Qld govt backs down on Gold Coast terminal

The Queensland government has backed away from controversial plans to allow a cruise ship terminal to be built on state-owned land on the Gold Coast.

Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney announced on Tuesday that in response to community concerns, vacant land at Doug Jennings Park and parts of the Southport Spit would not be made available to Chinese property company ASF Consortium as part of its application for an integrated development licence.

The company plans to build a mega-resort on the Broadwater, which would include a casino and cruise ship terminal.

‘The very clear message from all Gold Coast MPs is that the community does not support the development of Doug Jennings Park and wants The Spit retained as a recreational area,’ Mr Seeney said.

“We have heard their views and acted on them.”

However, Mr Seeney said ASF Consortium has updated its concept plan to relocate the cruise ship terminal from The Spit to Wave Break Island.

‘Its plans still propose significant development on or around The Spit,’ he said.

The announcement comes after the a recent Galaxy Poll found 78 per cent of Queensland voters thought Premier Campbell Newman’s government was losing support because he was arrogant, while 62 per cent thought he didn’t listen to community concerns.

Deputy Opposition Leader Tim Mulherin said the Liberal National Party (LNP) Government had only acted because of bad polling and the threat of an “electoral wipeout”.

‘This is great news for the people of the Gold Coast, but if the LNP had’ve listened to them and to Labor in the first place it didn’t have to go this far,’ Mr Mulherin said.

‘Labor investigated similar proposals in 2006 and ruled it out.

‘The LNP has dredged up this idea, spent untold millions of taxpayer dollars looking at it, only to come to the same conclusion.’