Tourism must overcome oil spill: LNP

Premier Anna Bligh must guarantee a tourism marketing package to save the sector
from the devastating impact of the major oil slick on Queensland's southeast coast,
Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg says.
The Liberal National Party (LNP) leader took to the hustings on the Sunshine Coast
on Saturday, stopping at an oil-affected Kawana beach to continue his attack on the
government's response to the spill.
A cleanup is underway after oil leaked from the Pacific Adventurer cargo ship on
Wednesday, scaring 60km of southeast Queensland beaches in what could be the state's
worst environmental disaster.
Mr Springborg said that as soon as the oil slick was cleaned up, a marketing package
was needed to tell Queensland and interstate tourists it was business as usual as
operators went into the traditionally busy Easter holiday period.
"We already know that there are jobs which are at risk as a consequence of this,
particularly when there has been cancellations and there are people who are now
looking at booking their holidays who may actually decide to go somewhere else," he
told reporters.
"... There needs to be a job-saving package to ensure that the tourism industry in
this area is not adversely and long-term affected because of the incompetence of
this government's handling of this oil spill disaster."
He continued his attack on the government's "late" response, saying the government
dispatched more spin doctors than cleanup crews when it became aware of the spill.
He said the government had failed to act until oil was washed up on beaches and even
then the response was slow.
"What we saw from this government in the first 48 hours is more spin doctors than
cleanup crews," he said.
"That is typical of this government and their response."
Ms Bligh on Friday defended the government's response, saying coordinated action was
needed to ensure the delicate ecology of the beaches was not further destroyed.