May 6, 2020
The Liberal National Party has released a four-stage plan which it says will re-open the Queensland economy and provide certainty for businesses.
Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington said she wanted Queenslanders to have their say on the LNP “roadmap to recovery” proposal.
“Queenslanders have made huge sacrifices to stop the spread of coronavirus. The LNP believes we need a roadmap to give businesses the hope and ambition and certainty for a restart,” Mrs Frecklington said.
“We cannot be complacent about the virus but we cannot be complacent about the future either.
“Business can’t be left in the dark. They need to know what the plan looks like to restart the economy, they need certainty.
“This is the work Annastacia Palaszczuk should be doing because thousands of Queensland businesses are hanging on by their fingertips and they need to know when and how our economic recovery will begin.
“Queenslanders need to know there is a plan to get our economy moving.”
Mrs Frecklington said the LNP’s recovery roadmap would depend on the continued control of COVID-19 and social-distancing rules.
It could be further adapted following wider consultation with Queensland business.
Shadow Treasurer Tim Mander said the party had held discussions with Queensland businesses on how best to get the economy moving again.
“Businesses need to know what the future looks like so they can start planning now,” Mr Mander said.
“The LNP’s plan is staged and careful and each phase would only proceed if coronavirus is still contained.”
* * *
LNP’s ‘Roadmap To Recovery’ Plan
(Subject to the infection rate remaining at the current level with appropriate social distancing and COVID-19 plans in place)
Phase 1 (by last week of May)
Reopen:
- Cafes, restaurants and all retail shops
- Border communities – allow cross-border travel for residents within 100km of the Queensland border in NSW, South Australia and the Northern Territory
- Allow travel within Queensland up to 250km for non-essential business
- Outdoor personal training for groups up to five people
- Public playgrounds, skate parks, BMX tracks and outside gyms, including static exercise equipment in Council parks
Phase 2 (by mid-June)
Reopen:
- Interstate domestic work travel
- Registered and licensed clubs, licensed premises in hotels
- Community and recreation facilities (such as community halls, clubs, RSLs, PCYCs)
- Auction houses
- Outdoor and indoor markets
- Beauty therapy, tanning, waxing, nail salons and tattoo parlours
- Outdoor personal training for groups up to 10 people
- Caravan parks and campgrounds
Phase 3 (by early July)
Reopen:
- Zoos and wildlife centres
- Local government non-essential facilities and services (such as libraries and pools)
- Interstate travel for recreation
- Open house inspections
Phase 4 (by mid-July)
Reopen:
- Indoor sporting centres, including gyms, health clubs, fitness centres, yoga, barre and spin facilities, saunas, bathhouses and wellness centres
- Galleries, museums, national and State institutions and historic sites
- Theme parks and amusement arcades
- Play centres (indoor and outdoor)
* Some regional areas may be fast-tracked
What about funerals please?
And weddings?
What’s the go with schools? According to the experts (not Qld. Govt or their famously silly chief health bureaucrat, though) there is more risk in the staffroom than the classroom, and that would be covered by social distancing which should be the go everywhere.
Now an example of incompetence! I listen regularly to talkback radio and this morning there were many calls from Qld schools people with very scathing criticism of the total lack of any sanitation materials provided to schools. Not even a single solitary cake of soap!There is plenty of sanitation products available now, so why is there none in schools? What on earth is our Govt doing and thinking? There were other examples of stupidity in Qld’s handling of the issues.
Playgrounds have been shut for a long time and any lurking COVID should be long gone. In our area and almost all regional areas there have been no new examples for a long time and some regions have never had an example. (Poor kids! especially as kids are supposed to be the least at risk of all sections of the community.)
It would seem that our Premier and her “experts” are really struggling with reality and she really gets off on smiling at us in press conferences. Other than that, she must spend a fair amount of time looking over her shoulder watching out for Jackie.
And Australia is losing $4 billion per week while all this is happening!
Our youngsters are missing out real bad with their very needed education, especially in our regional areas. Some kids will never catch up fully; how sad!
I genuinely don’t understand why licensed clubs will be opened before indoor gyms. Licensed clubs spread way more germs than an indoor gym would. A crowded room full of drunk sweaty people, sharing drinks and all up in people’s faces vs a large room with equipment spaced out which people aren’t allowed to use unless they have their own towel … makes no sense to me.
Exercise has been proven to combat mental health. In addition physical exercise builds a healthy immune system. A gym membership is far cheaper than costly PT sessions. Surely the gyms can be re-opened sooner even if they need to limit the numbers or have people wear gloves whilst working out. Prior to closing my own gym was doing so much cleaning to ensure that there was no spread of the virus.
I would ask you to reconsider how late the gyms are being re-opened and bring forward this fate so that we can get back to living healthy fit lives.