CASH AND CUDDLES
Rival state pollies embrace Future Tourism campaign as minister warms to levy idea
TOURISM Minister Kate Jones has agreed to consider supporting a visitor levy giving the Far North’s embattled industry hope for the future.
Speaking at the Cairns
Post’s Future Tourism event, Ms Jones (above) said she was now prepared to sit down and talk with levy advocate, Mayor Bob Manning, about how it could be implemented.
“When I spoke to the mayor, we had a robust conversation about six months ago I think it was, and he promised me he would get the industry on side and that he would get other mayors across Queensland,” Ms Jones said.
“I’ll give the mayor his due, he’s managed to do both.”
About 500 people attended the industry event including Opposition tourism spokesman David Crisafulli (above) who earlier in the week warned the minister to give Cairns “cash not cuddles” to help it deal with the impacts of coronavirus.
The State Government responded to the challenge with a $3.8 million package.
The political opponents provided light relief during the event when Ms Jones gave Mr Crisafulli a cuddle.
THERE were cuddles and cash but a battle line has been drawn in the fight for the Cairns and Great Barrier Reef region’s tourism prospects.
Tourism Minister Kate Jones all but pledged the State Government’s support for a Cairns bed levy during an onstage Q&A session at the Cairns Post’s packed Future Tourism forum.
She said the political landscape had changed dramatically over the past five years from one of rabid opposition and scaremongering over the possibility of a tourism levy being introduced.
Mayor Bob Manning’s indefatigable push to get the funding measure over the line is right on the cusp of bearing fruit, now that he has built up a growing list of supporters.
“The LGAQ just wrote to me, actually, on Friday, saying that they support amendments now to enable Cairns to introduce the reforms that Bob would like,” Ms Jones said.
“My message today is that I’m all ears.
“We’ve actually seen the mayor work really hard with the people in this room to really highlight the importance of this.
“The Gold Coast as a much larger city has been able to have a commercial levy on all businesses, which has really driven their funding.
“But we understand that Cairns is different, so this is a solution.”
Opposition tourism spokesman David Crisafulli told the Cairns Post earlier this week the State Government needed to deliver cash, not cuddles, to Far North Queensland.
He got a taste of both yesterday with he and Ms Jones sharing a public embrace at the Cairns Convention Centre event shortly after she had unveiled a $3.8 million funding boost for the region’s tourism industry.
However, Mr Crisafulli and the LNP have played their cards and shown there is little chance of bipartisanship on the proposed tourism levy – for now, at least.
He said Queensland had a spending problem, not a revenue problem, and tourism funding could be boosted without introducing a visitor tax.
“I would question whether or not we can’t find that money from existing resources,” he said.
“I respect that this city needs a hand at the moment.
“I would hope that it needs better marketing where the money goes directly to you from government – an end to a Brisbane-knows-best centralised approach to marketing.”
Cr Manning was visibly upbeat after the Future Tourism event but said there was a lot of work to do yet.
“There’s been real progression on the thinking maturing in regards to the tourism levy,” he said.
“I don’t care who they are, they’ll both flip once or twice more between now and the election.
“Politicians come under different pressures from different areas, and politicians don’t make decisions, they respond to pressures.
“That’s how it works, mate.”
THERE’S BEEN REAL PROGRESSION ON THE THINKING MATURING IN REGARDS TO THE TOURISM LEVY … THEY’LL FLIP ONCE OR TWICE MORE MAYOR BOB MANNING