Black Lives Matter protest was irresponsible and unfair
There are challenges in this world that are man-made, self-inflicted and predictable. There are others that are delivered by mother nature and just plain bad luck. Right now, these challenges appear to be colliding across the world with the Black Lives Matter protests and the coronavirus.
The business community – and specifically small and medium businesses – has been on the front line of the pandemic.
An estimated 20,000 people turned out to protest against black deaths in custody in Sydney on Saturday. Credit:Cole Bennetts
Right now, these businesses are enduring hardship as never before in our living memory. They were forced to shut down. Owners lost almost all their income and therefore the ability to feed their families. They still had and have legal financial responsibilities like rent, mortgage, loans, insurance, and electricity to sort out. Nobody saved for this rainy day. Nevertheless, for the most part they did as they were told and continue to do.
Not so those members of the community who decided to participate in Saturday's protests in Sydney while disregarding the government health advice, the legal social distancing rules and the inevitable concern of a second wave. Was this irresponsible? Yes.
There has been confusion from the beginning of the rules, how they are applied and who they apply to. It's been federal v state, state v state and industry v industry. But at its heart has been the goal to avoid the spread of the virus, protect our vulnerable and avoid as many deaths as possible. It is a terrible irony that the spirit of the rallies and protest marches was to protect the vulnerable and address the deaths in custody tragedies of our Indigenous people.
The appearance of double standards – different rules for different reasons, creates problems. The question I heard asked the most on Saturday among business owners was “why do we have to follow the rules but the protesters don’t need to”?
And for business that is hard to answer. SMEs don’t have one colour, they are not one culture or one religion. They are vitally important in terms of our economy and our local communities. Their entire lives revolve around compliance, red tape, rules, and regulations. They are named and shamed when they make mistakes and they are constantly being made to bear the brunt of policies and legislation that are not made with their needs in mind.'
They are unlikely to explore whether the Court of Appeal's last-minute decision on the legality of the Sydney protest opens up any avenues for them because it's too hard and expensive. They will do what they have been doing up to now: making the best of a very tough world, playing their part in the pandemic recovery, putting health and safety first.
Angela Vithoulkas is the spokesperson for the SME Association of Australia.