Douglas encourages tourists, hydrologist assesses Mossman businesses, Daintree residents call for urgent action

DOUGLAS SHIRE

Michael Warren

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QLD Tourism and Sport Minister Michael Healy along with TTNQ boss Mark Olsen chatted with Daintree locals about their ongoing needs. Well known Daintree resident Jeremy Blockey is pictured here with Mr Healy. Picture: Supplied

The sell to get bums on planes and visitors back into the Douglas Shire continues with various meetings over the past 24-48 hours continuing to focus on how to re-ignite and revitalise the region following the lingering effects of Cyclone Jasper and the ensuing once in a 100-year flood event.

A short time ago Tourism Minister Michael Healy and TTNQ boss Mark Olsen met with residents in the Daintree where the pair listened to locals tell them about their most immediate and pressing concerns.

Local business owners and residents stressed the importance about the critical need for genuine financial assistance to assist with ongoing cost of living expenses.

Mr Healy also heard business owners tell them about the need for grants so Daintree business owners can firstly retain staff and second get future workers to stay and live at Cape Tribulation so they can contribute to the local economy.

A Daintree source said Mr Healy was expected to make an announcement about potential financial aid over the next week, but stopped short of saying what or how much assistance would be specifically offered.

It’s now been 29 days since Douglas Shire Council reduced the Daintree Ferry’s operating hours in the wake of Cyclone Jasper.

Separately, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and QLD Premier Steven Miles did a flyover of Port Douglas, Cape Tribulation, Wujul Wujul, and Degarra to survey recent damage caused by Ex Tropical Cyclone Jasper and the recent flood events.

Meantime, local tourism bosses and businesses are moving full steam ahead with promotional and marketing activities to ensure prospective tourists know that Port Douglas is open for business - particularly following yesterday's announcement that the Captain Cook Highway will re-open between Port Douglas and Cairns on January 20.

Tourism Port Douglas Daintree CEO, Glen Hingley said yesterday's announcement was a gamechanger for Queensland’s jewel in the tourism crown.

“Some of Australia’s biggest travel companies kickstart their marketing campaigns next week so this is perfect timing for us,” Mr Hingley said.

“We’ve already seen major airlines offering discount fares to Cairns Airport and we expect other major airlines will follow suit and include Port Douglas in their flight deals very soon.”

In other news around 30-80 people attended a tourism industry update function at Sails by Hemingway’s a short time ago at Port Douglas.

Headed by Tourism and Events QLD CEO Trish O’ Callaghan, TTNQ boss Mark Olsen and Tourism Port Douglas Daintree CEO Glen Hingley the trio listened to locals’ concerns about what the local tourism industry will look like in the Douglas Shire over the next 2-5 months.

With Cyclone Jasper and the floods having severe impacts, the tourism heads reinforced the need to get visitors back into the region and to express that Port Douglas is open and ready for business.

Lastly, business owners in Mossman continue to genuinely feel the pinch following last December’s double cyclone and floods whammy in the Douglas Shire.

Yesterday a hydrologist visited a number of Mossman businesses to make determinations regarding whether businesses suffered either storm water or flood water damage following last December's flood event – this specific final determination is extremely significant because it’s the difference between potentially lodging a success insurance claim or not.

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In addition, just a few moments ago QLD Premier Steven Miles and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced several packages that have been directly created to assist residents impacted by the ongoing effects of Ex Tropical Cyclone Jasper and the flood event.

These included:

  • A $24.25 million tourism recovery and resilience program will develop a grants program for Far North operators who have been cut-off or heavily affected by the extreme weather. Grants will be made available to impacted operators to re-establish their business, continue employing their staff and rebuild stronger with flood-resilient infrastructure such as solar panels and other mitigation infrastructure. The program will also fund a tourism and events marketing campaign to attract more visitors back to the region.
  • A $20 million clean-up program will assist in response to both ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper and the South East Queensland storms. FNQ Councils and state agencies will be supported as they continue their work clearing debris from community assets, parks, national parks, beaches and waterways.
  • Cyclone industry recovery and resilience officer (CIRRO) Program - three specialised resilience officers will work with FNQ industry, Councils and impacted farmers to support local community-led, regionally-coordinated recovery approaches to disaster risk reduction for future events.
  • Recovery project managers - in recognition of their resourcing constraints, Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire Council and Douglas Shire Council will also receive a small amount of direct funding to engage project managers and other skilled workers to design, coordinate and manage extraordinary recovery efforts following TC Jasper.

A further breakdown:

Tourism Recovery and Resilience Program – $24.25 million

  • $10 million grant program for exceptional impacts to support the tourism industry in Tropical North Queensland. The grant program focuses on supporting businesses that have been isolated or unable to trade due to the impact of Tropical Cyclone Jasper flooding.
  • $10 million in Building Resilient Tourism Infrastructure grants will be available to tourism operators who were severely impacted to rebuild stronger with flood-resilient infrastructure such as solar panels and other mitigation infrastructure.
  • $3 million for event promotions and a tourism campaign to attract more visitors back to the region.

The Queensland Reconstruction Authority will administer the funding that will be delivered by the Department of Tourism and Sport to council areas including Cairns, Cassowary Coast, Cook, Douglas, Hope Vale, Mareeba, Tablelands, Wujal Wujal and Yarrabah.

This package is in addition to the $5 million tourism recovery package that is also being jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland Governments, featuring discounted airfares and accommodation and disaster recovery assistance grants.

Clean-up Program – $20 million

  • Available to impacted councils and state agencies in response to both ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper and the South East Queensland storms.
  • Funding for extraordinary clean-up activities and damage assessments of community and recreational assets, parks, waterways and beaches, and national parks.

Cyclone Industry Recovery and Resilience Officers – $2.25 million

  • Will allow state officers to be employed to support primary producers impacted by ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper with their immediate recovery.
  • Work undertaken in the roles will also help build resilience to future natural disasters within the local sector.

Recovery Project Managers – $1 million

  • Managers will coordinate complex relief and recovery efforts in consultation with Douglas, Wujal Wujal and Scenic Rim councils, communities and state agencies.
  • Further information on DRFA exceptional circumstances measures can be found at www.qra.qld.gov.au.

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