SEE THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY
THE Gold Coast is clearly not immune to the economic and social destruction left in the wake of COVID-19.
Tens of thousands of workers have lost their jobs or had working hours severely cut as the global pandemic shows little mercy for industries such as tourism and small business.
Unlike other dark clouds to hit the region, we are all living this nightmare together. No-one is spared.
Almost every industry and social gathering has suffered – our $6 billion tourism industry, thousands of small businesses, our children’s education and leisure activities and loved ones in aged care homes living in isolation.
However, as difficult as this crisis is, Gold Coasters have a history of wrestling adversity and coming out the other side with greater resilience, street smarts and skills.
The Glitter Strip has withstood the fury of plenty of crises in the past and always returned stronger.
From a tourism and real estate perspective, fewer cities were harder hit during the global financial crisis in the late 2000s than the Gold Coast.
Adversity such as the COVID-19 pandemic can often be the fiery forge that defines character and allows a person to know who they really are.
And the same can be said for the Gold Coast as it faces down how to rebound from this most devastating of events.
Our biggest industry, tourism, was effectively wiped out as part of a larger strategy to save the city from the worst of the crisis.
The forced shutdown of thousands of businesses has sent shockwaves through society. But communities rallied, sacrificed their own needs and the results are starting to speak for themselves – the curve is flattening.
To a certain degree we cannot control the government measures around social distancing and other health-related issues. However, we can control the city’s destiny and that is why it is important to use this time to create a blueprint that allows important and emerging industries to rebound fully.
As we finally get a grip on the mechanics of COVID-19, and what it does and doesn't like, the path ahead is starting to emerge from the mist.
Restrictions are about to be eased and thought is turning towards our road to recovery.
The Gold Coast was built on an entrepreneurial spirit and an ability to always read a situation with a glass-half-full attitude.
When it comes to plotting a road map of where the Gold Coast goes from here, it is clear who should be weighing in.
Nobody knows the Gold Coast better than Gold Coasters and it is up to us to carefully and deliberately shape what our future becomes.
Providing our personal and collective health remains intact, this could be an exciting and fruitful opportunity. We cannot change the past; it wasn’t our doing.
The Gold Coast is a place of prosperity, where people of all sectors of the world want to work and play. Let’s mine this opportunity and back ourselves to return greater than ever.