Holbrook Bakery unable to get NSW border permit for key staff member

The 121-year-old business has been scrambling to work out a back-up plan to ensure it can continue to operate and look after its 30 employees.

Co-owner Carla Black said one of her bakers resides in Wodonga and cannot cross the border to Holbrook as he's not deemed an essential worker, and with another currently on leave, it's forced the store's remaining bread-maker to work seven days a week.

Holbrook was included in the new border region zone by the NSW government last week unlike Culcairn and Henty, but it's made little difference.

"He's a qualified baker and he's sitting over in Wodonga twiddling his thumbs because he can't work," Mrs Black said. "We've contacted Service NSW to try and work out how we can get him a permit to come over.

"They need to look at their border bubble and the permits in regional NSW and Victoria, because at this stage the government is stopping someone from working."

The impacted baker has not worked since the closure of the NSW border last month and it's taking a toll.

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"It's making it harder for us when I need a qualified baker to produce our products," Mrs Black said.

"We're supplying to the NSW Police working at different parts of the border crossing and they're using Holbrook as a hub.

"The first closure back in March we were essential workers and now all of a sudden we're not."

Greater Hume mayor Heather Wilton has witnessed countless examples in her shire of businesses and individuals impacted by the border measures.

Cr Wilton is particularly passionate about the subject given her council area has been divided with the likes of Culcairn and Henty still outside the redrawn blue zone.

She has been pushing in recent weeks to have the status of the towns changed.

"They're thinking about it, but what is there to think about," Cr Wilton said

"It's all about the postcodes and those two towns have common postcodes with other areas, so I think they looked at that and thought they can't include them.

"Surely they could insert words to say all of the Greater Hume including postcodes 'x' and 'y' and no other towns outside that area.

"There's farmers who have land on both sides of the river, they have sheep lambing they can't get to and I know one man who's been working in a fairly big business in Wodonga for 16 years and he can't get to work.

"I know Melbourne is in total lockdown and it's just gasping for them, but that's not our problem."

Cr Wilton believes it is unfair regional areas are paying the price for Melbourne and Sydney's COVID-19 setbacks.