OPENING EXPANDED FACILITIES AT ROSE GUMS RETREAT

_{21 July, 2007}

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Thank you and good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen and congratulations to John and Peta. You must be very proud, as you should be.

Ladies and Gentlemen, what exceptional people these two are. For years they have run one of the more successful businesses on the Tablelands and John is renowned as one of the best builders in North Queensland, and if you are the best in North Queensland, then you are the best in Australia. I think that John’s experience in business, helped by Peta, has demonstrated that. Clearly, they have a vision and they have put all of their emotion and energy into this Retreat initiative. An exceptional couple.

Even more exceptional is the fact that Peta is one of the only people in Australia who has ever bothered to read a speech of a politician, especially one that is 17 years old.  I had forgotten some of those things that I had said back in 1990 in my maiden speech. Thank you for doing me the honour of being the one person (I would think), in the last 17 years (since my mother died) who has actually read the speech!

But congratulations on what you have achieved, with the Conference Centre and additional accommodation Units here at the Rose Gums Wilderness Retreat

What you have achieved here is well regarded by so many and the number of significant people here today is an indication of the support that John and Peta have in what they are achieving.

I want to quickly mention and acknowledge the Mayor, Ray Byrnes, of Eacham Shire Council. Ray, you must be very proud that this facility joins other great facilities in your area and I know that you and the Council have been keen to promote the unique and specific assets that this Shire has. Dare I say, I hope after the first of August you are still a Council, but certainly your work has encouraged people like John and Peta to do what they have achieved.

Can I also recognise Rosa-Lee Long, your local member of Parliament. Rosa is again is a great champion to this area and  I know that she, like me, will be acting, unofficially of course,  as an advocate, her in the State Parliament and me in the Federal Parliament, for what this Retreat has to offer.

As well, as has already been done, I offer the apologies of Warren Entsch, who of course who has properties not quite as environmentally friendly as this one, but not far from here. He understands and talks about the great tourist attractions up here on the Tablelands.

It’s not often, particularly these days, that anyone would admit to being a politician but today I am proud to do so and be seen as being in a Government that has, a very, very small way, been part of this enterprise through the $100,000 grant that has been won by Rose Gum Resort. It does indeed make me glad that in Government we are able to in a very, very small way, add to and encourage those like John and Peta who have the initiative and enthusiasm to achieve this type of success.

In mentioning that, can I just briefly pay tribute to AusIndustry- to Deborah, Ross and their team, for the work that they have done here. But not just here. I know that a few people in this region were absolutely devastated after Cyclone Larry and it was made a little worse by the fact that all the attention was on Innisfail, as well it should have been. But many people did not understand the impact that it had particularly on the tourism industry up here. I was a member of a Parliamentary group that came up here two or three weeks after the cyclone to try to ensure that people in the south understood that you had not actually been blown away. You have done a hell of a lot since those days and I congratulate not only John and Peta, but all those involved in the tourism industry, especially the eco-tourism industry, in this area. And thanks to AusIndustry for the effort they put in following the Cyclone.

I did want to as well thank Lillian Clubb, an elder of the Mullunburra People, and her team, and particularly the boys. Thank you for welcoming us to your country and congratulations to your troupe of rising stars who performed for us today. If John and Peta hadn’t been aware of them before and I am sure they were, but I can guess that the boys, after today, will be in high demand particularly as the number of conferences occurring in this area increases. It is great to see that partnership, between the traditional people and community and our ecosystems in achieving something that is worthwhile, that protects all and allows others to experience the unique flora and fauna in this special area.

I always have been very annoyed at what I call those fraudulent greenies, who want to lock everything up so that they can spend their 6 month holidays that they seem to have every year, (I suspect paid for by others), wandering through the forest and enjoying these things, while the rest of Australia finds that difficult. It has always been a goal of mine to ensure that people like John and Peta get encouragement so that the rest of us are able to come and live in reasonable comfort and the style we are used to, and actually experience first hand what nature is really all about.

Ladies and Gentlemen, those of you, I think it is probably all of you, who have had the pleasure, as I had this morning, of seeing the new buildings, will appreciate the fine design and workmanship that has gone into those facilities. It is a credit to John (and to his apprentices who did the little bathroom part that you showed me!) The Units are a quality product and just so well designed and in tune with nature in the way that your guests would want.

We all know this is a dream that started 13 years ago, with John and Peta wanting to come out here and have their own home in the rain forest, to bring up their family, but also to create a small eco resort. I understand that in the first four years you planted something like 14,000 mixed native trees here and since then, the number continues to grow and I understand more than 20,00 trees have now been planted.

All of the products that have been used in the building are sustainable building materials. Some of this timber is sensational and is really so much part of the environment.

Congratulations on winning for two years in a row the Tropical North Queensland tourism award for this accommodation, and I look forward to you receiving not only the Tropical North Queensland prize next year, but also I am sure you will go onto bigger and better things in the Queensland and Australia wide Awards

Winners of those awards are operators who continually strive to raise the quality of their product and level of service, and quite clearly, when you see what happens here, you can see why John and Peta won that Award.

The total of 34 beds here I understand is the largest accommodation offering of these boutique properties in the Cairns Highlands. What you have done here with these latest extensions has created employment for 4 additional people in this part of country Australia.

You were selected by, I understand, a panel consisting of AusIndustry and Tourism Australia to win this Commonwealth Regional Tourism Development Grant of $100,000.

The Government is very proud of the Australian Tourism Development Programme. It is highly competitive and many people apply for it. There is a lot of money in it, but never enough to meet the demand. To succeed with the judges requires an exceptional product.

So far in this programme, we have spent something like $26 million, on 156 projects across Australia, and this is one of the best that I have seen. I am proud that the Government has assisted you in achieving this success.

We are very lucky in Queensland; we have so many quality tourist attractions. Peta mentioned some of my words in my long forgotten speech, which were quite prophetic. In addition to rivers and the natural environment, the Government has more recently focused on global warming and climate change. With the south of our continent becoming drier, the north apparently is becoming wetter.

We think over the next 40 to 50 years there will have to be a population shift to the north where there is good water, rather than pursuing these ridiculous ideas of piping all the water down to the south. We will need more than a 50 year span to get people and the infrastructure that supports them, to the north, and the Government is having a very close look at these issues though its Northern Australian Land and Water Taskforce, of which I am a member.

The advantage we have over the first Europeans who came to Australia, is that we do now have the benefit of hindsight. Our Taskforce will be looking at the long term future and to how we can get more people up here, get development up here, and how we can use our resources up here, but do it in a way that is sustainable and science based, learning from the mistakes that we have made in the past.

The job for the tourism industry, for this community and for the various governments is to ensure we do have the right sort of infrastructure here to capitalise on the burgeoning tourist market. I am delighted to hear of your overseas marketing successes and I find it very easy to understand why people from the northern hemisphere do come here, and will do so in increasing numbers.

You have obtained eco-certification, which identifies the genuine eco-tourism product. The criteria that is required to achieve that grading does demand best practice and sustainability, natural area management and quality eco-tourism experience.

John, I had not realised that amongst your other attributes you are a significantly expert bird watcher and bird authority. That can only be a great asset to this Resort. Cairns has a world wide reputation for sea birds and waders, and further west we have some pretty unique birds. I am amazed to hear that there are 156 species around this property and I am sure John has kissed everyone of them. But all of that makes for a great experience for your guests.

I guess most of you here, Ladies and Gentlemen, are in awe of this pair, and what they have done over the last 13 or so years, what they have achieved with this conference centre and facility. Their success has been sensational.

Congratulations on behalf of The Minister for Small Business and Tourism, Fran Bailey. As a politician you really shouldn’t always do this but I think today that I can speak for all people of Australia and congratulate John and Peta on what you have done to achieve this facility here because it benefits not only yourselves and your immediate community, but the wider Australian economy as well. Congratulations.

As a memento of what you have achieved, I present this certificate on behalf of the Government which does recognise your success with the Australian Tourism Programme, and I officially declare open these extensions to your Rose Gums Wilderness Retreat.

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