Controversial Springbrook cableway plan could cost ratepayers millions before it even begins
The proposed hinterland cableway has been put to a council vote, with the project’s budget undergoing a significant change as a result.
Gold Coast City Council will push ahead with further studies for the controversial cableway but at a fraction of the cost.
Councillors were asked to contribute $1.1m towards a business case at its ordinary meeting on Tuesday but instead agreed to use only $400,000 of its remaining capital allocation.
Mayor Tom Tate said the decision meant the project would be taken a step further.
But he shrugged off suggestions longer term studies could cost $20 million.
“No, somebody pulled it (the figure) out somewhere and it is not realistic,” he said.
The spend will allow officers to do an options analysis, work on a preferred route and conduct some community consultation including those leaders in First Nations.
Mr Tate said Indigenous politics was complicated and both major representative groups in the City should be consulted.
Proposed routes for the gondola include Mount Tamborine and Springbrook.
Asked if he had a choice between Springbrook and Tamborine as a location, he replied: “I’d take Springbrook. Looking at it, for me it’s a lot more that I want to see. There’s Purlingbrook (Falls). I think Springbrook has more opportunity for a scientific base there, a cafe there. There’s a lot of things to do there and relax before you take a trip back down.”
Respect Springbrook Mountain Coalition leader Lois Levy said the decision was a victory given the ratepayer bill was significantly reduced.
“I feel that the councillors themselves are a lot more aware of what the issues are as a result of our advocacy in that area,” she said.
Ms Levy said she had spoken to a First Nations leader in the gallery who indicated most Indigenous people did not support a cableway to Springbrook.
“It’s a win in that they are starting to think about what the actual costs, and not prepared to commit any further ratepayer money on what really is a project that won’t get through in the end,” she said.
City chief executive Tim Baker and senior officers, when asked by councillors, said the state government had declined a 50-50 funded joint working group due to conflict of interests, but its attitude was one of “assistance and help”.
It’s understood around 20 proponents worldwide would be interested in the project, with four in Australia approaching the City.
A council report indicated the proposed hinterland cableway could be built before 2032 and take advantage of the push for nature-based tourism in the lead-up to the Olympics.
“The business case, if approved to be done by council, would be completed by June 2029,” the officer, in his report to council, wrote.
“Whilst having no direct alignment with the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, if this facility was in operation at this time and considered alongside the enhanced nature based tourism offerings, the economic impact for the Gold Coast might receive a considerable uplift.”
Councillors who voted against the cableway recommendation included Peter Young, Donna Gates, Josh Martin, Glenn Tozer and Nick Marshall.
Cableway could be built before 2032 Olympics
The proposed hinterland cableway can be built before 2032 and take advantage of the push for nature-based tourism in the lead-up to the Olympics, according to Gold Coast City Council officers.
Councillors will vote on whether to complete a business case for the project at the final meeting of the year on Tuesday.
Officers say it will require an additional $1.1 million will need to be approved in the 2026-27 budget.
“The business case, if approved to be done by council, would be completed by June 2029,” the officer, in his report to council, wrote.
“Whilst having no direct alignment with the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, if this facility was in operation at this time and considered alongside the enhanced nature based tourism offerings, the economic impact for the Gold Coast might receive a considerable uplift.”
But the Respect Springbrook Mountain Coalition, which includes several peak environment groups, believes the long term costs are likely to be between $4.8 million to $11.7 million.
Several sources say there will not be eight votes on the chamber floor — at Tuesday’s meeting — to stop council from proceeding with business case studies.
The business case strategy is hoped to be finalised this month with development and scope for the case’s advisor sorted between January 2026 to April 2026.
Preferred routes and community and First Nations consultation is to be done between April 2026 to April 2027.
Respect Springbrook Mountain Coalition spokeswoman Lois Levy said the group estimated the costs of de-risking to be “between $4.8 million and $11.7 million” based on professional advice.
“There is no doubt councillors will need to consider funding well beyond $1.1 million to de-risk the approvals process for commercial proponents. And there’s still no guarantee a cableway project will get approved,” she said.
The process of de-risking would take several years and include seasonal wildlife surveys,
cultural heritage assessments, geotechnical investigations, fire and natural hazard risk checks
along with social-impact research.
“A thorough environment impact assessment would take at least 18 months and if it’s deemed inadequate more studies could be required,” Ms Levy said.
Councillor Glenn Tozer said he suspected the ask for $1.1 million would cover the costs of a dedicated City officer.
“While I’m not personally supportive — for a variety of cogent reasons — I don’t think the work on a cableway could be considered an expensive black hole,” Mr Tozer said, referring to comments by environmental leaders.
“The project has been in our Destination Tourism Management Plan for many years now and the Mayor has been re-elected several times while clearly including the project in his priorities, as well as council resolving to advance it on several occasions as well.”
City could face up to $4m bill for cableway project approvals
Ratepayers are facing a potential $4m bill if the City goes it alone and secures approvals for the cableway project before selling it off to a proponent, environmental consultants warn.
City councillors are at a crossroads, with a full council meeting on Tuesday to vote on an officer recommendation to progress a conceptual design and business case for the project.
Mayor Tom Tate believes there is “general community support” for a cableway and First Nations people are likely to partner the city in the project.
Officers in an updated report are recommending $1.1m to be included in the 2026-27 budget development but consultants say that cost will blow out across the next three years.
“There will be a conversation about proponents, a decision about how we continue to de-risk the project,” a City source said.
“Council could go it alone, does all that work and sells it to one of the proponents and makes money.”
But councillors would need to be convinced there is federal support for the project, in Springbrook’s World Heritage-listed area, because failure would waste ratepayer money.
Consultants say it is an “expensive task” and the only way to de-risk the project will be to secure full environmental approvals under the Federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act and await a government review.
“If it is a full EPBC submission and community engagement and all other aspects to reduce risk it would be far more than $1m and probably $3m to $4m to engage a private planning firm,” a leading consultant said.
The City will need to commission a World Heritage Impact Assessment (WHIA) and demonstrate the cableway avoids unacceptable impact and can be built outside the heritage area, the consultant says.
“You would avoid the risk of a late stage federal veto, which is the most likely point of failure,” the consultant said.
Speculation about the future cableway development pathway has been sparked by a state government response to questions by the Labor opposition.
Tourism Minister Andrew Powell’s responses indicated the state government was at arm’s length to the project.
“Investigations into the Springbrook Cableway concept are being progressed by the City of Gold Coast. As such, this is currently a matter for the City of Gold Coast. No project has been formally submitted to the Queensland Government,” he said.
The City cableway report reveals discussions with state bureaucrats where they rejected council’s recent bid to develop a Memorandum of Understanding for the project.
Council officers said this “may potentially compromise the state’s ability to approve a proposal, noting that there could be a conflict of interest if the state were both working on the proposal and approving it”.
The update said City officers were aware of four Australian-based consortia who have proactively expressed their interest in a Springbrook cableway concept.
“Recent high-level market sounding research undertaken by the City indicates that there are likely to be further proponents, particularly from the international market,” officers said.
It is understood none of the consortia appear willing to fund money to de-risk the project.
Hinterland-based councillor Glenn Tozer said the City of Gold Coast was the only cableway proponent advocating for the project.
“I mean, why would the state say they want to lead if the council is willing to pay the costs of getting through a development application process,” he said.
“At this point, I haven’t been persuaded by the concept and believe the challenges and detrimental impact on the environment, the community and the drinking water supply outweigh any possible economic advantage.
“I remain pretty focused on deliverable nature-based tourism projects in Division 9.”
Gecko campaigner Lois Levy said the Respect Springbrook Mountain (RSM) coalition would “very unhappy” if the debate was moved into closed session.
The item is listed in open session but councillors could go into closed for commercial reasons.
Ms Levy said she had recently written to all councillors again asking for information on what was happening with the investigation and “de-risking”.
“I received one response from Councillor Brooke Patterson who advised she had not received any information on its progress, so it seems our councillors are being kept in the dark like the community,” Ms Levy said.
More Coverage
Originally published as Controversial Springbrook cableway plan could cost ratepayers millions before it even begins
Dramatic arrest after double shooting near NSW border
