Easter trade for Bright welcome

Granting of an exemption from Easter Trade restrictions for Bright has been welcomed by Nationals Member for Benalla, Bill Sykes, who campaigned hard for the exemption in 2006.

However Dr Sykes said that the one year exemption from Easter Trading restrictions misses the point that the current procedures are clumsy, failing to achieve the intended outcome of protecting small business operators.

“An ex Labor Minister said to me that the current policy is a sham and needs to be modified to achieve the intended outcome more simply. I agree and I call on the Bracks Government to implement the advice of one of its ex Ministers.”

Dr Sykes also said that the Government’s failure to deliver its promised $1.9 million post bushfire tourism promotion package before Easter may impact heavily on tourist numbers.

Dr Sykes said, “I requested a senior Labor Party MP to make sure that the promised money would be available immediately to fund an autumn tourist promotion.

“However I was told last week that Treasury will not sign off on the money until next week – a few days before Easter – a fat lot of good that will do to attract visitors to the Bright district for Easter.”

Dr Sykes continued, “Unfortunately this is another example of Government ministers flying into country Victoria, ‘swanning around’ in their dark suits, looking important, ‘talking the talk’ but then going back to Melbourne and doing absolutely nothing to help country Victoria recover from the ‘double whammy’ of the drought and bushfires.”

Dr Sykes concluded, “I call on the Bracks Government to immediately sign off on the promised assistance and immediately commence the tourism promotion campaign to inject serious money into North East Victoria not just a few trinkets which they think will keep us happy.”