Parliamentary petition against zipline proposal to close next week
A PETITION against a Brisbane zipline project has already gained close to 4000 signatures as opposition to the contentious project gains momentum. Now, there’s another way for those against – or in favour of – the project to voice their opinions.
South West
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NEARLY 4000 people have signed a petition opposing plans to build a zipline at Mt Coot-tha as Brisbane City Council prepares to stage information sessions on the plans.
Auchenflower resident Peter Hale started a parliamentary petition in June and has garnered 3872 signatures ahead of its closing date on October 15.
Council has also scheduled information sessions tomorrow to outline the controversial plan.
The petition to protect Mt Coot-tha Trust Lands from development says the community does not support any part of the proposed zipline complex.
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It asks that Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy Dr Anthony Lynham not approve any application for an additional purpose to allow any part of the proposed zipline complex to proceed.
Dr Hale, who is also president of the Mt Coot-tha Protection Alliance, said the response to the petition signalled that people are very concerned by council’s proposed ziplines development.
“People want Mt Coot-tha to stay as it is – a place where people can escape and enjoy nature for free. There are few places in the world that have such wonderful bushland so close to a big city,” he said.
“Why should a private developer be allowed to profit from the park and destroy the natural environment that makes Mt Coot-tha so special? The ziplines development will restrict public access to areas of the forest and ruin the tranquillity of walking trails, picnic spots and the Botanic Garden. Despite the council promoting the ziplines as a ‘done deal’, people are now realising what they stand to lose if this goes ahead. Mt Coot-tha has been a public park held in Trust for nearly 150 years and people want it kept intact for passive recreational use in a peaceful natural environment.”
Council will also run information sessions tomorrow at Wests Bulldogs Rugby Club at Toowong.
Council has advertised the “drop-in information kiosk” as an opportunity for the community to learn more about the Mt Coot-tha zipline project.
“Council’s aim for the project is to deliver a low impact, environmentally sensitive, world-class ecotourism zipline experience,” they said.
Residents can register online to attend the session, with a 10-15 minute appointment where they can speak one-on-one with a council officer.
No formal presentations will be given during the session.
Information sessions can be booked here or by calling 1800 669 416.
Dr Hale said his group wanted to know if the information session is part of a formal consultation process “or just a PR exercise”.
“If the kiosk is being held for consultation purposes, then council needs to be willing to answer some important questions about the true scope of this project’s planned infrastructure and how it plans to deal with important fauna such as the significant koala population in the park,” he said.
At the weekend, Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said the project would be the first of its kind in Australia.
It would feature a treetop canopy zipline of 1.2km as well as a separate 1.1km scenic zipline that travels from the summit of Mt Coot-tha into the Brisbane Botanic Gardens.
Find the zipline petition here
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