Gold Coast billboard by Burleigh MP Michael Hart calls for Queensland border opening

A billboard demanding the State Government open up the Queensland-NSW border has been erected at one of the Gold Coast’s busiest intersections.

A BILLBOARD demanding the State Government open up the Queensland-NSW border has been put up at one of the Gold Coast’s busiest intersections.

Burleigh MP Michael Hart is behind the advertising push to get Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to reconsider her tough stance on COVID-19 restrictions.

Michael Hart's billboard about opening the Queensland border. Photo: Supplied.

The sign at the Reedy Creek and Bermuda Street intersection says “planes equals jobs” and asks the government to “open Queensland’s border”.

“The people of the Gold Coast have made it clear that they don’t support Annastacia Palaszczuk’s border closures,” Mr Hart told The Bulletin.

“This massive billboard will send a strong message to the Premier that the Gold Coast must reopen.

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“We live and work in a world-class city that is currently locked-up and costing the region millions of tourism dollars every month.

“Eighty per cent of interstate tourism dollars comes from Victoria and New South Wales and Labor’s border shambles are closing businesses and costing jobs. Annastacia Palaszczuk is putting her pride before Queensland businesses and Queensland jobs.”

Gold Coast tourism operators gather for a protest against the ongoing border closure. Picture: Kyle Wisniewski.

Mr Hart’s stand follows a call from Australia’s top tourism boss saying the border must be reopened because the Coast cannot survive on visitors from within the State.

Tourism Australia chair Bob East admitted the border closure was the city’s major challenge and predicted the Coast could not survive on intrastate visitors alone.

Mr East believes the international market will not open up before Christmas which means the city’s $6 billion tourism industry is reliant on the domestic market.

Despite campaigning and protests staged by tourism leaders, the Premier has vowed to leave the NSW border closed.

Member for Burleigh Michael Hart wants the border opened up.

The State Government is expected to review the border closure at the end of this month.

Recent reports confirm Treasury is it not modelling the economic fallout on the border closure.

Coast tourism leaders have said it is costing the city $310 million every month it is closed and thousands of jobs.

The Coast is projected to lose up to $4.3 billion from the coronavirus crisis. The Premier’s office maintains the borders are closed on health advice.

“Nothing is changing in the month of June,” Ms Palaszczuk has told The Bulletin. “You can ask me every single day but my mind is not changing because we still have active cases in the southern states.”