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17.5.07
Small business operators in Roxby Downs are angry and fearful the Roxby Cultural and Leisure Precinct is about to go into direct competition with them.
Operator of The Lunch On The Run, Kellie Visser said the centre is about to spend up to $50,000 to remodel the eating areas of the complex to provide breakfast, lunch and dinner services.
ìItís really quite concerning. Theyíll be in direct competition with other eating venues in town, and in my opinion itís a total conflict of interest, because itíll be a ratepayer subsidised ventureî he said.
ìCouncils shouldnít get involved in commercial enterprises that already exist in town.
ìItís as though weíre all paying rates to the council, then the council uses those rates to put us out of business. Itís quite alarming,î he said.
Mr. Visserís partner, Vic, said: ìI donít think theyíll be a direct threat to us because our business is mainly with the tradies, but itís the principle of the thing.
ìI havenít seen any plans advertised. I havenít seen any public displays. I havenít heard of any community consultation. Just what is going on,î she asked.
ìThere doesnít seem to be any transparency even in the appointment of a new consultant to the centre. Itís not a good look.
ìJust on 50% of us small business operators are making a go of it, but the others are doing it hard, and they donít need this sort of subsidised competition.
ìThe overheads are already killing us. High rents, increased power bills, the doubling in rubbish removal costs. Itís very disheartening to learn about this latest development,î she said.
The centreís management consultant, Alan Male said the remodelling is due to the doubling of tourist numbers to the town in the past 12 months.
ìWeíre not going into competition with anyone,î he said.
ìIn order to fulfil our requirements and keep our Category One certification as a Visitor Information Centre we have to keep the centreís facilities open 365 days of the year, because of the increased tourist numbers.
ì It is a requirement for the VIC to provide refreshment facilities to those tourists, so we have to remodel and expand.
ìWeíre currently in the early stages of planning and itís only going to be cosmetic.î
Mr. Male said small business operators should see it as an opportunity to exploit the increased numbers of people coming to the town.
ìThe Visitor Information Centre is providing a service to the tourists, and I appeal to small businesses to get brochures or flyers printed so I can put them in the centre to promote their business.
ìDunes CafÈ and other outlets we have had in the centre since at least 2001, provide a much needed service to those who use the centre,î Mr. Male said.
ìThe Dunes CafÈ is an important community resource, used by mums with children as a community meeting place.
ìOur facilities are also used free-of-charge by sporting and community groups to hold meetings.
ìRoxby Leisure is a business unit of council which allows the council to be pro-active in the provision of services to the community.
ìItís just like Roxby Water or Roxby Power,î he said.
ìAs for the staffing and hiring of consultants, that is done independently of council by Outback Leisure Pty Ltd, which has the labour hire contract.î
Manager of the Saltbush CafÈ, Kylie Skinner said businesses such as hers need the support of the community because the overheads are so high, and we have direct competition with the Leisure Centre.
ìThe Saltbush is closing its doors in June, because of the costs and the competition.
ìI just think the Leisure centre has an unfair advantage because the council pays their wages, whilst wages for our staff comes out of our own pocket,î Ms. Skinner said.
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