Business confidence on the Gold Coast is experiencing a lower level of business sentiment than the State average and the long-term outlook for business remains blurred by uncertainty, especially as stimulus support begins to taper off said the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland (CCIQ). The latest Suncorp-CCIQ Pulse Survey of Business Conditions, a quarterly survey conducted to give a snapshot of business conditions in Queensland, found that while there was some recovery in the Sept...

Well folks, this is it!  The future of Queensland for the next four years will be decided in 26 days' time.  The election period has officially started!   The economic recovery of Queensland after COVID will be front and centre of an LNP Government.  The Labor party's' 5 year reign in Queensland has seen the worst economic performance of any state in AUSTRALIA.  BEFORE COVID, we had the highest unemployment figure in Australia of any State and wi...

The Gold Coast's peak business body has welcomed the Federal Government's 2020. Gold Coast Central Chamber of Commerce President Martin Hall said that while the budget would blow out the Government's deficit to more than $200b, the big spending was needed to counter the economic crisis created by COVID-19. Mr Hall said COVID-19 created recession would impact on Australia for many years with the Government's total debt set to increase to more than $1 trillion. He said howev...

The Gold Coast's peak business body questions Deputy PM Michael McCormack's plan to use Gold Coast hotels as extra quarantine centres. Gold Coast Central Chamber of Commerce President Martin Hall said the plan, while well-intentioned, was short-sighted and potentially could actually hurt many businesses. Mr McCormack has suggested using empty Gold Coast hotel rooms for quarantine as part of a plan to bring home thousands of Australians trapped overseas. But Mr Hall says while th...

The Gold Coast's peak business body is to provide its members access to 500 education courses for free. Gold Coast Central Chamber of Commerce President Martin Hall said the Chamber has teamed up with online education provider Go1 to provide the courses, which are fully funded by the Queensland Government. Mr Hall said the Chamber's courses covered a diverse range of business needs. "The Gold Coast Central Chamber is conscious that we need to be doing everything we can to hel...

Spring has sprung and you can feel an election is near in the spring air when the Gold Coast Chamber organised a great "Meet the Candidates" breakfast at the Convention Centre.  From my perspective as the Member for Mermaid Beach it was obviously disappointing to see there was no Labor candidate for Mermaid Beach prepared to front up just 2 months out from election day.  However, it was enlightening to hear from all the candidates in a time constricted format and cong...