Sparks fly over ‘kneejerk border closures’

A Cairns tourism ­operator says industry can adapt to the reduced market without international visitors, even without the JobKeeper scheme, but cannot cope with impromptu border closures.

Senior Nautilus pilot Shaun Wild. Picture: Sean Davey

Before the coronavirus pandemic, the scarlet helicopters carrying awe-struck sightseers over the clear blue waters of the Great Barrier Reef mostly chauffeured international visitors.

Nearly a year later, the recognisable helicopters of the Cairns-based Nautilus Aviation fleet are still making regular flights over the natural wonder.

The trips are less frequent and the passengers are mostly Australian, but the restructured business has found a way to stay in the air.

The biggest challenge, according to Nautilus Aviation chief executive Aaron Finn, is the whim of premiers and chief health officers whose border closures, at a moment’s notice, can result in mass cancellations and no new reservations.

He says the Cairns tourism ­industry is prepared to adapt to the reduced market without international visitors, even without the federal government’s JobKeeper scheme, but cannot cope with ­impromptu border closures.

“I don’t think it’s really an issue of JobKeeper; I don’t think we’d be going down this line of the tourism industry seeking assistance if we hadn’t had those kneejerk border closures in December and January,” Mr Finn said.

“Business would have got through OK and the March cut-off point would probably have been sustainable for people.

“They’ve shut down our critical markets right at key stages.

“We’re going to see business closures in the next couple of months as a result of that.”

The tourism industry has been dragged into the latest tit-for-tat between federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, who last week called on the federal government to extend its JobKeeper scheme, particularly for the tourism industry, beyond March.

Ms Palaszczuk’s claim on Friday that her government’s COVID stimulus was higher than that of NSW and Victoria as a percentage of gross state product is refuted by figures provided by the Grattan Institute think tank and federal Treasury.

A Nautilus helicopter flies over Vlassof Kay on the Great Barrier Reef off Cairns. Picture by Sean Davey.

The Premier’s assertion, which a spokesman said was based on data released by the Grattan Institute in September, contradicted federal Treasury figures that showed Queensland had made the lowest contribution of all states at 2 per cent of GSP. Updated Grattan figures show Queensland’s stimulus response, at 1.8 per cent of GSP, is significantly lower than Victoria (5.7 per cent) and NSW (2.8 per cent).

Palaszczuk government minister Mark Furner relied on the outdated figures in a Twitter stoush with NSW Treasurer Dominic ­Perrottet on Friday.

According to Treasury figures, Queensland has spent $8.8bn on its COVID response, compared to $46.3bn from NSW, $42.2bn from Victoria, $10.3bn from Western Australia, $5.7bn from South Australia, $2.9bn from Tasmania and $0.5bn from the Northern Territory. The federal government has spent $267bn on its response.

Mr Frydenberg on Sunday said he had no intention of extending JobKeeper and labelled Ms ­Palaszczuk as cheeky for calling for federal help after months of loggerheads over border closures.

Federal Tourism Minister Dan Tehan said the Queensland government needed to play its part to support the tourism industry.

“And the Queensland Premier, along with other state and territory leaders, could really play an influential role by getting consistency around hotspot definitions and border closures,” Mr Tehan told ABC TV.

Queensland Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe defended the state’s health response and urged the federal government to consider targeted support for the tourism industry in regions that relied on international visitors.

“The fact that we are now in a position where we can reopen and have so much of our economy ­reopen and engaged and so few ­restrictions compared to other parts of the world shows that the health decisions we made have ­actually been the right economic decisions,” Mr Hinchliffe said.