Gold Coast City Council election 2024: Where candidates stand on light rail extension to airport
Mayor Tom Tate is warning anti-tram candidates it makes no sense to pause building light rail south to border, saying delays will create huge cost blowouts.
Council Election
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Mayor Tom Tate is warning anti-tram candidates it makes no sense to pause building light rail south to border, saying delays will create huge cost blowouts.
The majority of southern council candidates are opposed to light rail’s extension to the airport – wanting a red light to trams or to push the yellow pause button for a rethink of all public transport options and routes.
The large number of candidates in opposition to the trams was revealed when they were grilled at the Southern Chamber of Commerce breakfast at the Currumbin RSL.
Of the four southern divisional candidates, only sitting Coolangatta councillor Gail O’Neill at Wednesday’s breakfast said she supported light rail’s extension, promising to push for financial support for businesses impacted by construction.
Mr Tate on Thursday said it might sound like an electorally popular move but it made no sense to “pause light rail”.
“Firstly, light rail to the airport and Coolangatta was a project agreed upon by all three tiers of government in 2009,” he said.
“It is a single project being delivered in stages. To pause it is like putting a pause on pregnancy, just before the baby’s delivery date.”
Mr Tate said council was currently partnering with the state government on design planning for Stage 4.
“As this progresses, the community will be heavily consulted on the final design, route, station locations, street-scaping and parking options.
“This is exactly the same process as Stages 1, 2 and 3. Importantly, any delay in Stage 4 would incur huge cost blowouts.”
The Mayor has previously estimated the cost blowout could be as high as $100 million.
In February 2022, a deal was finally done to build Stage 3 of light rail from Broadbeach to Burleigh – but it cost $500m more than first thought.
The state government signed the contract for the 6.7km tram extension, after more than 18 months of haggling with builder John Holland Group.
The final cost to build was $1.2bn, up from $1.04bn in 2021 and the $709m originally forecast in 2018.
Mr Tate said there was never a better or cheaper time to build Stage 4 than now.
“If I am re-elected on March 16, I am confident the new council will be well educated on this exciting city-building project, once they have been briefed,” he said.
“My strong view is we don’t need a pause. What we need is to have Stage 4 shovel ready once Stage 3 arrives in Burleigh in 2025. That way we will have the entire system in place and operating well before 2032.”
Revealed: What council candidates really think of light rail extension
Light rail’s extension to Gold Coast Airport is opposed by a majority of southern council candidates - they want a red light to trams or to push the yellow pause button.
Not one of four mayoral candidates at a Southern Chamber of Commerce candidate breakfast at the Currumbin RSL on Tuesday were prepared to back extending the trams.
Of four divisional candidates, only sitting Coolangatta councillor Gail O’Neill said she supported light rail’s extension, promising to push for financial support for businesses impacted by construction.
Save Our Southern Gold Coast leader Kath Down, standing against Cr O’Neill, when quizzed by interim chamber boss Zac Revere, said her priority was heavy rail and zero emission buses.
“I don’t believe the community has been fully consulted and that is what I’d be looking for,” she said.
Division 13 candidate Josh Martin called for the light rail “pause button”
“It is about the routes, business case, and community feeling part of that discussion – input and outcome,” he said.
“I don’t agree with the way we have received the information from the State - this is where we should have a gold standard of community consultation.
“I’d also support the integrated transport around heavy rail, buses and our east-west connections.
“It is a good time since the commencement of light rail for us to after Stage Three (to Burleigh) to pause and assess whether the completion of Stage Four and the southern Gold Coast transport is right for the community given the unrest and light touch on consultation.”
His rival Nikki Archer suggested the 2032 Olympics would require a lot of money, was Brisbane focused and the Gold Coast needed to be realistic.
“Stage four will not happen by 2032, so what do we do? I propose two options - stop or consider a diversion to another route,” she said.
Experts need think about “the whole game again”, she added.
Mayor Tom Tate in the Bulletin’s Future Gold Coast series late year believed trams could be built to the border by 2032.
“The Gold Coast has only one ask. Build this light rail by 2030,” he said.
Cr O’Neil on Tuesday told guests: “I have been part of the council that has endorsed light rail Stage Four. I have been advocating for light rail and heavy rail to come to the southern Gold Coast for more than 20 years. I’m really disappointed in the State and federal government that they haven’t delivered heavy rail.
“We may not even be having this conversation about Stage Four, if they had.
“But if it gets the tick from Infrastructure Australia and is funded, my role as a councillor is to consult with residents and businesses on the detailed planning, and also construction. I”m going to see if I can advocate for the voucher system for businesses for Stage Four if they are impacted.”
Mayoral candidate Lavinia Rampino said she would scrap the City transport plan.
“We need to start from scratch. We need to look where our growth is. Because there is no point in putting transport in an area where there is not going to be growth,’ she said.
Mayoral contender Danielle Dunsmore: “We need to get back to doing a whole assessment of the city. I’d argue our current council don’t know where people travel to.”
Fellow mayoral hopeful Virginia Freebody said the City needed better public transport in the north.
“As for our light rail, let’s check where we can go and how we can do it,” she said.
Eddy Sarroff said a transport strategy “evolves and does need new initiatives”.
“We need to invest more into transport and road infrastructure,” he said.
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