Small-Business Owners Slam Border Closures
Small-business owners are vehemently opposing the recent moves to enforce border closures along the New South Wales-Queensland border.
The border closure has severely affected businesses based near the border, among them fashion designer Fleur Richardson of elarroyoenterprises who lives 10 minutes south of the border in the NSW town Terranora.
“I’m in a state of shock. I thought there would be a voice of reason, especially with zero cases within the Tweed Shire,”
Richardson said.
“Our fabric cutter had a permit but was told by a police officer at a border checkpoint ‘You might think your business is essential but the government doesn’t’, before being ordered to turn around.
“That’s a very skilled job, he can’t just be replaced. And so in the meantime our very expensive technology sits idle.”
elarroyoenterprises employs 22 people, is a Covid-safe business, and has done everything they can to keep their staff safe, according to Richardson, but all to no avail.
“Five staff are caught on the wrong side of the border and those are skilled jobs,” Richardson bemoaned.
“To think we could potentially be locked out until December, until Christmas it’s a nightmare”.
