Peter Newton, Kingscliff
Why has Geoff Provest not been questioned over perceived conflicts of interest in the selection of the Cudgen Plateau for the proposed Tweed Valley Hospital? Given his support of previous (failed) attempts to rezone the farmlands from State Significant status and his long association with the principals of the Kingscliff Land Company, this seems to be a question worth answering and one that Mr Provest would want to address.
None of this is fiction, or conspiracy nonsense. Mr Provest’s association with previous attempts to develop the Cudgen Plateau and his relationship with the Kingscliff Land Company principals, who of course own property on the Plateau and have been behind unsuccessful rezoning attempts, is clearly on the public record. It’s just very puzzling that Mr Provest, given all this history and his knowledge of how the community feels, would still choose to support the minister’s decision for the site of the proposed (and as yet, still to be approved) hospital development.
A perfect chance lost, to stand-up to the minister and say – ‘Not here Brad, it’s protected and of great value to this community and the region’.
Instead, he chose to once more create community division and, in the process, take what should have been a 100 per cent good news story and a tremendous legacy for him (particularly after his non delivery of commitments on the existing Tweed Hospital) and turn it into a community betrayal of the highest order.
So why? Why would Mr Provest go down this path once more, and more importantly, why hasn’t he been asked the question – if at least only to give him a chance to clear the air?
