Business leaders slams unnecessary cyclone panic

High-profile business leaders have slammed the authorities’ ‘premature shutdown’ of southeast Queensland due to Cyclone Alfred saying it would cost businesses millions.

Graham "Skroo" Turner attacks cyclone planning

Some business leaders have slammed the authorities’ “premature shutdown” of southeast Queensland due to Cyclone Alfred saying it would cost businesses millions of dollars.

Flight Centre managing director Graham Turner accused the Queensland authorities of demonstrating a “lack of foresight and proportionality” in their handling of cyclone preparations, comparing it to “The Great Covid Panic” of the previous Labor Government.

Mr Turner has previously been a consistent critic of what he believes were unnecessary shutdown during the pandemic.

Queensland tech entrepreneur Steve Baxter, who is originally from North Queensland, said he believed the government went too early with shutdowns, and business owners should be empowered to decide for themselves.

“It’s stupidity that we do stuff like this to be truthful,’’ he said.

Public transport and schools were shutdown from Wednesday evening across southeast Queensland, a full two days before dangerous winds and rain started occurring.

The cyclone had followed an erratic path as it approached Brisbane, slowing down and changing course on a number of occasions.

Mr Turner said the premature shutdown of public services, including the complete suspension of public buses and trains well before the cyclone was even close to Brisbane, was “a textbook case of government over-reaction causing residents unnecessary panic.”

“While public safety is, of course, a priority, the approach taken was nothing short of economic and social self-sabotage well before Alfred arrived. This over-reaction has cost and will cost many millions of dollars to southeast Queensland businesses.”

He said the early closure of schools, despite no imminent threat to student safety at the time, also was another poor decision.

“This knee-jerk reaction not only disrupted thousands of families, but also sent an exaggerated message of danger that created further public anxiety,” he said.

Mr Baxter said the car park at his local shops was “like a zoo” on Sunday after being shut down for four days. “It was called too early, it didn’t perform.

Mr Baxter said the Bureau of Meteorology needed to lift its game because “they can tell us the earth’s going to overheat in 1000 years but they can’t get a cyclone right’’.

“At what point do the citizens trust themselves? Let businesses make their own decisions. I just find it all a bit silly.’’

Other business leaders were more supportive of the cyclone arrangements. Coffee Commune founder Phil Di Bella said he rated the government’s response probably an 8.5 or 9 out of 10, but if the same approach was taken next time it happened that would fall to a 6.

“This is the first time it’s happened, I’ve never seen a cyclone in Brisbane, the short answer is they didn’t know what they were dealing with,’’ Mr Di Bella said.

“The question is did they go too early? Well hindsight’s a beautiful thing.’’

“I don’t think they went early because it’s the first time this has happened but there are learnings from this.”

Mr Di Bella said the feedback from his members was that they could shut down with 24 hours’ notice, and given the accuracy with which the weather event was tracked, the shutdowns should have been pushed back later.

Mr Di Bella said businesses could have closed Friday for Saturday, with his members from the north of the state used to such timeframes

He said small businesses lacked “elasticity” or the ability to deal with adverse shocks, after the impacts of the pandemic and inflationary cost pressures, with no one having anything “put away for a rainy day’’.

“In hindsight they probably went two days early, but they didn’t panic, the consensus is that the Premier dealt with it fantastically,’’ Mr Di Bella said, with the performance of the mayors of Brisbane and the Gold Coast also top shelf according to his members.

Universal Store chief executive Alice Barbery said hindsight was 20/20, and she applauded the government for taking a “safety first approach”.

“This system has been unpredictable and we need to prioritise the lives and safety of our team and customers above all else,’’ Ms Barbery said.

“There are never any prizes for those entrusted to make these decisions. If the margin of error leant one way or the other, I’m glad it was toward a safety first outcome.

“We can make up dollars but not human lives.?”

Howard Smith Wharves in Brisbane was a ghost town on Thursday as the city prepared for the arrival of Cyclone Alfred. Picture David Clark

Flight Centre’s Mr Turner said the government’s insistence that major bridges could close if wind speeds reached 95 km/h was an example of excessive caution.

“Cars regularly travel at those speeds on highways without spontaneously taking flight — so why the sudden fear that cars would fly away possibly landing in a river if a 95km wind hit it?” he said.

The move to suspend City Cats and other ferry services was more understandable as was the decision by airlines to suspend flights.

“The cost of this over-reaction extends beyond mere inconvenience to the millions of southeast Queenslanders,” said Mr Turner.

“Better planning, measured risk assessment, and a dose of common sense could have prevented this widespread disruption for at least another couple of days. Emergency preparedness should be about calculated responses, not fear-driven theatrics.”

He said instead of prematurely shutting down the city and causing mass panic, the authorities should have communicated measured warnings and contingency plans at the right time -time enough for people to take the necessary precautions.

“The people of Queensland deserve leadership and public service that balances caution with rational decision-making — something so far I believe lacking with the handling of Cyclone Alfred,” Mr Turner said.