LARGE, multi-room venues should be allowed to have more than 10 diners, according to ACT Opposition Leader Alistair Coe, who is calling on the ACT government to urgently reassess this first step. 

Other jurisdictions, such as QLD and WA, have gone further than the 10 people occupancy, and Canberra Liberal Leader, Mr Coe, says: “The ACT government’s announcement, that all venues can have just 10 people, really isn’t particularly reasonable, especially when you consider that there are many large venues in the ACT that can easily and safely accommodate many more than 10 people.”

“This is not NSW and I think the ACT government has the ability to treat us differently because we are different,” he says. 

“One of the benefits of being a small jurisdiction should be that we can have a tailored and nimble response. That can mean that we can have a very targeted and tailored approach when it comes to the number of people allowed in venues.

“Either there could be different limits based on small, medium and large venues. It could also be based on the licensed number of people allowed to be at the property or it could be on the gross floor area in relation to basic social distancing rules. There are many ways the ACT government could get the hospitality sector moving and I hope the next step is a practical reflection that we have many different venues that can safely accommodate many more than 10 people.

“Ultimately, we need to do everything we can to safely and reasonably get our hospitality sector going as well as it possibly can and I don’t think the one-size-fits-all approach of 10 people per venue, regardless of the size, really is particularly fair.”

Liberals MLA Mark Parton says many hospitality businesses are saying they will lose money by going down the 10 people, per business, path, too.

“We’re staring down the barrel of a massive economic upheaval in the hospitality sector of this town,” Mr Parton says.

“We’ve got so many businesses who are on the edge of insolvency and at 10 diners in the house, the mathematics doesn’t work out. For most of them, they lose money by going down that path. We’re at a very, very critical time for so many businesses.” 

The Canberra Liberals want to make sure that the next step taken by government is one that really does take into account the variety of different venues in the ACT.

“We’ve also got to take into account that our venues have been responsible, they’ve done an extraordinary community service over the last six weeks. Many have been open at a time when it hasn’t been profitable, it hasn’t been viable, yet they’ve felt so committed to their community and have stayed open,” he says. 

So, will the Canberra Liberals be working with the ACT government on this? It’s not likely, says Mr Coe.

“The interactions with the Chief Minister’s office and mine, unfortunately have not been forthcoming. The Chief Minister doesn’t want to engage with the opposition – that’s his choice, but what we’re saying right now is that it is not viable for the 10 person limit to be in place for weeks. The next step should be a far more practical one,” he says.