Schoolies 2020: Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate calls for event to be cancelled in global coronavirus pandemic

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate has doubled down on his suggestion graduates should party online, drawing a response from Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. POLL: HAVE YOUR SAY

GOLD Coast Mayor Tom Tate wants Schoolies shut down this year and he has doubled down on his suggestion graduates should instead party over online video chat.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is not ruling out Schoolies from November 2020, but said on Wednesday it was “a fair way off” and “we can’t have mass gatherings”.

It comes after the Bulletin revealed Schoolies is still due to go ahead in the coronavirus pandemic and some school leavers have already locked in accommodation.

The State Government, which oversees the safety but does not organise the knees-up, previously said it would “act accordingly” based on health advice at the time.

Cr Tate told school leavers “save your money, use it for future celebrations”.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate says he’ll be speaking to Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk about blocking Schoolies this year. Picture: Adam Head

“I’ll be talking to the Premier and our position is you’ve cancelled every other event in our city and the event of Schoolies needs to be cancelled for the health of the kids,” he said.

“I’ll be looking at whatever events we have got and terminating that and then it’ll be up to the Premier.”

Cr Tate said the Coast economy would take a hit but that was a sacrifice to avoid a COVID-19 outbreak in the city.

“What do you do? Do you put health and risk in front of a few dollars?” he said.

MORE NEWS

‘Life and death’: Premier slams border shut to NSW, ACT

Furious cops demand jail time for border ‘liars’

PM intervenes in coronavirus shutdown

“On Queensland and the Gold Coast there’s been no fatality and we want to keep it that way.”

Bookings are still being taken, including on centralised booking website Schoolies.com, but Cr Tate had a message for graduates planning to celebrate on the Glitter Strip.

“If you’re a schoolie, as I said before, use social media or Zoom and have a party at home, COVID safe of course,” he said.

Ms Palaszczuk said: “We need to be very careful. I do want to get some advice on that. I’ll be talking to (Queensland Chief Health Officer) Dr Young. I mean, everything’s hard for everyone at the moment,” she said.

“Things are changing constantly, and Schoolies may look a different … may look in some different form. It might be smaller gatherings.

“I’ll talk to the mayor and I’ll talk to the chief health officer about that.”

School leavers making the most of Schoolies 2019. Picture: AAP Image/Richard Gosling

On Tuesday, Red Frogs founder Andy Gourley said his volunteers, who keep an eye out for celebrating graduates each year, have still been preparing for Schoolies.

But the final call on whether it will be held rests with Dr Jeannette Young.

“Because the hotels are booked, we’re planning to be there as well. We’re sort of all on the edge of our seats listening to the chief health officer at the moment,” Mr Gourley said.

If the government moves to block Schoolies and stop graduates gathering, it’s not known how that would be managed. It’s also unclear how social distancing and other COVID-19 measures would be enforced if it is allowed.

Schoolies.com has guaranteed graduates a “full refund” if restrictions prevent them checking in to accommodation before February 28, 2021.

Earlier this year, a Gold Coast City Council meeting detailed the public cost of Schoolies.

Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young shadowed by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk at a press conference. Picture: Annette Dew

Councillors backed funding of $430,000 annually at the meeting, while the government was chipping in $1.59 million through community services.

The controversial rite of passage first kicked off in the 1970s and Schoolies continues to draw thousands of revellers to the city each year.

Schoolies has been marred by two tragic deaths from high-rise balcony falls in as many years.

Sydney student Hamish Bidgood, 18, plunged to his death from the balcony of a Surf Regency Holiday Apartments room after a night out with friends in 2018.

Last year, Victorian student Charlie Scott was celebrating Schoolies when he fell to his death from the Hilton Hotel tower.