Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate’s secret meetings about second casino in Southport

JUST 24 hours after ASF’s integrated resort for The Spit was rejected, a secret meeting was arranged between Mayor Tom Tate, his top bureaucrats and State Developments officers.

JUST 24 hours after the Palaszczuk Government abandoned The Spit integrated resort project, a secret meeting was arranged between Mayor Tom Tate, his top bureaucrats and State Developments officers.

Documents obtained by the Gold Coast Bulletin show draft maps were quickly drawn up for a new site on public land at Carey Park between Queen Street, Ada Bell Way and Marine Parade at Southport.

The meeting was held in the old Southport Chambers, on the second floor above veteran councillor Dawn Crichlow’s office. The city’s most important business is done here away from the Evandale chambers at Bundall.

The council was quick to act after the ASF proposal was scuttled.

Emails show the topic was David Edwards Discussion ASF/IRD The Spit — a reference to the leading State bureaucrat who had driven the agenda for the Broadwater cruise ship terminal and The Spit casino resort projects.

About three hours after Cr Tate had called for the meeting, council major projects manager Darren Scott organised for State Development Special Projects director Michael Farrell to meet the next day. “Good-O. See you then,” Mr Farrell wrote back.

Mr Scott had sent off the draft maps and asked State Development to “please provide any comment — feedback”.

The proposed second casino site around Carey and Queens Park in Southport

Four days later, Cr Crichlow who had injured her knee, was unable to attend an inspection with other councillors at the Gold Coast Airport. They had been alerted to a prior meeting there about an Integrated Resort Development (IRD) opportunity.

Cr Crichlow supported an IRD but maintains she had no idea of the location. It included Carey Park, the Southport Bowls Club, where she is a regular, and the Queens Park Tennis Club Centre.

The Mayor, and his office, understood Cr Crichlow supported an IRD in Southport, and in the wake of the ASF decision he wanted to move quickly to secure another location, project and jobs.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate was quick to act after ASF was scuttled. Picture: NIGEL HALLETT

Critically, the discussion was held without a report being prepared for council and the area councillor being there. No official vote was taken.

A day after the airport meeting, before full council met, council bureaucrats in the major projects office were fine tuning a letter from the Mayor to Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

The proposed casino resort would overlook the “world-class Broadwater Parklands” and “interface well with the adjacent properties and the broader CBD environment”.

Cr Dawn Crichlow was livid about the proposed site. Picture Mike Batterham

The Mayor would use words like “I am keen to propose this publicly sooner rather than later, as part of retaining investor confidence in the city and Queensland”.

The council would assist the Government in informing the market process for the IRD and ensure appropriate infrastructure contributions were made to address the relocation of community services.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate wrote a letter to Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk in the days after the ASF proposal was killed off. Picture: NIGEL HALLETT

A week after the full council meeting and the Mayor’s letter to the Premier, Cr Crichlow on August 14 herself wrote to the Premier and sent off emails to Cr Tate and all councillors expressing her strong opposition.

“While I support an IRD on an appropriate site in Southport, at no time before Monday’s meeting (at the airport) had I been shown this map or had any knowledge of, or discussions with anyone about this proposal for that site which is completely unacceptable to me for an IRD,” Cr Crichlow wrote.

An email trail from a senior council property officer reveals Carey Park is Crown reserve land and “open space” for recreation. The bowls and tennis clubs are reserves under council control as trustee.

Their leases run to 2026. The 104-year-old bowls club is used by more than 30 community groups.

If the IRD was approved, the bowls club would relocate to reclaimed park land just north of the Southport Aquatic Centre. Tennis could be moved to Helensvale’s Discovery Park or the Golf club, or Miami’s Pizzey Park.

Four days after Cr Crichlow’s letter, councillors discuss their private recollections about the airport meeting.

Deputy Mayor Donna Gates wrote to her: “The Mayor was sure he had your support for an IRD in Southport — and this is a great chunk of State land and, if utilised, also addressed new and upgraded facilities for bowls and tennis. Would you share with us your reason/s.”

Her old colleague, Gary Baildon, wrote: “From my understanding, Mayor Tate showed us the map indicating the carpark between the Gold Coast Highway and Marine Parade as the proposed site and that you (Dawn) had agreed with the proposal”.

The proposal will displace the bowls and tennis clubs.

Cr William Owen-Jones advised Cr Baildon that the Mayor had indicated he would discuss the planned areas with Cr Crichlow and then write to the Premier.

“Tennis and bowls was proposed to be relocated to the Broadwater Parklands in front of the tourist park — there has been no talk about tennis to Helensvale. None,” he added.

Peter Young recalled the Mayor advising that Cr Crichlow had sent a text indicating she could not attend the meeting and that “she supported an IRD in Southport”.

Queens Park Tennis club lease holder John Birrell is upset at the new Southport development plan that will see them relocated. Coaches Wes Pope, Gavin Vickers, Helena Franko, John Birrell, Jamie Atkinson, Chiaki Ito. Picture: Jerad Williams

“When we took the informal vote to gauge support for the plan he showed us, he stated that he counted Cr Crichlow in support,” Cr Young told her.

At the next council meeting on August 22, Cr Crichlow proposed a motion that no further action be taken to alienate the public land.

She lost having only gained support from Cr Glenn Tozer, Cr Owen-Jones, Cr Baildon, Cr Daphne McDonald and Cr Peter Young.

In an email, Mr Scott gave Cr Crichlow his recollection of events. After the Government terminated the ASF project, the Mayor had a “verbal discussion” which led to the creation of the IRD maps.

The maps were prepared as a “market sounding process” which could facilitate an IRD licence, he said.

The Bulletin has since obtained internal council correspondence on two other maps of the site which show potential obstacles for the project.

Council cultural heritage officers confirm “heritage listed mature significant figs and paperbark trees” can be found on the southern section of Carey Park. A heritage boundary includes a sea wall.

Premier Palaszczuk has yet to respond. Opponents of the casino project believe the Government must investigate the heritage listings before giving the green light for the development.