James Griffi n A Change in Manly

“I’m super optimistic about the future of our area post COVID. There’s a lot of activity happening and we aren’t letting up. I recently clocked up 4 years in the job. I’m fi red up and still delivering as much as I possibly can for the people of our area.” JAMES GRIFFIN MP

MANLY  FORCED TO CHANGE, ECONOMICALLY AND SOCIALLY.

ONE THING IS FOR SURE, MANLY AS A TOURIST AND BACKPACKING MECCA HAS HAD TO HAVE A SUBSTANTIAL SHIFT IN METHODOLOGY TO COME TO TERMS WITH THE POST COVID WORLD. BEACHES COVERED. SAT DOWN WITH JAMES GRIFFIN STATE MP FOR MANLY TO DISCUSS THE CHALLENGES AND ACTION PLANS THAT ARE BEING PUT INTO PLACE.

Good Morning James, Manly has taken a huge hit in terms of people being around. All the businesses that were formally supported by these tourists and backpackers are really hurting or simply vanished. What is the game plan moving forward in your view? I’m determined to ensure we extract some good from the terrible impact of COVID. COVID has reinforced how fragile our local economy is. It’s true, Manly has been the seaside playground for so long now and whole parts of Manly businesses are built around the 2.5 million or so tourists and backpackers that call Manly home. The challenge has been, these times are simply gone, the world has changed and moved on. It will come back in some regard, but when and at what level is anyone’s guess. I think the challenge is how Manly and the southern part of the Beaches become more than a place to hang out for leisure pursuits. We need to drive the competitiveness of innovation and have the Manly Village in particular turn into a business and activities hub.

What are some of the activities you have in the pipeline? The Manly Tourism Taskforce that I formed to help us navigate our way out of COVID has been hard at work. There’s a massive pipeline of never seen before events in Manly. Aqua Rugby is coming in the fi rst week of November. Tickets are on sale now. The North Head Concert Series tickets will be launched soon. And of course, the launch of B.A.D (Brookvale Arts District) is not far off to rejuvenate Brookvale. Not to mention construction having started on Australia’s fi rst Hospice for young adults on the old Manly Hospital site.

There are a lot of ‘For Lease’ signs up all over Manly. At what point do you think landlords will take a reality bite and come to terms that businesses simply can’t afford the high rents they were formally commanding? The opportunity we have in front of us is signifi cant. People simply aren’t aware that for the past decade, tourists visiting Manly have spent around 40% less in Manly than when they visited other areas of Sydney. For all the talk about retaining the Freshwater Ferries (we are keeping two), the facts are that Manly has been performing poorly as a tourism destination. That means we need to change the value proposition of Manly for visitors and also our brand. Brand Manly should refl ect the modern Manly and that includes new retailers and venues. I do fear the gap between rental returns for landlords and the reality of the market. However, we have an opportunity to work collectively to ensure the next chapter of our local economy is more resilient than it has ever been.

What’s your thoughts on the emergence of Brookvale as a contender to Manly as a preferred drinking/ dining nightspot? Brookvale is absolutely going nuts and that’s a good thing for Manly. In fact, it’s a good thing for the entire Northern Beaches. It’s time to embrace a 24 hour economy that creates jobs, fosters arts, culture, live performance, and Brookvale is the place to do it. I’ve been working closely with the team at B.A.D (Brookvale Arts District) and there’s a lot of excitement building on a whole variety of initiatives.

If there is another Major COVID outbreak in NSW, would you consider engaging the Q Station at North Head to be used as it had for 150 years as a suitable quarantine station? I hope we don’t have to encounter that situation. However, I think the Q Station are doing amazingly with their tourism bookings. In my view, the Commonwealth Government should be exploring the creation of standalone largescale purpose built quarantine facilities that would allow our hotels to get back to business as usual. The more we get vaccinated, the quicker we can open our borders.

Last question, were any family holidays in the Griffi n household taken in the COVID environment? Well, it was my Auntie’s 80th birthday recently and she lives in Noosa so we got up there for a few days. I even went for a surf. It was the fi rst time I’d been on a plane in a long time. That’s probably just as much due to having a 2.5 year old and an 11 month old as it has to do with COVID. But hey, we live in a holiday destination right!

Thanks James for your insights. We hope you enjoy Beaches COVERED.’s Winter Harmony issue. •

JAMES GRIFFIN MP  MEMBER FOR MANLY // FB & INSTA @JAMESGRIFFINMP // www.jamesgrif nmp.com