Region ready for rebound

WHEN COVID-19 first hit, none of us knew what to expect. We were faced with unprecedented government restrictions on top of significant uncertainty and a changing environment every day.

In our business, the phones stopped ringing as they did for a lot of businesses.

With a couple of months now under our belts, it seems like a bit of luck and a lot of sacrifice have put the health of our community in a strong position.

We have not been hit as hard as the capital cities and we’re better placed than many regions around the country.

While the impact will be big, I believe that Townsville is well positioned to rebound quickly when the economy is allowed to be reopened.

We have a diverse industry base and a strong presence of relatively stable employment fields, led by Defence, government services and the mining industry, and all of the economic foundations that were beginning to see a turnaround in our region – including the uptick in mining and completion of the Queensland Country Bank Stadium reviving our CBD.

But we need to make sure that we support our local businesses to survive long enough to enjoy any economic resurgence. And we need to make sure that businesses can open as soon as possible.

Just as each state has had differing needs and approaches, and just as unique measures have been taken to protect remote communities, North Queensland is well placed to have a cautious reopening of the economy.

There is a lot of merit in the push for regional management zones, which could serve as a blueprint for the reopening of other cities, and I urge governments to strongly consider the opinions of our respected medical experts and business leaders in calling to ease business restrictions in Townsville.

Every day sooner that businesses are allowed to operate at capacity is a day less they need to survive without revenue and can get back to employing and investing in our region.