General News
5 August, 2026
Push back on tourism funds
A BID to provide a local tourism promotional body with $100,000 a year for the next three years has been knocked back by Tablelands Regional Council.
Officers recommended the council provide Tourism Atherton Tablelands (TAT) with the funding after agreeing to give $100,000 to the organisation eight months ago.
In pushing for the money, Placemaking general manager Greg Bowden reminded councillors of the importance of the industry, noting that visitors had injected $200 million in the region over past 12 months, which equated to 34% of the spend in the region.
Acting Mayor Dave Bilney moved the motion but could not find a seconder, allowing Cr Maree Baade to present an alternative motion to provide TAT with $100,000 for a one-year period only.
Cr Baade acknowledged the work TAT had done but wanted more time to assess whether funding should be provided year on year.
“TAT is clearly working hard to promote and grow the region’s tourism sector and this partnership represents an important opportunity to support that work,” she said.
“However, given the current funding agreement has only been in place for approximately eight months, committing to a further three-year agreement feels premature without clearer reporting against agreed KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and greater detail regarding the expenditure and outcomes achieved through council’s funding.
“A one-year agreement will provide an opportunity to continue the partnership, establish clearer reporting parameters and provide a natural point for review before considering a longer-term commitment.”
Cr Con Spanos backed Cr Baade’s position, adding that he was happy to revisit the funding proposal in 12 months, but “there are other people out there” he needed to think about.
But Cr Kevin Cardew said he would not support the $100,000 commitment given the council’s financial position.
“It’s a lot of money and we’re already doing it tough,” he said.
“When I first came onto council a few years back, we would give $25,000 to promote tourism in our shire.
“The $100,000 (agreed to eight months ago) was a big jump on that figure, and this would have enabled them to get initiatives up and running.
“That was a good kickstart for them and they had done a fantastic job and have lots of things in place. But $100,000 is a little bit excessive, but I would be happy to go along with $50,000 a year over three years.
“It’s a lot more beneficial for council given the financial constraints we face in lots of our areas at the present moment.”
Cr Bilney said he was aware of the merit of having a three-year rolling agreement, saying it provides certainty that the organisation needed to expand its membership base, and espousing the benefits of tourism to the region in terms of employment, support for small business and investment.
“The partnership between TAT and TTNQ has demonstrated positive outcomes over only eight months,” he said.
“Over time though, TAT should continue to strengthen its own financial sustainability. As the organisation matures, it grows its membership, it secures external funding and expands commercial opportunities.
“The level of council’s contribution should progressively reduce – that should be the long-term objective for both council and TAT.”
Council approved the $100,000 funding for 12 months, with Cr Cardew voting against the move.
