Queensland: A terminal state of mind

Stu Nettle picture
Stu Nettle (stunet)
Surfpolitik

Working in the media has turned me into a cynical bastard. Oh yes it has. Rather than reading the news for entertainment or information I now deconstruct it for commercial or political motives, and such motives almost always exist. Of course you don't have to work in the media to realise this but when you're absorbed in it each day you become sensitised to cynicism.

So when news that a cruise ship terminal was being proposed at Tugun on the Gold Coast I immediately wondered at the ulterior motive - it was just too bizarre, too left field. Destroying a perfectly good beach with kilometres of quarried rock for the sake of an oversized marina when there was a natural waterway at the other end of the Gold Coast? It didn't make sense.

I suspected a strategic move by the government: Declare a demand for cruise ships, unveil a ghastly blight at Spot A and a slightly less grotesque version at Spot B, then have the populace choose between the two evils.

Just by chance the government has earmarked two other spots for a terminal, at the Spit and in the Broadwater. Despite this it's the big Tugun proposal that's garnering all the headlines.

It seemed to me a transparent ploy, too obvious to take seriously, but recent events have me wondering if I might have overestimated the political machinations north of the border. For one, the new Mayor of the Gold Coast, Tom Tate, recently went on ABC radio advocating the Tugun proposal. Infrastructure, funding and plans were all accounted for. He even tied it in with the Kirra groin extension to woo the 'surfing fraternity'.

He's an interesting fellow this Tom Tate. One of his election promises was the establishment of a 'cultural precinct' on the Gold Coast and he recently undertook a US study trip to research it. An estimation of Tate's cultural vision is achieved by noting the cities he visited: Las Vegas and Miami.

Then there's the Queensland state government which also has a newly elected leader in Campbell Newman. Premier Newman's Liberal National Party won a landslide victory over Labor in March this year. It's worth noting here that both Premier Newman and Mayor Tate are civil engineers by profession and have both worked in the construction industry – they know how to dig up and reshape the land.

In his opening speech to Queensland's Parliament Newman paid tribute to his political forebears, in particular the sunshine state's longest serving premier, Sir Joh Bjelke-Peterson. "His government built this state into an economic powerhouse that led the way for our country for so long," Mr Newman said of Sir Joh.

Forgive me readers if you think I'm straying too far from the coast, but in order to understand what Premier Newman is capable of we need to know from what stock he is born and also what he aspires to.

During his tenure as premier, Sir Joh fought an ongoing battle over World Heritage listing of the Great Barrier Reef. Heritage protection, he said, would harm Queensland's economy. Instead Sir Joh wanted to blast numerous shipping channels straight through the reef. It's reported he proposed using nuclear weaponry to do this.

It sounded to me like one of those tall stories that Queensland is known for, and truth be told I couldn't find any evidence to validate the claim. However, it did become more conceivable when I learned that at one time Sir Joh planned to eradicate the Crown of Thorns starfish from the Great Barrier Reef by using nuclear weaponry. Sir Joh didn't ever tread softly.

Sir Joh also had an alarming capacity for ignorance. The following anecdote comes from Mungo MacCallum:

Many years ago a group of concerned scientists persuaded the then premier, Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen, to take a trip to a threatened area of the [Great Barrier] reef so he could see the damage his policies of malign neglect were causing. He returned bubbling with enthusiasm. "I don't know what you're worried about," he chortled. "It's looking beautiful – pristine. Not a spot of rubbish and pure white coral as far as the eye can see."

Pure white, and also stone dead.

Sir Joh Bjelke-Peterson ruled Queensland for twenty years and despite charges of cronyism, corruption and repression of civil liberties he's still revered by many in the state – including the incoming premier, Campbell Newman. Newman and Mayor Tate are two newly appointed political players, both voted in on conservative, pro-development tickets and both ready to shake things up in Queensland.

A cruise ship terminal at Tugun? It may sound crazy, but like blasting holes through the Barrier Reef or using nuclear weapons on it don't discount anything these bastards say.

Comments

rattle's picture
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rattle Wednesday, 1 Aug 2012 at 8:15am

As some wise person once said "Be careful what you wish for".

Well you Queenslanders wanted a change of government but by voting for Newman like you did you collectively forgot the universal political truism that good government is made by a strong opposition.

Hopefully we all remember this at the next federal election.

floyd's picture
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floyd Wednesday, 1 Aug 2012 at 8:58am

I remember Joh, he was one big conservative arsehole. He was so far to the right he stood clearly out, him and low life like Russ Hinze.

Says alot about Australian politics that such similar conservative arses are everywhere now and their views are considered mainstream.

So lets all see what Newman does from here. For starters you Queenslanders will not be in the NDIS pilot solely on political grounds.

derra83's picture
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derra83 Wednesday, 1 Aug 2012 at 11:49am

Dont think Clive Palmer won't have his sweaty, greasy mitts all over this somehow. Fatman's gonna have to dock his Titanic somewhere and the Gold Coast matches his sense and sensibility. Perhaps he can have a hand in their cultural precinct too.

surferjoe's picture
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surferjoe Wednesday, 1 Aug 2012 at 12:50pm

Clive Palmers False Idols... Joh, Russ Hinze, Terry Lewis etc

Aye those were the Days...

sidthefish's picture
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sidthefish Wednesday, 1 Aug 2012 at 12:57pm

as a child of the Sir Joh regime, I can say that's not the half of it.

surfinado's picture
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surfinado Wednesday, 1 Aug 2012 at 1:07pm

Newman's (see Clive Palmer's puppet to the tune of $200 million election funding) agenda is clearly this: destroy any employment base in the public sector to push in more mining/overdevelopment to lift employment. This is already happening with National Parks being opened to mining, logging and hunting. We're headed for dark days - "you can all go and work in the mines".
When 64% of the Goldy said no to effluent at the Southport Seaway, the government did it anyway. We are in for a long hard fight against these overcapitalised miningmongers, and we're going to need alot of everyone's help to stop it. If you've ever been barrelled at South Straddy, you know what else we have to lose. Please join Save Our Spit on facebook and stay involved.

stunet's picture
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stunet Wednesday, 1 Aug 2012 at 1:20pm

Joh speak!

Sir Joh couldn't oppose uranium mining, "firstly because it would not be right and secondly because it would be wrong."

sidthefish's picture
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sidthefish Wednesday, 1 Aug 2012 at 1:33pm

yep, it really was another world.

Still, I don't see it being to far a stretch from Alan Jones / Ray Hadley / Daily Telegraph / Herald Sun / Andrew Bolt et al .

heals's picture
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heals Wednesday, 1 Aug 2012 at 1:44pm

I left Brisbane in the early 80's because my name was on police lists after I attended (peaceful) protest marches as a university student. Harassment and threats followed and didn't cease until I left the state. If you've ever see The Lives of Others you may understand what those years in Queensland were like. The Fitzgerald Inquiry provided some solace but with the LNP and Newman in power it appears QLD's dark days are returning.

heals's picture
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heals Wednesday, 1 Aug 2012 at 1:47pm

You're talking about the media Sid the Fish. In QLD under Joh it was institutionalised. Big difference.

sidthefish's picture
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sidthefish Wednesday, 1 Aug 2012 at 2:03pm

yes Heals, I was talking more political flavour.

institutionalised under Joh ?

yes, our family home was raided 3 days after the community protest against the proposed Currumbin Alley marina was held at the Palm beach bowls club.

(you dig.)

heals's picture
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heals Wednesday, 1 Aug 2012 at 2:16pm

I dig. I've got nephews that are going to university in Brisbane and they're politically active. I feel a very strong sense of deja vu and it worries me. How much of the old Brisbane remains.;

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eeldraw Wednesday, 1 Aug 2012 at 3:00pm

It shouldn't just be a sense of deja vu. Mayor Quirk (Newman's BCC lap dog) had the police out in force recently, arresting protesters over the Musgrave Park tent embassy. The last time they came out in force like that was at ZZZ Market Day during the reign of the National's Rob Borbidge. Consistent patterns of behaviour that have their genesis in the Bjelke-Petersen era.

sidthefish's picture
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sidthefish Wednesday, 1 Aug 2012 at 3:09pm

Queensland has always been run by the freemasons . how the hell do you think Joh stayed in power for near 25 years ? seriously, you wouldn't have let him mow your lawns.

Does Qld still have the gerrymander ? anyone.?

eeldraw's picture
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eeldraw Wednesday, 1 Aug 2012 at 5:05pm

The gerrymander was done away with at the end of Joh's reign. Unfortunately, we are left with another poor Labor policy from generations long gone, the unicameral parliament, leaving Newman wielding ultimate power (until the next election at least).

saveourspit-savingtos's picture
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saveourspit-sav... Wednesday, 1 Aug 2012 at 5:51pm

TATE is the reason we have this developer-orgy fest. Surfers, in fact Gold Coasters, do NOT want their beaches and the Broadwater destroyed by massive built terminal, hotel and casino infrastructure.This is a city-wide issue- Tate must be told to back off - big time, or we lose southern beaches or TOS... either is unacceptable and will cost the economy millions (isn't that something they should understand?) JOIN us to help save the Broadwater & TOS & to expose the arguments as to why these developments do NOT belong on our amazing beaches - like Kirra www.facebook.com/SaveOurSpit :)

saveourspit-savingtos's picture
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saveourspit-sav... Wednesday, 1 Aug 2012 at 5:51pm

TATE is the reason we have this developer-orgy fest. Surfers, in fact Gold Coasters, do NOT want their beaches and the Broadwater destroyed by massive built terminal, hotel and casino infrastructure.This is a city-wide issue- Tate must be told to back off - big time, or we lose southern beaches or TOS... either is unacceptable and will cost the economy millions (isn't that something they should understand?) JOIN us to help save the Broadwater & TOS & to expose the arguments as to why these developments do NOT belong on our amazing beaches - like Kirra www.facebook.com/SaveOurSpit :)

floyd's picture
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floyd Wednesday, 1 Aug 2012 at 9:31pm

Perhaps Webber could put his wavepool in the ship terminal breakwater to keep all you Queenslander surfers happy ..... fuck I could get a job in Newman's bullshit spin machine with thinking like that.

t-diddy's picture
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t-diddy Wednesday, 1 Aug 2012 at 10:15pm

funny thing is no one seems to know about this yet..i've been shouting about it to anyone that will listen and people dont even believe it til they look on the ole internets. i can't help but think its time for another inquiry. its all exacerbating by the fact that labor was blowing it and theres really only 1 other choice (in people's minds).

darrendobbie's picture
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darrendobbie Thursday, 2 Aug 2012 at 12:28am

The Marina plan has just moved a little further from the Kirra proposal. So that protects the 6 days a year that Kirra breaks. But now it's threatening the incredible T-land break.

sunrise-shorey's picture
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sunrise-shorey Thursday, 2 Aug 2012 at 9:11pm

Push it 3km north and I suspect the breaks of either side will pump... They'll solve the NE wind issue and give the coast a new south wall Ballina... better still build it off Kirra ... it doesn't exist any more anyway ...

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fitzroy-21 Friday, 3 Aug 2012 at 6:29am

Yeah, I can just see a cruise ship coming in or heading out of that marina taking the swell on the beam, particularly parrallel that close to the beach.
And they would have to be dreaming if they think there will be no sand buildup around that entrance.
I doubt it would get approval past any maritime authority, state or federal.

sidthefish's picture
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sidthefish Friday, 3 Aug 2012 at 6:55am

fitz, they'd dredge the shit outa that entrence if the mofos get it through.

to marry a couple of recent swellnet forums, in a kooky abstract theory just for fun, maybe the cruise ships could generate the wake for the waves of one of GWs curvy wave machine thingy's.

just kidding. hope it never sees the light of day, we fought the same sort of bullshit proposal for currumbin in 78-79.

floyd's picture
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floyd Friday, 3 Aug 2012 at 7:23am

Still remember Fraser Island being saved from a Joh Bjelke-Peterson back mega mining initiative by Malcolm Fraser when Prime Minister. Of course Malcolm Fraser wouldn't get a look in these days with the conservative party.

Myall Lakes, the Gordon River, Wilson's Prom ........ all saved from so called liberal goverments. The last "good liberal" from an environment point of view might have been Dick Hamer but much of his green wedge legacy is being sold off by the current Victorian liberal premier, along with other environmentally damaging things like allowing cattle to graze in Alpine National Parks (again only stopped by federal government intervention).

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ollster Friday, 3 Aug 2012 at 3:34pm

Its happening on the Sunshine Coast too. Clive Palmer's latest fantasy: Mega hotel and casino planned for the sand dunes of Mount Coolum / Yaroomba, hovercraft to Brisbane, new international airport with direct flights to China, monorail, massive bird avairy, theme park, etc. It's amazing what funding a state government election victory can do for your dreams...
http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/story/2012/08/03/clive-palmer-unvei...

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mitchvg Friday, 3 Aug 2012 at 11:29pm

stateline have covered it now too

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mitchvg Friday, 3 Aug 2012 at 11:39pm

Surfinando, are you saying that when I drink seawater at TOS to avoid cramping, I'm drinking some treated sewage??

timmeh's picture
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timmeh Monday, 6 Aug 2012 at 1:38pm

It feels like there is about to be a lot of money spent here that is going to help a few but root the rest- Hopefully Clive has his heart attack and dies soon! We're ok without you thanks mate!

surferjoe's picture
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surferjoe Tuesday, 7 Aug 2012 at 3:45pm

I heard the Gold Coast Mayor interviewed on radio this morning and can report its all Doom & Gloom...

If he has his way there will be multi cruise ship terminals on the Goldy.

He aint Green... the White Shoe Brigade is Back...

bum-parfum's picture
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bum-parfum Tuesday, 7 Aug 2012 at 5:00pm

People get the government they deserve and Mayor Tate and the GC's inch deep shallow callow and superficial residents are a match made in developer heaven.

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bum-parfum Tuesday, 7 Aug 2012 at 5:03pm

I've got no problem with the GC turning into a Florida-lite or even a Florida full strength. Let it rot. Just dont let the rot spread.

Mangrove trees can live in saltwater because they send all the salt to just one or two leaves which whither away and die. They contain the rot.

velocityjohnno's picture
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velocityjohnno Wednesday, 8 Aug 2012 at 5:02pm

There must be something in the fruit. My QLD side of the family hosts some of the most beautifully eccentric individuals I will ever meet. QLD seems to oscillate between extremes, from the Sir Joh side to the other (it's also the cradle of the Australian communist party). Looking at the pic of the marina, I thought it was some kind of joke, but no. Good luck Goldy surfers in defending your jewel of a coast from this.
If they do win, can I please have the coastal section from Tweed to North Kirra excavated and deposited on an isolated island of my choice?

zenagain's picture
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zenagain Wednesday, 8 Aug 2012 at 6:01pm

I was chatting to my dad the other day and he mentioned that a large parcel of crown land is earmarked for development at Kingscliff. Similar to the Salt place at Cudgen. We used to camp in our boardbags under the Casurinas at Cudgen when we were kids.

Can somebody confirm this? I was gutted when I saw them tear up that place for the Salt development.

Fucking bent pollies and developers, to hell with the lot of them.

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sidthefish Wednesday, 8 Aug 2012 at 6:34pm

zen, that could be the wommin bay stretch, Cudgen Leagues north to fingal. yeah developers would love to get their hands on it. Tweed Coast shire is as bent as anything in Qld, maybe worse, so it'll happen I'd say. Salt & Casurina was all crown land, ex rutile leases too.

Or it could be the slab west of Kingy towards Chinderah which I'm pretty sure the developers have already got their claws into.

The koori's may have a block on the Wommin stretch or parts of, like they do on Letitia spit.

I'd like to see the Wommin bay stretch set up for open low density managed camping, let the Koori's run it and show case their heritage, cos at the moment it's full of broken bottles, old car bodies, probably a few human bodies and gays fidgiting in the dunes.

floyd's picture
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floyd Saturday, 11 Aug 2012 at 8:13am

Interesting. How many surfers are in Queensland yet a post like this can only attract 33 responses in 2 weeks.

Says so much about the "i-me" generation and their don't give a fuck about anything approach to life.

Its also a reflection on the Queensland based surf industry .... where are their voices of opposition?

Just thought I would ask because the silence is deafening.

thermalben's picture
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thermalben Saturday, 11 Aug 2012 at 8:36am

It's a fair point Floyd. However, this issue has been reported just about everywhere - most surfing websites plus generic news sites, as well as Facebook ad nauseum (including our Facebook page).

So in total I think there's been a big response, but as for our website it's less than usual because normally we're covering particular news events more exclusively (so Swellnet might be the only avenue for people to comment on a particular topic).

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sidthefish Saturday, 11 Aug 2012 at 6:33pm

to be sure Floyd.

I can remember similar apathy in circulation back when they wanted to turn Currumbin into a marina a'la Dana Point style.

But also you've got plenty of people with that Clive Palmer type mindset that believe something like this would be fantastic. Same sort of attitude is happening in Sydney re: the Barrangaroo/Packer/Super Casino.

And let's be honest, the goldie lost her virginity a long time ago, so we can't be surprised their are mofos about that wanna to give this a ride.

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dave_anning Monday, 13 Aug 2012 at 1:47pm

It may not be apathy, it might just be that people recognise it for what it is; an attempt by a downsizing regional paper to garner interest by rehashing an idea bound to grab headlines.

If the larger cruise ship terminal happens, my money would be on it happening at Luggage Pt in Brisbane.

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stunet Monday, 13 Aug 2012 at 3:22pm

Dave,

You don't think the Wavebreak Island or Spit options have any legs? And what to make of Mayor Tate speaking on ABC Gold Coast about the Tugun option. Nought to do with the Courier Mail.

stunet's picture
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stunet Tuesday, 14 Aug 2012 at 7:36am

"But Mr Newman vows there will be no special treatment for the man [Clive Palmer] whose companies donated $660,000 to the LNP in the 2010/11 financial year."

Course not.

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dave_anning Tuesday, 14 Aug 2012 at 4:09pm

Stu, everything I've read suggests it is unlikely.

Regarding talking up Tugun, I think you were on the money with your original article. I gather the target audience wouldn't have found it such an obvious ploy.

sidthefish's picture
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sidthefish Sunday, 19 Aug 2012 at 2:42pm

talking up choogs? fuck yeah!!!

CHUCK WAGON 4 EVA !!

Dean 'Gloves' Glover for PM.

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burzum Monday, 20 Aug 2012 at 9:23pm

The simple fact of any terminal proposal inside the broadwater is that the ongoing dredging costs will likely outweigh any revenue and indirect economic benefit that the terminal would bring. The hydrodynamic and sediment transport models that have been developed for the Seaway by GHD and more recently DHI show this. Estimates of the dredging costs are in the order of $20-$50 million annually.
Tom Tate is a fool of the highest order and this project will simply not stack up financially, let alone environmentally and socially.

zenagain's picture
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zenagain Sunday, 23 Sep 2012 at 1:57pm

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8537230/singapore-firm-scraps-gold-c...

That arrogant Tom Tate might be feeling a little sheepish at the moment especially how he backflipped on his election promise by dismissing Mick Fanning off hand as a person who 'didn't matter'.

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stunet Tuesday, 19 Mar 2013 at 2:27pm

Very interesting move by the Federal Govt, the Bilinga Cruise Ship Terminal getting a positive assessment from the the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. What now?

http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2013/03/18/448834_gold-coast-news.html

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barley Tuesday, 19 Mar 2013 at 6:12pm

Dunno why you lot are winging? you've manipulated the coast for at least 20yrs..built houses, high rises right up to the water..maybe even gained employment out of it...plus you've destroyed and created the 2 best righthanders on the planet...now you want it to stop?

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dave_anning Wednesday, 20 Mar 2013 at 11:13am

Stu, it wasn't approved. It just didn't need to be referred for Federal approval, based on the fairly limited info the proponent provided in the original documents.
http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/epbc/epbc_ap.pl?name=current_refer...

My favourite line:
Based on the above, the proponent considers the GCOT development will have limited impacts on existing hydrodynamic and coastal conditions in the surrounding locality, especially given such conditions are already heavily regulated and controlled as a result of current engineering practices.

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stunet Wednesday, 20 Mar 2013 at 5:21pm

Yeah Dave, I scanned the Depts website last night and couldn't find a single mention on 'Gold Coast Ship Terminal', or any related search term. Started to think that something must've been amiss, either a media beat up or a vested interest trying to keep the story alive.

Then I saw the GC Bulletin article with John Nielsen today: http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2013/03/20/448957_gold-coast-news.html

Very intriguing...

thermalben's picture
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thermalben Saturday, 28 Dec 2013 at 6:01am

Must be a slow news day.

"BILLIONAIRE developer Bob Ell has refloated plans for a $2 billion cruise ship project on the southern Gold Coast in a bid to snare a new casino licence."

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/billionaire-developer-bob-...

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braithy Saturday, 28 Dec 2013 at 6:33am

Is there any chance at all they can do that, Ben?

That would be devastating. Shit, it's devastating that they're even mentioning it.

thermalben's picture
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thermalben Saturday, 28 Dec 2013 at 6:45am

I don't really know, but it seems like a media beat-up to me. However it also shows that the cruise ship terminal project is still very much alive on the Gold Coast - regardless of whether it's Bilinga or The Spit.

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braithy Saturday, 28 Dec 2013 at 7:12am

Yeah, well the spit you can see as making (corporate) sense, it's not directly on the coastline, and although there'd be bad effects, it'd be nothing like the southern option.

Bilinga would be outright slaughter of the coastline. Taking away a kilometre of coastline on a crowded coast at the quietest of times. Not too mention the follow on effect on every break north of it, as the sand settles somewhere.

Plus I've seen bilinga get a stormy 10-foot plus in cyclones ... So to counter that breaking their terminal break wall, the offshore dredging would have to be phenomenal and continual, wouldn't it?

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hem-stret Tuesday, 31 Dec 2013 at 6:07am

There should be special prisons built for Vladimir Newman and his cohorts. He has taken the spotlight off his real estate grabs. Insider trading at best. Beaches are for views from the mansion and launching yachts. surfers are bludgers who should get a job and a haircut. watch out for the 2 yr old blieje, he has taken a masterclass in nepotism and will take his stifled youth out on anything that even looks like a subculture. think about it, fly the state funded plane (doesn't that thing do some miles, what a rort) into cooly and take the yacht into brisso. better than sharing the highway with the plebs, er , i mean, constituents.