Cruise ship and casino bombshell from mayoral candidate

A candidate challenging Tom Tate for mayor has slammed the spending of ratepayers’ money on cruise ship terminal studies - instead proposing another way of getting tourists to the Coast.

MAYORAL candidate Mona Hecke says she will not support any more ratepayer funding of the offshore cruise ship terminal and remains opposed to a second casino on the Gold Coast.

The council is to spend $1.5 million on further CST studies after outlaying $500,000 last year for the offshore jetty at Philip Park at The Spit.

Gold Coast mayoral candidate Mona Hecke at her campaign launch at the Broadwater Parklands.

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“I think we all know the council has spent a lot of time and ratepayers’ money on feasibility studies for the cruise ship which have all come back that’s it’s not viable for the Gold Coast. I don’t intend to be spending another cent of ratepayers’ money on investigating a cruise ship terminal,” Ms Hecke said.

“I really believe we need to have a better relationship with our Brisbane partners (at their new port) and work on tourism component to get day-trippers down to the Gold Coast from the Brisbane terminal.”

When asked by the Bulletin about her policy on a second casino being built possibly on leased Crown land at Southport’s Carey Park, Ms Hecke said she was opposed to another casino at any location on the Coast.

“We already have a prominent casino who are investing billions into their expansion. As far as a global tourism hub goes, I really think Broadbeach should be declared the Gold Coast Tourism Hub.

Gold Coast mayoral candidate Mona Hecke at her media conference to announce she would be running in the 2020 campaign.

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“We have the convention centre which obviously needs expansion and hopefully we will get more funding from the State Government to do that.

“We have the casino and of course Pacific Fair. We have an integrated tourism hub already. I think it’s about time the State Government declared Broadbeach as the integrated tourism hub.”

Ms Hecke at her mayoral campaign launch today at the Broadwater Parklands was asked whether her policies tended towards the green side of politics but replied “not necessarily”.

She later detailed to the Bulletin how her campaign would remain independent like her previous forays into politics which included running second to Councillor Paul Taylor at Broadbeach in 2016 and challenging Mermaid Beach MP Ray Stevens a year later.

“I’ve never been affiliated with or associated with any political parties of any sort. Never have been and never will be. I think party politics doesn’t belong in local council,” she said.

“My entire campaign will be an grassroots campaign. And I will be relying on the generous support of the community to fund the campaign.

Mayoral candidate Mona Hecke taking selfies with supporters.

“The website is live now where people can go donate to the campaign. One hundred per cent of those funds will go towards what I need to run this campaign.”

Asked what budget she would contemplating, Ms Hecke replied “as much as possible”.

“I don’t want to put a figure on it. The more generous the community is the more I”ll be able to get my message out,” she said.

Reports after the 2016 poll show Mayor Tom Tate self funded his own campaign at a cost of $182,000. He secured 63.95 per cent of the vote.

“I don’t have that sort of money. I’ve even pulled back on my work obligations so I can concentrate completely on this campaign. I’m giving it 110 per cent,” she said.

Asked about Ms Hecke’s announcement of her candidacy today, Cr Tate said “democracy is a wonderful system and I welcome all candidates.”

Ms Hecke and small businessman Brett Lambert, who ran in 2016, are the only candidates to announce for the March 2020 poll other than Cr Tate.