Gold Coast development: Data reveals city being ripped off on major projects

Gold Coasters are being ripped off on key projects with new data revealing just how badly. The numbers have been declared “a kick in the teeth”.

GOLD Coasters are being ripped off on key projects with government data showing other major centres are receiving up to four times more money per capita for infrastructure.

The Gold Coast will receive a combined $807 million from the State Government to build new or improve existing infrastructure this financial year. That equates to $1345 for every resident.

Figures from the Queensland Parliamentary Library and Research Service show Inner Brisbane, which includes the marginal seat of Deputy Premier and Treasurer Jackie Trad, will get $2.45 billion, or $9626 for each of its 255,000 residents.

Light rail. Picture Glenn Hampson

The spend is calculated by adding the Government’s capital purchases forecast and capital grants for 2019-20.

Townsville ($930 million, $5170 per capita), Cairns ($762 million, $5083) Ipswich ($895 million, $4167) and Logan/Beaudesert ($492 million, $1588) will also receive vastly more per head of population than the Gold Coast.

City leaders are furious with the data, saying it is “another kick in the teeth for the Gold Coast”, particularly given its performance since the global financial crisis and its annual contribution of $35.2 billion to the Queensland economy.

A map showing the Coomera Connector. Photo: Department of Transport and Main Roads

They say the city urgently needs new infrastructure such as a light rail extension, second motorway, more hospital beds and heavy rail upgrades given its tourism appeal and exploding population.

The Palaszczuk Government defended its record and said it had $351 million “on the table” to extend the light rail to Burleigh.

However, that additional spend would only lift the Gold Coast figure per capita from $1345 to $1930, still well short of Cairns, Townsville and Ipswich.

Broadwater MP David Crisafulli. Picture: Glenn Hampson

Opposition MP David Crisafulli said: “This is a city which has the fastest-growth corridor to its north in the state and we have less spent on us per head of population than anywhere else in Queensland.

“Gold Coasters are self-motivated, entrepreneurial, aspirational people and they will stand up and do as well as anywhere else on the globe, but at the moment we’re fighting with one hand tied behind our back.

“Surely some Biro biter sitting in Brisbane can understand we’ve been taken for granted.”

Replying to Mr Crisafulli, Gaven MP Meaghan Scanlon said she would “always fight for the Gold Coast” and “won’t be lectured by a bloke who’s been on the Gold Coast for five minutes and did nothing for our city when he was a senior Cabinet minister”.

Queensland Deputy Premier and Treasurer Jackie Trad (AAP Image/Dan Peled)

“The bottom line – the LNP invested nothing on the Gold Coast. We built the light rail, we built Gold Coast University Hospital and we delivered the Commonwealth Games when the LNP wanted to move the event to Brisbane.”

Ms Scanlon said the Palaszczuk Government had $351 million “on the table” for light rail Stage 3 and “secured funding totalling $2.3 billion for four M1 upgrades”.

Gold Coast Central Chamber of Commerce president Martin Hall was furious about “another kick in the teeth for business here on the Coast”.

“The regions need funding but the Gold Coast is the jewel in the tourist crown and we need support because, all politics aside, there should be more investment to support our industry,” he said.

“Let’s hope they find the money before next year’s state election so we can get light rail Stage 3A up and running.”

Mayor Tom Tate. Picture: Mike Batterham

Mayor Tom Tate said: “If it is the case that infrastructure spending is lower than other regions per population then any Gold Coast savings in the recent years could go towards additional funding for light rail 3A.”

There have been questions for more than a year about what the State Government has done with the money left over from the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Ms Trad insisted the State was investing strongly in the Coast and $164.8 million in Commonwealth Games savings “is being returned to the Gold Coast many times over”.

“It’s being more than doubled in our $351 million commitment to Stage 3A of Gold Coast light rail,” she said.

“On top of that, this year’s budget delivers more than $800 million in infrastructure to the Gold Coast, supporting an estimated 2500 local jobs.”

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Annaliese Battista. Picture: Glenn Hampson

Destination Gold Coast chief executive Annaliese Battista said there had been a significant underspend by successive governments on the Gold Coast and its tourism industry.

“The Gold Coast is the fastest-growing council region in Australia and we are not getting the investment in infrastructure which it needs to sustain tourism into the future as well as residential amenity,” she said.

“We need to be able to provide a quality experience for the 600,000 residents and the 12.9 million visitors.

“In addition to infrastructure, there has been a significant under-investment in promoting the Gold Coast as a tourism destination.”

Gold Coast North Chamber of Commerce president Martin Brady said infrastructure investment was “more important than ever”.

“We should not be at the bottom end of the range – we should be at the top,” he said.

“Constant underspending only makes the issue worse.”