Sunshine Coast Hinterland Times

Planning Minister Stirling Hinchcliffe has insisted that the Sunshine Coast Regional Council fast track new development precincts. As for essential infrastructure needs? Don’t you worry about that, says the state government. So, who will blink first? Mayor Bob Abbot tells Michael Berry of the Hinterland Times that his Council won’t buckle to population pressures.

WITH THE NEW Sustainable Planning Act, the state now has the power to declare new master  planned areas. They can come and tell you where the next master planned area will be in your community, and they will have a say in how you develop it. In our case, the state picked three areas already planned for long term development, and they turned the heat up on them.

Palmview was ready to go and Maroochy town centre was always going to happen in one form or another. But Caloundra South is the big one – 50,000 new people The old Caloundra City had put Caloundra South in its growth management strategy, but it was to start in 2016. The state government has now forced us to do it from 2009.

So the people on the Sunshine Coast are seeing, all of a sudden, the growth they expected in 20 years time, being planned for now. The state government has told us to develop Caloundra South now. That’s what’s causing all the problems, and as one of the people responsible for  managing that planning, I am saying to the state government we are not ready. First we need to develop water resources so that they are not a drain on the Caloundra water supply, we need to be able to treat sewage locally, we want to be able to reduce the electricity consumption. Importantly, we know that in the next five years technology will change so much because there’s pressure on the world to reduce its electricity load, to reduce its carbon load, to reduce its nutrient load on creeks and streams.

So, had we been left alone we would have been planning for Caloundra South with all of that new knowledge in place. Now we have to plan Caloundra South without that knowledge.

I have always had a strong belief that Council reflects the will of the community. It just so happens that the majority of the people on the Sunshine Coast are saying we think Council is taking the right stance. But the pressure on this Council is enormous so, now I am saying to the community it is time to put up your hands and say, yes Council, this is what we want to see, or no Council, get out of the way and let the state do what it wants. So far, it’s been mostly Council’s view. We now need the community to tell the government what they think.

‘It is time to put your hand up and say, yes Council this is what we want to see, or no Council, get out of the way and let the state do what it wants.’

There is enormous demand for some growth on the Sunshine Coast which we can’t stop. But we can manage it and put in development that won’t do significant detrimental damage to the Sunshine Coast. We’ve had a long history of allowing development to happen on the Sunshine Coast before the infrastructure has been in place.

I think our early 350,000 population model for the Sunshine Coast is now struggling, and if we’re going to go to the next level, we need the infrastructure in place before we go, not after we get there.

‘We’ve had a long history of allowing development to happen on the Sunshine Coast before the infrastructure has been in place.’

For example, we want the state government to sign on to the CAMCOS transport infrastructure within two years of the Caloundra South development starting. And that’s what they’re saying they won’t sign.

There are those who want all development stopped. But if you go in hard to try and stop all development at Caloundra South and Palmview, and the government then walks in and takes over, where am I left? I have failed in my attempt to make good logical decisions for the future of the Sunshine Coast. My community is going to say to me well, you didn’t make it happen. See you later.

I am not making these decisions on whether or not I will get elected. I did not get elected two years ago on a population cap. I got elected saying I wanted to slow the population growth on the Sunshine Coast to the national average. At the time it was 3.5 percent here, and the national average was 2 per cent.

‘I did not get elected two years ago on a population cap. I got elected saying I wanted to slow the population growth on the Sunshine Coast to the national average.’

The national average is now 1.5 percent and we’re 2 percent. So, I don’t think I would have a lot of sympathy if I took a position where I allowed the state government to So, had we been left alone we would have been planning come in and develop at the rate they want.

While I remain here they have to listen to me and hopefully they will also listen to the 73 per cent of  Australians who believe as a country we are growing at too fast a rate.