Mayoral candidate Mona Hecke has criticised Tom Tate’s COVID-19 disaster response claiming his actions are not good enough and not fast enough.
“The health of all Gold Coasters is at risk, along with financial hardship for thousands of people who will become unemployed and under-employed,” Ms Hecke said.
“Tom Tate’s response to-date is a promise to support local business recovery with a handpicked taskforce consisting of respected business leaders, but they hardly seem qualified to steer our city through this most serious and challenging public health event in Australia’s history,” she said.
“When I asked Council’s Chief Executive Officer for an update on the city’s Disaster Management Plan, he referred me to the council website on which the last update was four days ago, it’s just not good enough,” she said.
The Gold Coast is the hotspot for COVID-19 in Queensland and the situation is rapidly growing. Quick and coordinated local action is essential to contain the contagion and give the best possible care to our most vulnerable citizens.
Ms Hecke said, “The National and State Government, and other South-East Queensland Council responses are evolving quickly. Here at the Gold Coast, it seems like things are moving too slowly. We deserve better leadership to keep our community safe, as well as daily public announcements to keep people informed.”