Mayor Tom Tate calls on graduates to stay away after Qld Government axes Schoolies
Mayor Tom Tate is worried school leavers will rock up to party in the city for Schoolies regardless of whether medical tents and medicos are on the ground.
Gold Coast
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GOLD Coast Mayor Tom Tate has begged graduates to ditch Schoolies on the Gold Coast after the State Government scuttled official celebrations.
Cr Tate was worried school leavers would rock up to party in the city come November regardless of whether medical tents and medicos are on the ground.
The mayor said he wished he had “jumped up and down” to draw out an official response about Schoolies from the government at an earlier stage.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk confirmed on Friday morning Schoolies “won’t go ahead as normal” this year.
She ruled out beachside concerts and other events at the celebrations “because there can be no mass gatherings”.
But there is nothing stopping graduates coming to the city and partying in small groups, the same as any other person.
Gold Coast accommodation providers will need to register guests as part of COVID-safe plans and gatherings in units will be limited to no more than 10 people from November 21 to December 11.
Cr Tate was asked whether he was aware whether the government would implement a health response.
He said safety was a matter for Queensland Health, but he urged graduates to find another way to mark the end of their schooling.
“(Safety) is a real concern, so don’t come. My message: don’t come. If you don’t listen it’ll be the biggest life lesson you’ll ever have,” he said.
“My main message to school leavers this year is that your rite-of-passage to be adult – you are adult in handling this COVID-19.
“Remember one thing, if you have a misstep and say it’s all about me and you take this virus back into your home and infect your mum and dad and your grandparents you will never forget the Schoolies weekend.
“So get on Zoom, enjoy yourself in that way. Schoolies is all about sharing from your heart this time around and that’s my message.
“There’ll be no response from the city of the Gold Coast. Anything above that, that’s their (State Government’s) call."
Last year, Emergency Treatment Centre paramedics saw to about 460 people in one week of Schoolies, mostly for minor accidents and intoxication. Two young men have plunged to their deaths from balconies on the Glitter Strip during Schoolies since 2018.
Cr Tate said $430,000 in council funding for the Schoolies response would likely be “held over for next year”.
He said he felt for accommodation providers left in the lurch by the government’s revelation.
“I sympathise. Not enough words to express my concern for accommodation houses because to get new business within 85 days is near impossible really,” he said.
“However, I can say that nobody knows about a pandemic, we’ve never faced that. Long-term devastation is what we’ve got to avoid.”
Cr Tate said he “wouldn’t stand in the way” of government assistance for affected hoteliers.
He also called on Destination Gold Coast to “step up” and “incentivise people to stay in hotels who have had a loss of income”.
UPDATE: QUEENSLAND Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says Schoolies “won’t go ahead as normal” this year.
She ruled out beachside concerts and other events at the celebrations “because there can be no mass gatherings”.
But graduates will still be able to book accommodation in small groups, the same as any other person.
Gold Coast accommodation providers will be required to register guests as part of COVID-safe plans and gatherings in residences including holiday units will be limited to no more than 10 people from November 21 to December 11.
Ms Palaszczuk said the State Government had looked at Schoolies 2020 “very seriously and from a cross-agency perspective”.
“But fundamentally Queenslanders know we always listen to the health advice and the chief health officer (Dr Jeannette Young) has deemed the event of Schoolies – it is a mass event over multiple days – is high-risk,” she said.
“So the Schoolies that we have come to know over the years will not be able to go ahead in that form this year. This is a very tough decision.
“This is a mass event, it poses high-risk to not only the people that attend, the young people, but the people they come into contact with and of course their family, friends and grandparents.
“Of course we know we are in a different time at the moment and of course the world’s going through a global pandemic and things aren’t as they would normally be.”
However, Ms Palaszczuk said the tourism sector needs support.
“So just as any other person can go along and book accommodation, people are welcome to continue to do that in those small groups right across Queensland,” she said.
“Families will be looking at booking their accommodation and there is nothing wrong with small groups of people finishing school booking somewhere close to where they live as well. Because as long as they actually abide by those rules and regulations set in place for hotel accommodation then there is nothing to worry about.
“The chief health officer and the director general of education will be writing out to all the schools to inform the schools. And the chief health officer and the director of tourism will be writing out to all accommodation providers.
Ms Palaszczuk said Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate “fully supports the advice of the chief health officer”.
“It’s a tough year for everyone and hopefully things will get better by the end of next year and we can have a double celebration,” she said.
Ms Palaszczuk said Education Minister Grace Grace and Child Safety Minister Di Farmer would be speaking to young people “about ways they can commemorate the fact they actually finished Year 12”.
She also revealed three new coronavirus cases had been confirmed, including two new cases at Pimpama.
The decision about Schoolies followed high-level meetings attended by Ms Palaszczuk, Deputy Premier and Health Minister Stephen Miles and Dr Young yesterday afternoon.
Mr Miles told ABC Radio earlier today: “Schoolies won’t look like Schoolies this year”.
But he said the government was trying to find other ways graduates can celebrate.
“We know this is another burden on year 12s after they’ve already had a tough year,” he said.
“But it will be impossible to do Schoolies the way we usually do. It won’t look like it normally does.”
Dr Young and Ms Palaszczuk said they felt for Year 12 students but hoped they would still make the most of finishing school.
“There will still be celebrations ... there should be,” Dr Young said.
It’s not yet known if the Safer Schoolies Gold Coast Response will still be implemented to keep revellers safe.
The annual rite-of-passage usually includes medical tents and extra healthcare workers on the ground watching over celebrations.
UPDATE: GOLD COAST health workers say they will need support for the Schoolies period, even if it doesn’t officially proceed.
Workers in Gold Coast Health say they have concerns about managing an influx of graduate revellers tipped to take over the Glitter Strip in November as per usual but this time without back-up support.
The annual event safety response provides medical tents and extra health personnel, but questions remain about what will happen if State Government support is axed.
State Government typically sets aside $1.4 million for its Schoolies response and the city council chips in $430,000.
A Gold Coast medical worker said they believed it would be a major risk if a mass crowd of high schoolers descended, given a dependency on doctors from elsewhere.
“We fly many in every year just to keep the hospital going, this year it is going to be a challenge,” the medical source said.
The State Health Minister’s office had said they would continue to provide the extra resources, the source said.
“We always provide resources where and when they are needed to ensure people can access the healthcare they need,” they said.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is expected to outline her government’s stance on Schoolies 2020 today.
Her office told the Bulletin earlier this week it was “carefully considering its response to the event”.
“While the Government does not organise schoolies any more than it organises Christmas, it is very carefully considering its response to the event. The Palaszczuk Government will have more to say about this matter soon,” a spokesman said at the time.
The Bulletin has repeatedly questioned Ms Palaszczuk and her government about Schoolies 2020 as hotels fill up and graduates prepare to descend on the Gold Coast from November.
Some hoteliers have backed away from participating due to a lack of clarity from the government.
Speaking in Brisbane on Thursday, Ms Palaszczuk was asked: “Premier, Gold Coast apartment owners and booking agencies are getting quite concerned about Schoolies, given that it’s in a few months. Where are we at?”
Ms Palaszczuk said the government has been “having some regular meetings about that” and she flagged “a definitive response tomorrow”.
“I want to talk to (Mayor) Tom Tate one more time,” she said.
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“But we’re also working through some health advice at the moment and (with) police. Tomorrow I’ll give you a definitive update.”
It follows Cr Tate calling for the event to be cancelled when pressed by the Bulletin about holding the popular rite-of-passage in the coronavirus crisis.
Asked about the meeting and what was discussed, Cr Tate would only say: “My position remains the same, I’m still asking Schoolies to stay home this year because we need everyone to be safe and cautious right now.”
“However, the final decision on the Schoolies safety response is one for the Premier,” he said.
Cr Tate believes graduates should instead take to Zoom or other online video chat services.
If the government does move to block this year’s party in Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach, it’s not known how it would stop revellers converging on the Coast to celebrate regardless.
ORIGINAL: GOLD Coast hoteliers are pleading for clarity on incoming schoolies from the Palaszczuk Government – but it says it doesn’t “organise Schoolies any more than it organises Christmas”.
Hoteliers crippled by the coronavirus say they are confused about taking bookings or not with the official response up in the air to the annual rite-of-passage. It typically sees thousands of graduates descend on the Glitter Strip to party.
Graduates are still preparing to come to city tourism hubs Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach in November – as revealed by the Bulletin early this month – despite the pandemic.
But as of Wednesday, Queensland Police were directing inquiries to the State Government, organisers of the Schoolies.com accommodation site were not responding to media and Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s office was still “carefully considering its response to the event”.
Child Safety Minister Di Farmer has saidthe official 2020 Safer Schoolies Gold Coast Response “will be decided and communicated based on expert health advice and best practice for keeping school leavers and the community safe”.
A spokesman for Ms Palaszczuk said: “Any Queenslander holidaying anywhere in our great state, not matter their age or the reason, must ensure they follow rules and regulations to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
“Large gatherings are off the table, full-stop. We have seen this week that police will not hesitate to fine people who breach these very important health measures.
“While the Government does not organise schoolies anymore than it organises Christmas, it is very carefully considering its response to the event. The Palaszczuk Government will have more to say about this matter soon.”
Her spokesman also added: “The Premier continues to take the expert medical advice of the chief health officer to ensure the safety of Queenslanders.
“The Premier is on the record that she has discussed the matter with the Gold Coast Mayor.”
Schoolies.com, which runs a centralised bookings website listing 2020 accommodation options, failed to respond to requests for comment.
Bookings are being taken by some accommodation providers, while others have pulled out of the informal celebrations from November because of the lack of clarity.
The community-run Byron Bay Schoolies Safety Response revealed its event hub would not be operating and “there is no plans for any kind of response”. It has already urged school leavers to stay at home in the “uncertain times”.
In a poll, 88 per cent of Bulletin readers voted for Schoolies to be axed this year
Surfers Paradise’s Alexander Apartments manager Alexander Bourne said he was not taking official bookings, despite being listed on the Schoolies.com website, but was open to taking overflow Schoolies bookings.
“We are receptive to taking (graduates) if everywhere is booked out. We’re certainly not basing our business model around it.
“It would be super valuable and insightful if the Queensland Government could step in or provide some instructions or more information around Schoolies.
“Schoolies for us isn’t really happening. 2020, we decided to pull out,” he said.
“It’s very lucrative for the hotel industry and we’ve all been smashed since March, we’ve been demolished. But we don’t want to spur coronavirus, we do not want that.”
A Zenith Oceanfront Apartments manager said hoteliers were desperate to hear from the State Government.
“We don’t know whether it’s actually going ahead. We have pulled our building out of Schoolies. We won’t be taking any schoolies at all,” she said.
“It’s been very difficult. It’s difficult for the kids too, they don’t know what’s going on. It’s very confusing. So this year we’ve decided to give it a miss.
“It’s been a tough few months already and we’ve just been trying to grin and bear it.”
Mayor Tom Tate has called for Schoolies to be axed and suggested graduates could celebrate with video chats via Zoom.
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Surfers Paradise MP John-Paul Langbroek is calling on Ms Palaszczuk to “cancel” Schoolies, whatever way that could possibly be done.
“Every other major festival, carnival, event has been cancelled because of (COVID-19) health issues, including social distancing,” he said.
“How can we have thousands of schoolchildren congregating in Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach for Schoolies?”
Asked how the Government could block graduates from booking and coming en masse, Mr Langbroek said: “The chief health officer can make any ruling she wants, and she’s clearly been doing it.”
He suggested the government was playing politics.
“This is the first year (most) Schoolies are going to be 18, which means their first opportunity to vote is going to be October 31,” he said.
Ms Palaszczuk said early this month she would speak to Cr Tate and seek advice from Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young, but the government would act on health advice at the time of the event.
Red Frogs founder Andy Gourley confirmed his volunteers have been gearing up, but were still waiting for official word from the government.
Originally published as Mayor Tom Tate calls on graduates to stay away after Qld Government axes Schoolies