Editor’s view: It’s time to go out and enjoy Queensland

From midday today, the shackles will be removed from Queenslanders who will be able to travel anywhere they want within the state. This is what we should do, writes The Editor.

THE starting gun has been fired in the race toward economic recovery as the shackles are removed from Queenslanders who are free, from noon today, to travel anywhere they want in this magnificent state.

Yesterday’s announcement by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk means economic lifeblood will soon start pumping through our economy which has been on government life support for more than two months.

Queenslanders have long enjoyed the benefits of living in a prosperous state but it is instructive to occasionally remember where the money comes from.

Tourism employs more than 235,000 people in Queensland and pumps more than $27 billion into the state economy annually.

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In our decentralised state it is a vital economic life force to regional communities, representing 8 per cent of total Gross Regional Product and employing 105,700 people, or one in nine jobs.

Today marks the day we can start getting behind that economic powerhouse.

Queenslanders who have been largely confined to homes will warmly welcome the opportunity to resume those weekends away, and plan ahead for holidays in a state that hosts some of the most beautiful locations on Earth.

Queenslanders should get out around the state and enjoy what our beautiful state has to offer.

Thankfully, we have never really needed to travel overseas to experience the beauty of the natural world.

Those islands among the turquoise waters of the Whitsundays, which rival those of the Mediterranean, now beckon.

So does the Great Barrier Reef, one of the world’s Seven Natural Wonders, stretching more than 2000km down our coast and accessible from numerous communities from Cooktown to Gladstone.

There’s the hinterland of Cairns, the natural beauty of our national parks such as Lamington behind the Gold Coast or Eungella west of Mackay, and the timeless beauty of the Granite Belt around Stanthorpe.

Then there is the majesty of our outback, which for the next few months will offer visitors the perfect temperatures to explore our vast landscapes and history under those endless skies of deep blue.

Ms Palaszczuk’s determination to dig in on closing our borders and keeping them closed sparked a concerted campaign by our tourism operators, backed by The Courier-Mail, to at least give our vital tourism industry a fighting chance by opening up travel within Queensland.

So this newspaper welcomes yesterday’s announcement and encourages Queenslanders to take advantage of the opportunity not only to reignite our ailing economy, but reacquaint themselves with their own state.

Yesterday’s announcement also includes further loosening of restrictions which signal a return to normal life, including allowing gatherings of up to 20 people at one time in our homes, health clubs, pools and libraries.

We can now get back to playing non-contact sport in small groups, we can socialise with the neighbours along our streets and we can walk together with others.

We can now even invite 20 people to our marriage ceremony, which might spark the beginnings of a wedding-led recovery.

It’s all extremely positive news for both our state and our nation, which has presented a largely united front in fighting the coronavirus.

It’s true our governments and our medical profession have provided strong and intelligent leadership through this crisis.

But it is ordinary Australians who have so far won the battle not merely to “flatten the curve’’ but to largely rid our communities of a menace which has had a horrific impact on countries such as the US and the UK.

Now we can reap the rewards of our good behaviour and give ourselves a pat on the back.

And now we can join our tourism industry and our wider community in looking forward to that hopefully not-too-distant day when those border checkpoints come down, and all restrictions on movement are removed.

Until then, all we can only say is: “Go forth and holiday in Queensland.’’

If you do you’ll not only be giving yourself a richly deserved reward for sticking to the rules
over the past few months, you will be, as Ms Palaszczuk put it: “Queenslanders backing Queenslanders.’’