Decisive action required to give Queensland certainty

I AGREE with the Premier that the health of Queenslanders is paramount. Who doesn’t? However, she seems to have forgotten that we are fighting this crisis on two fronts.

Uncertainty as to when the Queensland border reopens is causing great damage to our local economy and is hurting one in six Gold Coast jobs that are tourism-based.

Tens of thousands of businesses who are the engine room in the heart of our city, are in grave distress.

Many Gold Coast families who need certainty cannot keep holding on.

Our Federal Chief Medical Officer Professor Brendan Murphy has provided clear advice that it is safe to reopen our border, yet the Queensland State Government’s Chief Health Officer says that a September reopening remains very optimistic.

We have a low number of confirmed virus cases and a multitude of measures including the COVIDSafe app to help reduce the virus spread and assist state health authorities to manage outbreaks.

We need to enable our businesses to get up and running as soon as possible before unnecessary irreversible damage is done. Every single day our border remains closed, our local tourism and associated industries pay the price.

Additionally, the State Government is yet to deliver legislation or regulation for business operators for commercial tenancies under the National Cabinet Code of Conduct.

The Premier will have to justify the decisions she makes now to more than 5 million Queenslanders at the polling booths.

The Queensland Government needs to act decisively now to provide certainty before entering caretaker mode in late September, a week before JobKeeper is due to expire and six weeks before the October 31 election.

So Premier, please provide us with certainty. Is it July or is it September?

ANGIE BELL, MP, FEDERAL MEMBER FOR MONCRIEFF