At Binna Burra, we talk about our post bushfire PALs – Partnerships, Alliances and Linkages. Two of those PALs have been Cameron Dick and Meaghan Scanlon, both members of the Parliament of Queensland.
‘Senior politicians make decisions every day that impact on our tourism industry – from a range of the policies, laws and regulations that we have to do business within. They can even influence public opinion about a particular destination such as the Lamington National Park. So, especially since the 2019 bushfire devastation we’ve consistently collaborated with and appreciated the support of all sides of politics at the local, state and federal levels’ said Steve Noakes.
As Chairperson of Binna Burra Lodge and a Councillor with the National Parks Association of Queensland, Noakes was recently invited to sit with two senior State Government Ministers over lunch to discuss the Queensland budget and economic recovery and development through this current COVID pandemic period
In the photo with Steve is Hon. Cameron Dick, currently the Treasurer and Minister for Investment and, at the time of the bushfire impact at Binna Burra Lodge, was the Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning.
In September 2019 as the devastating bushfires continued to burn across Queensland, the Hon Cameron Dick offered for the Department of State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning (DSDMIP) to form the ‘Binna Burra Recovery Taskforce’. The Task Force bought together senior officials from across a range of local, state and federal government agencies which was invaluable to get the single access road open one year after the bushfires allowing access into the Binna Burra side of Lamington National Park and help get the onsite recovery processes underway. Initially, the taskforce focused on supporting the approximate 60 displaced Binna Burra staff and continued for six months with invaluable access to key government officials.
Hon Meaghan Scanlon, currently the Minister for the Environment and the Great Barrier Reef and Minister for Science and Youth Affairs, was a welcome guest at Binna Burra on 01 March 2021 for the official opening ceremony for the month long Gondwana festival – the first major event at Binna Burra since the September 2019. Just before the bushfires hit Binna Burra in 2019, the State Government had given confidential advice to Binna Burra that it was about to announce the company had been successful in the competitive tendering process (Attracting Tourism Fund) for the new via ferrata adventure experience to open in 2022. As the then Assistant Minister for Tourism Industry Development Ms Scanlon participated in the official announcement event at Parliament House, Brisbane.
