CMRC

Let’s hope for a speedy recovery

 PRISCELLA MABOR

AS the NSW Premier announced the roadmap out of lockdown this week, many in the business community are battle fatigued and far from confident about the lead up to Xmas. Some have already exited the country.

In 2020, reports were being released on the impacts of COVID for small business- reduced demand for their goods and services and drop in cash fl ow.

For established businesses, many have infrastructure and capital to pivot online and retain staff through government support packages. Is For many new businesses, many were ineligible for support as they didn’t meet strict eligibility criteria such as revenue history over two years (as businesses needed to prove 30% reduction in turnover from 2019-20).

Services NSW has been taking on average 40,000 calls from desperate business owners daily. Many businesses who just opened, paid set up costs but couldn’t start trading as we entered the second hard lockdown this year.

The multicultural business landscape of Western Sydney has been disproportionately impacted.

The Community Migrant Resource Centre (CMRC) has been supporting the small business community for over 20 years, navigating a variety of external factors which can make or break peoples’ livelihoods.

Whether it’s the big business end of town near the CBD or the small business owner on Merrylands Road, the entrepreneurial drive to succeed is part of the migration success story of this country.

The Chinese business community is one example, but the pandemic has shifted the goalposts on economic confi dence. A local community leader explained: “The Chinese business community is not happy. Some bought new businesses in fi rst lockdown and thought the future was clear. But the second lockdown has meant very serious problems. There are loans to repay, and ultimately we are seeing many Chinese leaving Australia. Back in China people appear to be living normal lives.”

Multicultural businesses rise and fall on close-knit networks and relationships with customers.

Lack of confidence

“People are no longer confi dent. People need to be united to fi ght a virus, they can’ t be divided. With borders closed, some businesses can’ t survive. For some, 90% of their customer base was Chinese tourists”.

Anas Khawam is a Business Connect Multicultural Advisor with CMRC, working closely with Syrian and Iraqi small business owners across Fairfi eld, Merrylands, Bankstown and Liverpool.

When we catch up, he steps outside his Guildford house where his noise cancelling headphones are unable to muffl e the noise of his teenage children in lockdown in the next room.

“This lockdown is a killer for everyone. Every business owner I speak to is so eager to get back to work and employing people. This afternoon I spent three hours helping a client with applying for a 50% rent waiver,” he says.

Anas used to own a bakery in Guildford and during the fi rst three weeks of lockdown, revenue tripled but once the 5km rule was introduced, sales fell over.

“All my clients have cashfl ow problems. Many have closed or are on the brink. Imagine paying $5,000 a month in rent, but the government support barely covers the staff , food, home expenses. Restaurant owners have seen revenue drop by 95%,” he says.

Anas like many of his clients, journeyed to Australia during the Syrian Confl ict.

“I remember I used to tell my mother when I was younger that I wanted to move to the farthest place in the world but at that time, I had never heard of Australia. Now we are here on this island and we are still lucky. Our entire community came from confl ict, and we have faced many challenges before. But this pandemic is new for us. Once the restrictions lift, business owners will be rushing to start making money again,” he said.

Breaking free of the lockdown bubble is also on the mind of Anas and many of his community.

“We are all yearning to see the water and be near the ocean. So everyone is talking about going to Wollongong. That will give us all some comfort.”

Let’s hope that post- October 11, our local multicultural business community will rise again and look forward to a bright pre-Xmas boost in sales.

Priscella Mabor Inclusion Strategy & Innovations Manager at the Community Migrant Resource Centre Parramatta. Visit: www.cmrc.com.au

Whether it’s the big business end of town near the CBD or the small business owner on Merrylands Road, the entrepreneurial drive to succeed is part of the migration success story of this country.”

Community Migrant Resource Centre (CMRC)

is a not-for-profi t, charitable organisation established in 1996. CMRC is a leader in the provision of specialised support services to newly arrived migrants, refugees and humanitarian entrants. CMRC works within a community capacity building framework to encourage individuals and multicultural communities to identify and address their own issues. It works in collaborative partnerships with a great number of agencies to provide services which have both an immediate and long term benefi t for the community. CMRC employs over 60 full time, part-time and casual multi-lingual staff .