Councillor Daria Kellander
As we enjoy more freedoms, I would like to encourage everyone to support our local traders by shopping locally.
Many of these businesses are operating with ongoing restrictions to patronage based on density limits and vaccination status.
Our business community has had a rocky two years, and as council is rolling out another summer of Hobsons Bay Business has Heart Outdoors, now is the perfect time to dine, shop and engage local services for all of your needs.
While many of these freedoms are limited to individuals who are double vaccinated only, from a personal perspective your vaccination status doesn’t matter to me.
Whether you are vaccinated or not, I will take your call, respond to your emails, and continue to meet up with you for a chat.
As a councillor, I will treat all members of the public with dignity, fairness and respect, regardless of vaccination status.
I have been an advocate for rates cuts to help residents and businesses recover from the lockdown struggles, and I proudly stand behind the Hobsons Bay Community Support Package 5 adopted on October 12.
This package targets a number of industries that have been hardest hit, from hospitality, health and beauty, sports and recreation, and our local entertainers.
It includes support for businesses, such as an extension to the waiver of food and health registrations and footpath trading permit fees, along with waivers of ground allocation fees for sporting clubs, and rent relief to eligible tenants of council buildings.
Support Package 5 also includes a program of live outdoor music across the municipality, which will enable more local artists to be engaged.
I am hoping to see local live music and entertainment events set up across Hobsons Bay this summer.
This will not only help support our entertainers, but also support our local traders and residents by bringing back life, fun and joy to our community, something that has been missed over the past two years in rolling lockdowns.
For further information on Support Packages please visit hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au/communitysupportpackages
