The Liberal National Party has today called on the bungling Labor Government to shelve the roll-out of ID scanners at entertainment venues across the state until the hospitality sector is properly consulted and serious implementation issues are ironed out.
LNP Shadow Fair Trading Minister Jarrod Bleijie said pub and club owners were struggling to deal with the exorbitant costs and consequences of having to install Labor’s ill-considered ID scanning system.
“The Palaszczuk Government’s handling of liquor licensing has been an absolute stuff-up from start to finish,” Mr Bleijie said.
“Queensland hospitality workers are losing jobs, businesses are losing money and the state’s tourism reputation is being trashed because Labor just wouldn’t listen and didn’t care about the impacts of its rushed reforms.
“They’ve broken election promises to Queenslanders on lock-out laws and now they’re breaking small businesses with their arrogant approach to ID scanners.
“Annastacia Palaszczuk’s latest stuff-up is affecting every single bar, restaurant and club across the state.”
Mr Bleijie said in true Labor form, communication with industry had been non-existent, processes were half-baked and now thousands of hospitality jobs were at risk.
“The hospitality sector is one of the biggest employers of young Queenslanders – but jobs are set to go because of Labor’s crusade to destroy our vibrant nightlife precincts,” he said.
“The right thing to do now would be for the Palaszczuk Government to pull up, admit their mistakes and start again – and this time listen to industry.”
Mr Bleijie said the full impacts of Labor’s arrogant decision to scrap the LNP’s Safe Night Out Implementation Panel had now been exposed.
“There are glaring inequities in the rules applied to different venues in the same precinct, technical issues with scanners that have led to mile-long queues outside pubs and clubs and some operators simply shutting down on weekdays because it costs too much to stay open,” he said.
“So much for Queensland being open for business. What a bloody mess.
“The LNP had a real plan for Safe Night Precincts, which included an implementation panel to ensure these issues didn’t arise, but in its infinite wisdom Labor scrapped that panel and now Queenslanders are paying the price.”
ENDS
10 July 2017
