‘Time running out to get economy moving’

Leading property figures have taken aim at Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk at a protest in Surfers Paradise, accusing the state’s leader of being “out of step”.

Real estate heavyweights Jayde Pezet from KM sales and Marketing, Andrew Bell from Ray White Surfers Paradise, and George Mastrocostas from Aniko Group. Picture: Glenn Hampson.

LEADING property figures have taken aim at Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk during a protest in Surfers Paradise this morning, accusing her of being “out of step” with businesses suffering from the Queensland-NSW border closure.

Andrew Bell, who heads up the city’s largest real estate firm Ray White Surfers Paradise, said time was running out to get the economy moving again before the JobKeeper program expired in September.

“I think it is very important for the Gold Coast and Queensland as a whole to make our thoughts and feelings known to the Premier and I think it is more than likely that most people at a political level don’t really get to experience what it’s like at the grassroots level,” he said.

“My concern is that we’re rapidly reaching that period of time where JobKeeper finishes and so if we don’t get this economy moving at the end of JobKeeper, there will be a lot more people put out of work and a lot more businesses will close.

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“The next two and three months are critical to help business get back on its feet, get moving again and then we’ll save a lot more jobs at the end of JobKeeper.”

Mr Bell said the border closure had led people considering a move to the Glitter Strip to reassess their plans.

“There is a groundswell of people that want to move here (but) COVID has them sitting at home reassessing their life.

Gold Coast tourism operators rally together, driving en masse through Surfers Paradise to protest the border closure. Joining the call for the borders to open were real estate heavyweights, Jayde Pezet from KM sales and Marketing, Andrew Bell from Ray White Surfers Paradise, and George Mastrocostas from Aniko Group. Picture: Glenn Hampson.

“We’ve had people recently going, oh well we were thinking of the Gold Coast but look maybe we’ll do northern NSW because we can get up there.

“Others are frustrated and who knows they may end up buying something in Sydney and Melbourne rather than buying something up here.

“It is not just about self interest it is about generating more economic activity, buying is part of it, but it gives us more consumers here.”

Mr Bell said the Premier “must listen to the electorate”, adding he could not understand why the national deputy chief medical officer Paul Kelly’s advice to reopen the borders has been ignored.

Queensland chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young has stood firm on her opposition to reopening the border before September, stating the closure has been a major reason why Queensland had managed to control the outbreak of COVID-19.

Developer George Mastrocostas, who heads up Aniko Group, agreed with Mr Bell.

“We’re not medical experts but there is confusion in the market because of the different views from the federal chief medical officer and our chief health officer (Dr Jeannette Young) in Queensland stating her position which is contrary to the federal view.

“That confusion causes uncertainty and uncertainty in this period of time … clearly will hinder that Australian economic recovery.”