300 jobs at risk, protest flotilla looms after Brisbane marina eviction order
The State Government has been accused of putting hundreds of jobs at river-based businesses at risk after commercial boat operators were told they will be evicted from an inner-Brisbane marina.
South West
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Eleven commercial boat operators who have been ordered to leave Brisbane’s Dockside marina by March 4 are considering a flotilla blockade to save the livelihoods of up to 200 to 300 employees.
The Department of Resources (DoR) eviction threatens the future of popular businesses including a GoBoat hire outlet, Brisvegas Cruises, JetSki Brisbane, Aquarius Charters, the Lady Brisbane and boat-based seafood venue Prawnster.
The marina is also used by visiting cruise boats, including the huge Gold Coast-based YOT Club catamaran.
Furious owners say they are the victim of spurious noise complaints from some body corporates and residents of the adjoining Dockside high-rise precinct, who were using that as an excuse to force them out.
Despite making little noise, the body corporate asked DoR to invoke 30-year-old conditions of the marina seabed lease, which does not permit commercial operators to tie up.
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner on Thursday morning weighed into the issue, calling it “bureaucracy gone bonkers’’.
Council has poured millions into half a dozen “river hub’’ recreational pontoons, CityCats and ferry terminal upgrades, heavily advertised GoBoat, and Cr Schrinner has also taken on the government over efforts to clean up the river ahead of the 2032 Olympics.
“This isn’t bureaucracy gone mad, this is bureaucracy gone absolutely bonkers,’’ he said.
“With this kind of attitude, Brisbane is at risk of being a river city without any river businesses.
“It’s like Covid put these tourism businesses in a coma and just as they’re about to be emerge the State Government’s bureaucrats have come along wanting to finish them off.
“I’m keen to get both sides together to help broker an agreement if that’s what it’s going to take to get a sensible solution.’’
Aquarius owner Wayne Miller said they would be happy to leave, but had nowhere else to go on the river.
He said operators were now considering a flotilla blockade to raise awareness of their plight.
“A small number of people in those apartments are jumping up and down and don’t want commercial vessels,’’ Mr Miller said.
“There’s a lot of money (in berthing fees) that will be lost and a lot of jobs — I have six to seven staff on my books, some of who have been with me so long I’ve put them through university.
“The bigger boats can have 15 to 20 staff. All up there will soon be 300 staff looking for another job.
“I’ve been here from the start, 17 years. We have no functions at the marina and don’t even have passengers getting on or off, we do that elsewhere.’’
A spokesman for Natural Resources Minister Scott Stewart said work was “under way across government’’ to help businesses operating from the marina to identify alternative mooring for their vessels.
“The marina lease is very close to a residential area,’’ they said in a statement.
“There have been numerous complaints from nearby residents, as well as other marina tenants.
“The Department has been pursuing this issue with the Dockside marina lessee for some time, and notified the lessee last week that he has 28 days to stop all commercial operations at the marina.
“The lessee is allowing commercial operations at Dockside which is against the conditions of its lease.
“The Government recognises the contribution these businesses make to Brisbane’s visitor and night-time economy.
“However, lessees are required to meet the conditions on their leases.’’
Brisvegas owner Barrie Coonan, who runs the James Cavill and Lady In Red cruise boats, said commercial boat operators had been “pushed from pillar to post’’ for years.
Boats including The Island and the Brisbane Paddlewheeler previously tied up at North Quay in the CBD, but were then asked to move to Howard Smith Wharves at Kangaroo Point, he said.
They then had to move back to North Quay before works for the new casino meant they were offered a deal by the State Government to move to Dockside, Mr Coonan claimed.
“In 2016 the government came to see us because of the casino development,’’ Mr Coonan said.
“I was paid to transition to Dockside, because the rent was so much more than North Quay, and another boat went to Riverlife (also at Kangaroo Point).
“We were told at the time that profits from the casino development would be used to pay for a dedicated commercial marina, but that never happened.’’
Dockside marina is owned and operated separately from the Stradbroke Tower and Villas body corporate, which wrote to its residents on Wednesday to inform them that it had been working with the other six buildings in the Dockside precinct to address the lease breach.
The marina operator could not be contacted for comment. Stradbroke body corporate was approached for comment.
However, commercial tenants said they were happy with the marina operator’s maintenance and management.
The Stradbroke email, signed by chairman Bob Braid, said they had been going through legal channels after becoming aware the marina lease allowed only private moorings.
There are 76 berths at the marina, 11 of which are currently used by commercial operators and the rest by private yacht or houseboat owners, many of whom live there.
“There is a suggestion by supporters of the lessee (marina operator) that a single clause be changed allowing commercial operation,’’ the email read.
“This would not address the myriad of issues ranging from waste management, toilet facilities, parking, noise, public access etc that prevent this from being a commercial operation.
“We need to keep the pressure on to prevent this becoming a commercial operation.’’
The email also said Dockside had engaged a public relations company.
Mr Miller and Mr Coonan both said noise was not an issue with commercial operators and in fact most noise in the precinct came from the Dockside hotel, a lawn that was used for private functions, renovations at the hundreds of units and noise from parties held by unit owners and renters.
The marina had a toilet and laundry for boat owners, most of whom did not require and nor did many of the commercial customers who walked to the site.
Mr Miller said there was an easement running along the dry dock which was for the use of the marina, but over the years Dockside body corporates had installed bollards, landscaping and a wall which blocked access by emergency vehicles.
Shadow LNP Natural Resources Minister, Pat Weir, has also met boat operators accused the department of negligence in managing the seabed lease which now was putting struggling tourism and hospitality businesses at risk.
“Your Department’s eviction notice adds insult to injury at a time business confidence is already at the lowest levels since the start of the pandemic,’’ he said in a letter to Minister Scott Stewart.
Prawnsters CEO, Martin Brennan said he won’t be leaving the Brisbane marina.
“I don’t think anything will change come the fourth of March, the wheels will keep turning but we and literally all the other operators have nowhere to go,” Mr Brennan said.
“I’m going to stay there and keep trading.
“If they block us out I’ll kick the gate down and keep trading and when they say move your boat I’ll say where.”
Mr Brennan said the decision to move 20 commercially operated boats elsewhere didn’t make sense.
“These businesses on the water should flourish as we head towards the Olympics in ten years, these are the people that can build our river city as we go forward,” he said.
“To euthanize them as they come out of the worst two years in the history of tourism … that’s insanity.”
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