Transport Minister Mark Bailey shares criticism of city MPs Michael Hart, Karen Andrews

Queensland Transport Minister Mark Bailey has not held back in criticism of city MPs Michael Hart, Karen Andrews and attendees of a southern light rail meeting. Read his spray

In 2020, for the first time in a century, our state borders were closed temporarily to save lives until people could get vaccinated.

In 2023, life has returned to normal with a surge of new Queenslanders flocking across the border at a rate of 2000 peoplea week - nearly 300 new residents every day.

A solid chunk of those interstate migrants understandably are moving to the Gold Coast and why wouldn’t they? Beaches, warmth,sunshine, greenery… it’s paradise for so many.

No-one today is going to shut borders to stop them so the question is how do we manage the inevitable pressure this populationgrowth brings to a booming Gold Coast?

As a Gold Coast born lad, I remember when the Gold Coast was still pretty sleepy and relatively undiscovered but those daysare now long gone and no-one can bring them back. Anyone who says they can is pulling your leg.

Queensland Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey speaks during a press conference. Picture: Dan Peled / NCA NewsWire

The biggest risk to the Gold Coast as our second largest city in Queensland and sixth largest in the nation is similar tomany cities… grinding to a halt via gridlock if nothing changes and everyone drives the car all the time. Gridlock guaranteed.

Turning the Gold Coast into LA with wider and wider roads just isn’t the solution so we have no choice than to build a betterpublic transport network to provide genuine travel choice and get a high enough proportion of people out of their cars toavoid gridlock.

That’s what light rail is well designed for. Worldwide we see a lot more people switching to public transport with light railthan any other mode with turn up as you go services.

More than 69 million trips have happened to date on the first two stages on the Gold Coast and once the eight new stationsopen to Burleigh those numbers will escalate.

Of course, like anything, while the majority of people support light rail on the Gold Coast, not everyone loves light railand that isn’t surprising.

A recent meeting to rally people who have fears about light rail or oppose it was run by local LNP veteran MPs Michael Hartand Karen Andrews and promoted by Laura Gerber who couldn’t get there.

MP Michael Hart. Picture: Tertius Pickard

I had a previous commitment to be in Perth that night at a meeting of national Road Safety Ministers but seeing what occurredI have no regrets at all not being there.

Why?

Firstly the meeting was not run fairly - accurate information was often not presented and intimidation and abuse occurredwhen a pro light rail supporter voiced their support who was told to shut up and leave.

After that, the pro light rail members in the audience were understandably not game to speak up or they would get the sametreatment.

A guarantee by me as Minister for Transport and Mayor Tom Tate that two lanes of traffic would be maintained in both directionsthrough Palm Beach post light rail opening was not communicated to the audience by Mr Hart, Ms Andrews or anti light railactivists.

The fact multiple rounds of consultation had occurred and were actually extended by the state government at the request ofMr Hart was not shared with the meeting attendees.

Ms Gerber supported light rail before her election and now opposes it. Mr Hart wants it to go inland from Burleigh along aroute that goes past almost no residents and Ms Andrews first supported light rail, then opposed it along the Gold Coast Highwaybefore the election. Now her third position is to terminate it at Burleigh which denies access to the system for tens of thousandsof people.

MacPherson MP Karen Andrews announces her retirement from politics outside The Pines shopping centre in Elanora on April 18, 2023. Picture: Lea Emery

Change is always difficult but doing nothing or putting light rail on routes no one would use at twice the public cost ofa longer route and would prevent heavy rail every getting to the airport permanently as proposed by Mr Hart is diabolicallyinsane and is not the answer to population growth on the Gold Coast.

The Palaszczuk Government and I have only one plan for transport on the southern Gold Coast and it is the only one that makesshort, medium and long term sense for this and future generations.

M1 upgrades to take traffic off the the Gold Coast Highway, heavy rail from Varsity Lakes to the Airport via Elanora (planninghappening on that right now) and light rail along the fastest most logical route past the most residents with the minimumdisruption of all possibilities and converging with heavy rail at the airport on the way to going to Coolangatta.

End of the line, but not for long. The site of the light rail work camp for next stage, just south of the Pacific Fair station. Picture Glenn Hampson

All modes and infrastructure need to be co-ordinated and to work together to prevent future traffic gridlock and I urge anyoneinterested in the future to look close at the state government’s plans and compare them to the political posturing of theunreliable LNP MPs who keep changing their views and whose ideas are unworkable as well as the the NIMBY approach of key anti-lightrail activists.

My childhood sleepy Gold Coast days going to Broadbeach State School are long gone and will never come back.

However the Gold Coast is a great city and it needs to continue to be a great city in its own right which wont be achievedwith our heads buried in the sand dunes.

The only way to do that is investing in the smart infrastructure that great cities use to move people around efficiently.

Originally published as Transport Minister Mark Bailey shares criticism of city MPs Michael Hart, Karen Andrews