Cruise ship terminal: Gold Coast council candidates hesitant to state position on controversial project at The Spit
The offshore cruise ship terminal is surfacing at the key council poll issue but candidates are reluctant to state their position on a project which continues to divide the community.
Gold Coast
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THE offshore cruise ship terminal is surfacing as a key council poll issue but candidates are reluctant to state their positions on the project.
A Facebook poll by Division 7 candidate Ryan Bayldon-Lumsden revealed deep division about the Broadwater development with residents either strongly opposed or supportive of the planned CST at Philip Park at The Spit.
Some community leaders on Mr Bayldon-Lumsden’s Facebook page accused him of changing his position, having been opposed to the CST then seeking community feedback to reach a decision.
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“I personally was against it, I suppose, but I’m all for representing the broader view of the community,” he told the Bulletin.
“So if lots of people loved it I would have advocated for that. In the small poll I put out, most people tended not to be in favour of the cruise ship terminal.”
Rival candidate Wendy Coe said her support would depend on a CST’s location and plans.
“When I first came here 30 years ago there were discussions on a cruise ship terminal and 30 years later there’s still discussions,” she said.
“It seems to be an issue that won’t go away but an issue that is never resolved.
“It’s difficult to make a decision when there hasn’t been a concrete site picked.
“You know there’s still talk about down south, or offshore and inshore.
“I need to see something, a proper proposal so that you can investigate all the ins and outs of that particular site.”
The other Division 7 candidate, Rob Taylor, could not be contacted for comment.
Council sources suggested candidates in divisions 7, 4, 6 and 10 needed to state their positions on the CST because their areas would all be affected by any development on The Spit.
Councillors opposed to spending more ratepayer money on a CST included Peter Young, Glenn Tozer, Daphne McDonald, William Owen-Jones and Dawn Crichlow, who is retiring at the March poll.
Mayor Tom Tate is expected to talk up the project as a major part of his policy platform in the lead-up to the March 28 election.
After outlaying $500,000 in 2018, the council is spending a further $1.5 million on studies, with Cr Tate gaining majority support on the floor of the council for the CST during budget talks.
The Mayor has promised ratepayers will not be paying to build the project, which he says can be developed by a private operator. The costs to get it shovel-ready are tipped to be $7.4 million to $10.45 million.
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