Southbankers: please keep supporting your local businesses

This time last year I hoped that the destructive COVID years were in the rear vision mirror.

Southbank business has bounced back quite well, but no sooner than we got the pandemic largely out of the way, a drop in consumer confidence and spending has taken its place. Many of our businesses had a tough winter and spring period and will rely on buoyant Christmas and summer trading to balance the books.

Life in small business is tough at any time, but an inability to predict what lies down the track at the moment makes it doubly difficult. Changes overseas could make for an even more difficult time ahead.

Changes by the RBA to interest rates usually have a long lag effect, so any drop in mortgage rates by the central bank in early 2025 could take months to flow through into retail activity. So, this summer, if you are able to regularly support your local business community, it would be very much appreciated.

This year’s Lord Mayoral and councillor elections were the most hotly contested I can remember, so congratulations to Nick Reece and Roshena Campbell for making it back over the line. In those two people we have a duo who appreciate and understand the needs of both the business and residential community. I am impressed by their accessibility and devotion to the role of Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor.

Cr Kevin Louey is back for a fifth consecutive term, so what an achievement is that?  Kevin also understands Southbank, especially its business community. Together with our two resident associations, we look forward to meeting all new councillors in 2025, to be able to bring our many local issues to their attention.

I was pleased and encouraged to read that key to the Team Reece and the Team Wood campaigns was an acknowledgement and an understanding that Southbank has fallen off the council’s radar in recent years, especially in terms of routine maintenance.

You only have to look at the state of the riverside pavement to see evidence of that, and please don’t get me started on the glacial pace of completing Southbank Promenade. Melbourne’s leading tourism and recreation hub should be maintained to the highest standards. Compared to the Queen Elizabeth promenade in Perth and Barangaroo in Sydney, we look like hillbilly relatives. We know that election promises are only the beginning, so the business association in 2025 will keep snapping away at the council’s heels to get things done.

To finish the year, I must congratulate Southbank News and its sibling publications on another outstanding year of local reporting. At a time when many local news outlets are being closed around the country because of unviability, we are most grateful to Sean Car and his team at Hyperlocal News for keeping us all connected.

All the very best for the festive and holiday season and remember to keep up to date with events on your doorstep by heading to yarrariver.melbourne/events •