Today Gecko-Gold Coast and Hinterland Environment Council Inc ( Gecko) will send their petition to the State Government which opposes the Broadwater Marine Project for a cruise terminal and integrated resort development. The hard copy version of the petition has 6090 signatures and this, combined with the electronic Charge.Org version (3918 signatures) on the Save Our Spit website, brings the total number of Gold Coast opposed to the cruise ship development to over 10,000.
Lois Levy, Gecko’s Campaign Coordinator said “There is no way the State Government or Mayor Tate and his Council can pretend they have major support for the cruise terminal. 10,000 people who took the time to sign the petition is a lot of people and their opinion and concerns should not be ignored by the Government.” This reinforces the previous wave of public opposition to the earlier cruise ship terminal proposal in 2003. How many times are Gold Coast residents expected to defend their public open space from private development?
It is expected that Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney will make an announcement next week about the fate of the Broadwater Marine Project and Gecko expects that this petition, in addition to the Government’s own comments about the major problems with the project, will see the end of a cruise terminal in the Broadwater.
Lois said. “We still have concerns that the Government may go ahead and approve a casino integrated resort for Wavebreak Island and/or The Spit, even if they reject the cruise ship terminal component of the proposal. We strongly oppose any development on the 75 hectares of public open space in the Broadwater.”
The petition demonstrates that it is the will of many thousands of Gold Coasters that the Broadwater and its foreshores, including Wavebreak Island and The Spit, should remain as public open space, providing essential recreational space for the growing population and support for relevant businesses. The public open space has been valued at $818 million dollars and the existing economic benefit of the Broadwater is valued at $4.16 billion to current businesses (Urbis Report 2012).
The Petition reads:-
Petition Queensland Government
The Honourable Speaker and members of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland.
The petition of the citizens and residents of the State of Queensland draws to the attention of the House to
Their concerns about the environmental, social and economic impacts of a proposal for a cruise terminal, hotels, casino etc in the Broadwater and coastal areas as proposed by Gold Coast City Council Mayor Tate and other development companies. Objections to these development proposals include:-
The handing over of public open space in the Broadwater and coastal areas for private benefit, the impact of massive dredging and construction on the marine and foreshore environment, loss of biodiversity and pollution, impact on sand movements from south to north, the impact on existing diving, fishing, surfing and tourism businesses using the coastal areas, increased traffic in a congested road system, cost to ratepayers and taxpayers for ongoing dredging and maintenance, the lack of credibility of economic benefits, and failure to consider the impacts of climate change.
Your petitioners therefore request that the State Government advise the Gold Coast City Council to recognise the massive negative economic, social and environmental impacts of the proposed terminal project and discontinue investigations into any shipping terminal developments along the Gold Coast and instead promote the Broadwater and other coastal areas as essential recreational assets for the City.
Principal Petitioner: Lois Levy
Gecko-Gold Coast and Hinterland Environment Council Assoc. Inc. 139 Duringan St, Currumbin. 4223.
We have requested the Government to give full weight to the opinions of Queensland residents and visitors in making the correct decision on the future of the Broadwater and its foreshores, and refuse any development in the Broadwater.
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