’30 clubs would go’
Ditch push for casino, Jones told
A CLUBS Queensland boss says the Tourism and Innovations minster should live up to her title and ditch a push for a second casino resort.
Clubs Queensland marketing and government relations manager Laura Boss, citing research which concludes half of the Gold Coast’s 60 RSL’s, sports and surf clubs would struggle if a second casino licence was granted, had advice for Minister Kate Jones.
“The Minister for Tourism and Innovation should bring those two together. Start looking at being innovative with tourism,” she said.
“We are against a second casino – it’s not necessary.
“It is not the answer to the Gold Coast tourism problem.
“There has to be something else. If you want to talk about legacy investments I don’t think a casino is that.
“We know if another casino opens there are about 30 clubs that would go to the wall fairly quickly.”
The Queensland Government plans to test the market for plans and costings for a global tourism hub with an associated second casino licence, inviting expressions of interest next year.
This month the Bulletin revealed five sites in Southport, the state government’s favoured location for a global tourism hub, that are frontrunners.
They were the Broadwater Caravan Park, a car park south of SeaWorld, a private site north of Nerang St, Carey Park fronting Australia Fair and the state government’s light rail site on the corner of Scarborough St backing on to Queens Park Tennis Centre.
“The government will test the market for plans for a Gold Coast global tourism hub,” Ms Jones said.
“But we won’t approve anything that doesn’t have broad support of the local community.”
Queens Park Tennis Centre boss John Birrell and Tennis Gold Coast president Mike Ford said the revived debate about a Southport site was making them nervous and they would fight tooth and nail to have it rejected.
Southport councillor Dawn Crichlow said because of Clubs Queensland’s prediction 30 clubs would go under, she was now opposed to a second casino hub anywhere on the Gold Coast, not just Southport.