Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Hospitality NT CEO Alex Bruce says the ongoing requirement for check-in at hospitality venues has no health benefit and should be dropped altogether

Transcript

Hospitality NT CEO Alex Bruce says the ongoing requirement for check-in at hospitality venues has no health benefit and should be dropped altogether · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Now I know that one person who is probably I'm assuming,
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: wishing that that old mask mandate would have been lifted
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: for Friday so we could all enjoy a beer without
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: wearing one on the weekend rather than Monday. Is the
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: sea of hospitality here in the Northern Territory. Alex Bruce,
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Alex.
• 0:20
  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie, Alex.
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: I mean, were you hoping that this had been made,
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: or the decision had been made that you could lift
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: the mask off for the weekend rather than Monday morning?
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: Oh, without a doubt, And you know we wanted it
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: lifted last Friday. At least yesterday we heard from the
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: shows delegate that they believe mandates are no longer the
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: way to go from this point forward when it comes
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: to masks. That quite rightly then poses the questions about, okay, well,
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: why Monday not Friday? You know, we had venues reopening
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: for the first time since New Year's Eve this weekend,
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: gearing up for Mardi Grass celebrations and all the rest
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: of it. So that's damp and that. But I'm told that,
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: you know, pleasingly, the show will go on and as
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: many people that do want to come out and about
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: this weekend, you know, please do, But yeah, it was
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: just disappointing. We don't know why the so called science
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: says that twelve oh one on a Sunday night Monday
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: morning is somehow different to a Friday or Saturday night. Also,
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: we know, you know, we we've spoken about it previously.
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: Our trade is down and our trade is depressed. Everyone
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: that's going and getting COVID, they know themselves. That's from households,
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: from the school kids bringing it back into that household,
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: from office towers, from work sites. So why is hospitality
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: continued to have the boot on our throat whilst that
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: spread is going on in other parts of the community
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: wholly and solely unrelated to us.
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: So, Alex, do you think that this weekend, do you
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: think you're going to see increased numbers out at all?
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: Or do you think that we're going now have to
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: wape that extra week real before people feel as though
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: they can relax without those masks on.
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: Importantly, Katie and you know, to pick up one of
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: your texts in if people feel more comfortable wearing masks
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: in our venues, absolutely welcome to continue to do so
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: even beyond Monday. You know, we want open tolerant environments
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: for masks and unmasked alike. But you know, you only
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: have to look at what's going on in the Eastern States,
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: the Southern States. Even before they lifted their masks, no
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: one was wearing them. Even before they lifted their check
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: in requirements, no one was checking in. You know, compliance
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: and enforcement is not a real issue up here either.
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: The police quite rightly do have better things to do.
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: So you know, we're seeing that already. We're seeing the community,
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: you know, when they're faced with rigid rules that don't
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: no longer make sense. They're not man in the protests,
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: but they're just peacefully rejecting the rules.
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: Alex, there will be some listening this morning who were thinking, well,
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: we did actually still have two COVID deaths yesterday. Those
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: numbers are still hovering around six hundred. Do we really
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: need to be taking the masks off?
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: Yes, And I would say, you know, the health advice
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: is that the mandate is not the appropriate way. Arguably
• 3:15
  Speaker 2: it never should have been. It should have always been
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: public health messaging strongly encouraging like previously. But as of yesterday, Katie,
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: sixty percent less hospitalizations than when we peaked twenty three
• 3:28
  Speaker 2: days ago. So we are beyond not only the case peak,
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: but the absolute hospitalization peak twenty three days ago. Sixty
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: percent less hospitalization since then, and only two people in
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: our ICU after two years of preparation. Are we honestly
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: saying that we are not able to cope within our
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: health system with the numbers that they are facing now.
• 3:48
  Speaker 2: To be honest, there's other questions that should be asked
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: about that far removed from whether hospitality should continue to
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: be singled out as the only ones that have to
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: do QR codes log books that haven't been collected in
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: December and will never be collected again and VA's customers only.
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: So are you telling me that with those venues that
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: have been doing the manual checking, that those log books
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: have not been collected ever by the department, not.
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: Since mid December. So when they opened the borders and
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: empty community transmission became real, you know, for the first
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: real time, those books have stopped being collected. So, yes,
• 4:25
  Speaker 2: the territories that are coming into our businesses and they're
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: filling out their details because otherwise they face right now
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: a five and a half thousand dollars fine if they don't,
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: we keep those details for twenty eight days and then
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: we shread them because we're not allowed to keep them
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: beyond that because it's personal information, right, there is a
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: zero health benefit to a katie. So when rules are
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: that rigid and you can't get a straight answer out
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: of anybody, there's a lot of finger pointing as to
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: who makes the decisions in government when it comes to
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: this stuff, and no one wants to claim responsibility for Yep,
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: we just like control, or you know, we we like
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: that it keeps the idea that COVID's reel in people's minds.
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: You know, that's some of the garbage that we get
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: when we query some of this stuff.
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: Well, I mean, you certainly sound pretty fine up about
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: it this morning, Alex. The thing that I do want
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: to ask you about is the check in the check
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: in app. We know that it is being scaled back,
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: so you don't need to check in everywhere go anymore.
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: It is only licensed those licensed venues for you guys.
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: So for your different hospitality businesses, does that mean that
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: they still need to keep that check in infrastructure there
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: or are they having to just check people's vaccine status
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: as they enter? From your perspective, what's the guy.
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: They have to keep everything while everyone else got to
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: take down their QR code and remove their books yesterday. So,
• 5:45
  Speaker 2: you know, leave the question about whether we should be
• 5:49
  Speaker 2: vax checking our customers or not alone for another day.
• 5:53
  Speaker 2: We don't think that has much life left in it either,
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: but you know, leave that aside. Why in addition to that,
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: are we the only ones now with QR codes and
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: log book requirements on us? It does not make sense.
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: No one can hand on heart show a shred of
• 6:08
  Speaker 2: health based evidence or science that an outdoor cafe that
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: is licensed has any higher risk than when you go
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: to your mate's house, when you're working in your office building,
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: when you're on the tools of the trade site. The
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: community knows this, Katie, and more and more of our
• 6:24
  Speaker 2: venues and our customers are querying why they're being singled out.
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: Alex. We did get in contact yesterday with the Chief
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: Finess's office because we're a bit unsure on this one,
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: and it was their understanding that you can show your
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: Medicare Digital vaccine pass when you're entering license venues. While
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: that language at the press conference introduction yesterday obviously stated
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: that the check in app would still be required at
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: those venues. So from what you're saying, you do actually
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: still need those businesses are still going to need the
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: check in system and the QR code if they're licensed.
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: We put to the government exactly the advice that you
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: got yes yesterday when you queried that that would have
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: been our preference there. And can I just make a
• 7:06
  Speaker 2: clear not everyone uses their smartphone to check in. Not
• 7:09
  Speaker 2: everyone has a smartphone, but there are people that choose
• 7:12
  Speaker 2: to not use the smartphone and fill out the books.
• 7:15
  Speaker 2: And there are also people that choose to show they're
• 7:18
  Speaker 2: printed out PDF of their VAC statement or the medicare
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: app to prove their ness. In addition to the check
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: in system which you can go and access your green
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: tick without needing to QR scams. So there's three different
• 7:32
  Speaker 2: ways that the requirement could be satisfied, you know, if
• 7:34
  Speaker 2: the customers proving their VAC status far removed from QR
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: codes and logbooks. Unfortunately, has the day progressed yesterday and
• 7:43
  Speaker 2: we drilled down into the detail. We've got absolute confirmation
• 7:46
  Speaker 2: we need all three two redundant systems and we still
• 7:50
  Speaker 2: need to VAX check.
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: Wow, how is that going to be for you guys
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: to manage I mean, I know that you've been managing
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: it now for quite some time, but what are those
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: hospitality venues telling you today.
• 8:03
  Speaker 2: Look, they're frustrated that they want to know why they've
• 8:07
  Speaker 2: got another weekend of suppressed trade and some of them
• 8:10
  Speaker 2: potentially opening for losses when by Monday the mask mandate
• 8:15
  Speaker 2: is being lifted, and they want to know why all
• 8:17
  Speaker 2: of a sudden we are being singled out and targeted.
• 8:21
  Speaker 2: And just following this through Katie, they're continuing to send
• 8:24
  Speaker 2: the consumer message stay out of hospitality where somehow higher risk.
• 8:29
  Speaker 2: And I just challenge everyone that's listening think about everyone
• 8:32
  Speaker 2: you know and where they've got it from. It's often
• 8:35
  Speaker 2: from your loved one within the household, and it's often
• 8:38
  Speaker 2: from childcare or school's reopening and coming back in. That's
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: the lived experience of more and more territoriums. So why
• 8:44
  Speaker 2: are they sheeting all of that back to us?
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: Look, Alex, some people listening this morning will be thinking, well,
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: you know, in some cases someone might have picked it
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: up from a hospitality venue. Well they might feel that
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: it is a higher risk being in a crowded pub, But.
• 8:59
  Speaker 2: I mean, at the end end of the day, away
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: you know individual responsibility. Katie, that's fine if people are
• 9:05
  Speaker 2: cautious by all means, get your boot off the throat
• 9:09
  Speaker 2: of the rest of us.
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: Well, Alex Bruce, we really appreciate your time this morning.
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: I know it's not the celebration. I don't think that
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: the hospitality venues were hoping for prior to that announcement
• 9:20
  Speaker 1: being made yesterday. I'd say that it would have been
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: a well certainly much more much more positive. Have we
• 9:28
  Speaker 1: known exactly or have we been able to get those
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: masks off by Friday?
• 9:32
  Speaker 2: Ar I that's it. And look, I know that people
• 9:35
  Speaker 2: will be arguing, well, what's in a couple of days, Well,
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: this is such a rollercoaster. Why drip feed two weeks
• 9:41
  Speaker 2: ago that this thing was coming in days, not weeks,
• 9:44
  Speaker 2: to then announce that it would be lifted two weeks
• 9:46
  Speaker 2: from when that original statement was made.
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: Well, Alex Bruce, we appreciate your time. I will talk
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: to you again very soon.
• 9:54
  Speaker 2: J Katie all, thank you,