"At The Bottom Of The Food Chain": Border Residents Have Had It Over Covid Restrictions

As Victorian restrictions remain tougher than New South Wales, businesses in Wodonga continue to lose thousands of dollars in potential revenue compared to their less-restricted neighbours. 

Whilst Albury businesses have more freedoms, they rely heavily on Wodonga patronage. 

"We have retailers unsure if they should be ordering their Christmas stock with that uncertainty of whether 50 per cent of the people they rely on will be able to come across and shop and make the most of what we have to offer in Albury."

- Albury Business Connect's Lisa Hastie

Tensions have been exacerbated by the Australian government's decision to deliver $52.8 million in emergency support packages to Queensland businesses that have suffered due to the border closure to NSW. 

Albury Mayor Kevin Mack says he is baffled support had not been given to southern NSW. 

"Our borders have been severely impacted, probably more than Queensland and New South Wales, and yet again we are at the bottom of that food chain. Where's the support for our businesses that have been severely impacted by closures and impacted by the current checkpoints sitting here in Wodonga? The level of productivity across our borders has been significantly reduced because of the barriers that have been put in place through the restrictions and through the road blocks," Mack said.

Those checkpoints are likely to last until at least November.

Mack isn’t alone in his frustrations. Wodonga Mayor Kevin Poulton agrees the unaligned restrictions in the border bubble failed common sense. 

"It's just been completely ballsed up from the get-go," he said.

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