The proprietor of a well-known beauty salon is furious with the government for declaring a national day of mourning for the monarch.
The Parlour Room in Clovelly, which Natalie Ferrari owns and manages in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, would suffer even more as a result of the additional public holiday, she added.
On Thursday, September 22, Australia will mark a National Day of Mourning with a day off, as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated last Sunday.
As their members work to recover from the Covid pandemic’s two-year interruption, some industry organizations have opposed to the news.
Natalie Ferrari, who owns and operates The Parlour Room in Clovelly in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, said the extra public holiday will cause even more pain for small businesses
‘Now we’re forced to pay double rates to our staff or cancel clients who we have nowhere to reschedule to, as we are so incredibly understaffed as is. Either way, it will be a cost that yet again we are just left to wear. I’m angry, and I’m over it,’ business owner Natalie Ferrari said
‘As if the current situation for small businesses wasn’t bad enough, now they want to throw a public holiday into the mix … on the busiest day of the week for appointments, too,’ Ms Ferrari wrote on Instagram.
‘Now we’re forced to pay double rates to our staff or cancel clients who we have nowhere to reschedule to, as we are so incredibly understaffed as is.
‘Either way, it will be a cost that yet again we are just left to wear. I’m angry, and I’m over it.’
Mr Albanese said it is important for Australians to take time to process the death of both the nation’s head of state for 70 years and also a woman many looked up to and respected.
He added the holiday is part of a protocol that has existed ‘for a long period of time’.
It was announced on Sunday that Thursday September 22 will be a National Day of Mourning for the passing of Queen Elizabeth
‘This has been a time of grieving but there has been that sense of gratefulness, of a life well lived, a life of service. Quite clearly, over generations, that affection for the Queen was there,’ Mr Albanese told Sunrise on Monday.
‘She was someone who didn’t just go to Sydney and Melbourne, she went to regional communities, remote communities, and had an engagement with them.
‘This is a historic event that is touching many Australians and that Australians want to participate in.’
Small Business Organisations Australia chief executive Alexi Boyd said the sudden imposition of a holiday would wreak havoc for many of her members who had already taken bookings for that day.
‘What do they do now, with less than two weeks notice?’ Ms Boyd she told The Australian.
‘Those reliant on tight supply chains and logistics for daily stock are particularly concerned.’
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, here seen signing a condolence book for the Queen’s passing, has defended holding the ‘historic’ one-off holiday on September 22
Australian Retailers Association chief executive Paul Zahra told The Australian that the holiday would create ‘some complication for businesses with store closures, and staff scheduling challenges with many rosters set up weeks in advance’.
‘There will also be a small but unexpected loss of trade, and additional staffing costs, which may impact cashflows for some businesses, in particular small businesses,’ he said.
‘Store opening and closing directions are typically established by the states and territories, and we look forward to their direction early next week, so retailers can plan accordingly.’