Gold Coast light rail stage 4: Mayor gets a laugh at Palm Beach light rail critics' expense
“We know now it’s going to go straight down the highway – whether we stop at Palm Beach or not, that’s another question.”
Gold Coast
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THE controversial light rail extension has become the butt of a joke, with Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate appearing to take a subtle swipe at vocal critics from Palm Beach.
The Reimagine Gold Coast business forum erupted in laughter yesterday when Cr Tate spoke of the fate of the light rail stage four and whether it would carve a path through the beachside suburb.
Cr Tate grinned as he addressed a crowd of industry leaders – after he was dubbed a “rockstar” by Moncrieff MP Angie Bell – and acknowledged consultation would have to be undertaken with the community.
Some residents of Palm Beach have been the most vocal critics of the light rail.
They have repeatedly raised concerns the extension would disrupt businesses, lead to overdevelopment, a loss of Palm Beach’s character and that it would increase crime.
But Cr Tate has described detractors as minority “keyboard warrior critics”, spoken of the light rail bypassing Palm Beach and called for light rail opponents to bring tomatoes “so I can catch them and throw them back at you”.
“There’s one thing we’ve got to do, is all these ideas, we’ve got to have outcomes otherwise we’re just going to go around in circles,” Cr Tate told the Reimagine Gold Coast forum on Thursday.
“So one of the outcomes (is) from the local level, that’s what we’ve got to do. The next level on advocacy (is) for state, then we’ve got to articulate that and then let’s branch it out and let’s hunt it as a pack.
“Let’s get out there and (say) ‘we want this, we want that’ – like light rail Stage 4 for instance.
“We know now it’s going to go straight down the highway – whether we stop at Palm Beach or not, that’s another question.”
Most in the room chuckled as Cr Tate added with a smile: “There’s consultation, they say, so we’ll do that.”
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He said “we know we’ve got to get to the airport in Coolangatta”.
The mayor seemed to enjoy the reaction he drew by raising the heated light rail debate in front of a supportive crowd.
Earlier, City Heart Taskforce chair Ms Bell gave a glowing introduction of Cr Tate
She said walking through the streets of the Gold Coast with the mayor after her election win “was like walking through the city with a rockstar” due to approaches from constituents.
In recent days, Transport Minister Mark Bailey doubled down on the importance of running the light rail extension along the Gold Coast Highway in a letter to the Bulletin.
“No other route is viable for light rail to be well patronised and tie in with other modes,” he said.
ORIGINAL: Mayor Tom Tate has come face-to-face with one of his staunchest critics.
But rather than have tomatoes thrown, as he challenged anti-light rail advocates to do in late July, they posed for a quirky selfie.
Nicolle Archer, who has challenged the proposal to extend the light rail south to Gold Coast Airport via Palm Beach, said her meeting with the Mayor on Wednesday morning was “serendipitous”
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“I was in Burleigh for a dental appointment and I saw the media set up at the pavilion. It was funny, I heard the voice and thought ‘I know who that voice belongs to,’ she said.
“I went and asked if I could get a selfie and he was quite friendly. He wasn’t rude at all.
“I have to admire him - he suggested we hand my phone to someone to take the photo to adhere to COVID-safe precautions.
“Someone kindly took our photo.”
Cr Tate was in Burleigh Heads to inspect sand replenishment works.
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The Gold Coast Mayor in July urged robust debate between “keyboard warrior” critics and the entire city as it maps out a preferred route for the final stage of the trams from Burleigh Heads to Gold Coast Airport.
His call for the anti-light rail movement to bring tomatoes – “so I can catch them and throw them back at you” – has divided residents.
The chance meeting came just a day after Ms Archer had suggested she would get along with the Mayor on his own Facebook page.
“I’d love to have a cuppa and chat with you, Mayor Tom Tate, any time btw. If we met, we’d probably shock ourselves and get along like a house on fire,” she wrote on Tuesday.
“Just don’t throw any produce at me please.”
Originally published as Gold Coast light rail stage 4: Mayor gets a laugh at Palm Beach light rail critics' expense