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Speaker 1: Now we know that.

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Speaker 2: Yesterday the Shadow Minister for Small Business, Marie Claire Boothby,

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Speaker 2: joined with a number of Northern Territory businesses to call

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Speaker 2: on the Northern Territory government to urgently reinstate some support

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Speaker 2: packages to help territory small businesses. Now, one of those

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Speaker 2: wonderful small business owners is on the line right now.

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Speaker 2: It is Luciano A b part owner of the Sapphire

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Speaker 2: Bar and Grill.

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Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Luciano.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, really, well, thanks so much for joining us this morning, Luciano.

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Speaker 2: For those out there listening today who maybe don't understand

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Speaker 2: just how tough it is at the moment for our

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Speaker 2: wonderful small.

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Speaker 1: Businesses like yours.

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Speaker 2: You know, how different is it right now when it

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Speaker 2: comes to the number of patrons you've got stepping into

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Speaker 2: your restaurant.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, it's a bit difficult. Obviously, it's not a great

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Speaker 3: start to the year. But I think just the fear

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Speaker 3: of everyone wanting to come out and dining, it's a

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Speaker 3: bit strange at the moment. Was the COVID cases rising

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Speaker 3: by the day. Yeah, it's just just a bit hard

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Speaker 3: at the moment, to be honest.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, And I guess it's that you know, like the

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Speaker 2: mask wearing and that kind.

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Speaker 1: Of thing as well.

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Speaker 2: That makes people feel a little bit more concerned. We

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Speaker 2: all understand that, you know that COVID is what it is.

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Speaker 2: We're dealing with it in the community. But it's been

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Speaker 2: a tough couple of years for a lot of our businesses,

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Speaker 2: hasn't it.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I definitely has, you know, obviously, I think we've

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Speaker 3: noticed in the last quarter alone was probably some of

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Speaker 3: the toughs of times small businesses. I've had noticed a

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Speaker 3: drastic change in traffic. But yeah, the past month as

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Speaker 3: well as just it's been horrible. Yeah, a lot of owners.

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Speaker 2: What's it been like, you know, for you guys and

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Speaker 2: for some of the other restaurant owners around town over

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Speaker 2: the last month, has it just been a real decrease

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Speaker 2: in people being out and about.

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Speaker 3: Yeah it has. Yeah, it's been really quiet everywhere, I

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Speaker 3: guess obviously, just taking every day, you know, not knowing

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Speaker 3: if you're going to open your restaurant. This COVID cases

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Speaker 3: or close contacts. That's pretty much what's been happening to us.

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Speaker 3: We'll take it by you just wait for a start

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Speaker 3: to say I've got COVID and then would have to

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Speaker 3: go and operate another restaurant and close d Yeah, take

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Speaker 3: a bed by day, I.

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Speaker 2: Guess, yeah.

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Speaker 1: And it is such a day by day sing at

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Speaker 1: the moment, And.

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Speaker 2: I guess that that's why we've got a situation where

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Speaker 2: there are a number of businesses at the moment really

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Speaker 2: calling for the government to reinstate those support back packages.

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Speaker 1: In an effort to try and help.

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Speaker 2: Some of our small businesses like yours. It's not a

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Speaker 2: you know, you're not asking for a handout, it's really

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Speaker 2: just that hand up at a time when it's a

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Speaker 2: real struggle after two years of roller coastering through this

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Speaker 2: thing that's been COVID.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, let's it look the small business of I will

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Speaker 3: fund in the Business Hardship Package, which was first unveiled

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Speaker 3: in twenty twenty. Those are the key packages that small

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Speaker 3: businesses are urgently asking the government to reinstate. At least

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Speaker 3: they can keep businesses operational so people are still scared

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Speaker 3: to come out. At least they're still able to employ

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Speaker 3: locals and keep them in a job and help support

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Speaker 3: their families and put food on the table.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, Luciano, if the government doesn't look at reinstating you know,

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Speaker 2: these types of packages, what is it going to mean

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Speaker 2: for some of our great small businesses around the Northern Territory.

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Speaker 3: I guess we're seeing a few months from now, maybe

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Speaker 3: they can take a walk around the city and around

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Speaker 3: to a few other small businesses and see if they're

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Speaker 3: still open or not because a different game then.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, we've got to support our wonderful small businesses out there,

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Speaker 2: and I know you guys do a phenomenal job. Luciano,

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Speaker 2: I really appreciate your time this morning. Thanks so much

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Speaker 2: for having a chat with me.

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Speaker 3: Thank you, Tom, Katie, thank you