Fishy figures: Single complaint to council over Labrador tinnies, two RTIs reveal

A City spokeswoman has weighed in after not one but two RTIs into the number of complaints over Broadwater boats reveal only a single complaint sparked it all - even as councillors argued it was many more.

GOLD Coast City Council did not exaggerate complaints about boats on the Labrador foreshore after a controversial mass removal., a City spokeswoman has said.

Council and Division 7 Councillor Ryan Bayldon-Lumsden were accused of the exaggeration, with Mr Bayldon-Lumsden repeatedly referencing “40 complaints” to council about the boats.

Council told residents it had received a “number of complaints” about the safety hazard the boars posed for pedestrians.

A City spokeswoman said: “The City has complied with the RTI Act in every way.

“The RTI application related only to complaints received about vessels being attached to city assets and stored on public space along the Biggera Waters and Labrador foreshore.

“Some of the 12 other complaints were outside of this immediate area but did relate to illegal watercraft storage along the Broadwater.
“The estimate of up to 40 complaints provided to the Councillor related to both unofficial and official complaints received.

“We can confirm that City officers, the Mayor’s office and the councillor’s office were all contacted about this issue on a number of occasions by people not wishing to make an official complaint.”

EARLIER:

THE GOLD COAST City Council and a councillor are accused of exaggerating complaints about boats on the Labrador foreshore after a controversial recent mass removal.

In June, GCCC removed 70 tinnies, canoes and boats between Quota Park at Biggera Waters and Len Fox Park at Labrador despite a petition of 800 locals pleading for them to stay.

At the time council told residents it had a “number of complaints” and the boats were causing pedestrian plus safety hazards, while interfering with natural regeneration of the area.

Division 7 Councillor Ryan Bayldon-Lumsden repeatedly made reference to “40 complaints” to council when questioned by constituents.

However Right To Information requests from Gold Coast residents sent on September 11 and 22 say a single complaint was recorded between January 2019 and June 2020.

The single complaint was lodged with former councillor Kristyn Boulton in April 2019.

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Gold Coast City Council removed some of the iconic tinnies on the foreshore at Labrador in May and June. Picture: Jerad Williams

The RTI requests also reveal a council officer Micheal Tousch said he had been approached by residents while on site but no records of those complaints were made.

“Mr Tousch does not hold records of these verbal interactions and the figure ‘40’ was a very generic response to Cr Bayldon-Lumsden’s inquiry with him surrounding the complaints,” the city’s right to information officer Brenda Webber wrote.

Despite the RTI results Cr Bayldon-Lumsden is doubling down, suggesting records did exist and had not been revealed in the RTI.

“... the City received 12 recorded complaints directly relating to the tinnies, canoes and water craft along the park and beach area (to May 2020),” he wrote on Facebook on Monday.

“In June, local laws officers responsible for monitoring the area, advised me verbally they had received approximately 40 complaints regarding the water craft.”

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Councillor Ryan Bayldon-Lumsden told residents he believed there were approximately 40 verbal and 12 formal complaints about the boats on the Labrador foreshore, but two RTIs found just one recorded complaint. Picture: Mike Batterham.

The RTI documents also reveal Cr Bayldon-Lumsden had been asked to produce records of complaints made to him, but none had been found.

Asked about the discrepancy, Cr Bayldon-Lumsden claimed he had been told of 12 recorded complaints.

“An explanation of the discrepancy between the one and the 12 (reported recorded complaints) is going to have to come from the RTI office,” he said.

“I’m not sure of the reasoning. The 12 is the formally lodged complaints number I was told.

“The 40 complaints number (comes from) checking with officers almost daily during that process, and that was the number I’ve been given (by officers). Obviously not all of those contacts resulted in formal complaints.

“I know of one through my office which resulted in a formal complaint, but otherwise I have to go off the number of complaints officers have given me.”

Boat owner Wayne Hayes. Picture: Jerad Williams

Frustrated boat owner Wayne Hayes said he found it hard to believe how many complaints occurred given the differing accounts from those in authority.

“It took three months for council to respond to the RTI, and they found one complaint. I was thinking this whole fiasco must have come from someone, but to find just one complaint from a year ago is ridiculous, it doesn’t explain why they jumped on it a year later.

“Cr Bayldon-Lumsden keeps saying there was 40 complaints in the space of a visit to the foreshore but there is no evidence of that.

“I don’t know why he keeps saying that, it is just impossible to believe anything at the moment.”

The council said it was investigating the discrepancy.