LNP talks with Whitsunday small business operators

The inspirational life story of one of Proserpine’s oldest family-owned businesses was shared with the Shadow Minister for Tourism, Manufacturing and Small Business Jann Stuckey on Monday afternoon.

Gray’s Timber Trusses and Frames’ co-owner Jeanette Gray treated Ms Stuckey to a pictorial-history tour of her family’s business when she pulled into the near 100-year-old mill as part of her tourism roadshow to promote the LNP’s 20-year-plan to get Queenlsand tourism back on track.

“In the Whitsundays especially, tourism and small business are intertwined. A lot of small business operators are actually tourism operators and as part of our roadshow we are finding out from the community exactly what red tape needs to be cut,” Ms Stuckey said.

Ms Gray said the lure of the mines was making it extremely difficult to find workers, across many industries.

“They had a big mining expo here and yes it was well attended but it’s so frustrating for us small business owners who are left to pick up the pieces,” Ms Gray said.

Ms Stuckey said the Labor government had put all its eggs in one mining basket and there were simply no guarantees that people were going to stay.

“The life of a miner is not for everyone,” she said.

Ms Stuckey met with tourism operators from Airlie Beach and talked about the detrimental fallout of the lagging airport upgrade.

“The last time I came here it looked like a dust bowl. Today it’s still not finished and in the past 12 months there’s hardly been an increase in flights,” she said.

Ms Stuckey said the industry had suffered under the policies of the tired, 20-year-old Labor government.

“The Whitsundays is a key tourism industry and has long been the envy of the rest of Australia. The LNP is committed to getting tourism back on track through a common sense plan that includes increasing overnight visitors' spending in Queensland to $30 billion by 2020, coordinated decision making in government and a special unit to encourage investment and infrastructure development,” she said.

LNP candidate for Whitsunday Jason Costigan said Sucrogen’s acquisition of the Proserpine Sugar Mill would no doubt put a lot of the region’s small business operators’ minds at ease.

“Like many people in the community, I am relieved this issue has been finally resolved, especially with Christmas almost upon us. Santa’s arrival had been threatened by some very dark clouds hovering over Proserpine but now we have certainty....not only for the mill but the town in general.”

Whitsunday MP Jan Jarratt said as horrible as it was for Campbell Newman to stand beside Jann Stuckey at a press conference and publicly disown her, she said she thought she was starting to understand his reasoning.

“The LNP is shamelessly selling Labor’s position as their own by adopting the visitor and expenditure targets already committed to by this Government.”

“Even worse, the LNP’s tourism “policy” uses pictures of Mexico to promote Queensland.”

“I’m not surprised Campbell Newman was outraged by this embarrassing error,” Ms Jarratt said.

Shadow Tourism Minister on tour

 Shadow Tourism Minister Jann Stuckey is going to take “a special interest” in the Whitsundays having come here last week.

 Ms Stuckey met with representatives from the local Tourism industry including Tourism Whitsundays, the Proserpine Chamber of Commerce, Airlie Beach Main Street Traders Association and Enterprise Whitsundays, during her stay.

 Ms Stuckey’s visit was part of a “listening tour” seeking feedback from small business operators, “to identify areas they feel state government could get off their backs”.

 “I am on a very committed mission to visit the areas that are under the most stress, which is why I have chosen to come here and why I’m heading to Cairns soon,” Ms Stuckey said.

 “My disappointment in the neglect by the state government in this area is all the worse because your local member is also supposed to be Tourism Minister,” she said.

 Ms Stuckey said she was “appalled” by the “abuse from your council” describing the recent slashing of funding and closure of the information centre as “almost like dancing on graves”.

 “When your chips are down you market more,” Ms Stuckey said, drawing on her background in marketing and customer service.

 “You have a minister who has not gone on the warpath after the mayor and on top of that her attitude to news that the carbon tax is going to hit this industry more than any other was, and I quote, “just wait and see”,” she said.

 Ms Stuckey praised local operators whose “fighting spirit and attachment to the area is impressive”.

 “I have met real people here. People who give a damn and people who should be listened to,” she said.

 Tourism Whitsundays Chief Executive Officer Peter O’Reilly said he was very pleased to have the Tourism Minister from alternative state government in the region.

 “It was a great opportunity to talk to her about the challenges facing the Whitsundays tourism industry at this time.

 “The state government is very closely aligned with tourism promotion being the funding provider for Tourism Queensland. As a result it is important that the state government representatives have a clear idea of the needs of the Whitsunday tourism industry,” he said.

 President of the Proserpine Chamber of Commerce Janine Muller said given the current issues facing the community, this was a very timely visit.

 “I think it’s great that she took time out to come and see us. We didn’t ask her to come – she came off her own back. She really wanted to get a grasp of how this area ran and what was important to our town,” Ms Muller said.

Tourism Shadow Minister to visit Airlie Beach

Tourism in the Whitsundays is entering its darkest hour since the pilots’ strike of the late 80s and the region needs a committed member under a new government to fight for its rights.

Shadow Minister for Tourism, Manufacturing and Small Business Jann Stuckey, who will be in the Whitsundays next Thursday, had this message for tourism, small business operators and anyone she said who was passionate about the region.

“I want to meet as many people I can during the time I am in the Whitsundays, although it certainly won’t be my only visit. Everyone is invited to a business breakfast at the Grub Café on Friday morning following the dinner at Shingley Beach on Thursday.”

Appalled by the news the information centre on the southern side of Proserpine had shut its doors, Ms Stuckey said it could only be described as a kick in the guts by Mike Brunker and his council and if she was the local member here, she would be demanding answers.

“Why is the local member so quiet on these issues? Traders have every reason to ask why she isn’t advocating for more funding for these vital services.

“The Whitsundays is about to enter its darkest hour and you need all the help available from a government that is willing to stand up for its people.”

Ms Stuckey said along with her commitment to help tourism operators through their darkest hour, she would also be bringing a small business questionnaire recently launched by the LNP which aimed to cut red tape on lengthy government practices.

“The feedback we are getting from small business is that they are spending an unacceptable amount of time that is often unnecessary on red tape issues. There is a strong commitment from the LNP to cut this nuisance right out of the process.”

Ms Stuckey will be joined by LNP candidate for the seat of Whitsunday Jason Costigan.