What a second wave would do to Coast economy

Brisbane’s control over the coronavirus pandemic is "crucial" to the Coast’s economic recovery, with the region forecast to share in a $4.8 billion second wave hit.

Dr Sandra Peters tests a person for coronavirus at a fever clinic in Caloundra. Picture: John McCutcheon

Brisbane's control over the coronavirus pandemic is "crucial" to the Sunshine Coast's economic recovery, with the region expected to share in a $4.8 billion second wave deficit.

Visit Sunshine Coast data for the year to December 31, 2019, has revealed how much the region relied on interstate tourism numbers.

It comes as Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said a second wave of coronavirus and the lockdowns that follow would cost the state $4.8 billion.

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Regional Development Australia Sunshine Coast chief executive Paul Fisher was unable to say how much of the $4.8 billion would hit this region but said intra and interstate tourism numbers were important.

More than 1.2 million people visited the Coast from Victoria and NSW last year, which included 312,000 people from Sydney and 248,000 from Melbourne.

Mr Fisher said that was about one third of the Coast's tourism economy.

He pointed to figures of 2.9 million intrastate travellers, which included 1.8 million people from greater Brisbane and 268,000 from the Gold Coast, as being key to the economic recovery.

"We need to help the authorities and control any cluster or outbreak, that Brisbane market is so crucial," Mr Fisher said.

"The premier was right to close the borders. One person can wreak so much damage."

Ms Palaszczuk defended her decision to close the borders to NSW.

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"It only takes one or two people coming into Queensland and we could get something like what is unfolding in Victoria," she said.

'If we had a second wave here it would (cost the economy) in excess of $4.8 billion … Queenslanders don't want to go backwards."

Mr Fisher said the tourism and hospitality sectors would naturally be the worst affected, with many businesses still reeling from the first lockdown.

"It's a real kick in the guts for them to have to start again," he said.

Mr Fisher said he agreed with Sunshine Coast Council's economic evaluation the Melbourne Storm and three AFL teams would provide the region with an injection of more than 1 million.

"It won't compensate the losses from the first lockdown but it does help," he said.

"We need domestic tourism to fire up, we need stimulus packages to continue, injections like the Storm and for Queenslanders to keep supporting each other.

"The economy is very fragile."

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