Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Sapphire Bar and Grill co-owner Luciano tells Katie of the support needed as businesses struggle with the Covid downturn

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Sapphire Bar and Grill co-owner Luciano tells Katie of the support needed as businesses struggle with the Covid downturn · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Now we know that.
• 0:01
  Speaker 2: Yesterday the Shadow Minister for Small Business, Marie Claire Boothby,
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: joined with a number of Northern Territory businesses to call
• 0:07
  Speaker 2: on the Northern Territory government to urgently reinstate some support
• 0:12
  Speaker 2: packages to help territory small businesses. Now, one of those
• 0:17
  Speaker 2: wonderful small business owners is on the line right now.
• 0:20
  Speaker 2: It is Luciano A b part owner of the Sapphire
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: Bar and Grill.
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Luciano.
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: Yeah, really, well, thanks so much for joining us this morning, Luciano.
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: For those out there listening today who maybe don't understand
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: just how tough it is at the moment for our
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: wonderful small.
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: Businesses like yours.
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: You know, how different is it right now when it
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: comes to the number of patrons you've got stepping into
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: your restaurant.
• 0:50
  Speaker 3: Yeah, it's a bit difficult. Obviously, it's not a great
• 0:54
  Speaker 3: start to the year. But I think just the fear
• 0:57
  Speaker 3: of everyone wanting to come out and dining, it's a
• 1:01
  Speaker 3: bit strange at the moment. Was the COVID cases rising
• 1:07
  Speaker 3: by the day. Yeah, it's just just a bit hard
• 1:11
  Speaker 3: at the moment, to be honest.
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: Yeah, And I guess it's that you know, like the
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: mask wearing and that kind.
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: Of thing as well.
• 1:18
  Speaker 2: That makes people feel a little bit more concerned. We
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: all understand that, you know that COVID is what it is.
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: We're dealing with it in the community. But it's been
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: a tough couple of years for a lot of our businesses,
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: hasn't it.
• 1:31
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I definitely has, you know, obviously, I think we've
• 1:35
  Speaker 3: noticed in the last quarter alone was probably some of
• 1:38
  Speaker 3: the toughs of times small businesses. I've had noticed a
• 1:41
  Speaker 3: drastic change in traffic. But yeah, the past month as
• 1:46
  Speaker 3: well as just it's been horrible. Yeah, a lot of owners.
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: What's it been like, you know, for you guys and
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: for some of the other restaurant owners around town over
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: the last month, has it just been a real decrease
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: in people being out and about.
• 2:03
  Speaker 3: Yeah it has. Yeah, it's been really quiet everywhere, I
• 2:06
  Speaker 3: guess obviously, just taking every day, you know, not knowing
• 2:12
  Speaker 3: if you're going to open your restaurant. This COVID cases
• 2:15
  Speaker 3: or close contacts. That's pretty much what's been happening to us.
• 2:20
  Speaker 3: We'll take it by you just wait for a start
• 2:22
  Speaker 3: to say I've got COVID and then would have to
• 2:26
  Speaker 3: go and operate another restaurant and close d Yeah, take
• 2:31
  Speaker 3: a bed by day, I.
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: Guess, yeah.
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: And it is such a day by day sing at
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: the moment, And.
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: I guess that that's why we've got a situation where
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: there are a number of businesses at the moment really
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: calling for the government to reinstate those support back packages.
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: In an effort to try and help.
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: Some of our small businesses like yours. It's not a
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: you know, you're not asking for a handout, it's really
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: just that hand up at a time when it's a
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: real struggle after two years of roller coastering through this
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: thing that's been COVID.
• 3:05
  Speaker 3: Yeah, let's it look the small business of I will
• 3:07
  Speaker 3: fund in the Business Hardship Package, which was first unveiled
• 3:11
  Speaker 3: in twenty twenty. Those are the key packages that small
• 3:16
  Speaker 3: businesses are urgently asking the government to reinstate. At least
• 3:21
  Speaker 3: they can keep businesses operational so people are still scared
• 3:25
  Speaker 3: to come out. At least they're still able to employ
• 3:28
  Speaker 3: locals and keep them in a job and help support
• 3:31
  Speaker 3: their families and put food on the table.
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: Yeah, Luciano, if the government doesn't look at reinstating you know,
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: these types of packages, what is it going to mean
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: for some of our great small businesses around the Northern Territory.
• 3:49
  Speaker 3: I guess we're seeing a few months from now, maybe
• 3:52
  Speaker 3: they can take a walk around the city and around
• 3:56
  Speaker 3: to a few other small businesses and see if they're
• 3:58
  Speaker 3: still open or not because a different game then.
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: Yeah, we've got to support our wonderful small businesses out there,
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: and I know you guys do a phenomenal job. Luciano,
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: I really appreciate your time this morning. Thanks so much
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: for having a chat with me.
• 4:13
  Speaker 3: Thank you, Tom, Katie, thank you