Burleigh Heads: Why Gold Coast City Council’s early morning parking fees must be reviewed

Early morning beachgoers face a new 'tax on lifestyle' as Gold Coast Council extends paid parking hours, threatening the city's healthy living culture, writes the editor. FIND OUT MORE

Like taxes, nobody likes having to pay for parking.

It’s one of those day-to-day inconveniences that we all accept as a trade-off for the pleasure of parking – and keeping trade ticking over. Much has been said in recent weeks about the Gold Coast City Council’s move on July 1 to jack up fees by 20 per cent.

A Bulletin investigation of budget papers across the last decade shows the amount of revenue council has clawed in through increased parking fees has increased 61 per cent since the 2018-9 financial year from $10m to an expected $16.6m in 2025-26.

While this is significant, the other element which has caused disquiet in the beachside suburb of Burleigh is the change to metered hours, which now begins at 7am, two hours earlier than before.

Burleigh Headland hit with 7am to 7pm paid parking. Picture Glenn hampson

Former councillor turned Burleigh MP Hermann Vorster dubbed it a “tax on lifestyle”.

“Many are concerned that it feels like a cash grab given rates have only gone up nominally but most people are angry about the extended hours in which they now apply,” he told the Bulletin earlier this month. “I doubt a lot of locals would say we have a shortage of parking at 7am, so council bringing regulated parking forward then seems to be targeting those who are using the Oceanway and the surfing community.

“It feels rotten and to apply these at 7am is a tax on lifestyle.”

Mr Vorster raises a fair point.

The Gold Coast is a lifestyle city – indeed Experience Gold Coast CEO John Warn said it should aim to the be world’s capital of lifestyle in his first day on the job – and the council has done significant work in recent years to boost its active and healthy program and get more people out of the house and into our parks.

Visit Burleigh any morning and there are plenty of people, both young and old, out getting fit or just looking after themselves in those dawn hours, yet they must now pay for the pleasure. Surely this impost is something which will discourage those people or push them to go elsewhere to avoid paying.

Increasing parking fees is something the public is willing to cop but changing the hours to make them far earlier than business hours is a wild overstep – and will actually impact people’s health and wellbeing choices.

If council is fair dinkum about wanting to get people out and about, it should review whether these hours are appropriate.