How the virus has hit Southbank

By Meg Hill

The Southbank community and economy are, like the rest of the world, wading through an unprecedented experience.

Southbank jobs have been lost, meaning Southbank workers are unemployed. Foot traffic is down, and sales are plummeting. On Sunday, March 22, Premier Daniel Andrews announced all non-essential services would be shut down in the following 48 hours, for an indefinite period.

Here’s how events and impacts unfolded in Southbank.

Government and business

Amid announcements of federal and state government stimulus packages, the City of Melbourne passed its own stimulus valued at more than $10 million on March 17.

The package focused on small businesses in the municipality and included:

A virtual business support summit at Melbourne Town Hall;

Suspending fees for Food Act (1984) registrations and street trading permits for three months;

Halving rent for eligible tenants in Council-owned buildings for three months;

Opportunities to deploy casual and part-time staff to enhance city cleanliness and amenity; and

Developing a Rates Hardship Policy.

The business support summit, proposed by Deputy Lord Mayor Arron Wood, is a partnership with the state and federal governments, Victoria’s Chief Health Officer and the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

In fast tracking its rates hardship policies at a special council meeting on Wednesday, March 25, councillors unanimously endorsed an economic package that included 14 initiatives to support businesses.

“As the closest level of government to the people, we are acutely aware of how devastating this virus is for our residential and business community, “Deputy Lord Mayor Arron Wood said. 

“We want to send a message that we know you are going through hard times. If you are worried about your ability to pay your rates on time, please get in touch with our support hotline.”

“We will soon announce details of a virtual summit for business leaders. We need to help our business community survive this shock so they can power our economy for decades to come.”

Yearly rates notices are issued in August. For ratepayers who pay via instalment, the fourth installation due date is May 31, 2020. Businesses that fall behind on rates and charges can request that interest be waived if they are unable to pay their next instalment.

In the case of hardship, a request of assistance from Council must be made in writing, including the details of the circumstances preventing the ratepayer from meeting their financial obligation to Council.

The City of Melbourne said that it would advise of its decision in writing within 14 days for a person, or within 21 days for a body (small business), after receiving an application for financial hardship consideration, once all relevant information has been provided.

The City of Melbourne also announced that it would temporarily suspend fees such as street trading and outdoor dining area permits.

“We have fast-tracked our policy to provide options to defer, reduce or waive rates and charges levied on a property – depending on the severity of the financial impact,” Lord Mayor Sally Capp said.

“If you are facing genuine financial hardship in paying your rates, fees or charges we urge you to contact council to discuss your individual circumstances. Our phone lines are open and we have staff available to support you.”

“In partnership with Spotless Services, we will also provide cross training and employment for approximately 200 affected casual staff to be redeployed to work on improving city cleanliness and presentation.”

President of the Yarra River Business Association (YRBA) John Forman said while the situation was dire, there was reason for Southbank to be hopeful.

“While cashflow and job losses are uppermost in our minds at the moment, it’s some comfort to remember that the Yarra River Precinct’s enviable mix of international and interstate tourism, business events, recreational opportunities for Melburnians and a strong local business base will mean that we bounce back very quickly when we get through all the current turmoil,” he said.

He also urged Southbankers to take care of themselves.

“Quite apart from the economic question, please take great care to look after your mental health. While the autumn weather is still pleasant, make sure to get outdoors every day to enjoy our promenades, riverside views and gardens. The combination of exercise, routine and positivity are key ingredients to a healthy future.”

Rate hardship applications opened on March 30 and ratepayers seeking support can contact 9658 9658. Small businesses should press 1 to speak to the COVID-19 Business Concierge Hotline.

Parks Victoria (PV) has also provided rent relief to its tenant passenger boat operators along the lower Yarra River, who can now apply for support by contacting PV on 8427 3793.

Eligible businesses and organisations can now also apply for City of Melbourne grants via melbourne.smartygrants.com.au

The state and federal governments have also announced a range of stimulus measures to support businesses. On March 30, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced an unprecedented $130 billion package providing businesses with wage subsididies for up to six months.

For more information on both state and federal economic support packages visit business.vic.gov.au and treasury.gov.au/coronavirus.

Community

Southbank’s community groups are in good stead to weather the crisis. Southbank Residents’ Association (SRA) president Tony Penna said the sense of community was important.

“From my interaction with the various buildings around Southbank and their residents, it would seem the community has really come together,” he said.

“I am seeing many offers of support and assistance throughout many building Facebook pages. While it is still early days, I certainly hope this sense of community is not lost as this forced isolation starts to take hold.”

“I hope we all are taking a moment to check on our neighbours and reaching out to the wider community in our buildings. We have heard many times that we are all in this together, and working together is the only way we are going to get out of this.”

Key organiser of the Southbank Sustainability Group Artemis Pattichi said the virus had definitely impacted the way the community interacted.

“One of the greatest attributes of the Southbank Sustainability Group is that sense of community we all feel when we meet to chat sustainability initiatives over coffee every two weeks,” she said.

“With the latest measures in place, we’re of course missing that close contact. While at the same time, this pandemic strangely brought people closer together, and created a sense of comradery on a global level.”

Ms Pattichi said it was as a result that we were beginning to see the “flattening of the curve” in Australia.

“This virus brought out our humanity and a global sense of community. Both important elements that we will need to overcome the challenged the next two decades will bring on an economic, employment, commercial, wellbeing and environmental level.”

Montague Community Alliance convener Trisha Avery was also forced to postpone the group’s regular Montague Working Group meeting with the Fishermans Bend taskforce, which was scheduled to be held at the Golden Fleece Hotel on March 26.

“The Fishermans Bend Taskforce and I have had a conversation regarding how we might move forward using video conferencing,” Ms Avery said. “Development and construction is currently still going ahead in Montague as most of you are experiencing so we do need to ensure that we continue to be fully involved in the development of our precinct.”

Arts

In the early days of the shutdown, on March 17, Cr Rohan Leppert, chair of the City of Melbourne’s Arts, Culture and Heritage portfolio, said some of the most immediate impacts were felt in the arts sector.

“One after the other creative directors and CEOs are calling me and saying we’re about to cancel or defer our upcoming festival,” he said.

“The arts ecosystem is very deep and very broad, and like other sectors the City of Melbourne is overexposed to there’s a lot of independent contractors and casual workers.”

Southbank – home to Melbourne’s Arts Precinct – has been hit hard. From early in the crisis, since around March 15, the precinct has been shut down.

On that day, Arts Centre Melbourne – like most other galleries and institutions – announced the cancellation of all scheduled performances and events and closure of its buildings to the public. Like many other creative institutions, it will remain closed until June 30.

CEO of Arts Centre Melbourne Claire Spencer said the decision, although deeply upsetting, was necessary.

“To say this decision is counterintuitive and deeply upsetting is a gross understatement,” she said.

“However, based on the rapidly unfolding events, the gut-wrenching decision made today to cancel all performances and close our buildings to the public was made as a precautionary measure to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community, protect our staff, performers and patrons, and to play our role in Australia’s response to limiting transmission.” •