Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk snubs struggling businesses in Gold Coast visit

A Gold Coast business leader has called out Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk over her visit to ‘ghost town’ Coolangatta, saying she snubbed devastated local business operators.

A Gold Coast business leader has called out Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk over her visit to the border closure ‘ghost town’ of Coolangatta this week, saying she snubbed devastated local business operators.

Ms Palaszczuk was on the Coast on Monday to announce two new Covid-19 vaccination centres for the Glitter Strip.

She made an unheralded visit to Coolangatta, which along with the neighbouring ‘twin town’ of Tweed Heads has been battered by Queensland’s extended hard border closure with NSW.

Great to meet Sunshine Coast locals Michelle, Mitchell, Zac and Ellen who are holidaying at Coolangatta for the school holidays.

And a big thank you to all the @QldPolice who are doing an amazing job at the border checkpoint. pic.twitter.com/QD46UNMp9i

— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) September 27, 2021

The premier tweeted happy snaps of her meeting tourists and border checkpoint cops but there were no pics with long-suffering small business owners, many of whom have had to shut their doors in recent weeks due to plummeting trade and stranded staff.

Greater Southern Gold Coast Chamber of Commerce president Hilary Jacobs suggested Ms Palaszczuk’s visit was a stunt.

“The chamber made inquiries following the premier’s visit and has yet to find a business operator who has spoken to her or had the opportunity to talk about their issues to the premier directly on that day, or at any other time recently,” Ms Jacobs said.

“If anyone knows who she spoke to, it would be interesting to know what was discussed.”

Most of NSW is still in lockdown under the state’s own Covid restrictions, while the border bubble with Tweed Shire and Byron Bay has been reinstated but only for essential workers and people crossing for medical appointments, essential shopping or to care for the vulnerable.

Byron Bay on Wednesday recorded two new Covid cases, casting doubt on how long the bubble would remain open.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli. Picture: Dan Peled

Opposition leader David Crisafulli, who met with struggling Surfers Paradise restaurant owner Roula Halastanis on Wednesday, said Ms Palaszczuk needed to come and talk with “real people” and give Queenslanders “a pathway out of the pandemic”.

“Don’t drive to the border, take a happy snap and drive back,” he said.

“For me, it sounded a lot like a visit for social media purposes. That does no-one any good at all. It seems to me that this government is more interested in how things look than how things are.”

Mr Crisafulli said the Coast tourism industry had suffered billion-dollar losses and 4000 workers faced losing their jobs by Christmas.

“They’re hanging by a thread,” he said.

Ms Hastanis, who owns the Greek on Soul restaurant on the Surfers Esplanade, said border closures and snap lockdowns had decimated trade and businesses were “dying”.

She said the premier’s wavering on vaccination targets was creating more uncertainty and sapping confidence.

“People have been doubled vaxxed (but) they still can’t come into the state,” she said

“Let them in - our businesses are impacted. We’re struggling, we’re dying.

“I’m very anxious, very scared as to where I might end up in the next couple of months if things don’t change.”

Ms Hastanis said her “heart just started racing” amid fears of another lockdown after Queensland’s latest Covid-19 outbreak, including two people who were infectious on the Gold Coast, heading into the NRL grand final long weekend.

“I’m thinking here ‘we go again, we’re going to lock down’,” she said.

“We’ve got food inside ordered for the weekend. What do we do with all of that? That just goes straight in the bin. Who pays for all of that? We do.”

Mr Crisafulli said 50 per cent of eligible southeast Queensland businesses still had not received State Government support payments from the last lockdown in July.

He said payments needed to flow immediately if there was to be another lockdown and called on Ms Palaszczuk to release health advice.

Mr Crisafulli said Queenslanders were enduring a ‘daily circus’ and wanted leadership and vision.

“Hope over fear, a pathway out of the pandemic - that is what Queenslanders want,” he said.