Burleigh MP says the 60,000 residents are not represented in the plans for the Light Rail.

GOLD Coast Mayor Tom Tate says residents want to ‘get on’ with the Light Rail but a Coast MP says his electorate which the trams will go through are ‘not represented’ in the current plans.

GOLD Coast Mayor Tom Tate is “at war” with everyone, according to Federal Minister Steven Ciobo - add Burleigh’s State MP to the list.

member for Burleigh Michael Hart has penned a letter to Cr Tate annoyed at not being consulted about plans to extend light rail through his electorate.

Mr Hart claimed the plans don’t represent the 60,000 residents from Miami to Palm Beach.

But Mayor Tate said the Burleigh MP should be directing his frustrations towards the State Government and was out of touch as residents wanted to ‘get on” with the light rail.

Mr Hart’s letter to Cr Tate about the proposed light rail route reads: “These concerns particularly arise from your failure to contact me in any form as the State Representative regarding the Business Case and public consultation process.

Member for Burleigh Michael Hart says his electorate, which the Light Rail is about go through, has not been represented in the consultation process. (AAP Image/Glenn Hunt) NO ARCHIVING

The council’s 2016 consultation about the Southern light rail was “limited” as only 3606 people out of 600,000 Gold Coast residents responded, Mr Hart said.

“I reiterate my concerns that only 200 of those responses came from Palm Beach, around 125 from Burleigh Heads and a further 124 from Burleigh Waters,” he wrote.

“This is not a reasonable reflection of my electorate, given in just a few weeks in 2017, I collected over 1000 signatures opposing the present council’s (light rail) proposal for Stage 3A.”

Gold Coast Light Rail Stage 3A artist impressions and stations between Broadbeach and Burleigh Heads

Cr Tate responded: “I’m surprised the Burleigh State MP doesn’t understand that this consultation is State Government driven. After all, he is a State member.

“Council has twice consulted on light rail southern options — and the overwhelming response both times was ‘get on with it’,” Cr Tate said.

“The Burleigh MP needs to read our endorsed Transport Plan, and City Plan, so he understands how future city development is focused on two outcomes: getting people out of cars; and building our city up, not out, so we forever preserve our magical green space.’’

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate says Burleigh MP Michael Hart’s chagrin is misdirected. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt) NO ARCHIVING

Mr Hart said it was the council Transport Plan and council should have contacted him about the consultation.

“It is a State project but council are supplying their planning and engineering officers and its councils route and proposal,” he said.

The Burleigh MP comments come as Gold Coast Federal Minister Steven Ciobo blasted Cr Tate for being “at war with everyone”.

The Federal Minister for Tourism, Trade and Investment questioned why the Mayor was “at war” with State Government, Federal Government, “a whole bunch of different ratepayer groups”, mayors in the southeast corner of Queensland and some of his own councillors.

The scathing attack was prompted by Cr Tate opinion piece in the Bulletin where he lobbied the State and Federal Governments to “take us seriously” and questioned if Brisbane powerbrokers saw the Gold Coast as a “serious voice”.

Minister for Transport and Main Roads Mark Bailey said Mr Hart’s attempts to undermine the light rail and its benefits were predictable.

Since Stage 2 to Helensvale started running in December, light rail had recorded a 33 per cent increase in patronage overall, with more than 5.2 million trips taken in the first six months, Mr Bailey said.

That was an extra 51,000 trips per week in 2018 compared to 2017.

Gold Coast Light Rail Stage 3A artist impressions and stations between Broadbeach and Burleigh Heads