Keeping employees at work, no matter the cost

HOSPITALITY and retail workers across the country have been hit hard by COVID-19 and Ballarat is no exception.

To ensure their employees have a salary, The Provincial Hotel has quickly adapted to these sudden changes, introducing the Lola At Home dining options.

Shutting the eatery’s doors and closing the kitchen, however, is not an option, as it would leave the establishment’s three chefs without any form of income.

As the trio of cooks are not permanent residents of Australia, they do not qualify for Centrelink and most other government benefits.

Italian-born Flavio Argenio has been working at The Provincial since it reopened in 2018 and is afraid of what the future would hold if the restaurant were to close.

“I’m working with a type 482 visa, which means that I can only work at the business that sponsors me,” said Mr Argenio. “If The Provincial shuts its doors, I can’t get another job and I can’t get money from the government or anything like that.”

“To get another job, I’d have to be sponsored by another business, but that also means I’d need to apply for a new visa and they’re very expensive.”

The three chefs each have visas that expire after two years, having been in the country for six, twelve and eighteen months respectively.

They join around 1.2 million temporary visa workers in the country who are ineligible for stimulus programs such as JobKeeper and JobSeeker.

Owner Simon Coghlan said the restaurant had to continue operating, if only to provide for the affected workers.

“We’re hoping to be able to completely reopen the restaurant by September, but we can’t just close up until then,” he said. “That’d be unfair to our chefs, it would be so hard for them.”

Two of the chefs, including Mr Aregnio, come from Italy, with the third venturing from Sri Lanka.

With them they bring a diverse range of flavours and culinary expertise offering meals such as a handmade Sri Lankan chicken curry and fresh egg pasta dishes.

The Provincial is offering take-away and delivery dining options, as well as frozen meals at both Wilsons Fruit and Vegetables and the Foodworks supermarket in Buninyong.

To place an order, call 5331 3399 and check out the updated menu at theprovincialballarat.com.au/dine-with-lola.