The Australian Services Union is bitterly disappointed that the Glamorgan Spring Bay Council voted against reviewing a decision to close visitor information centres despite receiving a petition with more than 1000 signatures.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The council voted to receive the petition, which was organised by the Australian Services Union and called on the council to review their decision, at its July 28 meeting.
The decision for the council to divest themselves of the centres was made in a closed council meeting in May.
In other news:
Then mayor Debbie Wisby said the decision was made to save the council nearly $400,000.
She said the centres were outside the core business of council.
At the last meeting council voted against reviewing the decision made in March.
Councillors Cheryl Arnold and Michael Symons and acting mayor Jenny Woods were in favour, but the other four councillors disagreed.
Councillor Keith Breheny said it was underwhelming that the community didn't seem to be able to grasp the financial situation of the council.
ASU organiser Sam Bachelor said they understood councils were facing financial difficulties, but called on them to look to the future.
She said the primary concern was for staff at the centres.
"We are primarily concerned for the staff enduring this uncertainty and that a failure to look to the future could see these workers facing unemployment with flow on effects on tourism, albeit local or interstate," Ms Bachelor said.
Ms Bachelor said they were concerned that visitor information centres in other municipalities could follow suit in closing due to the financial impacts of COVID-19.
At the same meeting the council voted to renew $60,000 of funding for East Coast Tasmania Tourism.
ECTT chief executive officer Rhonda Taylor said the organisation was delighted the council had decided to renew their funding.
Sign up to one of our newsletters: