A MILDURA business has called for longer term government support to help it stay afloat as rolling lockdowns sap visitor numbers to the region.
“Regional Victoria may not be locked down, but we’re severely impacted,” said Mildura Motor Inn manager Paul Wilton.
“Normally (our turnover would be) $10,000 a week this time of year. This week we’ve had $1000.”
“There will come a point, whether it be our owners or other motel owners, (they) will say ‘we just can’t afford this any longer’.”
Mr Wilton called for government support to see the business through until the end of the year.
“It’s clear that the border (restrictions) won’t change until we get the 70 and 80 per cent vaccinations. That needs to be acknowledged. (We need a) support package that just says: ‘OK, for the next four months, this is what we’re going to do, and we will provide you with some form of income support for that period of time’.”
Mr Wilton was thankful to have received three rounds of business support grants and a $5000 grant from Mildura Regional Development since the JobKeeper program stopped, but said the grant money that had come in was a fraction of what the business had lost during the same period.
Because Mildura is not in lockdown or classified a COVID-19 hotspot, there was no business support the motel could now apply for, Mr Wilton said.
“Rather than just having a lockdown by lockdown (support package) – a payment here and a payment there, some level of continuity would be really important,” he said.
“Even just $10,000 a month would certainly take the pressure off.”
Mildura Motor Inn employs two housekeepers, in addition to Mr Wilton and his wife who manage the business. Mr Wilton said he was worried he would lose those staff because he couldn’t offer them the hours they needed.
“The time will come when they’re saying: ‘Well, we can’t survive on four hours work a week’, and at the moment giving them four or five hours work is a bit of a stretch.
“Thirty per cent of our business is people who are just passing through. (Another) 30 per cent is what we call our corporate trade.
“In the next two weeks we’ve only got about eight bookings.”
Mildura Regional Development acting chief executive Sarah Gilmore said the pressure businesses in Mildura were facing was a “major concern”.
“If (support packages) don’t improve from a government level, there certainly is potential for us to see more closures to businesses locally,” she said.
Member for Mildura Ali Cupper urged the State Government to recognise the circumstances of businesses like Mildura Motor Inn and act accordingly.
“As regional Victoria is out of lockdown, accommodation providers outside of Melbourne are no longer eligible for disaster payment funding,” Ms Cupper said.
“They’re staring down the barrel of financial peril, as the bulk of their clients remain in lockdown or across State borders.”
Sunraysia Daily contacted the spokesperson for State Government for Tourism Minister Martin Pakula and Small Business Minister Jaala Pulford, but did not receive a response by deadline.
Member for Mallee Anne Webster said she had been “campaigning for additional support for small business”.
She said the Commonwealth Government had been working with the states to roll out grants-based funding programs and had committed to the COVID-19 Disaster Payment for workers who miss work due to lockdowns. This payment is only available in areas where there is a declared lockdown.
