BORDER PATROL
There’s no doubt our leaders – federal and state – have done a good job so far. But the next steps will be critical
CONFESSION time. I was one of the “city leaders’’ invited to the Premier’s discussion and listening meeting on the Gold Coast on Tuesday.
It was chaired by Mayor Tom Tate for both the Premier and Tourism Minister Kate Jones. I don’t think it is correct for me to name the other invitees.
There has been lots made of this meeting and its potential impact on tourism. Many have had a say, so now it’s my turn.
I was asked to comment for radio, TV and print but mainly declined. Let me explain.
Now regrettably we had limited time, so I chose to say little in the meeting because I thought it more than reasonable that the key people involved directly in tourism should have the time available. They are at the “coalface’’, as it were.
They are directly hit here. I have no tourism operation or ownership. My slice of life has been, and probably always will be, from an event tourism point of view. I have (or at least had prior to this pandemic) a number of clients, both government and private enterprise, all over the world.
My remit at this meeting was, in my view, to stand up for and represent the Gold Coast. That is the dog in my fight, if you like.
For now, I’m not going to express my view of this meeting. For good or bad, the Premier did ask for patience until Sunday or Monday when, subject to more briefings, she intends to make announcements on next steps and a timetable with regard to how Queensland will respond to this pandemic. That seems reasonable.
The Premier made the point that she is on a “listening tour’’ to get feedback on what the state thinks outside of BrisVegas. OK, again important, she is after all Premier for the whole of Queensland and not just Brisbane.
Both the Premier and the minister made much of the Gold Coast being first cab off the rank to visit. Terrific, but with the greatest of respect we should be.
We are the sixth-largest city in the country. We are the biggest tourist centre in Queensland, we have 11 state seats and finally we sit right on the very much closed border.
So we should have had pole position.
I assume, but I don’t know, they spent parts of the balance of the week visiting other areas of our great state, again to listen and get direct quality feedback on how this is affecting all sections of Queensland and especially one of our biggest employment industries in tourism. Stating the obvious, we are in the commencement of our peak tourist season from now until October.
The South Australian border is closed but, in all honesty, it will not have the impact there because their peak tourist season is September to March. So, they have a little more time than us. Jolly hockey sticks for them.
Hearing first-hand the tourist industry leaders’ graphic accounts of how they are in serious struggle was defining for me and I hope also for the State Government as it contemplates the next steps out of this difficult situation.
I will say this much in the hope of a good outcome next week.
About 12 weeks back, we as Australians were asked to make massive changes to our lives to try to prevent an almost Armageddon situation, as was rapidly developing elsewhere in our world. With great leadership from both state and federal governments, my view is we responded superbly.
We were asked to go through great pain to achieve the following:
• Flatten the curve, because back then it looked like it was going to take us over.
• Give our hospitals time to ramp up, particularly in ICU and with ventilators, PPE etc. Overall, give us time to prepare to handle the worst.
Now governments and the mob – us – really took on that task and it was tremendous synergy to see the outcome. We have had some deaths and more than 7000 have contracted this hideous virus, however by anyone’s standards it was outstanding.
Yes, I hear you say, any death is terrible. Of course it is.
But so far this year in Queensland alone we have had 88 deaths on our roads.
So death, like taxes, is a part of life – actually the end part. The sad truth is, we try to put it off but regrettably, eventually your number comes up.
We need to be realistic. Until there is a vaccine, we will not get to zero cases Australiawide. It is a virus. It does not play by human rules.
We have put ourselves in a strong position.
Let me again outline the terrific job governments have achieved in Queensland and across Australia.
After the past three months we now have:
• Our hospitals with more than double the ICU capacity.
• Results that show just how good our hospital system really is. We might complain about it but compared to say the US, boy are we world class or what?
• A much clearer medical outlook on how to handle this virus.
• Solid progress on a potential vaccine (albeit months away).
• Good social distancing practices. How long since you shook hands, for instance?
• An excellent tool with the COVID-19 app.
• People very alert to being tested (and that testing in place everywhere), even with the mildest of symptoms.
• Our international border shut (where by far the majority of our coronavirus cases came from).
So, let me be patient and wait until the Premier’s announcements early next week.
My candid view is how and when the Premier moves forward here will define her role and leadership.
That is the trouble with being a leader – people look to you to do exactly that, lead!
You take advice, you go on your listening tour, you seek feedback and then it is up to you, having weighed all the facts and observations, to call the big plays.
This is certainly the play of the year, plus some.
Until there is a vaccine, we will not get to zero cases. It is a virus. It doesn’t play by human rules.