Hervey Bay Gossip

For quite some time now we’ve been hearing from Council and the local tourism board that tourism in Hervey Bay and the Fraser Coast has never been better.

The general manager of the Fraser Coast South Burnett Regional Tourism Board would have you believe that tourism to the region continues to grow. Councillor Noia claims that the loss of Jetsar has had no significant impact on tourism to the region.

That’s been at complete odds with what those working at the frontline of tourism have been saying and now it looks like those optimistic reports were just so much hot air.

It makes you wonder what the Council and the Board have been basing their figurees on when the latest report from Tourism Queensland shows quite clearly that tourism to the Fraser Coast Region for the year ended March 2010 is well down.

Domestic visitors are down by 12% … holiday visitors are down by 5% … intrastate visitors are down by 9% and interstate visitors are down by a whopping 28%.

So perhaps the Council and the Fraser Coast South Burnett Regional Tourism Board might care to explain why their claims of increased tourism to the region are not supported by the facts.

If you’re looking for the best pizza in Hervey Bay plus some great wine … or just a nice place for a quiet drink then check out Paolo’s Pizza Bar at 446 The Esplanade Hervey Bay.

You’ll get genuine Italian pizza, a fine selection of good Australian wines and friendly service too.

And if you’re not sure where 446 the Esplanade is just look for the little blue car … you really can’t miss it

Sometimes you can get so focused on the minute detail of every-day life that you forget there’s a bigger picture just waiting to be seen off the beach here in Hervey Bay.

Some people pay millions to for a view like this … thanks to the open foreshores of Hervey Bay we can enjoy it for free.

Sunset over Hervey Bay last Monday evening

What about the $20 million Mr Mayor?

That’s a question that Jim MacKellar would like answered and after reading what he has to say on the subject you might like an answer too.

Because of increased costs and reduced State Government funding the rates on the Fraser Coast must increase by at least 6%. So saith our Mayor.

But what about the $20million that Council has from the last budget and the more than $30million from the year before, Mr. Mayor?

Why should the ratepayers of the Fraser Coast be slugged for an extra $2million when Council was unable to use the amount of money it collected last year?

With the financial year almost complete it is clear that the Fraser Coast Regional Council will under spend its 09/10 budget by more than $20million. Most of this amount will be from uncompleted capital works projects. It was the same last financial year except that it was then in excess of $30million.

So how do they justify once again increasing our rates when it is obvious that they are only going to take the money and invest it. Are they suddenly going to come up with the magical answer that will allow them to complete their Capital Works Program for the first time in living memory?

Instead of considering how much they can get away with increasing the rates would it not be better for them to make a realistic estimate of how much work they will actually complete in the next 12 months and only raise that reduced amount?

Council has made much of their dedication to the economic development of our region. So it must be asked – would money be of greater benefit to the region invested by the Council in its reserves or would it do more good left with the people so that they can use it to purchase goods and services from local businesses? Which of these solutions is the more likely to bring greater prosperity and more jobs to our region?

So it must be asked again – Councillors, where are your priorities? In raising great amounts of money for ‘pie in the sky’ works programs or in achieving the greatest good for the people of the Fraser Coast.