Council on security alert bans View Tax protest from entering Bundall Chambers

Up to 250 view tax protesters were locked out after arriving at the Gold Coast City Council chambers during a meeting of councillors.

Up to 250 view tax protesters were locked out after arriving at the Gold Coast City Council chambers during a meeting of councillors.

Council security along with half a dozen police officers were on standby at the Bundall offices just before 11am on Tuesday.

Security officers aware of the protest closed the front glass doors. The decision was made to protect staffers.

The Bulletin understands the move to a “lock down” occurred after the Queensland Police Service was asked and provided advice.

The protest group made their way through HOTA opposite the chambers, gathering in front of the chambers.

View Tax protest outside the Evandale Chambers at the Gold Coast City Council.

Residents held up signs saying “No View Tax” and “Shame Council Shame” while the Libertarian Party leaders, in support, chanted on a microphone.

They accused Mayor Tom Tate and councillors inside of “hiding” from them.

View Tax campaign spokesperson David Robinson estimated the 45-minute walk from the heart of Surfers Paradise had attracted between 250 and 300 supporters.

“It was absolutely wonderful. I had hoped that we would get 500 people,” he said.

Mr Robinson thanked police for their support of residents, many of them older Gold Coasters.

“They allowed us to walk down Elkorn Avenue. They were terrific, the two police officers we had there,” he said.

View Tax protest outside the Evandale Chambers at the Gold Coast City Council.

“It was very orderly. We will definitely be having another protest. We want to keep the pressure on councillors.

“It was a closed meeting. They were obviously worried.”

Environmental leader Sally Spain, outside with other members of the Wildlife Preservation Society, was upset after being denied access.

“They are a perfectly harmless group of people,” Ms Spain told the Bulletin.

“They are elderly residents. They look perfectly allright to me. We came down from the hinterland to hear the debate on the waste levy.

“I personally haven’t been kept out of the chamber except for confidential sessions.”

Ms Spain and her volunteers were allowed back inside once the protest was finished.

At the last full council meeting, councillors responding to multiple petitions from body corporates voted on a recommendation to make no changes to council’s rate policy.

They agreed to improve communication to ratepayers and review concessions to pensioners.

The view tax was not discussed at Tuesday’s meeting and not on an agenda item.

Outside the chamber, Mayor Tom Tate said he had to conduct a meeting and could not do that with the noise of the protest group.

“You can’t yell and protest, I can’t run a meeting. They elected to do their chant, that’s fine, it’s freedom. Do it outside, if you come inside you need to be quiet,” he said.

EARLIER:

Residents campaigning against the so-called ‘View Tax’ say their plan for Tuesday’s first big protest is to put “the heat on councillors” and make them realise their political futures are on the line.

Campaign leader David Robinson believes there needs to be 500 people attending the march but expects to get at least 100 to 300 protesters outside the Evandale Chambers.

“What is our main message is — we will never forget this View Tax and the electorate will end their careers,” Mr Robinson said.

At the last full council meeting, councillors responding to multiple petitions from body corporates voted on a recommendation to make no changes to council’s rate policy.

They agreed to improve communication to ratepayers and review concessions to pensioners.

The View Tax Action Group with spokesman Chris Griffith at the front, has released a documentary. The group is planning a rally. Picture Glenn Hampson.

Mayor Tom Tate at a media conference defended the tax policy as “fair and equitable” and responded to Mr Robinson who confronted him before a report was debated.

“I’ve looked at the report. I have a mindset it’s a fair and equitable tax, that the elevated council rates will remain — the data wouldn’t lie,” Mr Tate said.

Mr Robinson, waiting in chambers for the councillor vote, gave the Mayor examples of rate hikes, calling it a “filthy tax on older people”.

Officers said the previous system before the View Tax was not equitable, and showed data where houses with the same value as a unit had higher rates.

The View Tax represented an increase from $3.20 a week for lower-level units to $13.40 for those 40 levels and above, they said.

Mr Robinson said residents would meet at Surfers Paradise Beach opposite Montmarte Cafe on Tuesday at 10am before marching to the Council Chambers.

“We have the Libertarians Political party in the sky with a plane and Jim Willmott their (Queensland Senate) candidate will be in attendance on the ground,” he said.

“I just want the View Tax abolished. This rotten council will not get away with this come election time,” he said.

View Tax Action Group leader David Robinson outside the council chambers before the vote on the View Tax.

The gallery at Evandale is open to protesting residents but they cannot wave placards.

Mr Robinson said the action group was staging the protest — the first of two — to get councillors to acknowledge the strength of opposition to the View Tax.

“Personally I would like to disrupt their sitting, just to make them feel the heat,” he said.

Officers in a report said council was not making any extra revenue from the tax.

If the changes were not made, 96 per cent of properties would have been paying higher rates.

A graphic in a Gold Coast City Council report shows a Benowa property, worth about $1.5m, was charged $1848 in rates under the previous system compared to a similar priced level 61 unit at Surfers Paradise hit with a $1223 bill.

Bulletin graphic showing rate rises imposed on Gold Coast unit owners in July 2024.

Mr Robinson, living at Atlantis East, said: “If you take an average council rate of $2400 per year, the amount council would receive for a combined council rate is over $850,000 for our block of land. How is that equitable considering we get less services?”

Mr Robinson has questioned council’s claim penthouses would be worth the same as a house.

“It is untrue in Atlantis East. Our penthouses pay $3681 or $3686 - more than double the $1800 quoted for a typical house,” he said.

Southport apartment owner Chris Ponting has called for a “forensic financial analysis”.

“Approximately 12,000 residents or four per cent of the total ratepayers pay increases between 10 and 50 per cent while the remaining 255,000 or 96 per cent of all ratepayers get just a 4.24 per cent increase. How’s this fair?” he said.

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Originally published as Council on security alert bans View Tax protest from entering Bundall Chambers