• Approved professional sporting events will proceed but crowds will not be permitted.
• Hotels, clubs, TABs and casinos will be closed.

• Indoor and outdoor entertainment venues, swimming pools, spas, saunas, community venues, drive in cinemas and amusements parks, creative studios, art galleries and museums will all be closed.
• Aged care visitors will only be allowed for limited reasons. Hospitals will only allow visitors for end of life situations, to support a partner during birth, or a parent accompanying a child.

250 million Support Package for Business in Victoria Announced

 Victoria’s Acting Premier James Merlino has announced a $250 million support package for businesses struggling during the seven-day lockdown.

Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, he said the package will be available for small and medium sized businesses, including sole traders, to help them get through this “very difficult time”.

Mr Merlino said the new support package is bigger and broader than the one delivered back in February, and he expects around 76,000 businesses will be eligible for financial assistance.

He also lashed the Federal Government for ignoring requests for further assistance, amid concerns of further job losses.

“Victorian workers need support and that is where we needed Canberra to come to the table, and I am very sorry to say that they have refused to do that,” he said.

“We asked multiple times for the Federal Government to support workers during this period and the unrelenting answer has been, no.

“Victorian workers deserve more from the Federal Government and I am beyond disappointed that the answer from the Prime Minister and the Treasurer has been no.”

Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas also called on the federal government to “step up to the plate”.

“You will hear a lot from the federal government about the need for us to work in partnership, well, we are not a silent partner,” he said.

“They like making speeches. They are not a tangible partner. We need them to step up to the plate. Workers need them, the community needs them.”

Mr Pallas said he was “angry and disappointed”.

The new state package includes:

• $190 million for $2500 grants for businesses whose staff could not work from home with a payroll up to $10 million, including sole traders who can’t work as a result of restrictions;
• $40.7 million for $3500 grants for the Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund; and
• $20m Events Support Fund for businesses impacted by cancelled bookings and shows.

Support package welcomed, but operators worried

The story of a refugee

Hamed Allahyari’s cafe in Melbourne’s west normally serves 30 people for dinner on a Sunday night. 

As Victoria completed its third day of lockdown, he had just two takeaway orders.

“We’ve had a lot of food waste already; we have takeaway but not everyone orders online,” said Mr Allahyari, who employs refugees and asylum seekers who may otherwise struggle to find jobs.

Mr Allahyari says he welcomes the state government’s new business support package, which will provide a payment of $2,500 for small business owners. However, it would only take a three-week closure to put the cafe out of business, he said.

The staff who normally work at the Sunshine cafe have had their shifts reduced. There’s no need for two chefs to work at the same time, and no real need for waiters.

He says his cafe survived the last lockdown thanks to JobKeeper, and more help would be welcome from the Commonwealth this time.

Mr Allahyari fled Iran, arriving in Australia in 2012 without knowing a word of English.

After countless knockbacks while applying for jobs, the chef worked his way up and opened his Persian cafe two years ago.

Mr Allahyari said he wanted to provide opportunities for people who struggled to get a start.

“To get the first job in Australia is not that easy. We support those people and give them the opportunity to work in this cafe,” he said.

“I’ll fight to keep my business open. I have to try other things. Last year, I tried cooking classes and that was very helpful.”

Save Victorian Events

Simon Thewlis from Save Victorian Events welcomed the state government’s business support package, especially the $20 million to help operators in the event industry.

Mr Thewlis said the government support would help some operators immediately, but it would provide others hope to hold events in the future.

“Overall in the last year, we’ve probably lost three-quarters of some parts of our industry, we’ve lost over 100,000 events worth more than $10 billion.

“This most current lockdown will probably impact a few events, but it will shatter some of the confidence that people were just regaining.”

We really do need some more direct support too, so businesses in our industry can get through the quiet winter period.”

Scrap the Lockdown

Chief executive of the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Paul Guerra, once more called on the federal government to commit additional financial assistance in the wake of the JobKeeper wind back.

Paul Guerra, CEO of the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, says the ‘lockdown lever’ needs to be scrapped to enable businesses to recover.(

“We’d like to see the federal government come forward and support the workers as they’ve done in the past,” he said.

“We know COVID crosses borders and so should support for businesses and workers. It is a business and worker emergency.”

Mr Guerra said it was important for businesses to make sure there were no more lockdowns.

“Victorians are over them, we’ve had four, that’s four too many,” he said.

“We need to scrap the lockdown lever forever.”