Mayoral candidate Eddy Sarroff on board with Tom Tate about light rail going to airport
They disagree about almost everything but Eddy Sarroff and Tom Tate are united on one of the biggest projects in the city’s history. SEE THE VIDEO
Council Election
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Mayoral candidate Eddy Sarroff is backing light rail Stage 4 to the Gold Coast airport, putting him on a crash course with opponents in the city’s south.
Mr Sarroff’s commitment to the rail means the two highest profile mayoral candidates in the March 16 local government poll, including Tom Tate, support the City’s most divisive infrastructure project.
Mayor Tate and Mr Sarroff are arch rivals, but they agree on the $3 billion extension south of the trams from Burleigh. However, many council candidates remained opposed to the project.
Mr Sarroff when grilled on the trams at the Gold Coast Central Chamber of Commerce Meet the Candidates’ breakfast at Mantra on View on Wednesday revealed his position.
“The first stage of the light rail, the $384 million was secured through my time and my initiatives (when in council),” he said, referencing his time as council finance boss.
“Once we have feasibility study of the business case (for Stage 4), let’s engage the community. The light rail is an important project. I’ve been involved from the start. I’d like to be involved at the finish.
“Any project we intend to deliver must have the support of the community. If the community is not coming along with us I think we need to be able to discuss with them how we are able to deliver that infrastructure and importance of that key piece of infrastructure.
“We have to be honest with voters. We have to accept that it is a key piece of infrastructure that needs to be delivered. Bring the community along with you and then you will deliver the infrastructure and have community support.
“We can’t always please the community but we should address their concerns.”
Mr Sarroff during the debate had been reminded that he stood “shoulder to shoulder” with then-Opposition leader Kevin Rudd at a media conference in 2007 about light rail.
A Gold Coast councillor at the time, Mr Sarroff had been preselected as the Labor candidate for McPherson. He is running as an independent in the 2024 local government poll.
Mr Rudd gave the first stage “$650 million rapid transit project” his backing.
“That was the only reason I stood shoulder to shoulder,” Mr Sarroff said.
Josh Martin, a candidate for Division 13 in the Coast’s south, was asked about the vibe from the street about the trams.
He confirmed from doorknocking that there was “support for it”.
But Mr Martin explained he had called for a “pause button” on the project, ensuring there would be the correct route and residents could be brought “along the journey”.
“We need to make sure we are actually inputting community input into the outcome,” he said.
“If we are getting it, we get it on our terms. We are making sure it is the absolute correct route and not just cost efficient.”
Fellow Division 13 candidate Nikki Archer, a community activist, was asked how she would tackle the issue light rail south if elected.
“I want to clear up, I’m not strictly anti-tram and I’m not anti-progress either,” she said.
“What I want are the best outcomes. We have a very extensive community consultation down in Palm Beach. The Rolls Royce (of consultations), TMR dubbed it.
“We never got to see the results for that. Transparency has been a real issue with this. We can’t make decisions without seeing what the actual details are.”
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