❓ Mr. Catania questions the Tourism Minister on the survival of small tourism operators given border controls. The Minister defends the WA government's approach, contrasting it with other states and accusing the opposition of irresponsibility.
AnsweredQoN 48Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CORONAVIRUS — AIR SERVICES
48. Mr V.A. CATANIA to the Minister for Tourism:
I have a supplementary question.
Minister, with major airlines unable to operate under this regime, with a chaotic
border system, what hope do small tourism operators have of surviving?
48. Mr V.A. CATANIA to the Minister for Tourism:
I have a supplementary question.
Minister, with major airlines unable to operate under this regime, with a chaotic
border system, what hope do small tourism operators have of surviving?
AnswerView source ↗
I think the member only needs to
look at the experiences in Victoria and New South Wales to see how small businesses, particularly in the hospitality
sector, fare when the disease overruns their community and gets completely out of control. Lockdowns become irrelevant, because people do not go out
because they are scared of catching the disease, which is running rampant
through those communities. Ironically, we are in a position to continue to
support Western Australian businesses by maintaining a border control regime
that eases the disease into our community and allows businesses to continue to
trade. If we listened to the opposition members, their solution, if they were in our position—perish the
thought that that will ever be the case—would be to let the disease run
rampant in their communities. They would let it rip, as we have seen in
New South Wales, and as we saw in South Australia when the Liberal government let it rip, and it then had to repudiate and
actually put lockdowns back on, creating further damage, further chaos and
further confusion for their businesses. What the businesses in Western Australia
know is that while we can continue to manage the disease in our community,
their businesses can continue to thrive.
Many businesses, particularly tour
operators that rely upon interstate and international travellers, are not
faring well at the moment. That is why we are working with them to put in place
a package that will allow them to get through this difficult period.
Mr V.A. Catania interjected.
Mr R.H. COOK : If we listened
to you, member, their businesses would not be able to operate at all, because
they would not have international visitors, they would not have interstate
visitors and they would not have intrastate visitors, because everyone would be
in virtual lockdown. This is what a shambles you are as an opposition. You come
in here day in and day out with your latest thought bubble, running off the
back of the latest headlines you have seen. You are all over the shop; you are
irresponsible; and you represent a danger to our economy.
Mr V.A. Catania interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order! Member
for North West Central, please do not persist in interjecting when I have asked
you not to.
look at the experiences in Victoria and New South Wales to see how small businesses, particularly in the hospitality
sector, fare when the disease overruns their community and gets completely out of control. Lockdowns become irrelevant, because people do not go out
because they are scared of catching the disease, which is running rampant
through those communities. Ironically, we are in a position to continue to
support Western Australian businesses by maintaining a border control regime
that eases the disease into our community and allows businesses to continue to
trade. If we listened to the opposition members, their solution, if they were in our position—perish the
thought that that will ever be the case—would be to let the disease run
rampant in their communities. They would let it rip, as we have seen in
New South Wales, and as we saw in South Australia when the Liberal government let it rip, and it then had to repudiate and
actually put lockdowns back on, creating further damage, further chaos and
further confusion for their businesses. What the businesses in Western Australia
know is that while we can continue to manage the disease in our community,
their businesses can continue to thrive.
Many businesses, particularly tour
operators that rely upon interstate and international travellers, are not
faring well at the moment. That is why we are working with them to put in place
a package that will allow them to get through this difficult period.
Mr V.A. Catania interjected.
Mr R.H. COOK : If we listened
to you, member, their businesses would not be able to operate at all, because
they would not have international visitors, they would not have interstate
visitors and they would not have intrastate visitors, because everyone would be
in virtual lockdown. This is what a shambles you are as an opposition. You come
in here day in and day out with your latest thought bubble, running off the
back of the latest headlines you have seen. You are all over the shop; you are
irresponsible; and you represent a danger to our economy.
Mr V.A. Catania interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order! Member
for North West Central, please do not persist in interjecting when I have asked
you not to.
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