Melbourne mayor Sally Capp has come under fire for saying that COVID-19 was “good” for the city and that the pandemic changed the CBD “for the better”.
“From confinement to boomtown” was the subject of a speech Capp gave for a TEDx talk at the Capitol Theater on Friday afternoon.
“There aren’t many who will stand in front of an audience like this and say that COVID has been good for anything or anyone,” he said in the speech.
Melbourne Mayor Sally Capp has said that COVID-19 changed Melbourne for the better. (new)
“But I’m here to do this.”
He talked about how the lockdowns inspired a renaissance of outdoor dining and new gourmet home delivery services.
The media was not allowed to film Capp’s entrance presentation, but his comments have still sparked a heated backlash.
Business owners have criticized the speech as premature, with many Victorians still struggling after some of the world’s longest lockdowns.
“It’s very insensitive to the people who lost their lives, lost their businesses, lost their education, lost their marbles,” said James Young, owner of the Cherry Bar.
“Saying that COVID was good and we’ve already recovered is like playing the violin while Melbourne is burning as far as I’m concerned.”
Melbourne Mayor Sally Capp made the controversial comments during a TEDx talk. (new)
The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has said shutting down Melbourne for more than 260 days was a disaster.
“People lost their lives, people got sick and businesses were destroyed,” Victoria Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Paul Guerra said.
When asked about Capp’s speech comments, Opposition Leader Matthew Guy completely disagreed with them.
“Anyone who thinks that was a good thing is terribly out of touch,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister had much less to say on the matter.
“That’s a matter for her,” Daniel Andrews said.
The mayor’s speech did acknowledge that many businesses are struggling and that, with municipal office occupancy rates around 45 percent, there is still a lot of work to be done.
Australian cities are coming back to life as lockdown restrictions are eased