In a bid to boost the state’s hospitality industry, the New South Wales government has launched a $66 million stimulus package dubbed the “Alfresco Restart”. This stimulus is aimed at helping businesses, including restaurants, cafes, and bars, revamp and expand into outdoor dining as lockdown measures are expected to ease when summer 2021 begins.
State Treasurer Matt Kean has stated that this will be a safe way to socialise as venues reopen to the fully vaccinated. He added that this support was expected to see new outdoor entertainment and dining precincts pop up across the state. Minister for Digital and Customer Service, Victor Dominello, echoed his sentiments, saying that the NSW government was doing all it could to revive the entertainment and hospitality industries safely. He reiterated the government’s commitment to helping see businesses able to offer meals and drinks in the sunshine.
The Alfresco Restart package is expected to benefit about 5,000 businesses, granting them $5,000 in grant money to use in organising their outdoor dining areas. The businesses will be able to invest in furniture, lighting, weather protection, renovation of ground surfaces, and other related works. The deal will see more curb-side or pub-style courtyard dining being created with a permanent easing of rules that will allow for such setups along footpaths and other public spaces. Privately owned businesses will also be temporarily allowed similar arrangements on privately owned bowling greens and car parks. They will be permitted to expand on to any piece of land they own to allow accommodation of more customers.
To further support this initiative, the NSW government will also be supporting a series of consumer events in and around the CBD called the Festival of Place, at a cost of $6.5 million. This will be done in partnership with 12 former LGAs of concern that will see multiple community events and activities hosted on open streets. Councils will also receive as much as $500,000 to renovate and upgrade high streets and surrounding areas to accommodate other outdoor entertainment including comedy shows, live music, theatre, and outdoor dance floors.
Members of the public will also be offered two new Dine and Discover vouchers to encourage economic growth post-lockdown. NSW residents that are 18 years and over and have not yet applied for these vouchers are eligible to receive all six $25 vouchers through the ServiceNSW portal until when the program expires. 4.8 million residents have already taken advantage of these vouchers since their introduction in 2020 and resulted in a $430 million economic boost, as per government figures.
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