Balonne Shire Mayor, Samantha O’Toole has penned an open letter to the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, condemning the Federal Government’s new $20 million fuel crisis advertising campaign as being devoid of consideration for regional and rural communities.
Mayor O’Toole, who is also Chair of South West Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils, says she has been inundated with calls from Balonne Shire residents and business owners who are concerned about the impact the ‘Every little bit helps’ will have on the region’s economy.
“In our rural setting, we can’t simply get on public transport, ride a bicycle or rely on electric vehicles to run our agricultural economy and tow caravans, we need an affordable and reliable fuel supply,” the Mayor wrote.
“Tourism is a vital pillar of our regional economy, generating jobs and sustaining livelihoods, and the last thing it needs is a taxpayer-funded campaign advising travellers to stay away. I urge you to rethink this approach.”
She asked the Prime Minister to follow the council’s lead and develop a national fuel tracking system.
“In a matter of days, our South West Queensland Councils launched a Fuel Tracker Dashboard, which shows the fuel availability in our region to give travellers information about the available fuel supply and the confidence to travel here.”
“This Fuel Tracker Dashboard came to fruition with little to no funding, just the ingenuity and commitment of our Council teams who understand how vital tourism is to our region.
“I implore you to please follow our lead and develop a National Fuel Tracker Dashboard that allows people to make their own decisions about where and when they choose to travel.”
She ended the letter with a plea to the Prime Minister to consider the needs of business owners and tourism operators across the nation.
“I understand that public life can be a brutal aspiration, as it involves thanklessly weighing up solutions that strike the right balance between solving a problem, while mitigating impacts to others, but this advertising campaign appears to have had absolutely no thought given to mitigating the devastating impacts it will create.”
“While you’re navigating our Country through this critical time, please spare a thought for the hard-working business owners and tourism operators who have taken a risk on setting up an enterprise that generates flow-on jobs and benefits throughout regional Australia.”
