AHA Victoria's campaign to re-open pubs

The Australian Hotels Association (Victoria) have launched the No Tick No Entry Hospitality Registry initiative as industry calls for a nuanced approach to lockdown continue to grow.

AHA (Victoria) President David Canny – and owner of the Red Lion Hotel - said pubs and hotels are committed to enforcing a ‘No Tick No Entry’ policy, to give confidence to the Victorian Government that hospitality businesses can be trusted to reopen.

The measure would see COVID marshals stationed at entrances to pubs, clubs and hotels across the state. Registration is open to all Victorian pubs, hotels and hospitality businesses that declare they satisfy the COVIDSafe compliance requirements, including:

• Current and up to date COVIDSafe Plan
• Utilise the Service Victoria App for their QR code customer registration system and
• Impose a “NO TICK NO ENTRY” policy for all patrons.

Last week Canny said to the Australian Financial Review: “Our pubs and hotels have been using QR codes for customer registration since September last year. We have commenced a public campaign ‘No Tick No Entry’ to ensure all our patrons understand its importance.

“We are saying to the customer you are not coming in unless you the complete customer registration on the Service Victoria App.

“We must snap back quickly to pre-lockdown restrictions. Contact tracing holds the key for us to get open and trading.”

Crown, the state's largest single employer, announced this week that is standing down the majority of its staff but will pay all of them a one-off discretionary payment.

Restrictions eased in Melbourne from midnight Friday but pubs and restaurants are limited to hosting 50 people. Regional Victoria opened up on Monday with seated, restricted dining and the limited provision of accommodation now permitted.

Canny said the rules announced on Wednesday were “just not viable” and that he knew of many pubs and bars in Melbourne that would not open on Friday.

“This is just a slow death for venues and, as a result, the jobs of their staff,” he said.

The AHA welcomed the Victorian Government’s announcement of a one-off maximum payment of $7,000 for hoteliers via the Licensed Venue Hospitality Fund.