Mike Brunker weighs in to de-amalgamation debate in Whitsundays

The state government will hold their community cabinet meeting in the Proserpine/Airlie Beach area on August 5 and 6.

Mayor Jennifer Whitney shared this news with the Guardian yesterday after the LNP’s business breakfast in Mackay celebrating 100 days in government.

"I gave a thank you speech to the premier which expressed council’s gratitude for him taking time out to visit smaller communities like us in the Whitsundays," the mayor said.

The LNP went to the 2012 State Election promising to consider applications from former shires which wanted to revert to their old boundaries.

The Boundaries Commissioner Col Meng who is former mayor of the first amalgamated council has been appointed to assess the viability of the de-amalgamations.

"Personally I don’t think there will be a large amount of councils that want to de-amalgamate purely because of the cost associated, but if the Whitsunday region is one then whoever is pushing the de-amalgamation will have to get a petition signed by at least 20 per cent of the voting population," Mr Meng said.

"Over the next few weeks I would like to sit down and talk with community groups, as well as councils and see what their intentions are," he said.

The LNP has put up an online fact sheet detailing exactly what was required to be considered for de-amalgamation including a deadline of August 29.

If the Whitsundays is one of the successful shires, a referendum will be held before the year’s end.

"Basically it has to be all done and dusted by February next year," Mr Meng said.

If residents back de-amalgamation and the
Government supports the proposal, new elections will be held for a mayor and councillors in the breakaway area.

Former Whitsunday mayor who was also mayor of the former Bowen Shire Mike Brunker says he will not be putting up his hand should de-amalgamation be successful.

"I don’t think de-amalgamation will be successful but what this will prove is that the old Whitsunday Shire was broke. Nobody would believe me, even Jennifer wouldn’t believe me. Let’s see what happens now?"

The former Mayor who rejected rumours of him running for a seat in any of the three tiers of government, including the state seat of Mackay which is currently held by Tim Mulherin, said it was amazing how people’s views changed overnight.

"If the 600 votes had have gone my way, then there’d be people at the beach screaming for de-amalgamation … now they’re fully supportive because they have a mayor they think they can control. These people just attacked everything we did for four years. They were pushing their own barrow, Mr Brunker said.

However, Mayor Jennifer Whitney said she certainly did not think the former Whitsunday Shire was broke, and rejected Mr Brunker's comments.

"We had a debt of $22m which was quite sustainable … if I thought we were a basket case for the debt of $22m what are we now with this new debt of $80m contracted out the water and sewerage plant work? We are a sustainable council," she said.

The mayor said if the greater community wanted to look into de-amalgamation then the council would certainly listen to their views, however she warned the process wouldn’t be too unlike a divorce.

"We are one region and we can be one great region … we just need to work together," she said.

Development to help rejuvenate Airlie Beach

Mayor Mike Brunker is confident that the proposed Airlie Beach entertainment precinct will rejuvenate the community, whilst helping to address the town’s parking problems.

“Once you’ve done the islands and visited the lagoon, you’ve got limited options, especially if it’s raining,” he said.

The planning of the precinct and development of the 2.1ha site, beside the Magnums car park and adjacent to

Waterson Way

, will commence after an extensive community consultation process.

“Community consultation will be important,” Cr Brunker said. “Suggestions include a cinema, library and conference facilities.”

Cr Brunker was supportive of relocating the library, currently situated at Centro, to the precinct.

“There will be greater access to the library’s services if it’s at the heart of the community,” he said.

Cr Brunker explained that there were plans for a Woolworths to be built next to the site, and for extensive parking spaces to be a feature of the development.

“(The precinct) will eventually be a continuation of the town centre,” Cr Brunker said.

When asked if he was confident ahead of the local government election, Cr Brunker replied that he was “quietly confident,” and dismissed rumours of a potential tilt for the Burdekin electorate at the next state election, should he be unsuccessful in his bid to remain Whitsunday Regional Mayor.

“Rumours have been around for years,” he said. “Those days are over.”

Whitsunday Calling music festival sings out for sponsorship

A two-day concert dedicated to showcasing Australia’s legendary rock artists from the 80s needs sponsorship from the town’s corporate high rollers to get the September show off the ground.

The event is Whitsunday Calling and artists Jimmy Barnes, the Little River Band, and the Church are poised to sign on the dotted line for the September gig.

Event organiser John "Scratch" Gray says all he needed was community support.

"I have the acts, we just need the community to step up now and come on board as sponsors so we can get the ball rolling," Scratch said.

Whitsunday Calling which is expected to attract some 6000 people will be held on the council’s sports park land on Shute Harbour Road.

Mr Grey, a former Airlie Beach resident of more than 20 years, said the idea for the festival arose after he returned to Australia last year and noticed tourism in the Whitsundays was declining.

He said he wanted to do something to draw visitors back to the region.

He said Airlie Beach also provided an ideal spot for music lovers to travel from throughout the North, including from Mackay and Townsville.

Tourism Minister and Whitsunday MP Jan Jarratt, Whitsunday Mayor Mike Brunker and Whitsunday Regional Council CEO John Finlay have thrown their support behind the exciting event meeting at the entrance to the site last Friday to talk about the upgrade of the road.

"Council has come on board to support this festival by fixing up access to the site ... but cash is king so we need corporate sponsorship," Mayor Brunker said.

Ms Jarratt said the festival would be a major boost for the region’s struggling tourism market.

"2011 has been a very challenging year for tourism so if the organisers can get the Whitsunday Calling event off the ground for 2012, it will be a wonderful opportunity for community spirit to shine," she said.

"Let’s close the door on 2011," she said, adding "this event is what everyone dreams about. A beautiful rural spot in the magical Whitsundays, where families can come and camp for the night and listen to some really good, popular bands," she said.

Ms Jarratt said she was raising the idea of sponsorship with the new-in-town Sucrogen.

Whitsunday woman vies for seat on council

Young mothers who move to the Whitsundays and are left feeling isolated after their FIFO husbands go to work in the mines will be one of the focus points of one woman’s campaign as she vies for a seat on local council.

As a social worker in a community centre, Carol Van der Gaag from Cannonvale hears the plight of many young mothers who move to the region and live theoretically like single parents.

“Even though they are not single parents … their husbands might be away for up to seven days at a time and young families start to feel isolated. I want to start running focus groups with these young mums so we can find out exactly what they want and inevitably keep them in the Whitsundays! Otherwise we are at great risk of losing this younger generation,” Ms Van der Gaag said.

While retaining the work force and the social aspect of the younger generation is high on Ms Van der Gaag's priority list, she also feels an unchanged roundtable of councillors will put the community at even greater risk.

Ms Van der Gaag says every cent of council money spent needs to generate money back into the town.

“I am running for Division 2 which is predominately Cannonvale with Airlie Beach as its feeder. The community is worse off now than four years ago. More shops are empty, tourism is struggling and all council can think about is pouring $17m into bitumen for the main street! We need to find ways to encourage shop owners to spruce up their shop fronts – perhaps by rate reliefs, planting big trees instead of bitumen, broaden the pavement. There are a lot of great ideas which will in turn make money for the town. It needs to value add to the community,” she said.

Ms Van der Gaag feels all this can be accomplished with a fresh new team of business minded entrepreneurs.

“Council has lost control over two of the biggest projects in Airlie’s history… The Whitsundays is a beautiful place to live and we can bring it back to where it was. We just need a new team that thinks outside the box! I have a great deal of respect for Jennifer Whitney and I would be happy to work on a council with her as mayor. I am certain the current council does not work ... we deserve better. We need a new team with new ideas to stimulate economic growth and create jobs for the area.”

Arabian Prince visits cyclone shelter site at Proserpine School

 Just like in a children’s fairytale, a crowned prince from a far away land touched down in Proserpine late yesterday afternoon bearing a gift for the Whitsundays that would unite two nations forever.

 In a scene that made you proud to be Australian, his royal highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al Nahyan from the United Arab Emirates was welcomed by a sea of Australian and UAE flags held proudly and excitedly by Proserpine State Primary School students who sat collectively to form the letters U, A and E - visible from the helicopter.

 Sheikh Abdullah and his entourage made an historic stopover in Proserpine for the official turning of the sod for the new cyclone shelter, which will be built on the school grounds within 12 months.

 Deputy Premier Andrew Fraser, Local member Jan Jarratt and Mayor Mike Brunker were also there to welcome the distinguished guest.

 "Our relationship with Queensland stretches beyond the government. We want to be friends with you," His Highness Abdullah said.

 "It’s true we come from very different societies and cultures, we talk different and the colour of our skin is different, but there are also great similarities. We all love kids … and we all love you … you are our future," he told the students.

 The Sheikh heard from Major General RG Wilson who heads up the recovery task force who spoke of the restoration process in Queensland.

 "22 lives were lost, three quarters of Queensland was declared a disaster zone and 2-and-a-half million people were in the disaster area. But we are on our way to recovery and I thank you on behalf of everyone in Queensland for your generous donation," Major RG Wilson said.

 School captains Timothy Hines, Logan Donadelli, Darcy Pepper and Dana Madeley then gave personal accounts of their harrowing time during the last wet season, with Tim’s recollection of the landslide.

 "We were lucky to get out alive. Amazingly the mudslide was diverted somewhere a bit further up the mountain but we had mud and rocks through our home for weeks.

 "We were cut off for three days from town," he told the prince.

 "The facility will not only be a cyclone shelter but a hall for the entire community," the captains said.

 The Proserpine State Primary School band played the national anthems for the two nations, which drew applause from the prince before he was invited to officially turn the sod for the new centre.

 Deputy premier Andrew Fraser told the crowd that this was the beginning of a great friendship.

 "We have a saying here in Australia …that you discover who your true friends are in times of need … and it was during the cyclone that this friendship was formed," he said.

Whitsunday Coast Airport's new branding takes off

 The redevelopment of the Whitsunday Coast Airport reached a milestone last week with the revelation of new branding and further funds for a comprehensive marketing campaign.

 Whitsunday Coast Airport business development manager Scott Waters said he was “very excited” to have the facility’s new logo unveiled by the acting premier, tourism minister and mayor.

 Mr Waters described the new branding as “basically the council logo and existing vibrant colours with aviation themes incorporated into it and also a new tag “gateway to the Whitsundays and coalfields”, which very much represents inbound and outbound travel”.

 “This gives us a new beginning. It shows we’re a region on the rise from an aviation perspective. Our tourism industry is a very strong story and one we will continue to tell but we also need to encapsulate where we sit from an economic perspective,” Mr Waters said.

 “This (airport) is the key gateway for the entire Whitsunday region and we can also be a launch pad into the Bowen basin and future Galilee basin as well,” he said.

 Acting premier Andrew Fraser announced a further injection of $80,000 in marketing money, on top of the $7million already spent on upgrading the Whitsundays’ “welcome mat”.

 Tourism minister and Whitsunday MP Jan Jarratt said this was “aviation history in the making”.

 “Just as we have rejuvenated the airport itself, it was imperative to rejuvenate the airport’s image,” Ms Jarratt said.

 “This logo gives a dynamic and professional impression, letting the major players in aviation know we are serious about increasing services and connectivity to the Whitsundays.

 Whitsunday Regional Council Mayor Mike Brunker said the appointment of a business development officer was already paying dividends.

 “Scott’s only been in the hot seat for a few weeks, but he hasn’t missed a trick,” Cr Brunker said.

 “Now we’ll be working together on short, medium and long-term growth strategies for our airport,” he said.

Community divided over upgrade to Airlie main street

 Straight versus curved, land swap versus resumption, four-storey building versus uninterrupted park: these are the issues dividing the community, with the future of the Airlie main street upgrade still up to local residents to decide.

 Just two weeks ago Whitsunday Regional Council recalled its main street survey referring the matter to local MP Jan Jarratt and minister for natural resources Rachel Nolan, but Ms Nolan says a formal application to the state government for the proposed land swap that would allow Des Davey’s building to be turned on it’s side has not yet been lodged. 

 “I will consider such a proposal when and if this happens,” she said.

 Mayor Mike Brunker said due to the costs and bureaucratic processes involved council would not make the submission unless it was sure of community support.

 “There’s no point in putting in an application if the community isn’t supportive, so we’re trying to gauge opinions first,” Cr Brunker said.

 “At the end of October we’re going to have to get our heads together and see whether we proceed or not,” he said.

 “If we’re not going to go ahead with it (the current design) we need to get new designs for a straight road, which will cost a couple of hundred thousand dollars.”

 Meanwhile both the Airlie Action Group (AAG) and Save Our Foreshore (SOF) are continuing to rally support, with SOF taking their pink caravan to the Airlie Beach markets championing the protection of public land and AAG holding a stakeholders question and answer meeting at the Reef Gateway Hotel earlier this week.

 Member for Whitsunday Jan Jarratt said she was engaging in extensive consultations with all groups concerned.

 “Just last week the acting premier Andrew Fraser and I met with Save Our Foreshore and the Airlie Action Group to hear both points of view,” Ms Jarratt said.

 “In the interests of expediting this process for the benefit of our entire community, my office will continue to accept submissions until Monday October 31 and I will make an announcement on the Main Street upgrade shortly thereafter,” she said.

Magistrate fines Cyril Vains for punching Whitsundays mayor

Bowen Turf Club president Cyril Vains has been slapped with a $500 fine for punching mayor Mike Brunker in the nose.

 The long-running saga came to a close in Bowen Magistrates Court on Friday after the carpark punch-up at last year’s running of the Ben Bolt Cup on August 8.

 Punters got more excitement than expected as the high-profile pair swapped insults and punches after a dispute over political advertising hoardings.

 The dispute led news broadcasts and newspaper headlines across the country as one of the ‘highlights’ of a dreary Federal election campaign.

 Mr Brunker, Whitsunday Regional Council mayor and Labor aspirant for the seat of Dawson, went to the track to boost his profile and left after a Vains’ punch ‘popped the blackheads on his nose’.

 After a number of adjournments from December when the charge was first listed to be heard until Vains pleaded not guilty to common assault during a two-day hearing in May, the matter reached a finale when magistrate Ross Risson gave his findings on Friday.

 He did not accept Vains’ version of events on the day and acceded to a call from defence counsel Alex Raeburn not to record a conviction saying a lack of remorse was not a factor to apply one.

 Mr Risson said he accepted evidence heard during a two-day trial in May that Vains threw the first punch to Mr Brunker’s nose with the mayor then retaliating.

 “You were foolish, in my view, to call Mr Brunker outside when security could have removed Mr Brunker and his signs,” Mr Risson told the 70-year-old defendant on Friday.

 “You have been the subject of wide media coverage and no doubt will be again after today.”

 The magistrate took his seat on the bench at noon and spent the next 25 minutes outlining his decision before announcing he rejected Vains’ version.

 Prosecutor Mark Fenlon made a five-minute speech saying a good behaviour bond was out of the question as Vains had shown no remorse or contrition.

 He said taxpayers had been put through the costs of a two-day hearing. Vains had already been charged, found guilty and suspended by Queensland Racing authorities, Mr Fenlon said.

 He said a conviction would not have any affect on Vain’s chances of getting a job as he was 70 and retired.

 Mr Raeburn countered saying going to trial was everyone’s right and did not mean a heavier penalty should be imposed.

 “He’s 70, has no criminal record and I ask for a bond with no conviction recorded,” Mr Raeburn said.

 “There was no bodily harm….the blow was not sufficient to knock his (Brunker’s) hat off.”

 Mr Raeburn said Vains had already been penalised by Queensland Racing, was disqualified from his job for three months and not allowed to go on any track during that time.

 He said a conviction could have implications for the turf club’s liquor licence.

 Mr Raeburn said Vains tried to settle the matter through mediation but Mr Brunker would not agree.

 He also held up a thick folder of newspaper clippings which he said Vains had had to “suffer” as the story unfolded from the punch-up in the carpark last August and which would increase following Friday’s sentencing.

 Mr Risson fined Vains $500 to be paid within two months or he would serve eight days in jail. No conviction was recorded.

Solution sought for Airlie Beach main street

After many months of drawings, discussions and now a debate on the gun-barrel vista versus curved road design - that also centres around drainage, loss of public land and the building of a four-storey hotel - tenders have finally gone out for the upgrade of the Airlie main street.

 Project Director Gary Hunt confirmed yesterday that tenders had been called in spite of the latest hiccup, which ‘Save Our Foreshore’, landowner Des Davey, the design team and Whitsunday Regional Council, will be meeting today to discuss.

 “There’s quite deliberately a degree of flexibility in the way that the tender documents have gone out allowing for fine-tuning of the design during the construction process,” Mr Hunt said.

 “The ideal outcome is to try to come up with a solution that satisfies the majority of people with the understanding that you can’t please everyone all of the time,” he said.

 The current argument against a pronounced curve in the road comes from the proposed relocation of Mr Des Davey’s current supermarket block beside the Airlie Creek, pushing it towards the sea and onto what is effectively crown land. Mr Davey accepts there is no future for his block (in its current state) and therefore plans to redevelop, building a four-storey hotel.

 “The kink (in the road) means I’ve got to go. Their (the design team’s) concept was to turn the block on its side but that doesn’t lend itself to a retail building – the end result was I would have to build a people-friendly restaurant/hotel,” Mr Davey said.

 Save our Foreshore President Suzette Pelt says it is her understanding that “if just one person gets permission to build past the current building line, a precedent would be set”.

 “There is a risk we would lose our foreshore. Public land is not negotiable. Once you lose it it’s gone forever” Ms Pelt said.

 Several compromises have so far been suggested, one of which is for council to simply buy Mr Davey out, however Mayor Mike Brunker says this is not financially viable with no budget for any form of monetary compensation.

 “The easiest thing for council to do would be to buy him (Des Davey) out, but we haven’t got the money. The people of Airlie Beach would be paying for it. People are already complaining about paying too high rates, yet we have other people saying, “buy him out – just borrow more”. It’s not like picking money off a money tree. We just can’t do that. Basically the more we can work in with Des, the less it’ll cost us,” Cr Brunker said.

 “By him turning his building on its side he gets a like for like amount of land. To encourage/compensate him for dozing over his building and losing rent for so many years we’re giving him an opportunity to build a hotel on a location that suits him. This allows us to put the bend in the road, which is also to try and fix the flooding,” he said.

 “To put this into perspective we’ve had 20 years of inaction and 40 reports done on the main street. Now after just 40 weeks of being in the job we’re calling tenders. Today we’re drawing a line in the sand and saying ‘this is a part of our bright prosperous future’,” Mayor Brunker said.

 Mr Hunt said it was important now to work “closely with Save Our Foreshore, the Whitsunday Ratepayers Association, Des Davey and other stakeholders to explore other options that may present themselves.”

 “There’s no doubt there is a willingness from all sides to find a solution,” he said.

New Airport Manager for the Whitsunday Coast Airport

An early morning flight from Proserpine to Brisbane, and returning that evening, will be one of the top priorities for the airport’s new business development manager Scott Waters when he steps into his new role next week.

 Whitsunday Regional Council announced Mr Waters’ appointment early last week, with Mayor Mike Brunker saying he was thrilled to secure one of the state’s most experienced marketing executives for such a vital role in the Whitsundays.

 The high Australian dollar, a massive decline in tourists flying into the Whitsundays, and upwards of 50 businesses closing their doors across the region over the past few months prompted council to seek the services of an experienced networking manager to start building relationships that could potentially secure the economic future of the region.

 Mr Waters’ role begins on September 19, but he has already started a conversation that could take the Whitsundays to a whole new level in tourism.

 "My key priority will be to secure an early morning flight – perhaps two – from Proserpine to the capital city. I just have to help the airlines understand the strength of the market here, show them how many passengers are leaking to Mackay or Townsville for their flights. But our scope is far greater than this. With the help of the community, I plan to work in with the industries that are booming, like the mining industries and economic interest from China, and start conversations there.

 "There is such a huge amount of potential on the business events side of things with the Chinese plus the possibility of offering R&R getaways for miners. Our possibilities are endless."

 Mr Waters has extensive experience in the aviation, travel and tourism industries and more recently as general manager of destination marketing and development with Townsville Enterprise.

 Enthusiastic about his role and particularly inspired by the opportunity to return home, Mr Waters met with the Guardian to talk about his new role.

 "I grew up in the Mackay/Whitsunday region, so coming home is a huge attraction for me and my family," he said.

 "I know this industry very well and I have a lot of contacts. Its important for the airport to be a part of the community and that will be one of my key focuses," he said.

A Whitsundays conservative kid

He might be just 11 years old but this die hard conservative supporter packs quite a political punch for a sixth grader.

In a handwritten letter to Mike Brunker, which was delivered by his mother to council yesterday morning, this pint sized future politician Adam Edgar explains to the mayor how “extremely upset” he is at the closing of the information centre.

“You see, when we go camping or travelling, the first thing we do is look for the information centre. See, in case you don’t know, that is where people go to find out where to stay … play … and eat!” the letter reads.

Adam’s political passion was brewing some four years ago when the dedicated conservative was just seven years old.

“I cried when John Howard was voted out. I was just so annoyed how the Labor Party promise a better future .. but do they ever deliver?” the 11 year old said minutes before the school bell rang yesterday morning.

Had there been more time, Adam would have launched in to his opinion on the carbon tax, Julia Gillard’s promises for the future and tips for the LNP to take back the government, instead he left it with a message for the LNP candidate for the seat of Whitsunday.

“Make sure our farmers keep the land they have been farming on for generations … don’t let the mill be sold to overseas interests and re-open the information centre!”
 To read Adam's letter, double-click on the graphic below.

Census night in the Whitsundays

 A snapshot of life in the Whitsundays on Tuesday August 9 will lay the foundation for the next five years.

 Tuesday August 9 is Census night, conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics every five years.

 Whitsunday Regional Council Mayor Mike Brunker asks residents and visitors of the region to support the Census and help make it a success.

 “The Census underpins Australia’s democracy and is crucial to community organisations, the private sector and all levels of government for planning services and facilities across Australia,” Cr Brunker said.

 “It is therefore important that everyone who is living, staying or working in the Whitsunday Regional Council area on Census night takes the time to fill out their Census form accurately and in full,” he said.

 “This will ensure that our community has the right information we need to support planning for important infrastructure, like emergency services, road improvements and other services that will support the people who live and work in our area day to day”.

 Fully trained Census collectors and area supervisors across the region have been working tirelessly since July 29 to get the Census forms out.

 Area supervisor for Cannonvale John Powell said people could complete the census on paper or online.

 “We are encouraging people to do this online where possible. It’s a secure site and it can be done in your own time,” he said.

 Mr Powell said it was compulsory to do the census and “in an area like ours it is vital that the information is gathered”.

 “Because it’s done every five years population trends and predictions are the deciding factor in what Canberra allocates in federal funding. For example, ten years ago the Census figures resulted in Canberra identifying a need for water treatment plants, more schools and kindergartens – basically the general infrastructure people take for granted,” Mr Powell said.

 Mr Powell stressed even our visitors have an important part to play.

 “The proportion of interstate and overseas visitors who are counted here on August 9 will indicate where future marketing needs to be directed,” he said.

 Mr Powell said Census information was entirely confidential and in no way linked to organisations like Centrelink or the ATO.

 For further information call the Census Inquiry Service on 1300 338 776, or visit www.abs.gov.au/census, or for eCensus information, www.census.gov.au.

Tourism Whitsundays closes Proserpine Information Centre in response to funding cuts

Outspoken mayor Mike Brunker says Tourism Whitsundays’ decision to shut the information centre at Proserpine is nothing but a political ploy. On Wednesday June 29, TW will close the doors to its information centre on the Bruce Highway citing funding cuts as the major contributor.

Cr Brunker says it’s rich to blame council for the closure of the information centre “considering it’s been running at a loss for ten years.”

“Last year council gave TW an extra $100,000 for marketing and we still had 31 shops close. Perhaps the only good thing that will come out of this is TW will get off their backsides and do something about it,” Mayor Mike said.

“Closing the information centre is just a political swipe at council.”

At lunchtime on Monday, TW chairman Chris Jacobs went to the information centre to tell staff the bad news.

“We had to make immediate cuts in our budget in order to remain financially responsible,” Mr Jacobs said.

“Clearly our primary role is raising awareness of the Whitsunday region, seeking to attract more visitors and in the year ahead this will have to be our sole focus. At the same time we are trying to re-engage in discussions with council about our funding moving forward,” Mr Jacobs said, adding he would be looking forward to the chance to inform council of the full implications of the funding cuts.

Meanwhile Cr Brunker defended the decision to reduce its cash contribution towards the operation of Tourism Whitsunday saying the council was committed to the long-term prosperity of tourism in the region.

“I understand Tourism Whitsundays is disappointed at receiving a reduction in their cash flow this year, but Council is pouring millions of dollars into projects that will in the long term, stimulate and grow the region’s tourism sector,” he said.

“A flourishing tourism sector relies on the development of appropriate infrastructure to service tourists’ needs and expectations. This includes airport infrastructure, utility provision and precinct redevelopment”.

“Without good airport and road infrastructure and the availability of affordable basic services such as power, water and sewerage, and the revitalisation of existing tourism assets, the region’s tourism sector suffers,” Mr Brunker said.

At last week’s council meeting Councillors Jennifer Whitney and Jan Clifford both argued against reducing the contribution to TW, refusing to support the motion.

“Tourism is in a bad way. Council has an obligation to support the industry and promote the whole region. I don’t think we should be pulling money out,” Cr Whitney said. “$150,000 is not enough money,” Cr Clifford said, adding, once the funding was cut, TW was at risk of "going under".

Cr Brunker, however made it obvious he took offence to anyone at the meeting saying council wasn’t supporting tourism.

“Since we lost the flight to Sydney, we can pump all the money we like into TW, but the solution lies with attracting people to the region. Without bums on seats we’ve got nothing. This year’s budget we are actually spending over $5m on a number of projects which will ultimately help tourism.

“This is why council has decided to invest $200,000 to employ a business development and marketing manager for the Whitsunday Coast Airport,” he said.

Tourism minister Jan Jarratt said while she was pleased to see council taking airport management seriously, it was a blow for Tourism Whitsunday. "The government, through Tourism Queensland will continue to work with TW to promote our area and build business resilience and capability."

Tourism Whitsundays Chief Executive Officer Peter O’Reilly says council’s decision to cut funding is frustrating and extremely disappointing coming at a time where tourism in the Whitsundays was suffering.

“While appointing a strategic manager for the airport is a step in the right direction, airport development should be funded from the airport business unit, not taking away from destination marketing funds,” Mr O’Reilly said.

“Reducing destination marketing is directly counterproductive to the 
desire to get increased flights, because airlines will not introduce new flights without demand for them and it’s naïve of council to believe otherwise,” he said.