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With the cost of living crisis deterring customers and escalating tax bills and insurance premiums leading to closures, the sector has come together to say “enough is enough”.
The All Nations Pub in North Richmond has stood for more than a century, but it has never felt the squeeze more than it does now.
Owner Bob O’Kane said the price of beer has even shot up, leaving patrons and publicans struggling with the financial strain.
“It’s really tough right now and costs keep going up,” he said.
“It’s very difficult for people to afford the weekly pub visit, we’re trying to keep our costs down but our profits are going down and customers are getting fewer and fewer.”
Australian Hotels Association president David Canny said mounting financial pressures were hurting the industry.
“We will continue to fight for their survival, but what we know is that the pressure is increasing as costs increase,” he said.
“People are choosing pubs, which is great, but our operators are telling us that the cost of labour, the cost of goods, the power and energy and the insurance of those kinds of costs just add up.
“Any pub that closes the community is worse for it and we need pubs to survive, communities need neighborhood community pubs.”
It comes as leading restaurant owners gathered in Sydney to call for a plan to survive the industry.
A CreditorWatch report released last week predicted that one in 13 hospitality businesses will face closure within the year.
Prime Minister Jacinta Allen acknowledged the widespread pain across all industries, pledging support through an action-packed calendar of major events.
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