Push to keep aqua park afloat
Aqua Fun Park Mackay at Andergrove is a enterprising venture which not only boosts Mackay’s tourism offering but provides much-needed jobs for youth. It is in danger of being lost to the region and I'm keen to see what I can do to help.A government handout is not appropriate for a private business but if a not-for-profit organisation acquired equipment as a community asset and leased it out to a business to manage, that may be a viable solution.Operators Amanda Pelagalli and Kirk Langford have told me they lease their inflatable water park equipment and it will not be available to them next summer. So they need to buy their own equipment.This is a community-based tourism facility which helps Mackay to diversify and provide more reasons for visitation. Importantly it also provides casual employment for as many as 50 young people in our city, at a time when jobs for our kids are hard to find.
Neato effort on jobs
Assistant Minister for Employment Luke Hartsuyker met up with the Neato Employment Services team during his visit to Mackay and he was impressed with their commitment to helping people get jobs.The Whitsundays-based business is growing in leaps and bounds under the Liberal National Government's new jobactive employment services model which comes into effect from July 1.Neato's tender to provide employment services was successful and they are now in the process of opening 17 new offices.