Coronavirus funding crisis as State calls on Commonwealth to help Gold Coast tourism

Canberra is being asked to chip in millions to help the tourism industry on the Gold Coast as fears grow over the impact of coronavirus.

TOURISM Minister Kate Jones is calling on the Commonwealth to at least match the State’s $2 million in funding to boost Gold Coast tourism from the impact of coronavirus.

Ms Jones and Labor-based Gold Coast Senator Murray Watt today called for urgency from the Morrison Government to back Tourism Queensland’s campaign for Australians to holiday at home.

Before the coronavirus impacted on tourism — Get Wet Surf School teaches Chinese tourists to surf at The Spit on the Gold Coast. Picture: Nigel Hallett.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk later today at State Parliament was to brief all MPs and intends to stage industry briefings tomorrow on disaster management of the coronavirus.

“The Queensland Government is responding with a big tourism campaign, encouraging Australians to holiday locally,” Senator Watt said.

“It’s critical the Federal Government matches the Queensland Government’s effort, in supporting our local tourism industry.

“The Federal Government was too slow to respond to the impact of bushfires on our tourism industry. We can’t afford for them to delay again in responding to the coronavirus.”

Labor Senator Murray Watt at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: AAP.

VIRUS FEARS: 42,000 JOBS ON THE LINE

Senator Watt called on the Coast’s Federal MPs to take up the fight for tourism funding.

“The LNP holds every Gold Coast seat in Federal Parliament, but we haven’t heard boo from them about the threat of coronavirus,” he said.

“If they won’t stand up for our local tourism industry, what is the point of them being in Canberra.”

Destination Gold Coast leaders, who estimate $5 million is needed with most of it directed to the Gold Coast, have written to the Morrison Government.

Ms Jones in State Parliament said the Premier had written to the Prime Minister calling on him to action disaster relief funding to support tourism operators and local businesses that were already seeing thousands of cancellations due to the virus scare.

“This is a national issue and Australia needs a consistent and strong national response,” she said.

Tourism Minister Kate Jones at Parliament. Picture: AAP.

“In Queensland, we are already taking action. Right now, we already have a new multi-million-dollar campaign encouraging Australians and Queenslanders to holiday at home to off-set some of the impact.

“This package is an immediate shot-in-the-arm for tourism operators... specifically targeting Sydney, Melbourne and the lucrative drive tourism sector for Queensland.”

Ms Jones revealed Tourism and Events Queensland had also boosted marketing in key international markets outside of China such as the US, UK, Europe, Japan and Korea.

“We know that one in three jobs in the Whitsundays relies on tourism, one in five in Cairns and one in seven on the Gold Coast.

“It is the heartbeat of many of our communities. How we handle this crisis will have long term ramifications for our economy.”