Victorians Dining In Melb’s CBD Can Claim Up To 30% Off Their Meals In A New $44M Govt Package

Melbourne CBD

In a bid to reawaken Melbourne’s CBD post-lockdown, the Victorian government has announced an initiative that’ll see diners able to claim 30% off their meals on certain days of the week.

In a $44 million package announced to revitalise Melbourne after people emerge like butterflies from the cocoon of its sixth lockdown, the Victorian government and City of Melbourne are joining forces to fund a bunch of initiatives, including a $5m dining rebate scheme, The Guardian reports.

Basically, from 15 November, people eating out in the city will be able to claim a whopping 30% off their bills (a maximum of $150!!) between Monday and Thursday each week. Which honestly is fucking fantastic news if you, like us, work in the city and are essentially eating there on a daily basis.

Rebates will be available at restaurants, cafes *and* bars in the CBD, Lygon Street, North Melbourne, Southbank, South Wharf and Docklands. Suddenly, Thursday is the new Friday.

sex education Thursday is the new Friday

The $44 million package also includes $10.4 million for businesses to create some night life with outdoor trading, $15.7m for events in the city, $14m to revitalise public areas and $3.6m to provide a better business concierge service.

“This is about getting people back to the CBD,” Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters at Italian restaurant Becco in Melbourne’s CBD.

“Having people not only visiting but spending – and that’s all about jobs.”

The boost to Melbourne’s night life comes as the state recorded 1,173 new COVID-19 cases overnight, with 568 people in hospital and and 9 deaths reported. Which, quite frankly, is probably why people are hesitant to get back into the CBD in the first place.

Victoria is now managing 16,413 active COVID cases, with 96 people in ICU.

However, the good news is that as of Sunday, 92% of eligible Victorians aged over 16 have received one dose of a COVID vaccine, with 84% receiving both doses. Things are looking up, for vaccination numbers as well as reaching some semblance of ‘normal’.

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