Gympie Regional Council’s biggest controversies of 2021

From the removal of two trees in Mary St, to a clash with its workers’ union, there was no shortage of landmines Gympie council had to navigate in 2021 – with some of the shrapnel still flying in the New Year.

The past 12 months have been a bumpy for everyone and Gympie Regional Council did not escape unscathed.

From a fight over trees in Mary St to a clash over internal investigations and a firestorm of criticism around environmental protection policies, these were the biggest controversies the council was engulfed by in 2021 – and which will continue to resonate well into 2022.

The question of who would run the region’s multimillion-dollar pool after a controversial five-year deal with Victorian company Belgravia Leisure became a serious sticking point when the council discovered its hands were essentially tied on the matter.

5. Aquatic centre management

The management of Gympie’s $23m aquatic centre and regional community pools by Victorian company Belgravia Leisure had been a point of controversy since the centre’s doors were thrown open in 2017.

With the contract up for renewal in 2021 and an appetite to explore local options, however, the council discovered it had little choice but to hand the keys back to Belgravia.

The council’s own proposal to take over management was squashed amid revelations doing so would cost ratepayers $5.6m, about double the fee for Belgravia, with a large part of the discrepancy caused by wage costs.

The only change was at Kandanga where councillors voted to give Gympie-based Deep Blue Aquatic was awarded management of the town’s pool.

This meant a new deal for management of the remaining three pools had to be negotiated with Belgravia; the final cost of the new contract has yet to be revealed.

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A request from the council in late 2020 to remove a blanket ban on mining exploration as part of an effort to restart Gympie’s historic gold mine caused a stir at the end of 2021 with a new proposal to repeal the ban and replace it with new regulations some residents say will leave the region exposed to large scale mining projects.

4. Mining change

Efforts to resurrect the historic Eldorado gold mine caused a stir when the State Government floated its proposed changes which would open the door for the mine’s restart.

The Department of State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning proposed the removal the Restricted Area 384 designation across Gympie and open the door to new mining ventures.

It would be replaced by a new Priority Living Area designation which would add the council as an assessing body on any future exploration applications.

Concerns were soon raised about the potential impact of such a change and its potential to leave residents exposed to fracking and larger mining operations, along with critically damage the environment.

Public feedback for the proposal closed on December 17, 2021; the response and proposal are now under review by the State Government.

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The Services Union and CEO Shane Gray clashed over claims internal investigations were lacking fairness, an accusation refuted by Mr Gray. Picture: Patrick Woods.

3. Investigations

The Services Union and the council clashed in the middle of the year over claims of “shonky” investigation practices which were harming obliterating staff morale at Gympie Regional Council.

In the publicly released statement to its members, the union accused the council of engaging in practices lacking fairness or even the “necessary substance” to justify them in the first place.

It claimed the “mental and physical toll” of these hunts was likely the reason some staff had resigned.

Gympie council CEO Shane Gray disputed the claims, saying investigations were carried out with integrity the council had a duty for its staff to act with highest integrity.

“It’s not appropriate for Council to discuss or comment on any investigations as we need to respect the privacy of our staff, however we do understand that investigations can be confronting and can cause stress and anxiety, which is not our intention,” Mr Gray said.

The council and the union are still battling over a new bargaining agreement and pay rises for the council’s almost 500 strong workforce.

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The decision to remove two leopard trees in Mary St in the name of safety drove a wedge between the council and members of the main street’s business community.

2. Mary St tree removal

Mary St’s iconic leopard trees did more than decorate the CBD in 2021, also driving a wedge between a popular Gympie businessman and the council.

The council’s controversial removal of two trees between Smithfield St and the five-ways roundabout was heavily criticised by then-Chamber of Commerce president and owner of nearby shop Bella Casa Tony Goodman, who went so far as chaining himself to one of the condemned trees in protest.

Mr Goodman, who said he had the support of numerous businesses along the main street, was unsuccessful and the trees were lopped.

The council has since said the remaining trees along the street will stay untouched for now.

However, it said at the time the removal was following through on a 2010 commitment to remove hazardous trees along the stretch as part of a decade-long program.

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The removal on two planning regulations at the end of 2020 became the council’s biggest headache in 2021, with green groups lashing it for a move they said allowed for large scale land clearing in the region and the council admitting in November it had been given incorrect information at the time it repealed the laws.

1. TLPI repeal and land clearing

The controversial decision to repeal two environmental protection planning laws remains a thorn in the council’s side more than a year after the controversial move sparked a storm of backlash from green groups.

The laws were overturned in December 2020 with councillors told they had resulted in “unintended consequences” that was stifling otherwise lawful development.

The move drew significant criticism including a petition calling for Deputy premier Steven miles to intervene which has so far drawn more than 45,000 signatures.,

In November 2021, 11 months later, the council admitted information it was given at the meeting was incorrect.

Mayor Glen Hartwig and the council have said new protections were in the works and expected to be presented to the council by the end of March 2022.

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Originally published as Gympie Regional Council’s biggest controversies of 2021