ID :
190384
Wed, 06/22/2011 - 13:08
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/190384
The shortlink copeid
Crime coverage hurting Gold Coast
SYDNEY (AAP) - June 22 - One of Queensland's most senior tourism bosses fears the national coverage of the murder of a policeman and "jealous" media beat-ups are damaging the Gold Coast's holiday industry.
The lashing was handed out at an industry lunch on Wednesday by Paul Donovan, Gold Coast Tourism chairman and chief operating officer of Gold Coast Airport.
The guest speaker at the function was Queensland Tourism Minister Jan Jarratt, who also was concerned about community perceptions of the Gold Coast.
Mr Donovan said the government's level of funding is appreciated immensely but he warned the minister and the industry they needed to work more closely and be more positive.
"I also talked about the fact the media, particularly in Brisbane and down south, want to beat up the Gold Coast because they'd love to live here and they're just jealous, and that's not good for us at the moment," he told AAP.
"We need to work together, get off our arse, and not turn on each other."
Mr Donovan said the murder of police detective Damian Leeding was a tragedy, but the people of the Gold Coast have demonstrated how they feel by their massive wave of support and the grief that was shared across the region for the officer's family.
"My view is we have to have zero tolerance for these crimes, we don't want these scum - lock them up," he said.
"This is an inbound tourist destination, and we need to have all the elements which make us "Famous For Fun", including the nightclubs which are a fundamental part of providing fun, but we need to make them safe and we need to support our police."
Ms Jarratt said statistics showed that crime on the Gold Coast was falling, but the national coverage of Det Leeding's murder and the spate of armed robberies on the Gold Coast have had an impact on people's perceptions.
"I don't think it's helpful for the tourism industry to have story after story coming out about violent attacks, because it's not theeveryday reality of people who live on the Gold Coast," she said.
"The courts already have a range of options available, but they don't always choose the high end of those.
"Perhaps in the first instance if they would consider increasing the penalties already available to them we might be able to deter some of this behaviour without having to go to that extreme measure of mandating sentences."
The lashing was handed out at an industry lunch on Wednesday by Paul Donovan, Gold Coast Tourism chairman and chief operating officer of Gold Coast Airport.
The guest speaker at the function was Queensland Tourism Minister Jan Jarratt, who also was concerned about community perceptions of the Gold Coast.
Mr Donovan said the government's level of funding is appreciated immensely but he warned the minister and the industry they needed to work more closely and be more positive.
"I also talked about the fact the media, particularly in Brisbane and down south, want to beat up the Gold Coast because they'd love to live here and they're just jealous, and that's not good for us at the moment," he told AAP.
"We need to work together, get off our arse, and not turn on each other."
Mr Donovan said the murder of police detective Damian Leeding was a tragedy, but the people of the Gold Coast have demonstrated how they feel by their massive wave of support and the grief that was shared across the region for the officer's family.
"My view is we have to have zero tolerance for these crimes, we don't want these scum - lock them up," he said.
"This is an inbound tourist destination, and we need to have all the elements which make us "Famous For Fun", including the nightclubs which are a fundamental part of providing fun, but we need to make them safe and we need to support our police."
Ms Jarratt said statistics showed that crime on the Gold Coast was falling, but the national coverage of Det Leeding's murder and the spate of armed robberies on the Gold Coast have had an impact on people's perceptions.
"I don't think it's helpful for the tourism industry to have story after story coming out about violent attacks, because it's not theeveryday reality of people who live on the Gold Coast," she said.
"The courts already have a range of options available, but they don't always choose the high end of those.
"Perhaps in the first instance if they would consider increasing the penalties already available to them we might be able to deter some of this behaviour without having to go to that extreme measure of mandating sentences."
