Hostels Closed Down

[Guest The Pom Queen]

Griffith Council has ordered the closure of one of only three hostels in the region which could affect some 60 people, both employees as well as guests.

The Griffith International hostel is being forced into closure due to a number of complaints made against it including the fact that it was unclean, run down and contravened health and safety regulations according to a report by the ABC.

Compliance and Health Director Neil Southorn says the council is working to minimise the impact of the closure. “We’re working closely with the operator to make improvements, some of those need to be made very quickly, so we’ve given a list of improvements that need to be made,” he said.

According to the ABC report the hostel’s owner said that the building was built in the 1940s but that repairs had been undertaken and that he was keen to continue his business.

Mr Southorn says not all the changes that are needed can be done by January the 31st. “We’ve given them a bit of time so that the existing residents have time to find alternative accommodation and indeed we’re working with the backpacker’s themselves and the operator to find alternative accommodation,” he said.

Mr Southron also said that whilst summer represents the peak times for tourism operators action still needed to be taken if they weren’t meeting the set requirements.

“We have taken the opportunity to check all three backpacker hostels operating in Griffith, at least the ones we know about,” he said.”The other two are operating at a satisfactory level.

[digitalis]

That place is infamous for shocking hostels.