‘WORST THING I’VE SEEN’
Virus biggest threat we’ve faced
GOLD COAST tourism boss Paul Donovan has seen the devastating economic impacts of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, the 9/11 terror attacks on the US and 2002 SARS virus outbreak.
Yesterday, speaking after an emergency meeting of the Gold Coast coronavirus COVID-19 taskforce, he said: “I’ve been around a long time and never seen anything like this.
“I was working for an airline on September 11 and when Ansett collapsed and SARS. This is far worse. We have to try to slow this thing down,” Mr Donovan said.
ANDREW POTTS, KIRSTIN PAYNE, AL THOMSON, LEA EMERY & JEREMY PIERCE
A VETERAN Gold Coast tourism boss who witnessed the worst of 2002’s SARS outbreak, Global Financial Crisis and post-9/11 market slumps says he’s “never seen anything like” the coronavirus crisis.
Destination Gold Coast chairman Paul Donovan, speaking yesterday after an emergency meeting of the Gold Coast COVID-19 taskforce, ruled out Gold Coast Airport shutting as Qantas axed 60 per cent of domestic services and 90 per cent of its international flights.
But he added: “It’s no secret it is a changing feast and while we were (in the meeting) there was an announcement about Qantas.
“It changes minute by minute and we have to knuckle down and make sure we can look at opportunities to keep these great industries we’ve got – tourism and aviation.
“I’ve been around a long time and never seen anything like this. I was working for an airline on September 11 and when Ansett collapsed and SARS. This is far worse.
“We have to try to slow this thing down but we have to protect our families, our staff and our businesses.”
In latest developments yesterday:
● The Gold Coast recorded its 10th case, a healthcare worker. ● Queensland Health confirmed the state’s first community transmission on the Gold Coast.
● Virus testing is being rationed to avoid running out of testing agent and avoid result delays.
● The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade last night urged Australians overseas to return as soon as possible on commercial flights.
● DFAT’s warning came as it emerged severely ill patients may not be admitted to intensive care if they have chronic health issues that mean it is unlikely they would survive coronavirus under dramatic new guidelines.
The rules, released by the Australian and NZ Intensive Care Society, warn in the event of an overwhelming demand for critical care services during the COVID-19 outbreak: “Senior Intensive Care medical staff, recognising available resources, should consider the probable outcome of the patient’s condition, the burden of ICU treatment for the patient and their family, patients’ comorbidities and wishes, and likelihood of response to treatment.”
A city taskforce, led by Mayor Tom Tate, includes ex
Premier Rob Borbidge, events supremo Tony Cochrane, business titans John Witheriff and Bec Frizelle, plus Bulletin editor Rachel Hancock.
Cr Tate said : “I can’t remember a more challenging time since I came to the Gold Coast in 1993. This has no boundary. We have our floods, we had Cyclone Oswald but with those there is a timeframe.
“With this I cannot give you a timeframe and that’s where uncertainty comes from. There is confidence the Gold Coast will come together and come out of this.
“It is going to be a longer term event so I put forward to the state and federal governments this – yes we got an economic injection but look at big business. They employ a lot of people so what do they need to keep employing people?”
A Gold Coast healthcare worker – based in the Robina Health Precinct – was yesterday identified among latest Queenslanders to test positive and is the city’s tenth active case. They tested positive at the weekend and are in isolation.
Contact tracing by health officials determined the staffer did not contract it at the hospital.
It comes as Queensland Health works to contact trace every single case in the Gold Coast after confirming a community tranmission has occurred in the city, meaning not one brought in on arrival but passed direct by people here.
The Queensland total last night was up 10 to 78 including A-lister Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson, both understood to have left Gold Coast University Hospital yesterday to selfisolate.
The healthcare crisis is gripping the entire economy, with the Coast’s $6 billion tourism industry taking a battering.
Federal Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham, visiting the Gold Coast for a roundtable meeting with tourism leaders, said: “This region relies more on the tourism industry than virtually any other in Australia and has a unique appeal as a leading tourism destination.
“We will for certain parts of the industry even consider additional measures to make sure they are there for the recovery.
“These are going to be difficult weeks and months ahead, we cannot guarantee there will not be business failures, we know there are already job losses but we want to make sure the critical assets of the tourism industry are there so they can step up again when domestic and global travel returns.”
A second Federal stimulus package – following last week’s $17.6 billion injection – is days
I’VE BEEN AROUND A LONG TIME AND NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS ... SEPTEMBER 11, SARS ... THIS IS FAR WORSE
PAUL DONOVAN
away with the Government exploring ways to guarantee business loans, refinance debt and take on bank risk.
The Gold Coast’s disaster management unit is in lockdown and quarantined as part of preparations to deal with the escalating outbreak.
Cr Tate said steps were being taken to allow the city to keep running in the event of an emergency.
“Nobody is immune to COVID-19. There is always some part of the business which will be affected,” he said.
“The people in (the disaster unit) are fit and healthy so that if a disaster hits our city, we can continue and support our health department,” he said.
Cr Tate heads the unit but will not be placed into quarantine. He is screened whenever he is required to interact.
Gold and Tweed Coast’s leading travel agencies yesterday were experiencing a huge drop in trade.
Mike Dwyer, who runs Main Beach Travel with wife Mandy Dwyer, said business was down 80 per cent compared to the same time last year.
“We’re still very busy – but it is mainly handling cancellations and chasing up refunds,” he said. “There is very little new business coming in. At this stage for businesses like us it is batten down the hatches and keep things together.”
Mr Dwyer said the company had a “buffer” of funds to make it through the crisis and had not had any redundancies.
Legal Aid Queensland stopped sending lawyers, including duty lawyers, to Southport court to halt coronavirus spreading. But courts will stay open.
Signs went up at Southport Courthouse yesterday to say duty lawyers were unavailable.
“A face-to-face duty lawyer service provided by Legal Aid Queensland is NOT AVAILABLE at this time,” the sign said, adding to call Legal Aid Queensland on 1300 651 188.”
Duty lawyers provide free legal advice to those appearing in court who may not be able to afford to hire a lawyer.
It is understood the Legal Aid lawyers will appear in court by phone.
Additional reporting Tom Minear, John Rolfe, Grant McArthur, Tamsin Rose and Natasha Bita.
TOM Cruise said it best in the 1991 film A Few Good Men – “And the hits just keep on coming”.
The coronavirus crisis has already delivered an unprecedented blow to the Gold Coast and our tourism industry.
There is no question about it – the sheer number of cancellations that have hit our industries across the board – accommodation providers, travel agents, the big events this city is famous for – show the sheer scope of the impact this will have.
From an impact perspective, this is worse than any disaster the city has seen and, to be blunt, it is clear it will get worse.
This point has repeatedly been reemphasised in recent days, particularly yesterday by veteran tourism industry boss Paul Donovan and Mayor Tom Tate.
Mr Donovan told the Bulletin the crisis, even at this relatively early stage compared to other nations, was worse than his experiences in the airline industry nearly 20 years ago with the one-two punch of Ansett collapsing and the September 11 terrorist attacks occurring in the same week, followed by the SARS crisis the following year.
Federal Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham also bypassed the usual political pleasantries and diplomatic language in favour of straight talking.
“We will for certain parts of the industry even consider additional measures to make sure they are there for the recover,” he said.
“These are going to be difficult weeks and months ahead, we cannot guarantee there will not be business failures, we know there are already job losses.”
This year is clearly going to be a year to remember for all the wrong reasons.
But late yesterday, amid the blanket bad news, there were glimmers of good news.
Reports the Federal Government is considering pouring millions into the Gold Coast to fast-track two of the city’s biggest projects – the $1 billion M1 upgrade between Varsity Lakes and Tugun and the light rail extension from Broadbeach to Burleigh.
This is clearly fantastic news especially in the light of the job losses expected to occur in coming weeks.
The light rail extension alone will create 700 jobs in its three-year build and this is welcome at such a critical time.
Equally welcome is news from GoldLinQ boss John Witheriff that tram services will not be changing despite the crisis.
Amid such fundamental changes to daily life, it is important that society continue to function and ongoing public transport will be essential.
It is a tough time ahead but the Gold Coast has taken plenty of hits in our long history and we will persevere.
Like the boxer Rocky, we are being beaten to a pulp but we will go the distance and come out a victor despite the bruising circumstances.
The push for future projects is essential and Cr Tate’s quest for funding to be fasttracked on a business case for light rail to be extended south to Gold Coast Airport should be taken seriously.
This project will be a critical link in the future and any sign that our leaders are looking beyond the current crisis is welcome.