Restaurant & Catering Australia CEO Wes Lambert has written to Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Tourism Minister Dan Tehan this week to state the case for Australia’s worst- affected hospitality venues to continue to receive wage subsidies once Jobkeeper payments wind up on 28 March.
The hospitality industry has been one of the hardest hit industries by the pandemic. Lambert argues that ‘Hospokeeper’ should replace Jobkeeper exclusively to support the sector and be available to accommodation and food service businesses hardest hit by the government-imposed lockdowns and restrictions.
Mr Lambert stressed in his proposal the sector is suffering greatly and will continue to suffer from restrictions that continue to be put in place ‘with little or no warning.’
The proposal suggested Hospokeeper replace JobKeeper for six months as part of a ‘short term’ and ‘targeted’ program with businesses currently receiving payments if ‘substantially affected’ and deemed eligible. Such businesses would include those with customer quota restrictions, CBD businesses impacted by regular customers working from home and those adversely hit by interstate and international travel restrictions.
Under the scheme, businesses would need to prove eligibility through their Business Activity Statements at the end of each month when their revenue was down 15 to 30 per cent compared to pre-pandemic figures in 2019.
“Whilst all of these actions are taken through following the best health advice available to governments across the country, they unfortunately leave thousands of businesses facing sustained losses and with the threat of eventual closure when JobKeeper ends,” Lambert writes.
“As Australia’s vaccination program is unlikely to approach completion until the end of 2021, it should be expected that these restrictions and distribution will continue until at least the end of the year.”
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