Revealed: Council’s fight against Coochin Creek festival development

A council letter exposes mounting tension after Queensland’s deputy premier seized control of a contentious Sunshine Coast festival development application from local authorities.

CEO of the Sunshine Coast Council, John Baker.

A letter sent to the deputy premier ahead of his controversial decision to call-in the Comiskey Group’s Coochin Fields development has laid bare the council’s frustration at the move.

Deputy premier and state planning minister, Jarrod Bleijie, used his ministerial powers to call in the Comiskey Group’s development application for a large site at Coochin Creek.

The Queensland-based pub barons submitted their plans to establish a festival site and campground to the Sunshine Coast Council in 2022.

The call-in means Mr Bleijie will make the final decision on the application, which cannot be appealed in the Planning and Environment Court, due to the state interests in the project.

A letter from the Sunshine Coast Council’s chief executive John Baker to Mr Bleijie prior to the call-in announcement urged the deputy premier to consider the implications of the decision.

Mr Baker stated the nature of the application, being a camping tourist park, meant it was a “routine” document the council was capable of handling and the state’s call-in could confuse the local community.

“The council has concerns about the community’s limited understanding of the call-in procedures and their ability to provide written representations at this time, being outside of Council’s usual public notification process and third party appeal rights,” Mr Baker wrote in the letter.

Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie will decide the outcome of the Coochin Fields proposal. Picture Lachie Millard

The site currently has approval for a low impact tourism land use, capped at 100 campsites and limited buildings.

The Comiskey Group’s plans show the festival site would include 150 campsites and large-scale music festivals, which local environment groups claim will damage the Pumicestone Passage.

The Sunshine Coast Environment Council advocacy manager, Narelle McCarthy, said if the development was to go ahead it would “significantly increase risks” to the surrounding environment.

While the council had not reached a decision, Mr Baker’s letter stated if Mr Bleijie was to approve the application it would not be demonstrating “good planning”.

“Approval of the development by ministerial intervention would not, in Council's opinion, represent good planning for the locational reasons set out in this letter,” Mr Baker said in the letter.

The large-scale festival site proposed for Coochin Creek site. Picture: Open Architecture Studio/Comiskey Group.

The Queensland lobbying register shows the Comiskey Group made contact with Mr Bleijie on multiple occasions before the call-in was announced to the council.

Prior to the LNP forming government, Mr Bleijie met with a Comiskey Group representative in August 2024.

In March 2025, the developer emailed Mr Bleijie through a lobbyist for an “introduction and request for meeting regarding Comiskey Group tourism developments.”

The company also emailed the minister for tourism and environment and member for Glass House, Andrew Powell, three times in March this year regarding a “meeting request with Minister and Chief of Staff to discuss Comiskey Group’s tourism investment projects”.

In April, the Comiskey Group met with Mr Powell to discuss “hurdles in the approval process” of their development applications.

What took place was an “introduction of client’s current tourism projects under application and Sandstone Point Integrated Tourism Development that will soon be submitted to Moreton Bay Council,” the meeting description stated.

Mr Powell also discussed the “detailed economic benefit and tourism generation of each project, as well as hurdles in approval process faced,” according to the lobbying register, as well as the company’s “request for ministers’ consideration and support of projects where appropriate in line with decision making under the Planning Act 2016.”

A spokeswoman for Mr Powell said the April meeting was in relation to the company’s tourism projects across the state.

Comiskey Group director, Robert Comiskey. Picture, John Gass

In response to the council’s letter, Mr Bleijie said the department maintained a level of engagement with the local government and community consultation would be held.

“The Crisafulli Government is committed to giving all Queenslanders a voice on local planning matters in their community,” Mr Bleijie said.

“My department continues to regularly engage with the Sunshine Coast Council about the application as part of the comprehensive assessment of the proposed development, including economic and environmental considerations.

“No decision has been made and the application is subject to community consultation.”

Sunshine Coast councillor for the Coochin Creek area, Jenny Broderick, was contacted for comment along with Mr Baker and mayor Rosanna Natoli.

Originally published as Revealed: Council’s fight against Coochin Creek festival development