Call for southern Gold Coast to breakaway from ‘bogan’ north

There are growing calls for parts of the Gold Coast to go rogue and form a new council, breaking away from the ‘bogans’ living to their north.

THE southern Gold Coast should ‘do a Noosa’ and form its own council or merge with Tweed Shire because locals have had enough of the ‘bogans’ of the city’s north, a prominent lawyer and former mayoral candidate says.

Jim Wilson, who runs a law practice at Tweed Heads and lives in the Tallebudgera Valley, says the northern Glitter Strip is ‘another world’ and has nothing in common with the ‘beautiful southern Gold Coast’.

He says southerners are sick of overdevelopment and events like the controversial Sand Tunes music festival at Coolangatta Beach creeping in to ruin their lifestyle and don’t want to be governed by ‘Ferrari-driving’, flashy mayors from the north.

“We have the best beaches on the planet and the stunning Currumbin and Tallebudgera valleys — it’s a totally different geography and demographic to the bogan north,” said Mr Wilson, a former Queensland Reds rugby player who unsuccessfully challenged Ferrari-driving Coast mayor Tom Tate at the 2016 election.

Jim Wilson, who runs a law practice at Tweed Heads and lives in the Tallebudgera Valley, says the northern Glitter Strip is ‘another world’ and has nothing in common with the ‘beautiful southern Gold Coast’.

“We don’t want high-rises and we don’t want Ferrari-driving pollies from the north imposing their flashy ideas of progress on us,” he said.

Mr Wilson said many southern Gold Coasters were angry about issues including the planned extension of the light rail to the airport, a wave of high-rise development in Palm Beach, developments in the Currumbin and Tallebudgera valleys and the ‘ludicrous’ Sand Tunes festival.

“It just shows how out of touch and bullying the northern councillors and city council administration have been with the residents of the southern Gold Coast,” he said.

Noosa de-amalgamated from the Sunshine Coast Regional Council in 2014, while Livingstone, Douglas and Mareeba councils also became their own entities.

Mr Wilson said the two southernmost Gold Coast council divisions should do the same and form their own council or join Tweed Shire.

Mayor Tate said Mr Wilson could move to Tweed Heads if he wanted but the southern Gold Coast was staying as is.

“I love this city as our forefathers intended it to be,” he said. “We are one of Australia’s fastest growing cities, with low unemployment, inspired by lifestyle and driven by opportunity. For those who think the grass is greener over the border — move there.”

Tweed Mayor Katie Milne said Mr Wilson’s suggestion was ‘a lovely compliment’ but doubted the Gold Coast council would give up its southern divisions any time soon.

Originally published as Call for southern Gold Coast to breakaway from ‘bogan’ north