Private Members Motion – Cruise Ship Terminal

10 Sep 2014 11:00 AMMichael Hart

Mr HART (Burleigh—LNP) (6.12 pm): Tonight it gives me a great deal of pleasure to support the amendments moved by the Deputy Premier. On 24 March 2012 this government was elected on a mandate to fix the problems that were created by those opposite. They ran this state into the ground and we were elected with a mandate to fix that. On 28 April of the same year 300,000 voters on the Gold Coast went to an election to elect a new council knowing full well that now Mayor Tom Tate wanted to build a cruise ship terminal on the Gold Coast. They gave him a mandate. We can argue all we like about it, but they elected him as mayor of the Gold Coast knowing full well that he wanted to build a cruise ship terminal—a cruise ship terminal, by the way, that is supported by the people of the Gold Coast. They want a cruise ship terminal. Let us not be under any doubts: they want a cruise ship terminal. Tonight we have heard from members based on the Gold Coast—people who actually move around the Gold Coast and talk to people on the Gold Coast on a regular basis. Once a month on a Saturday I am at the farmers markets which are visited by some 9,000 people. I talk to them about these issues. They are very supportive of a cruise ship terminal, but it has to stack up. That is why we have a process to go through—something the Labor Party does not understand. We go through the process and we see whether these things stack up.

My background, as most members would know, is engineering—engineering on aeroplanes admittedly, but engineering is engineering. I have spoken to many people who were involved in the building of the seaway. Wave Break Island is a man-made island. It was made in 1985 and is there to stop waves from breaking on Labrador, hence it is called Wave Break Island. It is a pretty simple concept. On the engineering side of things, I have doubts myself whether this thing stacks up. That is why we go through a process. That is why we investigate whether it stacks up. If it does not stack up, we will not be proceeding with it. That is why we go through the process. If it does not stack up financially, we will not be proceeding with it and neither will the proponents. If it does not stack up, why would they proceed with it? If it does not stack up environmentally, we will not be proceeding with it. That is why we have a process. We look at all of these things, at all of the possibilities.

One of the big things that the Deputy Premier has said is that this needs community support, and that is why you consult with members of the community. That is why the member for Broadwater is consulting with her community. That is why the member for Southport is consulting with his community. My community is on the southern Gold Coast in Burleigh, and the member for Broadwater has already said that the Labor candidate for Broadwater does not live in her electorate but has an opinion on the Broadwater anyway. The Labor candidate for Burleigh does live in Broadwater. She lives 30 or 40 kilometres away from the seat that she is proposing to be the member for. She has an opinion. I do not necessarily agree with that opinion, but that is what the process is all about, isn’t it? It is about looking to see how these things stack up.

What have we heard from the Labor Party in terms of plans for the Gold Coast and plans for Queensland? We have heard nothing. We heard from the shadow Treasurer at one stage there during debate on the Appropriation Bill that he was proposing something called ‘Building Queensland’, and that is some sort of independent infrastructure process. Do members know what happens here? The inner-city greenies who live in the electorate of the member for South Brisbane just try to knock things on the head. I would be amazed if any members opposite who have spoken who are not from the Gold Coast have ever been to Wave Break Island. I, like other members on the Gold Coast, have been to Wave Break Island numerous times. I have spent many a happy holiday cruising around the Broadwater on boats. The Broadwater is a fantastic place. We need to take care of it. That is why we have the process.

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