Charlotte Varcoe
WESTERN Victorian businesses which rely on mixed trade from cross-border residents continue to struggle against changing restrictions between South Australia and Victoria.
The South Australian-Victorian travel corridor was reinstated to 70km earlier this week, providing relief to many cross-border communities which had limited by the temporary 40km zone.
COVID-19 testing requirements for cross-border community members have also changed with no weekly tests required, while travelling into South Australia for community sport was also approved for those living within the travel bubble.
As this edition of The Border Watch went to print yesterday, Victoria had recorded six new COVID-19 cases in Melbourne with the potential impact on any restrictions not yet known.
Nelson Hotel manager Sam Carrison said changing border restrictions had forced a restricted business model for the hotel with staff resorting to take-away only for cross-border workers and locals alike.
Mr Carrison said the business would typically host a number of cross-border workers, such as those in the forestry industry, yet was still expecting heavy impacts financially.
“At the start of the most recent South Australian lockdown we had a few visitors who were here yet when lockdown began they all vacated pretty quickly,” Mr Carrison said.
“Although we are a part of the cross-border community, what we have noticed and missed is that those in South Australia are scared to come to Victoria even when the state is not locked down.”
He said the lack of business from South Australians travelling was a “hard hit” on the business across the pandemic.
“It has been a fair hit on all businesses in Nelson because the town goes from being a dead town to being really full but if we cannot have people here it kills everything,” he said.
“Everytime there is talk of a lockdown in either state it is as if the South Australian traffic does not exist.”
Dartmoor General Store owner Kim McLean said his business had been relying on the 250 residents within the district during the lockdowns.
He said being reliant on cross-border trade between the two states and the varying lockdown conditions had taken a significant toll on the small business.
“We here do most of our banking and shopping in Mount Gambier and we are lucky because when the travel bubble is 40km we only just sneak in,” Mr McLean said.
“Businesses here are missing out on the cross-border travellers and although there are workers it’s not enough.”
He said tourists were not travelling through the town due to continuous lockdowns and border restrictions stating they did not see the benefits of coming to Dartmoor if they were not able to enter South Australia.
“There is no reason why tourists would come all the way to Dartmoor because they would rather look at areas such as Portland or along the Great Ocean Road,” Mr McLean said.
“The only people we are getting travelling around our town are our locals who go into South Australia and we are not having those from South Australia coming over to our side.
Speaking on Tuesday afternoon, South Australian Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said despite the minor change to the cross-border restrictions, officials in the transmission committee continued to monitor Victoria’s COVID-19 situation and contemplated the difference between greater Melbourne and regional areas.
“We will continue to discuss arrangements with the Victorian border and there is scope to shift in relation to cross-border restrictions which continues to be on the agenda,” Mr Stevens said.
“Our major concern for now is New South Wales and maintaining the border restrictions there.”
Visit www.covid-19.sa.gov.au or www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au for the latest updates from South Australia and Victoria respectively.
