Tourism couple turning guests away because of restrictions that ‘defy logic’

Hunchy Hideaway owners Denis French and Ali Keeler contacted Nicklin MP Marty Hunt', right, after the Queensland Government’s Roadmap to Recovery Stage One relaxations still made it unlawful for their style of accommodation to have guests, despite its isolated nature.

A Hunchy couple are pleading for common sense after being forced to turn away tens of thousands of dollars in accommodation bookings due to what they say are glaring inconsistencies in State Government restrictions.

Hunchy Hideaway owners Denis French and Ali Keeler contacted Nicklin MP Marty Hunt's office after the Queensland Government’s Roadmap to Recovery Stage One relaxations still made it unlawful for their style of accommodation to have guests.

They say the rules are unfair, unpoliced and lacked common sense.

And local member Marty Hunt agrees: “Some of these decisions just defy logic,” Mr Hunt said.

“How can it be that a couple from Brisbane can come to the Sunshine Coast, go to the shopping centre, party in the park with 10 of their friends, join five of their friends at somebody else's house, but that couple can't come up here and hire a private cottage for the weekend?

“If the Premier can explain why people are more in danger of a risk of infection by hiring a lovely little cottage here in isolation then let's hear the explanation because I can't see it.”

Ms Keeler called for fairness and an end to restrictions that didn’t seem to have a reasonable basis.

“We just want to be able to make our living and get places like ours legally able to open for business now rather than in three weeks.

We have fully self-contained cabins, all separate from each other with no common areas,” she said.

“We have five Cabin's they're all fully self-contained, so all isolated from each other. You don't even have to see anybody else."

Mr French said the forced closure had strangled the business: "We're taking something like a half dozen calls a day and if people want to book before June 12 we just have to tell them ‘no we can't take your booking because there's huge fines’, not only for them but for us as well.

“So we're turning people away and they're going somewhere else to someone who's breaking the law by taking them.

Ali said: "It's particularly the Airbnb properties that aren't taking any notice at all. Most of us up here, the long-term owners of cabins, we're all toeing the line and doing what we were told we have to do. But we know other businesses that are open.

“We get people telling us they stayed in a hotel in Brisbane last week. I've had two people tell me that. And a fellow yesterday, he said he had friends who stayed in Noosa. So there are certainly people taking bookings even though we're told we can’t.

“We feel pretty cheated because the rules are obviously not being policed."

Mr French said it was costing tens of thousands a month. “Plus we've handed back about $25,000 in pre-paid deposits, so it’s hurting —absolutely,” he said.

Mr Hunt said the issue was a further blow to operators already hurting because of restrictions. “This is about people's livelihoods,” he said.

“And this is a decision that could be easily made tomorrow. Not wait three weeks, until June 12 when these restrictions are lifted. These people should be able to take visitors now. It just doesn't make sense. This hinterland area is beautiful this time of year and these businesses are hurting.

“I’m calling on the Palaszczuk Government to ease restrictions on these types of accommodation services and give them an extra couple of weeks of income at this important time of year,” he said.

Premier responds: ‘We are still dealing with a very real health crisis’

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s office has responded to the story above.

A spokesperson from the Premier’s office said, along with the economic crisis, people needed to remember “that we are still dealing with a very real health crisis and we have to get that balance right”.

“Our Roadmap to easing restrictions is a guide and always has been. It is subject to the advice from Queensland’s Chief Health Officer. And the Premier has consistently said this will be reviewed at the end of each month.”

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk from today (May 27):

“Queensland is doing a fantastic job and I want to see industries open up and tourism (open up), and the fact that we’re doing so well means that Queensland can probably open up faster than New South Wales and Victoria, and that’s a great thing.

“My priority is getting Queensland working ahead of other states.

“Let me make it very clear and this is for everyone. In New South Wales, they have 370 cases of community transmission. 180 in Victoria. In New South Wales, there are 362 active cases as we speak, in Victoria 64 active cases as we speak. In Queensland we have 12.

“I’ve said very clearly that we will review our border restrictions at the end of each month but it would be highly unlikely they will open in July considering there are 362 active cases in New South Wales.

“The Chief Health Officer will provide me with clear health advice but the last thing we want to see is everything we have done in Queensland put at risk because there is active transmission in New South Wales and Victoria.

“These are really hard decisions, I have sleepless nights. I understand people are hurting. I understand people have lost their jobs. I want to get people back into work as quickly as possible, but if I don’t do it safely it could cripple our industry for years to come and take us backwards. Now no one wants to go back into a lockdown.

“I say to New South Wales and Victoria, get your cases under control so we can open. Queenslanders are doing the right thing. South Australians are doing the right thing. Western Australians are doing the right thing. We’re seeing great results in the Northern Territory, and we are flattening the curve and we’re smashing the curve here in Queensland. And because Queenslanders are doing so well it’ll probably mean we’ll be able to open up our cafes and restaurants a whole lot earlier.

“Every day we look very carefully at all these sources of infections, we look at all the advice which is being provided to Government and we make the best decisions in the interests of the people of this state and their families. It will be negligent for any government leader not to be taking the interest of families first and foremost. We all care about our families. We all care about Queensland. So let’s try and get Queensland opened up as quickly as possible.

“And you know, I will keep giving out the health advice and the Chief Health Officer will keep giving the health advice to her best ability, and all it takes is one or two people that have COVID-19 to come into Queensland spread it around and we go back to where we started from, and that’s the last thing I want to see. So New South Wales and Victoria need to get their cases under control and then we can all talk.”