Our clubs are part of our communities, and in so many of our rural towns, they are often the heart of their communities.
And importantly, your industry is a major driver of job creation, supporting around 22,000 Queensland jobs across the state.
Every time you open your doors you are contributing to our growing economy; you’re supporting local jobs and providing training opportunities for young Queenslanders who are pursuing a career in the hospitality industry.
We know we need more skilled workers for the growing hospitality industry. And it’s fantastic to see the number of apprentices and trainees taking up a career in the clubs and hospitality industry has almost doubled in the past year.
This is a good indicator of the success of your industry and we want to support you to be able to take on more young apprentices and trainees.
That’s why we introduced Free Apprenticeships and Free TAFE for any Queenslander under 25. Enabling businesses to take on an apprentice chef, a hospitality trainee or a business trainee without having to pay for their training.
We want to support licensees to have the confidence to be able to take on more staff and make sure you have the skilled workers to continue to grow your industry.
After what was a very tough year for the industry, I want to thank all of you for your tremendous efforts in keeping your patrons safe. Because of this, our clubs have been able to open sooner and get back to business.