New York Inspires Melbourne’s ‘Covid Summer’ Strategy

  • By Peter Gordon
  • •
  • 16 Sep, 2020

With Melbourne constantly in the news and the tight restrictions currently in place,  it was  nice to see an article about the plans for the reopening of the hospitality industry. With so many small businesses affected by COVID-19,  I'm sure this is a little light at the end of a very dark tunnel and will give some hope for those in this struggling industry. 

The people of Melbourne will be dining on the streets, shopping outside and going to hotels as part of multi-million-dollar government packages to reopen the city.

The state is also looking to New York for inspiration to restructure in time for summer and enjoy a “Covid-normal Christmas” as restrictions ease.

The state government is offering $1.7 billion in payroll tax deferral for the entire financial year as well as $1.1 billion in cash grants to support small and medium-sized businesses.

Victoria’s pubs, clubs, bars and restaurants get $250 million worth of grants as well as $130 million on tax breaks.

Businesses in the Victorian alpine region will get grants up to $20,000 to cover resort fees while tourism was drastically restricted at Mt Hotham and Falls Creek.

Broader hotel grants up to $30,000 are yet to be confirmed but are anticipated by industry groups.

There is also a $100 million council-state joint recovery package to extend outdoor trading, waive permit fees, activate vacant shop fronts as well as increasing marketing, events and entertainment to attract workers and visitors back to the city.

This package includes grants for physical infrastructure including umbrellas, planter boxes and bollards to help “already strapped businesses that are under considerable pressure” to make the transition.

Premier Daniel Andrews said this summer will be unlike any other so they have to use all spaces to get things up and running, now and into the future.

“If you look at places like New York, where they have been able to get their hospitality sector back to something approaching normal, faster than what would otherwise have been the case,” Andrews said.

New York City currently has 10,240 open restaurants operating on roadways, sidewalks or along open streets where infection rates have remained under 1,000 cases a day since June, compared to a top of 11,571 cases in mid-April.

“They have used the footpath—curb-side parking and taken public space and turned it into pop-up cafes, restaurants, bars,” Andrews said.

“That is what we will do,we will change the way the city operates and the suburbs and regional cities.

“I expect by the end of summer, so popular will the arrangements be, a mixture of some inside and many more people seated outside, I think that will become, in many respects, a lasting feature of the way the city and suburbs—indeed the whole state functions from a bar, restaurant, cafe, pub point of view.”

Lord Mayor Sally Capp said they were open to any proposals from local businesses or precinct groups about what would work in their local area.

“This fund will provide support for businesses to trade safely and help encourage customers back into the city once restrictions ease,” Capp said.

“Funding to help local businesses become more Covid-safe or expand their trade outdoors will be available as part of this package.

“We will provide financial support to help businesses trade outside along with making improvements to our streets and public places so that Melbourne businesses can thrive again as we welcome people back to the city.”

The City of Melbourne councillors will consider the Covid-19 Reactivation and Recovery Plan further this week.

Tourism Accommodation Australia Victoria general manager Dougal Hollis said they were still waiting on further details of the package including cash grants of up to $30,000.

“Our sector has been among the hardest hit since March so we will gladly accept any government support we can get,” Hollis said.

“It is good to see the dire situation facing our industry recognised and we will continue to work closely with the government on the implementation of the package.

“What we really need, however, is for the government to now revisit its roadmap, especially when it comes to accommodation hotels located in regional areas more than 100km from any active Covid-19 case.”

Victorian businesses have been under tight restrictions since mid-March impacting office and retail as well as real estate agents' ability to conduct inspections and construction levels on worksites.

Article courtesy The Urban Developer 14 Sept 2020

Introducing The Palms Estate, Cairns - The Northern Beach's Premier Address

By Peter Gordon • April 26, 2023

Quiet simply, the Palms is the place to buy!

The northern beaches of Cairns is the Nation's best location for property investors right now, and The Palms is the premier development in this boom region.

It has the best location being elevated and backing onto the rainforest. It will have amazing facilities with a shopping village, a primary school, parks and green open space, a water park and an expanse of wildlife corridors.

It has taken the developers three years to get planning approval for this unique development to be able to hit the market. There are only 300 lots spread across 85 acres of the best land in The Northern Beaches.  Residents will have an abundance of open space right at their doorstep.  The Palms is also the only Certified Enviro Development project in Far North Queensland.

> Cairns Snapshot

In the rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne, the winner is ... Brisbane

By Peter Gordon • April 20, 2023

Sydneysiders and Melburnians, put aside your equally outstanding flat whites for a moment. Stop bickering about whether great beaches beat cool laneways (they do) and desist from debating whether all baristas require waxed moustaches (ideally).

Because Brisbane is closing in on the title of Australia’s best city, and we must join forces to keep this subtropical upstart in its place.

Time  magazine recently named Brisvegas on its “World’s Greatest Places” list, and omitted our cities. It’s a huge shock (and who knew they still published Time  magazine?). But they might be onto something.

Time  points to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, which will be hosted in the maroon metropolis. Brisbane will do a fine job, even though it’ll baffle the world when rugby league is added to the schedule and Queensland is allowed to field its own team.

Time’s  most radical claim is that Brisbane is worth visiting now, but tourism is surging. Not only did Lin-Manuel Miranda recently drop in to catch Hamilton , but hundreds of Hamilfans flew up to watch his interview with Leigh Sales (presumably unaware that it would subsequently arrive on iView for free).

Incredible Lifestyle At An Affordable Price  Equity of approx $390K on completion

By Peter Gordon • April 6, 2023
This small duplex development just a short drive from Hervey Bay on Queensland’s beautiful Fraser Coast, offers an incredible lifestyle at an affordable price. With unprecedented demand and very limited supply, prices look set to skyrocket.

A leading local agent has appraised each side of these duplex's to be worth $665k on completion and rent for $495 per week. So that is massive potentail instant equity of up to $390K on completion, which is incredibly hard to find.
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