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Editor Karen Sweaney Publisher Nigel Benton Design Australian Leisure Media Pty Ltd Administration Bill Gillies
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The views contained in Australasian Leisure Management are not necessarily those of Australian Leisure Media Pty Ltd or the Editor. While every care is taken with advice given, Australian Leisure Media Pty Ltd and the Editor can take no responsibility for effects arising therefrom. Views expressed by contributors may be personal and are not necessarily the views of their employers or professional associations.
© Australasian Leisure Management, 2020. ISSN 1446-1374
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Nigel Benton, Publisher The ‘C’ word When I wrote at the beginning of this year about this being “a decade of challenges” I was not imagining how the spread of the Coronavirus would impact all aspects of life around the world.
While the start of 2020 suggested looming challenges, with the first outbreaks of the Coronavirus hinting at problems ahead, the way in which COVID-19 has spread has dramatically turned economies and society upside down is unprecedented in the modern world.
While all areas of the economy and daily lives have been impacted by the Coronavirus shutdown, data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows that the sector it defines as ‘Arts and Recreation’ has been the hardest hit by the pandemic with more than half (53%) of businesses ceasing to operate.
With populations locked down and limited in the amount of time they can spend out of home, the closure of businesses has seen jobs lost and workers furloughed and redeployed.
Of course, behind the scenes some operators have conducted maintenance and, in some cases improvements, while those in fitness, proving that they are always resourceful, have moved parts of their businesses online, looking to maintain engagement with members and provide services to support physical activity and exercise.
Other areas of adaptation have seen the kitchens of major venues used for feeding travellers in quarantine and the disadvantaged while a range of individuals and businesses have gone online to maintain their business profile.
However, while anecdotes suggest public parks have been full, walking trails crowded and bicycle shops as a sector enjoying an economic upturn, research from consultants Gemba suggests that fewer than one in four Australians are undertaking more physical activity now than before the Coronavirus lockdown.
In these pages, it hasn’t been appropriate to report on facilities that are closed, activities that have been halted and industry events that have been cancelled as pretty much all areas of the industry are shutdown.
It’s also unfortunate to see the openings that we have covered subsequently closed.
Here it is already interesting to look back on weeks during February and March when the full impact of Coronavirus was only starting to be felt and the industry looked at ways to adapt and stay open before the closures became almost total.
Since that time, Governments have released a range of vital stimulus packages that are supporting many parts of the industry and those who work in it, although local government is a notable area that has been overlooked.
In addition, the arts and live performance industry, which has been massively impacted and is likely to be one of the last sectors that will return to anything like normality, has been largely ignored by support packages with a potential that cultural life will be poorer in the future.
Indeed, as we look to the potential easing of lockdowns, mass gatherings for entertainment and sport, as well as international travel, will have to endure restrictions well into next year.
Throughout this, and mindful that there are now so many streams of information - not all of it reliable - we are aiming for Australasian Leisure Management to be a consistent and authoritative source of news for professionals across the industry.
While we won’t shy away from awkward realities, we want to present an industry viewpoint, mindful that businesses, careers and livelihoods are being impacted by this current crisis and that there are levels of uncertainty about how the industry and society will look when it is over.
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