It was a busy morning outside the Kingscliff TAFE today as Anthony Albanese MP held a doorstop press conference to discuss the Nationals’ plan to impose a new hospital on the community at Cudgen.
The current NSW National/Liberal government have named the Cudgen Plateau near Kingscliff as their preferred site for the new Tweed Valley Hospital
Mr Albanese said that as the Acting Shadow Environment Minister and as the Infrastructure Shadow Minister, he was concerned about planning for the hospital.
‘This is an example of planning gone wrong,’ he said. ‘Here we have prime agricultural land that is so important for our national economy and also for local jobs. Yet they want to convert this into a hospital site.’
He also said the only way that makes sense of the site selection is to look at the knock-on effects of the development. He identified the local pristine wetland area, the importance of the local Kingscliff community as well as the fact that Kingscliff has determinedly kept that three storey limit on development as indicators of what is important to the people of Kingscliff.
‘There’s no doubt in my mind that this is aimed at opening up overdevelopment and changing the very character of Kingscliff,’ he said.
Mr Albanese said the choice of the site is an example of bad planning. ‘The National Party are known for bad planning. They are known for looking after their mates, rather than looking after the community. This is a great example of that, common sense should prevail.
‘I’m here also because up and down the coast I’ve been very concerned as the Tourism Shadow Minister with what’s happening in many of our pristine areas – areas where working families can go for a holiday.’
Mr Alabanse, who attended a gathering of locals at Kingscliff Surf Club last night, said that good planning is consistent with the community and is consistent with the character of that local community.
‘Kingscliff is a very special place. I’ve had the opportunity to come here on many occasions, both for work but also for a holiday. The tourism sector here is very important as well.
‘As Shadow Tourism Minister what I see is that this area provides a unique tourism experience. We don’t want it to compete with the Gold Coast. What you want is different tourism experiences up and down the coast. The Gold Coast provides that high rise experience that people want with the density of restaurants and activity.
‘What people want here is very special and it’s important that it be kept, both for local residents and for visitors to the area.
‘So for reasons of the environment, for reasons of planning, for reasons of tourism, this is the wrong site. They should listen to the community and make sure that they listen to the experts about the site of this new hospital’.
Exactly how is the country party ( now called the National party ) helping us here in the country by concreting our red soil?
The Labor party are pouring a hell of a lot of effort into trying to get Justine Elliot’s husband elected to the NSW parliament. Pity that Justine’s “boy” on Tweed Shire council, when voting in favour of a crony’s water mining development just last night (against the majority will of the people), showed us that Labor is NO alternative to the Nationals or Liberals.
Time to elect real progressives to represent us in the North Coast/Northern Rivers. Pure and simple, Vote Greens.
I will be voting labour next election. Tweed hospital does not belong at kingscliff. They have not listened to the residents of kingscliff or Tweed heads.
Vote Green first …their choice is keeping the hospital at Tweed Heads…preference Labor but put the Nationals last….with their dumb choice for new hospital