INDUSTRY UPDATE
A message from the SATC Chief Executive, Rodney Harrex
Dear industry colleague,
Unprecedented action was taken by both the State and Federal Governments yesterday in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Premier of South Australia Steven Marshall made the decision to effectively close South Australian borders to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our state, and has declared a State of Emergency. This decision relates to non-essential travel and takes effect from 4pm Tuesday 25 March, see the details here.
Last night, the Prime Minister announced further actions to support social distancing measures and protect the Australian community from the spread of coronavirus, which included restrictions to pubs, registered and licenced clubs, hotels, restaurants and cafes. I am seeking further advice on how this impacts venues such as cellar doors, etc. You may wish to read his statement here.
These decisions are a matter of public health, and necessary to slow the spread of COVID-19. It has been made very clear that every extra bit of time allows for better preparation of our health system and for measures to be put in place to save lives.
I recognise these decisions will have a monumental economic impact on our tourism sector, and on your business. I want to ensure you that I am continually working with the Premier to provide him and the SATC Board with the most up-to-date information on how this crisis is affecting our sector.
At this point, I am focused on working together as a sector toward how we will come out of this at the other end. I note that the $66 billion economic support package announced by the Prime Minister yesterday, in which there is a specific focus on:
- Support for households including casuals, sole-traders, retirees and those on income support
- Assistance for businesses to keep people in a job
- Regulatory protection and financial support for businesses to stay in business.
