Wes Lambert, CEO of the Australian Restaurant & Cafe Association, said the decision would also affect hospitality businesses. It marks a “serious blow to Australia’s already fragile hospitality workforce pipeline,” he wrote on social media. “At a time when restaurants, cafés and pubs are battling chronic skills shortages, rising wage pressures, and declining training enrolments, removing support for apprentices doesn’t just hurt young people entering the industry — it puts the entire sector at risk.”

Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association chief executive Wes Lambert said pop up concerts were welcome but the equivalent of “band-aids on a bullet wound” to confidence in the city. “Months of rolling protests and rampant street crime have punched a massive hole in hospitality trade, and a few events won’t undo that,” Mr Lambert said. “If the State Government wants restaurants, cafés and bars to survive, it must restore safety, stability and consumer trust — concerts alone won’t keep our doors open.”

“It’s a tiny investment per year compared to the near $200 million that Tourism Australia spends on advertising,” says Wes Lambert, Chief Executive of the Australian Restaurant & Café Association. “Bringing Michelin to Australia brings the world’s view, up to 400 million views, onto Australia’s dining scene. Local awards programmes just don’t do that.”