MILDURA Rural City and Wentworth Shire councils have joined a chorus of Murray communities calling for governments to ease COVID-19 travel restrictions and give more support to lessen the “especially severe” impacts on border businesses.
The councils are among a group of regional development associations, councils and economic development agencies that aim to to raise awareness and engage governments on the impact of the New South Wales-Victoria border closures on local communities.
In a joint statement issued on behalf of the joint signatories, Regional Development Australia Murray Inc said local councils, business, tourism, trade and industry groups were being profoundly disadvantaged as a direct consequence of Victorian and NSW emergency public health orders.
“Our communities are experiencing unique regional exclusion from daily activities; from work, health, education and welfare services, family interaction, business delivery and development, banking, groceries and fresh food, sports and recreation activities,” the statement said.
“No other area of Australia has suffered the impact of not being able to attend work because of COVID-19 emergency orders.
“Our communities are facing rules more restrictive than those imposed on residents of Melbourne and Sydney hot spots.”
The statement said about 5 per cent of the border workforce was unable to work because of living or working outside the designated border zone, while businesses were being forced to close where staff were excluded from entering NSW or were forced to self-isolate on returning home.
Regional Development Australia (RDA) Murray said results of a recent local survey of border businesses found:
● 89.22 per cent of businesses had been affected by border closure.
● An average of 2.7 staff per business were unable to cross the border to attend work.
● An average of $8500 weekly revenue lost for affected businesses.
● Businesses were being forced to reduce their staff by up to 1.8 full-time employees.
RDA Murray chief executive Edwina Hayes said she felt compelled to organise the statement after seeing first-hand the impact of the border closure on local people and businesses.
“The Murray region is one community across the NSW-Victoria border,” she said.
“We have borne the full brunt of this situation protecting NSW.”
The joint signatories’ prioritised recommendations to governments are to:
● Include residents and businesses in NSW-Victoria border LGAs in all Commonwealth and state assistance and support packages for social and economic support and mental health.
● Create a border closure disaster response program, similar to the Bushfire Grant Scheme, to support and sustain affected businesses and services.
● Establish a NSW fund similar to the Victorian Regional Tourism Accommodation Support Program to compensate accommodation businesses for cancellations arising from the border closure.
● Adjust the NSW border closure zone and restrictions to include locally identified border communities.
● Consult local regional development leaders before future changes to border regulations.
