Penalty rates stopping businesses from opening after hours

ON Christmas Day, in a Noosa street jam-packed with tourists, only six of 19 restaurants in iconic Hastings St were open for business.

That's a situation Hastings Street Association head, Berardo's Restaurant proprietor and Noosa International Food and Wine Festival director Jim Berardo says benefits no one.

Berardo's Restaurant, Hasting St Noosa (Photo: Berado's)

And it's why a National Restaurant Symposium ahead of this year's festival in May will explore the challenges for the future for the Australian industry and those who work in it.

Industry representatives, federal politicians, large business chain CEOs and commentators will gather in Noosa for a two-day talk fest that will address everything from industrial relations to the proposed GST on fresh food and rising utility costs.

Mr Berardo said the number of full-time employees in his business had fallen from 45 to 15 over the past three to four years because of award changes that failed to recognise the nature of the restaurant business.

"Most everyone would say Australia stands strong by having a stronger middle class," he said.

"We need to maintain that by paying fair wages. That way, we can employ people for a profession."

But he said there needed to be recognition that outside the capital cities there were different "normal" times of business than Monday to Friday, nine to five.

He said there needed to be a more flexible system that allowed employer and employee to enter contracts that gave one greater job security and the other the chance to extend the hours of business.

Source : Sunshine Coast Daily   Bill Hoffman   January 20th 2015