{"id":276539,"date":"2020-03-26T00:06:54","date_gmt":"2020-03-25T13:06:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.easyweddings.com\/au\/pro-education\/covid-19-petition\/"},"modified":"2020-03-26T00:06:54","modified_gmt":"2020-03-25T13:06:54","slug":"covid-19-petition","status":"publish","type":"au-pro-education","link":"https:\/\/www.easyweddings.com.au\/pro-education\/covid-19-petition\/","title":{"rendered":"Petition: Help the Australian wedding industry survive these tough times"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Easy Weddings works with over 5,000 small and micro wedding businesses each and every day, this is why we ask that and every one of you to help support our wedding industry and for the government to step in and come to the table.<\/p>\n

The wedding industry needs your help, and we need it immediately. A wedding isn\u2019t merely a once-in-a-lifetime gathering of friends and family; it\u2019s an event that provides income to many.<\/p>\n

There are over 150,000 people that work in the wedding industry who work tirelessly to create unforgettable weddings day in and day out… All of their jobs are currently at stake and each and every one of them is a vital part of the Australian economy.<\/p>\n

Australia\u2019s wedding industry is worth more than $4 billion to the economy every year. There are more than 56,000 businesses in the industry covering a myriad of different services and products; venues, photographers, celebrants, dress designers, entertainers and musicians, caterers, transport services, florists, cake makers, stylists, planners, makeup artists, jewellers and so many more.<\/p>\n

Each and every person working in these industries is currently at serious risk of losing their livelihood, and are wondering whether they will be able to pay their mortgage, will be forced to lay off their staff, or close their businesses down.<\/p>\n

COVID-19 has hit the world by surprise and in order to stay safe and flatten the curve, the restrictions around social gatherings are absolutely necessary. We fully support these vital health measures and beg that everybody adhere to them. However, these same restrictions also mean that the wedding industry is grinding to a halt.<\/p>\n

Couples are postponing and cancelling weddings, venues are shutting, suppliers are being left with questions of when this will end and overall, confusion, uncertainty and panic is gripping the whole of the hospitality and service industry.<\/p>\n

March and April are two of the biggest months for the wedding industry before winter naturally slows weddings down to a trickle. Businesses usually use these months to get through the quiet times.<\/p>\n

For many suppliers, living job to job is the norm. Despite being one of the most important days of most couples’ lives, the entire industry is highly competitive and has a low barrier to entry. This means that margins are low and the vast majority of wedding businesses earn less than $100,000 per year. This is before costs, staffing and other overheads are taken into account. Put simply, the wedding industry as a whole cannot survive an extended period without work.<\/p>\n

The Federal Government has already announced bailouts, deferred payments and various other sorts of help for numerous industries such as the airline industry and other key parts of the economy. There have also been stimulus packages announced for various small businesses, however, this will not cover many of the sole traders and businesses holding Australia\u2019s wedding industry afloat.<\/p>\n

We believe those in the wedding industry should have their voices heard just as loudly and we will fight for the rights and livelihoods of each and every person working within the industry.<\/p>\n

We are asking that the federal and state governments:<\/strong><\/p>\n