The Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner has announced that Brisbane City Council will be providing $ 5 million worth of financial relief for businesses impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic.
Food safety, outdoor dining, food trucks, temporary food stalls, film permits, advertising and live music fees, and leasing costs for clubs and community groups will be included in the fees waived.
For any organisations that have already paid these charges this year, the relief will either be refunded or reflected in their next bill.
As part of the package, the average CBD restaurant with outdoor dining will save more than $1800 while a suburban café that utilises the footpath will save almost $700.
In particular, CBD businesses have been impacted by the latest wave of Omicron. The Lord Mayor reported that foot traffic in Queen Street Mall was sitting at less than half of pre-COVID levels.
The Property Council remains heavily focused on promoting activity in the city centre. While the much-anticipated Summer in the City campaign has been postponed due to high COVID case numbers, the Property Council will look to launch a new CBD activation campaign once the Government recommendation to work from home has been lifted.