REPORTS of antisocial behaviour and staff shortages at one of Bendigo's most historic places of worship have been described as both "sad and concerning''.
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Prominent community leader and historian Dennis O'Hoy AM said the ongoing closure of Bendigo's iconic Joss House was distressing and the alleged verbal abuse of staff at the historic venue was unacceptable.
The founding member of The Bendigo Trust - now Bendigo Heritage Attractions - could not recall any instances since 1972 in which staff had felt threatened.
"Something's drastically wrong," Mr O'Hoy said.
The venue is one of two active Joss houses left in Victoria and doubles as a tourist attraction.
It closed after "a range of safety incidents" including verbal abuse and antisocial behaviour, according to a temple statement dated June 8.
"Unfortunately these incidents have meant that we have had to close the temple whilst we investigate what controls we can put in place to ensure the safety of our team," the statement said.
"We will be working with a number of stakeholders to implement a range of controls. During this time, the Bendigo Joss House Temple will be closed until further notice.
"We ask for your patience and understanding over the next few weeks whilst we work through this challenging issue."
Bendigo Heritage Attractions has posted Facebook messages announcing closures seven times in 2022.
That included in January due to COVID-19 and staff shortages, according to a post on the venue's Facebook page.
The temple reopened from February for Lunar New Year but has closed multiple times since.
Facebook closure posts either attribute causes to staff shortages or attribute no reason.
Mr O'Hoy said he had heard accounts of Chinese Australians coming from Melbourne to Bendigo to worship, only to find the venue was closed.
He feared the closures could be exacerbated by changes of staff and volunteers during the pandemic years.
Bendigo Heritage Attractions chief executive James Reade said his group was among many in the tourist and hospitality sector currently struggling with staffing levels.
He said the safety incidents meant the group could not have just one team member on site at a time any more.
"Without going into specifics, the incidents have left our team shaken and unwilling to work at the temple until extra controls are put in place," Mr Reade said.
"The incidents do not relate to worshippers or tourists - rather, drug and alcohol-affected individuals attending the site."
Mr Reade said the temple was isolated and had very little passive surveillance.
He wanted better safety measures at the site and said he was working with "a range of stakeholders" including the City of Greater Bendigo, which owns the site.
Mr Reade hoped to reopen the temple "as soon as possible".
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