Politics

06-10-2022

THE FINAL GROWTH MANAGEMENT STRATEGY MUST BE RELEASED FOR COMMUNITY CONSULTATION PRIOR TO COUNCIL ADOPTION. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT DOCUMENT THAT WILL IMPACT OUR FUTURE.

The Queensland Government has issued mandatory planning targets to selected Local Governments to demonstrate their planning schemes can provide housing for the planned state growth over the next 20 years. Scenic Rim’s target is 11,000 houses. Consultants have been working on the SRRC strategy and have confirmed that the present SRRC Planning Scheme can meet these targets and cater for the additional 11,000 houses in its current form.

Earlier in the year the Council sought the community’s views on the draft scheme for Tamborine Mountain which flagged a likely change to the scheme to allow two-hectare lots to be subdivided into two one-hectare allotments. Based on constraint mapping, this would likely yield an approximate additional 136 lots. In addition, the following risks to more growth exist because of:
- The proliferation of cabin development,
- The ease of approval for secondary dwellings

The latest Labor Government’s lightbulb idea of solving the housing crisis by allowing the open-slather building of granny flats on homes to be let out to non-family members.

I can see our population substantially increasing from 8,500 in twenty years. Will it get to 15,000? Will our tourism numbers double?

How can we cope with this? Will you still want to live here without the infrastructure needed? Will the Mountain be destroyed by overdevelopment? Have you witnessed what’s happening in Canungra now?

INFRASTRUCTURE NOT COPING WITH EXISTING POPULATION
There is significant quantitative data to show that the Mountain infrastructure is not catering to the present population, i.e.
- We have a seriously inadequate Main Roads trunk network (no Long Road extension that would duplicate a North South trunk road – it’s been waiting for 20 years since it was planned).
- Seriously deficient drainage issues.
- No water security, as demonstrated during our droughts, with six week’s wait for water deliveries.
- We seriously lack sporting infrastructure for our population of 8,500 i.e., we have a public pool not fit for purpose, a lack of sporting ovals, our TMSA Sports Grounds still without clubrooms, and which has never reached its potential to provide a home for our sporting codes and for our clubs to grow and flourish.
- Council is building transpiration trenches on our open space parks at Geissman and Staffsmith, impacting their usability.
- Our skatepark is not fit for purpose
- The Vonda Youngman Community Centre is undersized for the population.
- We have public parks like Lions Park and Guanaba Park with no toilets. Our Visitor Information Centre is not fit for purpose and is in the wrong location.
- Our playgrounds seem only able to cater for young children, with no signature adventure playground equipment for older children as seen in Canungra, Boonah, and Beaudesert.
- We have completely insufficient bikeways and walkways for our population and tourism intake, which is not befitting the Top Tourism Town in Queensland.
- Council is allowing commercial uses and intensification in our residential zones, as witnessed in actual and preliminary approvals for the Onsens Development on Main Western Road of cabins and a large day spa, Eagles Retreat Development with 11 massive cabins, Lahey Road mini-Health convention centre and cabins, and others are in the pipeline.
- Need I mention the state of our local roads?

WHERE IS ALL THE MONEY GOING?
The future looks uncertain for the Mountain, and the Scenic Rim Council is struggling to cope, but, at the same time, we see money not being spent on the basics. I witness the following:–
- The investment spending on soft and unrealistic economic development strategies, like Bromelton State Development Area and recycled water schemes that generate hope but are unlikely to succeed in the external environment.
- Massively expensive self-promotion and Scenic Rim trumpet-blowing that pervades the whole organisation.
- Increasing workforce recurring costs (over the last three budgets).
- Rising operational costs from administration new initiatives ( over the last three budgets).
- Major capital project cost blowouts and yearly underspends of both operational and capital budgets.
- A new $2 million-dollar refurbished IGA Library with one internal toilet for four staff, and one internal pedestal for all other residents using the library, off a baby change room. How will that cater for population growth?
- We are given 1.2-metre-wide footpaths, built at a cost in excess of $1000 per linear metre, but in Beaudesert, the paths recently constructed to Brayford Estate on the Nerang Beaudesert Road are 2.5 metres wide.
- Expenditure priorities on food tourism, events, arts and culture, murals, sculptures, and storyboards seem out of balance with the region’s basic needs.
- Excessive spending investigating frivolous OIA-referred complaints, mostly used as a political tool, reduces financial capacity.
- The newly adopted Agri-Business and Agri-Tourism 10-year strategy purports to promote Agri-tourism as Scenic Rim’s tourism “point of difference” and is un-costed and lacks meaningful performance benchmarks and Key Performance Indicators. (KPI’s)
- The now significant funding and resourcing of the new Tourism Organisation called “Destination Scenic Rim”: It was sold to the business Community and Chambers of Commerce as being a self-funded independent Industry Tourism body and is now clearly, in my view, an arm of Council, headquartered in Boonah but devoid of elected member representation.
- Millions of dollars spent on consultants over the years, for policies that will never be funded for implementation and will be out of date and gathering dust before they are ever implemented.
- Serious money is being spent on legal expenses. Consider Council’s effort trying to overturn the Beaudesert Pig and Calf saleyard heritage listing using the most expensive legal counsel and law firms. The costs are yet to be made public.
- Escalating unjustifiable costs in recent years on core IT systems and software, where benefits realisation is seldom reported justifying the investment.
- Without budget and meeting transparency and community oversight, this can continue with few consequences. It all adds up and translates into rising rates and reduced capacity to fund the basics, which impact your Mountain infrastructure and rates the most.

NOTICE OF MOTION FOR THE NEXT COUNCIL MEETING
To ensure transparency around this pending Growth Management Strategy adoption, I have lodged a notice of motion for the next Council meeting on 11th October 2022 which reads:-
Moved that, in accordance with Council Standing orders and Council’s Customer Charter that reads; interalia,
We will be open and honest always. We won’t hide facts from you or keep you in the dark. We will always tell you the truth. We will do what we say, we are going to keep you informed along the way…
that, before the final Growth Management Strategy is considered by Council for adoption, and after it is updated with the latest census data and Council responses to the public submissions, that it be put out for public review and comment for a period of 30 days.

ONSENS APPEAL UPDATE
You may now have received a letter box flyer “Help save Tamborine Mountain”
Whilst it is an increasingly difficult job to protect the Mountain, I will continue to speak up and call out poor decision making and priorities in the public Interest across the whole region, as rigorous and finessed as it needs to be during these last 18 months of my Council term. It is a struggle worth having to salvage the lifestyle and amenity we have and to contain rates.

The Flyer and Go Fund Me Page seeks your financial support to assist the Progress Association overturn an inexplicable and incomprehensible Council planning decision that has drastic negative consequences for the damage the precedent will have on the Mountain. The importance cannot be overstated.

Please read the Flyer when you receive it and consider its request. Every little bit counts.

The QR Code will take you to the Go Fund Me Page or you can donate into the TM Progress Association’s Onsens Appeal bank account directly.

BSB: 484 799
Account No: 0838 171-99

Derek Swanborough
Councillor. Division 1
Ph 0436 351 567
derek.s@scenicrim.qld.gov.au