From exposing rates overcharging to getting police back on beat: 12 ways Bulletin delivered for Gold Coast in 2022
The Bulletin proudly proclaims ‘we’re for you’. Here are 12 ways we proved it in 2022.
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Beneath the masthead on every print edition of the Gold Coast Bulletin are three simple words: “We’re for you.”
It’s more than a motto or a trite marketing slogan.
Bulletin journalists are proud members of the community. We live in suburbs the length and breadth of the Coast, from Pimpama in the north to Burleigh in the south and everywhere in between.
Our better halves work in local businesses. Our children go to local schools.
We care about what happens here.
Being a Bulletin journalist is much more than just a job. It’s a privilege, because it brings with it an opportunity to advocate for the community and bring about positive change.
These are just some of the stories we ran in 2022 that did just that.
REVELATION THAT SAVED RATEPAYERS THOUSANDS
In a front page exclusive, the Bulletin on September 2 revealed council had been overcharging hundreds of ratepayers for years. The ratepayers had been paying 40 per cent above the odds because they were being charged rental rates for homes they actually lived in.
One man spoken to by the Bulletin had been overpaying for 19 years.
Within hours of the Bulletin’s report Mayor Tom Tate directed council CEO Tim Baker to conduct an urgent investigation into the matter.
A report released last month revealed a number of reforms have already been introduced included doubling the amount of time for ratepayers to lodge objections. An “education campaign” to help people understand bills will also run ahead of the January rates issue.
About $300,000 was also provided for a thorough review of the rating structure, with the report noting “a more simplistic rating model could provide more transparency for the ratepayer in respect of how they are being charged for their properties.”
The Bulletin understands a number of people have also received significant repayments for overpaid bills.
HELP FOR COURAN COVE RESIDENTS
The Bulletin in a series of reports revealed shocking conditions faced by some residents of Couran Cove on South Stradbroke Island.
In September dozens of residents, including the sick and elderly, had their electricity cut amid a complicated body corporate legal battle. A small number of residents also had their water supply disconnected.
In November, Couran Cove residents gathered at Parliament House to witness the passage of the most significant reforms to Queensland body corporate law in decades.
The reforms included new committee eligibility requirements, increased transparency in body corporate decision-making, better financial management practices and more protections for owners.
Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman said that following Bulletin revelations she had met with Couran Cove residents ahead of drafting the amendments.
“I have met with (Couran Cove) residents to discuss their situation which involves complex commercial arrangements and body corporate governance issues,” she said.
“The amendments to the acts will provide better protections for owners and make sure they have increased access to information and dispute resolution services.”
POLICE RELIEVED FROM BORDER DUTIES
In January the Bulletin reported how police on the Gold Coast had been stretched to the limit by ongoing duties at border checkpoints and quarantine hotels.
“There simply isn’t enough police left to keep the community safe,” a police source said. “Juvenile crime is out of control and not being dealt with due to severe staff shortages. The community are not being provided with acceptable service.”
The Bulletin’s special report led to a stunning turnaround from the state government, prompting Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to announce border checkpoints would be scrapped - a week earlier than she had just forecast - to prevent an emergency services crisis.
A police source said: “The Government didn’t want to change but knew the Bulletin would keep campaigning.”
HOME FOR A YOUNG FAMILY
They were the innocent faces of the Gold Coast’s housing crisis.
In August the Bulletin revealed a family of five, including a newborn, was being forced to live in a single motel room despite having a budget of more than $600 a week to spend on rent.
The story garnered national attention, and within weeks Alexi Bennett and partner Tinei Tiumalu had moved in to a spacious four-bedroom home with their family.
“It’s a positive change. (The house) is stunning, it’s so beautiful, and it’s home now,” Ms Bennett said.
There was a kicker though – in a reflection of the dire lack of availability of rentals on the Gold Coast, the family’s new home was in Flagstone, leaving Mr Tiumalu with an hour-long commute to work.
TENANTS SAVED FROM EVICTION
In February the Bulletin reported how low-income residents of a Biggera Waters unit block had been sent eviction notices by its new owner.
Astonishingly, the owner responsible was the Department of Communities and Housing, who had spent $3.45m to buy the building for use as social housing.
The action placed the department in the ridiculous position of evicting people with nowhere else to go – many of whom would have ended up on its social housing waiting list – in order to accommodate other people on that very same list.
Following questions from the Bulletin, Minister Leeanne Enoch said she was “extremely concerned at these reports” and immediately ordered the eviction orders be torn up, sparing more than a dozen people from being left without homes.
MASSIVE BOOST FOR AIRPORT
When a new direct route from Gold Coast Airport to Kuala Lumpur was announced in December, all concerned said assistance from the state government’s Attracting Aviation Investment Fund had played a key role.
That fund had been boosted earlier in February from $10m to $200m following a Bulletin campaign to match a similar fund in NSW, which sat at $120m.
New direct flights from the Gold Coast to Bali, Singapore and New Zealand have also since been announced, contributing hundreds of millions to Gold Coast tourism.
BACK ON TRACK
The Bulletin on April 15 demanded light rail delays were resolved “in a timely manner” after an exclusive front page report revealed the contract for stage three to Burleigh had not been signed despite promises made during the state election campaign six months earlier.
“The government must move to fix this now,” our editorial stated, amid reports of ballooning costs.
Within weeks, the state government had chipped in more than $200m and the federal government provided $126m to get the project back on track, with ground finally broken on the project in late October.
In another major win for the light rail which the Bulletin had called for, the stage four extension to the airport was in July added to Infrastructure Australia’s priority list.
A FAIR GO FOR PARENTS
In May the Bulletin reported how council was using new ‘Park Safe’ vehicles to blitz Gold Coast schools.
Affected parents included some at Helensvale State School who were fined for lining up to collect their children from its small kiss and go zone.
Following the Bulletin’s story council conducted an investigation into the issue. A report recommended changes to one-hour parking time limits to increase the availability of parking spaces for parents doing drop offs and pick ups – which has since been done.
The report also said the length of the passenger loading zone could be extended, while council was to request Education Queensland construct a proper staff parking facility within the school grounds with sufficient capacity to meet current and future demand.
BUMS BAY CLEAN-UP
In March the Bulletin revealed that liveaboard boaties were to be flushed out of Bum’s Bay at The Spit.
Red dye was also be added to the water at Bum’s Bay to determine whether sewage from boats was flowing out of the Marine Stadium into the Broadwater.
The action by the Gold Coast Waterways Authority followed revelations in the Bulletin about “appalling” low water quality in the area due to sewerage from anchored boats.
CURFEW SAVED
The Bulletin in February revealed that Qantas Freight was seeking to permanently breach Gold Coast Airport’s 11pm-6am curfew with 5am flights four times a week.
Richmond MP Justine Elliot launched a petition against the move following the report, saying locals were “outraged” by the plans and feared their quality of life would be “drastically affected”.
Within days, then Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce announced the Federal Government would refuse Qantas a long-term permission for in-curfew freight flights.
PARADISE RECLAIMED
The Bulletin has for years campaigned for a revamp of Surfers Paradise, the long-time jewel in the city’s tourism crown.
Serious progress was finally made when a badly-needed revamp of the Paradise Centre was officially opened in September to overwhelmingly positive reviews from locals.
It came about after the Bulletin highlighted concerns by Surfers Paradise residents about a looming Paradise Centre lease extension being a rubber stamp exercise. At that time, the centre frontage near the beach was considered an eyesore. Eventually, after multiple stories, the council voted to extend the lease but conditional on a $30m redevelopment being started by March.
Now the centre frontage is a thriving hospitality hub with new venues including a Thai restaurant, gelato shop, new cafes and a Wahlburgers. It has changed the entire vibe for the better.
The Bulletin will continue to push for a better deal for Surfers Paradise – and every other Gold Coast suburb – in the year to come.
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Originally published as From exposing rates overcharging to getting police back on beat: 12 ways Bulletin delivered for Gold Coast in 2022
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