City Planning Amendments Again! Round 4 of the latest version of the Amendments to the City Plan are out and there is an opportunity to make a submission by Thursday 8th April by email to cityplansubmissions@goldcoast.qld.gov.au or on online gchaveyoursay.com.au/ourcityourplan Gecko has put together a submission which you can find on our home page of the website www.gecko.org.au You are welcome to use any of the information from this submission or all of it or you can simply write and say you endorse the Gecko submission. More submissions tell Council the residents are watching what is happening in planning for our city’s future.

“The platypus is one of the most unique species in the world,” says Emily Vincent of environmental organisation Watergum, who will be Gecko’s guest speaker. The egg-laying mammal is endemic to the east coast of Australia, including Tasmania, populating our freshwater creeks and waterways. Gecko Talks 24th March in Currumbin RSL - see www.cecko.org.au for details

2.5 Hours on Tuesday mornings and 2.5 hours on Friday mornings (7am – 9:30am). Immediate start with a two week trial period. $30/per hour. Skills required:- Meticulous and efficient cleaning skills with high attention to detail. - Ability to work alone. - Must have their own ABN to start. - Must be able to provide references working as a cleaner.

Maria, who is the Education Coordinator for Bats Queensland (and who is also a Law Professor at Bond University), will speak at Gecko Talks on February 24th at Currumbin RSL. The bat enthusiast will shine her light on the supposed role of bats in the spread of Covid-19. “It is because different species of animals were crammed together in the wet market in Wuhan, that transmission could take place. Although bats cannot transmit Covid-19 directly to humans, we must be mindful that habitats are shrinking, which means that species that normally would not interact in the wild are more likely to do so, thereby increasing the probability of intra species viral transmission.. One more reason to give animals the space they need.” 24th February 6.45pm Currumbin RSL. Book in through www.gecko.org.au

The City of Gold Coast Council is once again proposing a cableway from Mudgeeraba to Springbrook National Park and have commissioned a feasibility study which will be presented to Councillors in February. Gecko is extremely concerned that this proposal has been raised again as the Government report in 2000 clearly stated the reasons it should not proceed.

The Spit continues to be very popular with residents and visitors as a place to relax and recreate especially in the challenging year that was 2020. Its value to the Gold Coast community cannot be disputed as the public sought to enjoy our green and blue recreational areas. The commitment of so many in the community since 2003 to protecting The Spit has been justified over and over again and they will continue to watch over it during the implementation of the Master Plan and beyond. There are many positive happenings on The Spit, but still some issues that require on going advocacy and vigilance. The positives are the projects relating to the adopted Master Plan and issues relate to the cruise terminal in Phillip Park and helicopter flights.

Gecko has coordinated Clean Up Australia Day on the Gold Coast together with City of Gold Coast for over two decades. The general community, schools and businesses are encouraged to get involved before, during and after this inspirational annual event. How to get involved during the event 1) Register a clean up site at Clean Up Australia Day website. This can be any area you think is in need of a clean up; a neighbouring street, a park across the road from work or maybe the grassy strip along your morning walk. If you have any problems registering or choosing a site, get in touch with our Clean Up team at Gecko and we will help you. See gecko.org.au/events/clean up Australia

The main campaign to save Black Swan Lake at Bundall reached a successful conclusion late in 2020 when Council voted to retain the remaining 20% of the lake for wildlife and community benefit. However the future management of the Lake remains undecided.

This is a proposed 4-6 lane highway with speeds up to 100km/h which will run roughly parallel to the east of the M1 and which is purported to remove 60,000 vehicles from the M1 and reduce congestion on the M1. However the end result will be 14 lanes of traffic from the Gold Coast to the Logan Motorway and no increase in public transport patronage. At present there is funding of $1.53 billion for Stage 1 only and the project will begin mid-year with the construction of the Coomera River Bridge. Stage 1 is from Nerang to Coomera. Public consultation is likely in the first half of 2021. See gecko.org.au/campaigns/biodiversity for full details.

Environmental campaigners and others active in the community often want to contact a Minister or Shadow Minister about their concerns, so Gecko has put together a list of the Government Ministers and their pair LNP Shadow Minister with all their contacts for you to use. We hope this is useful for you www.gecko.org.au