Latest news with #TomTate
ABC News
4 hours ago
- Business
- ABC News
Gold Coast residents slugged one-off $10 payment in rates for cyclone clean-up
Gold Coast ratepayers will help foot the $50 million clean-up bill from ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred with households charged a one-off $10 levy in the city's budget that was handed down today. It is on top of a general rate increase of 2.7 per cent for owner occupiers which Mayor Tom Tate pegged to Brisbane's inflation figures for the March quarter. The controversial "view tax" on high rise apartments will remain and properties registered as short-term rentals like Airbnb will continue to be pay a premium. The Gold Coast City Council is the country's second largest local government, with a budget of $2.678 billion, an increase of $215 million from last financial year. A record $1 billion dollars will be spent on capital works, with heavy investment in transport and infrastructure in preparation for next decade's Olympics. The city's disaster and emergency management funding increased to $39 million following two major natural disasters in the past 18 months — the 2023 Christmas Day storms which ripped through the region's hinterland and March's cyclone. The mayor said it could take three years before the beaches returned to their former glory. "It's about having the funds build up for future resilience. We don't know what Mother Nature's going to hit us up with so that money will be really for recovery and resilience," he said. "If it means we're going to need more halls and evacuation centres out west, that's what it's going to go to." Previously announced funding of $15 million for the design and business case for Light Rail Stage 4, extending the tram from Burleigh to Coolangatta airport, remains in the budget. But the mayor expressed his frustration that the state government was dragging its feet. "Transport infrastructure is the number one project. Without it, my prediction is that it will be gridlocked down south." Savings were found through job cuts at council but the mayor refused to say how many roles were lost. Deputy Mayor Mark Hammel said the council was using artificial intelligence to reduce operational costs. Despite lobbying from some councillors, Cr Tate also kept in place the 10 per cent early payment discount for rates. "It's been in place on the Gold Coast for the past 40 years and for future mayors, if they want to remove this, I think they take it to an election like I did," Cr Tate said. Hinterland councillor Glen Tozer was the only one to speak against the budget, citing his opposition to money earmarked for a commercial feasibility study in the controversial Springbrook cableway. He said the national park risked being stripped of its World Heritage listing if the project went ahead. "I have grave reservations about the environmental credentials," he said. "I'm not convinced it can be delivered in line with a commitment to a strict environmental assessment."
ABC News
4 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
Queensland government unveils long-term tourism strategy Destination 2045
The Queensland government has launched an ambitious 20-year tourism plan but won't say how much the new strategy will cost. The Destination 2045 campaign aims to make the Sunshine State the events capital of Australia, support 45 new eco-tourism experiences, and rejuvenate the Great Barrier Reef islands. The government also wants to attract more visitors through targeted marketing and create a fund to secure new direct flights, including from India, as well as enhance connections to regional Queensland. The strategy aims to double the annual total visitor expenditure to $84 billion and add almost 40,000 new tourism industry jobs by 2045. Premier David Crisafulli said the plan is something "industry has been crying out for". "We are determined to make sure that Queensland's tourism offering goes to the next level," he said. "We unashamedly want to be the events capital of the country. We want to have connections from throughout the globe coming here." "We want to have 45 new eco-tourism products by 2045. It's big, it's bold, it's ambitious, but it has to happen." When pressed on the total funding for the strategy, Mr Crisafulli couldn't provide a dollar amount, and instead pointed to the government's first budget due to be delivered later this month. "There will be significant funding in the budget and beyond," he said. Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate has lent his support to the strategy, saying the "Gold Coast is here to help". While only a handful of Gold Coast projects are currently outlined in the tourism plan, Mr Tate is confident more opportunities for the city will "slip in" as the strategy is rolled out across the next two decades. "There will be an ongoing conversation to say, 'have a look at this one you haven't looked at yet'," he said. Mr Tate noted a direct connection between Australia and India was "paramount" for tourism and investment in south-east Queensland, but was agnostic about which airport flights from the subcontinent would arrive. "For me, whether tourists from India land in Brisbane or the Gold Coast, it makes no difference, it's the same destination. It really is team Queensland," Mr Tate said. Queensland Tourism Industry Council chief executive Natassia Wheeler commended the government's partnership with the industry, with more than 1,500 stakeholders involved in the formation of the strategy. "To see a plan today come to life that listens to industry, backs industry, and has a plan that doesn't address what we need 20 years from now, but addresses the challenges on the ground today that industry are facing, is absolutely critical." Tourism and Events Queensland chief executive Craig Davidson pointed to the exclusive Brisbane shows of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in 2026 as evidence of the pull of the state in the events sphere. "They are here because of a team Queensland approach. They're not here because we have the biggest chequebook," he said. "They're here because they met with all of us in one room, and we can make decisions quickly on the spot. That's why the Military Tattoo is here, and that's the approach we need to take if we're going to win in that event space."
ABC News
13-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Gold Coast City Council endorses fining people sleeping rough
Rough sleepers in south-east Queensland have been dealt another blow with a third local government adopting a hardline stance on homelessness. Gold Coast City Council on Tuesday voted to abandon its welfare-first approach towards people sleeping rough in public places, instead adopting a compliance-led strategy. It means people who have set up tents in parks and other council-run areas could be fined, and their belongings confiscated if they refuse to pack up and leave within a given time. Brisbane City Council and Moreton Bay Regional Council have recently adopted similar strategies. Before the Gold Coast's policy change was adopted Tuesday morning, councillors pushed for two amendments. The first ensures that the council continues to work with services including the Gold Coast Homelessness Network, renewing their commitment to house and support people dealing with homelessness. The second makes it a requirement for the council to give "appropriate training" to frontline staff who speak with rough sleepers and issue compliance notices. "It's a complicated scenario, but I think we're taking a step in the right direction," Mayor Tom Tate said. Chair of the Gold Coast Homelessness Network Maria Leebeek welcomed the council's amendments. "I'm happy that council wants to keep working with us and I look forward to continuing to support people who need our help," Ms Leebeek said. Speaking before the policy was adopted, Queensland's peak body for housing and homelessness, Q-Shelter, said a third council in south-east Queensland issuing move-on orders was concerning. "If people are forced to move on, they just move somewhere else," Q-Shelter chief executive Fiona Caniglia said. "In a region like south-east Queensland, people just walk or travel in some other way, on a bus or whatever it is, to find a location where they can lodge temporarily in the hope that their circumstances change." She said without more social and affordable housing right across Queensland's south-east, the issue of homelessness would not go away. "There still aren't enough homes in the market to see people move into a permanent housing solution," she said. "We know that the problem moves around and what might seem like a solution in one area becomes a problem somewhere else." Cr Tate conceded homelessness was a complex issue and that council staff lacked the legislative power to move people on from public places. "We'll use what's in our power to get them to move on and fining is one of those things that we can do," he said. Queensland Police Service (QPS) said it would not enforce move-on directions issued to rough sleepers by the City of Gold Coast. But QPS said it would support council officers where necessary, particularly if there are safety concerns for officers, rough sleepers or the public.
Sky News AU
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
Trump's film tariffs a ‘kick in the guts' to Australian film industry
The Australian and New Zealand film industries are facing potential trouble from US President Trump's threat of 100 per cent tariffs on foreign-made movies. The two countries are home to large-scale Hollywood productions, with the latest Godzilla vs. Kong movie currently being filmed in the Gold Coast. The Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate has said that the tariffs are a 'kick in the guts' for the film industry.
The Australian
07-05-2025
- Business
- The Australian
Screen industry and politicians in uproar over Donald Trump movie tariff threat
The Gold Coast has spent decades trying to attract filmmakers to the famed glitter strip, and local mayor Tom Tate fears US President Donald Trump's potential tariffs will be a 'kick in the guts' for the industry. 'Investment in the Gold Coast film industry … it's a 30-year vision,' Mr Tate said. 'I really cherish our film industry.' Mr Trump put the global film industry on alert on Monday after posting on social media that he intended to implement a sweeping 100 per cent tariff on all movies 'produced in foreign lands'. 'The movie industry in America is dying a very fast death,' the President wrote. But by Tuesday, the Trump administration appeared to walk back the comments, with White House spokesman Kush Desai telling reporters 'no final decisions on foreign film tariffs have been made' and further consultation with the industry would take place. Queensland's local film industry generated a $525m economic return last financial year and created 4000 direct jobs across the state, in production studios from the Gold Coast to Cairns. During that period, cameras have rolled on a dozen movies, including The Bluff, starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Karl Urban, while parts of a total of 45 different projects have been produced in Queensland. State Arts Minister John-Paul Langbroek has put pressure on the re-elected Albanese government to get answers and protect the economic investment. 'Filmmakers are coming here because of the incentives. Now we have someone saying, well, those incentives have meant that they're going to bring in tariffs,' Mr Langbroek said. Filming is under way in Brisbane on the Owen Wilson-led film Runner, alongside the next instalment in the Godzilla and King Kong 'Monsterverse' franchise. Together, they are expected to create a $111m economic boost. At a national level, screen production in Australia generated $1.7bn in expenditure across 169 Australian and international film and television titles in the 2023-24 financial year, according to Screen Queensland. Of that, $768m was linked to 70 international projects. This figure was down on previous years due to the 2023 Hollywood writers' strike. The Cook government in Western Australia is spending $290m on a film studio in Malaga that is due to be ready by April next year. WA Premier Roger Cook on Monday said Mr Trump's tariffs were a clear disincentive for US producers and added to the deteriorating global economic environment. He said he was hopeful that demand from Australian filmmakers and US studios keen to capitalise on WA's natural wonders would help insulate the new film studio from the tariffs. 'We obviously have a lot of domestic content that we can develop in WA and there are other film-producing countries right around the world, but we continue to believe that there will still be opportunities for us to attract US production houses,' he said. 'Don't forget that at the end of the day, they need quality environments and opportunities to shoot in unique settings, and that's also what WA offers.' California Governor Gavin Newsom is reportedly attempting to smooth tensions between the Trump administration and the film industry by proposing a $US7.5bn ($11.62bn) federal tax incentive to bring production back to the US. Many US states offer individual tax offers. Mr Newsom said a federal partnership would strengthen domestic production and 'Make America Film Again'. Additional reporting: Paul Garvey Read related topics: Donald Trump Mackenzie Scott is a property and general news reporter based in Brisbane. Prior to joining The Australian in 2018, she was the editorial coordinator at NewsMediaWorks, covering media and publishing, and editor at travel and lifestyle website Xplore Sydney. Nation NSW's top cop is set to step down in September following weeks of rumours, and a three-year tenure plagued by public and internal criticisms. Nation In emotional testimony, two children of Don and Gail Patterson have described the events leading up to a fatal lunch at which their parents were poisoned to death by a beef Wellington.
