Hospitality guru all for beach club
Cross to throw hat in ring
GOLD Coast hospitality boss Billy Cross says he will tender to operate a proposed beach club pitched by council to the state government.
Support for the mooted three-year pilot program is growing, with tourism and business bosses throwing their support behind Mayor Tom Tate’s push to secure the state government’s support.
Mr Cross, the events guru who co-founded high-end venue Nineteen at the Star, said he was a “massive supporter” of the concept and vowed to put his passion into a proposal should Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk give it the green light.
“We are already doing festivals and concerts on the beach and the next step is a club,” he said. “I am a massive supporter of the idea and if there is a tender I will definitely be putting something together.
“The value in it is not just short-term but if we have a few of these, it will be massive for tourism once international flights open up again.
“It is something the Gold Coast needs, many people want and something we could do.”
Cr Tate last week wrote to Ms Palaszczuk asking for her support to allow council to go to tender for the proposal.
A taskforce launched by former Tourism Minister Kate Jones was developing a concept in 2019, but it has not reconvened since the October 2020 election.
The Premier said she was happy to look at the proposal.
New Destination Gold Coast chief executive Patricia O’Callaghan said she was “fully supportive” of the idea.
“Research has shown the most-loved asset for visitors is interacting with the Gold Coast’s beaches,” she said. “Enhancing this experience a suitable fashion would in
have a substantial impact on visitation and this is critical when we are rebuilding our tourism economy.
“We need to think differently and now is the time to be bold in our thinking and turn some of these ideas and concepts into reality.”
The Bulletin understands the beach club concept favoured by city hall is that of the Moseley Beach Club at Glenelg in South Australia.
A specific location is not being eyed off but potential locations could include Broadbeach’s Kurrawa/Pratten Parklands.
The location and operator would be determined by an open tender process.
It is understood any club would be heavily regulated with no glass allowed on the stretch of beach used for the venue.
State Opposition Leader David Crisafulli has been a long-time supporter of a proposed beach club and said he would back the latest push but only on one condition.
“I’ll back any project to boost tourism that respects the environment and local residents on the condition that everyone has access to it, not just the rich and famous,” he said. “Public spaces belong to the public and can’t become private cabals.”
Tourism and business leaders have long called for a beach club to be trialled on the Gold Coast, warning the city was missing out by refusing to consider concepts considered mainstream in other nations.
ONE of the Gold Coast’s worst car salesmen placed 25 advertisements for the sale of used vehicles just days after being fined $1000 for making misleading claims.
Parvis Amiri (pictured), also known as Pablo Amiri, of Labrador, had his motor dealer’s licence suspended for six months in October 2019 for failing to release a consumer from a contract and refund her when she attempted to exercise her cooling off rights.
In January 2020, he was fined $1000 for making misleading claims to a consumer about a vehicle’s warranty and for accepting a deposit from another consumer but failing to complete the contract or refund the deposit.
However, just days after his court appearance, the Office of Fair Trading said Amiri was continuing to try to sell used vehicles and had placed up to 25 advertisements on a popular online trading platform as revealed in this Bulletin story.
On February 8, Amiri was fined $8000 in the Southport Magistrates Court for unlicensed motor dealing.
The case was heard exparte as Amiri did not show up.
This was the OFT’s third action against Amiri.
Amiri describes himself as a “car sales specialist” at Gold Coast Automobiles on his LinkedIn page.
Fair Trading executive director Brian Bauer warned traders not doing the right thing that OFT investigators would find them.
“Mr Amiri is no longer licensed as a motor dealer in Queensland and the OFT has recorded his lack of suitability for licensing into the future,” Mr Bauer said.
Specific guidance on the legal requirements for motor vehicle sales and repairs is available from www.qld.gov.au/fairtrading or by calling 13 QGOV (13 74 68).