Gold Coast cableway: Council green light new study into project

Plans for a cableway in the Gold Coast Hinterland have been resurrected, with council backing a study into the controversial tourism proposal.

THE council is about to revisit one of the city’s most controversial projects — whether a cableway will work in the Gold Coast hinterland.

The Bulletin understands a proponent is yet to approach council or a route for a cableway discussed but councillors are supporting investigating the appeal of a new hinterland attraction.

At a planning committee meeting today, councillors endorsed a “a pre-feasibility assessment, funded from existing Budget Centre, to be undertaken for a Gold Coast Cableway project”.

The cableway had been included on a list of projects for an “economic investment portfolio” item which was to be discussed in closed session by councillors.

The list was not made public and the cableway only surfaced for discussion because hinterland-based councillor Glenn Tozer brought up a potential conflict of interest for Mayor Tom Tate, who arrived at the committee meeting.

Cr Tozer raised concerns about the relationship between Councillor Tate and his chief of staff Wayne Moran.

He believed the Mayor had a perceived conflict of interest because a “previous relationship existed between a proponent of the project and ... the mayor’s chief of staff”.

BUSINESS LEADERS BACK CABLEWAY PROPOSAL

The cableway being investigated by Gold Coast City Council would likely be similar to the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway at Cairns.

Mr Moran was a director of Naturelink Ltd between November 1998 and June 2001 which attempted to create a Skyrail similar to Cairns through Springbrook.

The project faced opposition from then State Government after a successful “no way cableway” protest campaign.

“If there is no conflict of interest that’s great but I think it needs to be interrogated,” Cr Tozer told the meeting.

Planning chair Councillor Cameron Caldwell said council was discussing a “concept” and there was no proponent.

Cr Tate told the committee: “I believe there is no nexus to any gain whatsoever for me. Discussions on this matter never occurred with staff.”

Cr Caldwell then moved a procedural motion which said “Councillor Tate does not have a conflict of interest in this matter because the nature of suggested conflict is remote, the Mayor has had no discussions with his Chief of Staff in relation to this matter and there is no proponent”.

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The motion was unanimously backed by councillors who went immediately into a closed session.

When councillors reopened the meeting, they had endorsed an “investment management approach” which would allow council officers to use new tools to look at an economic portfolio which included undisclosed projects.

But in open session the cableway was mentioned as one of the proposed developments.

The recommendation said councillors had endorsed a “a pre-feasibility assessment, funded from existing Budget Centre, to be undertaken for a Gold Coast Cableway project”.

Outside the meeting, Cr Caldwell said it was important to understand that councillors had not endorsed the list of projects, rather asked that officers review the portfolio and prepare a future report.

He confirmed there was no proponent or route for a cableway and that council was “investigating a concept” to determine if it would be a viable addition for the city.