Abs Results Prove Retail Facing Challenging Period

South-East Queensland retailers have been facing increased scrutiny over the past several days as to whether they should be open during lockdown.

NRA Chief Executive Officer Dominique Lamb reminds retailers that according to current health directions, there is no definition of essential retail.

“Brisbane retailers have shown that they are wanting to do the right thing, and there is confusing messaging surrounding what the right thing is,” Ms Lamb said.

“Despite messaging in yesterday and today’s press conferences, the current health directions do not outline an essential retail list.

“Right now, according to the Queensland Health website, it is only mandated for retail food services (cafes, restaurants, bars) to offer takeaway, and for personal and beauty services to close. No such restrictions are outlined for general retail.

“To help provide surety for our retailers, we have called for a list of what’s considered essential and what isn’t that will help guide both workers and employers.”

Currently, the Schedule for businesses that must not operate in the Restrictions for Locked Down Areas (South-East Queensland) Direction (No. 2) is as follows:

 

SCHEDULE 3 – BUSINESSES THAT MUST NOT OPERATE, UNLESS FOR A LIMITED PURPOSE IN COLUMN 2

Column 1 Column 2
Business, activity, undertaking, premises or place that must not operate unless permitted in column 2 Exceptions
Schedule 3A – (hospitality businesses)
Food and drink
Retail food services (including cafes, restaurants, fast-food outlets)
  1. Only permitted to operate for takeaway service and home delivery. Contact information is required to be collected for takeaway service.

The following retail food services can also continue:

  1. Retail food services at an airport that are reasonably necessary for the normal business of the airport, with physical distancing observed.
  2. Provision of food or drink by or on behalf of an employer to employees or contractors that is reasonably necessary for the employer’s normal operations, with physical distancing observed.
  3. Workplace canteens can provide takeaway, with physical distancing observed.
  4. Provision of food or drink by a school, residential college or residential facility located at a university or school or childcare facility that is reasonably necessary for the normal business of the facility, with physical distancing observed.
  5. Provision of food or drink at a hospital, prison, military facility, disability facility, resources sector facility including a canteen or mess hall or aged care facility that is reasonably necessary for the normal business of the facility, with physical distancing observed.
  6. Services providing food or drink to the homeless, with physical distancing observed.
  7. Hotel room service or similar services for hotel guests.
  8. Retail or other provision of food and drink to heavy vehicle drivers and essential road users at a truck driver rest facility.
Food courts
  1. Only permitted to operate for takeaway service and home delivery.
  2. Contact information is required to be collected for takeaway service.
Entertainment venues
Pubs, licensed clubs, RSL clubs, function centres, bars, wineries, distilleries and microbreweries, and licensed premises in hotels
  1. Only permitted to operate for takeaway service and home delivery.
  2. Contact information is required to be collected for takeaway service.
  3. Bottle shops and off license premises attached to venues may continue to operate, with physical distancing observed.
High risk businesses, activities and undertakings
Nightclubs
Schedule 3B – other businesses
Retail
Outdoor and indoor markets
  1. Food markets and farmers markets may continue to operate to the extent they are selling food goods only. Stalls or vendors are not permitted to sell non-food goods.
  2. Contact information must be collected
Auction houses
Real estate auctions and open house inspections
  1. Private appointments for inspection only.
  2. Contact information must be collected
Beauty and personal care services
  • Hairdressing
  • Beauty therapy (for example, facials, makeup, waxing and laser treatments)
  • Nail services (including manicures, pedicures)
  • Tanning
  • Cosmetic injections
  • Personal appearance services where skin penetration is used (example – tattooing, body piercing, skin implants, hair implants, microneedling)
  • Massage (therapeutic)
  • Day spas and wellness centres (excluding water-based spa services such as saunas and bathhouses)
  • Non-therapeutic massage
  • Water-based spa services such as saunas, bathhouses and floatation services
  1. Massage (therapeutic) – Health services provided by health practitioners registered under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law may be provided.Example – physiotherapists and chiropractors
  2. Massage therapy for the management or prevention of a disease, injury or condition, provided by a qualified massage therapist.
  3. Physical distancing must be observed to the extent possible.
  4. Contact information must be collected
Entertainment venues
Casinos, gaming or gambling venues including wagering outlets that are open to, and accessible by, members of the public
Major Sports Stadiums
Concert venues, theatres, auditoriums and cinemas
Convention centres

Show grounds
Theme parks, outdoor amusement parks, tourism experiences and arcades Live aboard and passenger vessels where passengers are accommodated overnight MUST NOT operate to commence a new voyage.
Indoor play centres
Events
Indoor events

(Example – cultural festivals, expos, conferences)
Outdoor events

(Example – marathons, cultural festivals, fetes, expos)
Leisure and recreation
Gyms, health clubs, fitness centres, yoga, barre, spin facilities dance studios, boot camps and personal training Boot camps and personal training may operate with a limit of two people outdoors, including the trainer, and with physical distancing observed, and only within 10 km from the home of the person and the trainer.
Indoor sports

  • Indoor sporting centres and venues
  • Indoor social sporting-based activities
  • community sports clubs
Outdoor social sporting-based activities, outdoor community sports and outdoor sporting centres or venues
Indoor swimming pools and Outdoor swimming pools

  • training/ rehabilitation purposes
  • use of indoor or outdoor public pools for swimming lessons or recreational purposes
  • pools in hotels, motels or other temporary accommodation
 The following are permitted to operate:

  1. a pool in an apartment complex or body corporate; and
  2. which is only used by permanent residents of the apartment complex or body corporate; and
  3. no visitors are permitted to use the pool.
Public playgrounds, skate parks, BMX tracks and outside gyms, including static exercise equipment in Council parks
Public barbeques (such as barbeques in public spaces or shared facilities)
Residential facilities
Hostels, bed and breakfasts, backpackers, boarding houses Permitted to operate but limited to 1 person per 2 square metres in common areas.

Contact information must be collected.

Note – facilities that accommodate seasonal workers must comply with the Seasonal Workers Health Management and International Quarantine Plans Direction (No. 2) or its successor
Short term rentals and short term accommodation (for example, serviced apartments including holiday rentals, holiday accommodation or hosting accommodation provided through online booking platforms) Permitted to operate but limited to 1 person per 2 square metres in common areas.

Contact information must be collected.

Note – facilities may also need to comply with the Seasonal Workers Health Management and International Quarantine Plans Direction (No. 2) or its successor
Outdoor recreation
Caravan and camping parks Permitted to operate but limited to 1 person per 2 square metres in common areas.

Contact information must be collected.
Zoos, aquariums and wildlife centres
Non-residential institutions
Galleries, museums, national and state institutions and historic sites
State and local government libraries
Community facilities (such as community centres and halls, recreation centres, youth centres, community clubs, RSLs, PCYCs) excluding any dining, gaming or hospitality business in the facility
  1. Facilities may remain open for the purpose of hosting essential voluntary or public services, such as food banks or homeless services.
  2. Community facilities may continue to operate if they provide formal out of school hours care.
  3. Physical distancing must be observed to the extent possible.
Wedding ceremonies
  1. Limited to a maximum attendance of 10 people including the celebrant and two witnesses, with no dancing permitted.
  2. Live streaming of a wedding ceremony may be conducted with the maximum number of people outlined above.
  3. Physical distancing must be observed to the extent possible.
  4. Contact information must be collected
Funerals
  1. Limited to a maximum attendance of 10 people including the person/s conducting the service.
  2. Live streaming of a funeral may be conducted with the maximum number of people outlined above.
  3. Physical distancing must be observed to the extent possible.
  4. Contact information must be collected
Other religious and civil ceremonies, places of worship Live streaming of a service may be conducted with the person conducting the service and a camera operator.
Universities and other higher education institutions such as TAFEs and RTOs Face-to-face learning is not permitted. Live streaming of classes may be conducted. Otherwise, may operate as a workplace that is a non-restricted business, activity or undertaking.

Example – research institutes or other university functions that are not face-to-face teaching
Professional and elite sport
Professional sporting codes, elite sport, elite athletes Professional and elite training may occur without spectators, with physical distancing observed to the extent possible. Games, matches and trials may not take place.
High risk businesses, activities and undertakings
Adult entertainment venues (strip clubs), brothels, sex on premises venues and sole operator sex workers Sole operator sex workers may continue to provide online or phone services.

Example – video streaming or phone chat services.