Recently our region has experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Whilst one pocket of the community will say business is booming, others are on their knees. This volatility distorts our current and predicted economic conditions which has unfortunately created a two-speed economy for our region.
Let’s first talk about those highs. We’ve got booming mining and construction industries, record cattle prices, properties on the market for less than a week, and unemployment lower than the state average. Wonderful indicators that we are doing well.
We acknowledge Phillip Thompson for supporting the full $80M upgrade of Reef HQ and $15M towards Townsville’s Royal Flying Doctors Service. We welcomed the Federal Government’s preference of Lansdown, the Aquaculture Accelerator, Concert Hall, and Water Treatment Plant to receive the remaining $140M. These are projects in our Unlock the North advocacy platform which we and our regional councils have been promoting over several budget and election cycles.
We encourage all levels of government to reach an agreement on the allocation of this remaining investment to get boots on the ground as soon as possible. This is not about politics, it’s about getting on with the job and our role at Townsville Enterprise, as it has been for the past 30 years, is to be the forward-looking voice - highlighting our region’s challenges and aspirations by providing the roadmap to a prosperous regional economy to governments.
Despite the green-shoots, however, we have a hospitality and tourism sector bleeding. This industry supports 8,000 locals jobs and contributes over $1.2B to our economy annually. It’s now 22 days since Townsville’s lockdown and with prolonged border closures and continued restrictions the industry is again experiencing major cancellations.
These businesses are facing a mirror image of 2020 with one stark difference – no JobKeeper. This lifeline was the difference between businesses staying afloat or closing their doors for good. This is now compounded by event cancellations including the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, National Triathlon Championships, Tones and I, and the 2022 World Multisport Championships.
Any stimulus from both Federal and State Governments, such as our flight incentive proposal, is key to ensure visitors are confident to choose Townsville as their holiday destination once the nation reopens.
We North Queenslanders pride ourselves in supporting businesses in need and that time is now. To those working in sectors doing well, consider spending local, rediscover Magnetic Island, do that dive course and experience the Museum of Underwater Art, and attend our remaining events. We all have a role to play and together as a community we can make a difference.
Claudia Brumme-Smith
Chief Executive Officer
Townsville Enterprise
