Sunshine Coast mass transit planning revealed as ‘messaging’ concerns emerged over coastal hazards

“Messaging” over potential coastal hazard concerns for mass transit infrastructure was among the issues raised in light rail planning since 2018.

Sunshine Coast Council Mayor Mark Jamieson and councillor Rick Baberowski announced the start of community consultation for the Mass Transit Plan Options Analysis.

Questions about community engagement, “messaging” around coastal hazards and the need to drum up state government support for light rail was on the agenda of a select group of bureaucrats and elected officials.

The Sunshine Coast Light Rail Cross Group Working Team, which later became the Sunshine Coast Mass Transit Cross Group Working Team, had been planning mass transit solutions since mid-2018.

Documents released as part of a recent Right to Information request granted to the Mass Transit Action Group show Mayor Mark Jamieson had been tasked in August, 2018, to raise with the Deputy Premier the need for “state support for light rail” at an upcoming meeting.

In September, 2020, the working group made up of Sunshine Coast Council bureaucrats and councillors and Department of Transport and Main Roads executives, sought to “bring the community and stakeholders on the journey”.

“There is a need to work back through all the previous options work so we can show that we have considered all options and perhaps leave the preferred options open for consideration,” the meeting notes read.

“After the Line in the Sand recommendations in 2012 council gravitated towards light rail but perhaps that could remain open for the options phase.”

The notes show Mr Jamieson “agreed with the approach but confirmed his view that we should demonstrate a clear preferred option in the Options Analysis report”.

The idea of using “community champions to support urban renewal” was also raised for consideration in communication strategy discussions.

Minutes from one meeting in January, 2019, show the Sunshine Coast Mass Transit Project would seek more than $100m of federal funding, triggering an Infrastructure Australia review.

“IA (Infrastructure Australia) wants to be sure that council is committed to land use change and urban renewal, and it was made clear by Sunshine Coast Council officers on the day that this is the case,” the working group meeting notes read.

It was also noted that council’s consultant PricewaterhouseCoopers was supportive of the strategic business case findings, but Infrastructure Australia had asked for the “preferred staging to be checked to ensure the stage from Maroochydore to Kawana should be done first”.

Included in the documents released were versions of the special meeting report which was to go to councillors in August, 2020, to present to them on the community engagement plan which would ultimately help guide the draft preliminary business case and options analysis.

Tracked changes to the report included in the Right to Information release showed some council executives were unsure about wording of some sections, including about community engagement informing the council’s consideration of the draft options analysis.

Sunshine Coast Councillors were provided an update on the Sunshine Coast Mass Transit Plan on August 27, 2020.

“This assumes we are consulting the community and then seeking council endorsement of the Options Analysis as the basis for it being provided to the state,” the suggested changes to the report read.

“Should we say the bit highlighted unless and until we’re clearer about how we are going to proceed?”

The inclusion of the issue of coastal hazards adaptation in the report was also queried, as the first stage of the proposed project was set to “traverse the coastal corridor from Maroochydore to Sunshine Coast University Hospital, an area subject to possible coastal hazards”.

Executives suggested to council staff there was a “need to consider the messaging associated with this reference and the positive outcome that can be achieved to plan for mass transit solutions alongside better understanding constraints”.

“One could easily misrepresent this reference and ask why are you placing mass transit infrastructure in an area potentially subject to coastal hazards,” the suggested changes read.

Mass Transit Action Group member John Malloy, a retired engineer who analysed business cases of coal and energy projects worth more than $500m, said he felt there had been a preconceived outcome in the entire process.

He said it was difficult to get the full picture with so many pages redacted in the Right to Information release, but the handling of issues like community engagement and coastal hazards had raised questions.

Sunshine Coast Councillor Joe Natoli, left, Mass Transit Action Group founder Tracey Goodwin-McDonald and Kawana MP Jarrod Bleijie pushed for more consultation.

“Why are you going along the shorefront when there’s no evidence of any congestion (along the shorefront) … there’s not even a destination there,” Mr Malloy said.

He questioned what he considered a lack of quality assurance from the council’s perspective to show the options analysis was going to be independent, particularly given PricewaterhouseCoopers had already outlined its commitment to light rail.

“It doesn’t pass the pub test,” Mr Malloy said.

A council spokeswoman said the options analysis phase was considering a “wide range of mass transit options”.

“Council appointed an independent consultant with suitable expertise to assist with the development of the draft Mass Transit Options Analysis Report,” the spokeswoman said.

“The options considered in the draft Mass Transit Options Analysis Report range from bus network upgrades to a quality bus corridor to bus rapid transit, trackless trams, light rail transit and more.”

She said all options were being considered and council did not have a predetermined outcome, with community feedback to be examined and analyses over “the months ahead”.