Global Tourism hub and Gold Coast second casino: What residents think

A new poll has revealed for the first time what Gold Coast residents think of plans for a second casino as city leaders prepare to vote on supporting the project.

GOLD Coast City councillors are divided about whether the city's second casino should be built on public or private land.

They will vote at a full council meeting today to continue their support for the global tourism hub, but at least four councillors are coy about the State Government putting up Crown land.

The split coincides with a ReachTel poll, commissioned by Clubs Queensland, which found 68 per cent of the 1250 people surveyed did not want another casino or additional poker machines as part of the integrated resort.

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Aerial view of Carey Park at Southport, an area proposed for a new casino for the Gold Coast. Picture Glenn Hampson.

About 83 per cent opposed a casino on public land at the Carey Park car park at Southport between Australia Fair and the Broadwater Parklands.

The issue is expected to spark debate at council today after three councillors last week supported a motion for the casino to be “on privately owned land”.

Councillors William Owen-Jones, Glenn Tozer and Peter Young were outnumbered at the planning committee vote by committee chair Cameron Caldwell, Paul Taylor, Gail O’Neill, Gary Baildon and Hermann Vorster.

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Southport-based veteran councillor Dawn Crichlow said yesterday she intended to ask councillors today to back the existing policy of not allowing a tourism hub on Crown land.

Council voted last October to write to the Government to indicate its support for a casino on privately owned land, but not the public-owned Southport site

“There should be no integrated resort development on public land. End of story,” Cr Crichlow said yesterday.

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The Star Entertainment Group has released its $2B masterplan

Club Queensland communications and government relations manager Laura Bos questioned why the Government was continuing to spend taxpayer money to test community sentiment on a second casino when it was “so strongly opposed” to it.

Former Cr Eddy Sarroff and residents of Southport who are against the casino being developed in Southport. Photo: Steve Holland.

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“The Gold Coast neither wants, nor needs, this type of development. So why keep pushing it?”

Clubs Queensland, which represents 1100 community clubs, predicts a second casino operating alongside The Star Gold Coast would result in about 30 clubs closing their doors, Ms Bos said.

“And those club closures are just on the Gold Coast. The competition between three casinos will affect over 330 community clubs in the southeast corner. That represents 1.6 million members and some 10,000 jobs.”