The year is hitting its stride and there have been a number of regional developments the Chamber wishes to share.
Business Chamber Queensland’s March 2024 Quarter Pulse Survey shows a grim view of Queensland businessowner perceptions on sales, employment, and profitability decline. The report reveals the longest sustained no-confidence business trend since mid-2022. Our Chamber is keen to hear from you, if you share the same views and experiences.
Last month, Whitsunday Regional Council announced its 2024-25 budget. It’s great news for residents and addressing legacy issues however the burden of the Council’s forecast profit is being placed upon business and agriculture who will experience an eight per cent rate and 12 per cent utility charge increases, which will inevitably be passed on to the customer with increased prices.
Council has also refined its Airlie Beach pedestrian trial, with work undertaken to re-open four pedestrian crossings as vehicle priority areas. The Chamber and main street businesses are supportive of Council’s intention for Airlie Beach – ‘A place for people’ with the goal of reducing through-traffic and making the main street more pedestrian friendly.
However, the trial failed to reduce through-traffic and the only improvement for pedestrians are four poorly placed pedestrian crossings. To spend money on making that failure permanent doesn’t make sense. Two thirds of vehicles in Airlie are simply driving through – creating congestion that is of no benefit to businesses or visitors. An opportunity has been missed here to reduce through-traffic by 50 per cent and genuinely make Airlie Beach a place for people – not cars. We will continue to collect Chamber member feedback so we can bolster our advocacy on the main street’s safety and prioritising trader needs.
We also welcome Uber to the region. However, with the introduction of Uber comes competition and customer choice, and we encourage the region’s existing taxi fleet and private transport providers to re-appraise their business model and their service delivery to ensure they remain competitive.
The Chamber is hosting a range of exciting business education events in August. Jump online to learn more and register.
Finally, nominations are open for the 2024 Whitsunday Business Awards. Nomination is easy, a 250-word submission on your favourite business or even yourself across seven categories. Nominations close Wednesday 14 August.
by Chamber President, Allan Milostic
Announcing special Chamber member offer for the Whitsundays Customer Service Hero Program