Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Hospitality NT CEO Alex Bruce is celebrating the dropping of the NT's Vaccine Pass, and says enough's enough with putting the burden of Covid on indoor venues

Transcript

Hospitality NT CEO Alex Bruce is celebrating the dropping of the NT's Vaccine Pass, and says enough's enough with putting the burden of Covid on indoor venues · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: We learned a little bit earlier this morning that the
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: vaccine pass has been dropped in the Northern Territory. It
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: is something that my next guest has been advocating for
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: quite some time. Alex Bruce, the CEO of Hospitality here
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: in the territory, joins me on the line. Good morning
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: to you, Alex.
• 0:17
  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie Alex.
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: This seems as though it's good news for the hospitality industry.
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: Did it come out of nowhere for you guys this morning?
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: Look, you hit the nail on the head. We've been
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: asking the government, David look at this for a while now,
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: and I think previously I've said the time for it
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: to be lifted was yesterday. We're getting a lot of
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: feedback into our office from our members today though you
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: know they would have liked it sooner, but at least,
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: you know, sanity's prevailed a common sense approach. So yeah,
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: moving forward, very positive on this one. We understand Queen
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: flann maybe making a similar announcement later today, so you
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: know that was probably weighing into it as well. Got
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: to be truthful about that.
• 1:02
  Speaker 3: So you know, New South Wales has already lifted Tazzy's
• 1:05
  Speaker 3: already lifted. If Queensland's going today, we needed to do it.
• 1:08
  Speaker 3: South Australia never had it in the first place. We
• 1:11
  Speaker 3: still think the government's holding on a bit too tight
• 1:13
  Speaker 3: with some of these other measures up here, as is
• 1:15
  Speaker 3: their want. We don't like any language this morning where
• 1:18
  Speaker 3: they're starting to get the community prepped for a potential
• 1:22
  Speaker 3: masked mandate reintroduction into Darwin.
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: You know, cases of this new strain aren't linked to
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: increasing hospitalizations anywhere near what a lot of these things
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: that were modeled for Delta were about. The community is
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: getting jack of it. We're looking forward to a busy
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: dry season and we want to be positive and strive
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: for freedom and to be at the top of the charts. Again.
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: That was a very keen marketing tool of our industry
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: last year with domestic tourists. We don't want to be lagging.
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: We don't want to be going back into more measures.
• 1:54
  Speaker 3: No, thank you.
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I think everybody's feeling a bit that way, Like
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: we understand that these numbers are on the rise to
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: some degree. Five hundred odd, the Health Minister had said
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: on the show, and you know they have said that
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: these chow the chow extension of powers will mean that
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: there is a situation where they're able to reintroduce a
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: mask mandate if required. But I think people are at
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: the point where they're a bit iver USh.
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: There's been epidemiologists, you know, the health science saying that
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: this mandate when it comes to masks on off, have
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: your mask off moment, everyone be happy and drop all
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: their other COVID principles is actually damaging for public health advice.
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: And there is a growing school of thought that there
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: should never have been mandates. But leaving the past in
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: the past, going forward, we don't need mandates. We need
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: public health to issue strong recommendations and lay a clear
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: picture and boosting cases that aren't leading to anything more
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: than the vast, vast majority of people being on the
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: couch popping panadol for two days and then feeling a
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: lot better within that forty out our period. We need
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: to normalize that. You know, I've said this in other areas,
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: But we can cherry pick data all we want if
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: we want to continue to profligate fear, but our industry
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: at least we're over that.
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: I mean Alex to play, you know, Devil's advocate, though
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: we are looking at there being a new variant making
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: its way through the territory, which is dominant apparently in
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: Eastern States at the moment where those cases are quite high.
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: Is this change potentially creating more risk for people indoors?
• 3:34
  Speaker 3: Well?
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: So, how many do we have in hospital in today's
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: update at fourteen or seventeen? How many total hospitalizations are
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: there in the territory right now? What are the main causes?
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: We've heard from the teachers' union, sorry, the nurse union
• 3:46
  Speaker 2: that you know, a significant chunk and it could be
• 3:48
  Speaker 2: up to half the people that are presenting at hospital
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: for broken legs or for other issues are then testing
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: positive and that's getting added to the data. You know,
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: if we're not going to be honest and interrogate the
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: information at this point in the pandemic slash endemic cycle,
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: then no, we don't support the fixation on indoor settings,
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: the fixation on hospitality. Everybody now knows it's ripped through
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: the schools and the whole time a COVID positive household
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: was allowed to send little Jimmy off to school to
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: pay it forward to the next family. So this is
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: going on enough enough. We're very positive about today's announcement
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: because we're looking forward to a cracking dry season.
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I know last week you and I spoke, I
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: think on two occasions last week. After firstly the Chief
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: Minister had flagged that this change was going to happen,
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: we spoke to you. You knew nothing about it. You
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: also had already caught up with the Chief Health Officer
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: I understand, or at least those health staff, and it
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: hadn't been confirmed at that point. Then a bit later
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: in the week we learned that the mandate was got
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: all the vaccine pass was going to be lifted in
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: sporting venues, but not so for licensed venues. It just
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: seems like it's all been quite boody, confusing to put
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: it mildly.
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: Look, we definitely did do a lot of engagement with
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: the government, the Health Minister, the Chief Minister and doctor
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: Hugh Higgin, doctor Charles Paying last week, you know, and
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: the engagement was very strong, but very respectful. We do
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: appreciate that, you know, for the whole time they have
• 5:21
  Speaker 2: been looking at competing juggling interests and it is always
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: just about how they can try and achieve that balance.
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: We think today, especially if Queensland's lifting to that list
• 5:32
  Speaker 2: that has you know the shift of the curd today
• 5:34
  Speaker 2: as it needed to put the path behind us and
• 5:38
  Speaker 2: be positive welcome people back. Now, you know, it wasn't
• 5:40
  Speaker 2: that long ago we could we had masks on, you
• 5:43
  Speaker 2: couldn't see the smile from the hospitality. The first question
• 5:45
  Speaker 2: you're asked with have you checked in? And have we
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: seen your vax status. We're looking forward to removing all
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: of that. Welcoming tourists and locals in our venues and
• 5:53
  Speaker 2: the first two questions it should be today, how are
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: you and what can I get you?
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: Yeah, well, I'm pleased that it is going to be
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: a positive thing for our hospitality venues. I know that
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: you guys have gone through lots of ups and downs
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: and there are still some of those different battles to face,
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: particularly when it comes to staffing levels and that kind
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: of thing. How are our venues going at the moment
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: when you talk about staffing levels.
• 6:18
  Speaker 2: Look, that is now the number one challenge again and
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: there's many different leavers. And credit to the Territory government
• 6:26
  Speaker 2: they did come into the space earlier this year with
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: some of the programs that assist businesses in our sectorund
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: in others to try and match workers and get those
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: shortages field as much as it is, the reality is
• 6:40
  Speaker 2: some of our businesses are going to have to shape
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: their product and their services available this year like they
• 6:45
  Speaker 2: did last year. It's already happening worse down the track
• 6:49
  Speaker 2: and in Central Australia and up here. It is what
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: it is again. The whole two years we've been relatively
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: fortunate and there's been a lot of work to achieve
• 6:59
  Speaker 2: that from everybody, but the last three months really have
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: hit a lot of our smaller operators for six So
• 7:06
  Speaker 2: this is the time, you know, the tourists are coming,
• 7:08
  Speaker 2: the caravan convoys are on their way. We really need
• 7:11
  Speaker 2: to just have as many workers as possible, put on
• 7:14
  Speaker 2: a brave face and get through and try and get
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: enough money to see through the next quiet period.
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: Alex. Are things like those close contacts and some of
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: those rules having an impact on hospitality still or are
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: things easing up a little bit in that area?
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: Look, they are. We would like to see all workers
• 7:33
  Speaker 2: determined essential. You know, a job is essential for that
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: worker and that business. And you know that's not anything
• 7:42
  Speaker 2: negative against frontline emergency service personnel that do critical things
• 7:46
  Speaker 2: on our behalf. We appreciate that, but if you look
• 7:48
  Speaker 2: at the essential services list as it is at the moment,
• 7:51
  Speaker 2: I think bottleshop attendants are essential. I think delivery drivers
• 7:55
  Speaker 2: and Uber drivers are essential, but our broader hospitality staff aren't.
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: We would very much welcome the alignment of the policies
• 8:03
  Speaker 2: between essential and non essential workers. That would basically mean,
• 8:06
  Speaker 2: you know, occupient Gavid positive, you're staying home, but if
• 8:09
  Speaker 2: you're in a household with someone that's positive, but you
• 8:11
  Speaker 2: keep testing negative, you can potentially come back to work.
• 8:15
  Speaker 2: That would be an immediate assistance for some of these
• 8:19
  Speaker 2: workforce shortages we're facing.
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: Well, Alex Bruce, let's focus on the win for today, mate,
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: and we know that this vaccine past being lifted. It
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: does seem as it's common sense at this point after
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: those changes last week, and I'm sure it's something that
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: those hospitality venues are going to be pleased about today.
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: A lot of happy, unmarked smiles in our industry, Katie, Good.
• 8:41
  Speaker 1: On you, Alex, Thanks so much for your time this morning.
• 8:44
  Speaker 2: Cheers all the best.
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: Thank you,