WHY WON’T YOU HELP US
Furious business bosses say Mayor ‘deserted’ them in time of need
DESPERATE Gold Coast small business operators say Mayor Tom Tate has left them “high and dry” by backing Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s stance against reopening the NSW border. “He’s let us down. He’s a deserter,” one claimed. Tourism leaders say the economy is on the brink of collapse if the border is not reopened and restrictions eased. In response to the criticism, Mayor Tate said: “I always put safety first and have throughout this entire crisis. That position has never faltered.”
GOLD Coast leaders at Tuesday’s Glitter Strip coronavirus powwow with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk went with a common message: a July state border reopening is essential.
But not all left with a common take on how it went.
One attendee said: “We were all respectful to her and Tourism Minister Kate Jones because we thought it’s the best way to switch her view.”
But another didn’t feel the respect was reciprocated, and felt disappointment no timeline for reopening the border was made clear.
“(Palaszczuk) lectured us. It was an onslaught, like ‘I’m the smartest in the room, you’re a bunch of dumb f--ks and I will lead us to the promised land.
“Kate was trying to balance it out. Talking about hope. But the Premier was hard line, telling us she has sleepless nights. I don’t give a f--k if she has sleepless nights – she asked to be the Premier. That’s called leadership I’m afraid. It’s part of the gig.”
Another said: “It was weird. She seems to be one of those people who has never made a mistake in her life.”
But Ms Palaszczuk’s office rejects that version as do other attendees: “All the meetings were very cordial, people hung around for a chat after and the Premier agreed to meet again next month,” her office said.
“All of the views gathered on the Coast were extremely useful in ways that will become obvious soon. It’s disappointing because it was a very productive meeting and people in the room thanked the Premier afterwards.”
Attendees Gold Coast Titans co-owner Bec Frizelle and Tourism Australia chair Bob East praised Ms Palaszczuk for engaging.
Mr East said: “The whole spirit of these things is engagement. While there will be opposing views in the room, the meeting was conducted in an engaging way.”
Ms Frizelle said it “was clear the Coast was a priority for her. We made it very clear the Gold Coast community needs the borders to open in July. She gave every stakeholder an opportunity to air their concerns. While we might not have agreed with her position on some things, she was open to discussion.” Ms Frizelle said the Premier initiated the idea of meeting again in a month and committed to doing so.
Despite the divergent views, all those spoken to gave her credit for coming down the M1 to hear first-hand the tourism capital’s pain from a border block aimed at halting coronavirus.
One meeting source said tourism supremo Paul Donovan advocated for theme parks reopening, easing of restaurant patron limits and highlighted Gold Coast Airport was in the midst of a $600 million expansion when flights dropped from 60 a day to three a week. He also said airlines were after certainty around the border reopening to plan flight schedules.
Mr Donovan confirmed he did make those points, revealing after that meeting Ms Palaszczuk met with a city hotelier, restaurateur, activity operator and events organiser.
“They told their stories, she listened – and hopefully some of what was said will be reflected in decisions she makes.”