Local business has been dealt another cruel blow this week under further COVID-19 restrictions. The metropolitan based ivory towers appear to lack sound knowledge of geography, risk or simply running a business.
Tim Nottle, owner of Barham Tyre Service, is frustrated at the continual lockdowns and restrictions. “We are one country, yet we are treated like sheep.”
This week, Tim’s business suffered under the red zone with Melbourne based tyre deliveries unable to deliver tyres across the border.
“We had to get them dropped in Victoria as they would be required to isolate for two weeks if they cross over,” said Tim.
It seemed ridiculous that an essential freight delivery could not go the extra 3km over the border to complete the transaction, forcing more cost on to the local business.
A call to the office of Peter Walsh MP confirmed that this was indeed the case.
Thankfully, by Wednesday, the tyre company had been able to secure a permit, but the losses kept piling.
“It’s been very quiet. We usually judge the conditions by the road traffic (Moulamein Rd) and how many people are across at Boyd’s Hardware,” added Tim.
Indeed, the streets of Barham were dead. The usual procession of foot traffic entering local shops was noticeably absent.
Lee Miller and partner, Ange, who operate the Caltex Service Station were also feeling the pinch.
“We noticed a dramatic drop-off of in-store sales,” said Lee.
“We are still selling a bit of fuel, but we also need the in-store sales that come with the tourist trade.”
“Yesterday (Tuesday) we didn’t have a customer for two hours,” said Ange.
We are blessed with the quality and talent of our local business operators, and the current treatment is, frankly, cruel. We have seen multinational chain stores, who seldom pay tax, operate almost without impunity throughout the COVID-19 fiasco and yet, the beating heart of our country, small and medium business are wearing the impacts.
Maybe now is a good time to talk about the elephant in the room. Yes, tourism is great, but you must have diversity in your local economy. Agriculture and the timber industry, for example, have consistently faced reduction or closure by the very same politicians, and their answer always was tourism. For stability, the average chair requires more than one leg, as does our economy. Schools, health services, voting representation, sporting clubs, employment and town services are all a product of our collective prosperity.
I firmly believe our future and our strength comes from our local people, the same wisdom, practical application of knowledge and forward thinking that built these areas from the ground up and with ‘skin in the game’, certainly not top down, and certainly not from people who seldom know where Barham or Koondrook is…
This article appeared in The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper, 14 July 2021.
