Business
7 May, 2025
Out-of-date road closure information hurting the Gulf
Industry leaders are baffled at the slow response of the state government to update its websites.
The head of tourism in the Gulf says the state’s reporting of road conditions is so consistently inaccurate that he tells travellers to bypass government websites in favour of information provided on individual council websites and social media channels.
Gulf Savannah Development CEO Neil O’Brien said there could be several weeks difference between when a state or council road is opened and when the state government updated its own websites.
“I don’t understand why it is so hard for the state government to have up-to-date and accurate information on their websites when the councils have the same information already available in their road reports,” he said.
“It can be weeks difference because the state government has its own verification processes and there seems to be multiple levels to that process. I keep being told behind the scenes that this can be easily fixed, but clearly that is not the case because it is not improving.”
Gulf councils and tourism operators say they are facing another tough season following the recent wet weather.
As previously reported, they say inaccurate road reporting is adding to the woes and driving travellers from the Gulf.
Within days of North West Weekly reporting on this issue, the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) quickly responded by updating its road condition information around the Gulf.
Mr O’Brien said it was impossible to gauge how many tourists the region was losing due to wrong information on websites because many travellers made their decision to avoid the Gulf before contacting any local tourism businesses.
“Businesses in another state or in another location in Queensland will search online and read on the state government website that a road is closed,” he said.
“The tourist then immediately changes their travel plans, and we don’t get the visitation and the expenditure, and our regional economy suffers.
“And this can all happen even though the council road report will have said the road has been open for weeks.”
Mr O’Brien said his organisation, as well as local councils and small businesses, had repeatedly raised their concerns to state government.
“We have sent letters and emails and raised this in meetings, and we are raising it all yet again,” he told North West Weekly.
“The information flow has to be better – there has to be a more streamlined way to report and update current information.”
A Department of Transport and Main Roads spokesperson defended their reporting arrangements, claiming the state government operated a de-centralised model for maintaining road condition updates.
“Road Maintenance Performance Contract providers collect data for state-controlled roads and load it directly into TMR’s QLDTraffic traveller information system,” the spokesperson said.
“This is supported by TMR’s traffic management centre, which operates around the clock to coordinate and disseminate updates.
“TMR also partners with local governments on the information provided through QLDTraffic to provide a whole-of-network information source.”