Sunshine Coast

"Sunshine Coast Council needs to stop approving developments, " says Vegan Warrior, Jaylene Musgrave. The juggernaut that is bulldozers clearing land and councils hell bent on more housing estates, more shopping centres and turning anything that has trees and wildlife on it into a concrete block needs to be halted. Native animals are now seen dead on roads rather than in their natural homes. The Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital in Queensland near the Sunshine Coast sees over 7000 native animals each year, the majority because they are fleeing machinery that is destroying their homes.

Land-clearing Victims

The juggernaut that is bulldozers clearing land and councils hell bent on more housing estates, more shopping centres and turning anything that has trees and wildlife on it into a concrete block needs to be halted. Native animals are now seen dead on roads rather than in their natural homes.

"If we don’t stand up and start making some noise and demanding land be kept for wildlife, we will only have ourselves to blame," says Jaylene Musgrave, who founded Australia's Vegan Warriors in 2008. Jaylene was recently nominated for the Pride of Australia Medal 2010, which recognises people who give themselves without fear or favour and people deserving of our thanks and recognition.[1] You can download a video about Jaylene's work here.

The Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital in Queensland near the Sunshine Coast sees over 7000 native animals each year, the majority because they are fleeing machinery that is destroying their homes. Ms Musgrave says that Vegan Warriors’ barrister, Peter Lavac, has approached Sunshine Coast City Council to stop the over development of the region.

"Council needs to stop approving developments," she says.

Lend Lease: Land-clearing profiteers

On 4 September, Vegan Warrior spokeswoman, Jaylene Musgrave, stated that, "Following several emails exchanged between Vegan Warriors and Lend Lease requesting the developers start putting their money where their mouths are and financially support the rescue, care and rehabilitation of the thousands of native animals injured and displaced by their bulldozers, it seems it is much easier to talk up their environmental kudos than actually do anything substantial."

International alarm at Australia's overdevelopment and wildlife depletion

She complained that that mass land clearing happening on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland, Australia, has attracted the attention of the international press, including the BBC, which commissioned a photographer to fly out to Queensland.

http://koalaland.com.au/6-30-with-george-negus
http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/hack/stories/s3220058.htm

Lend-Lease should underwrite the damage it does to Australia's wild spaces and creatures

She described Lend Lease as having a website that "boasts that they 'replenish the planet' and work 'holistically' with the environment. She found these "huge statements" confusing, and her group contacted the developer corporation to ask for an explanation.

"We were told by the Project Manager of the Hyatt Coolum Development, which has left roos and birds without their homes and hit and killed by cars, that we should contact Main Roads to organise signs warning motorists of wildlife."

Jaylene says that this isn't her group's responsibility. She thought that the developers should have already arranged for such signs. She wondered why they did not attend to this as soon as possible.

According to Vegan Warriors a serious financial commitment to the wildlife cause would be a good way for Lend Lease to show that it really cares. Since the Sunshine Coast Koala Wildlife Rescue Service operates 7 days a week without any funding and rescues thousands of animals a year because of the impacts of development, Lend Lease might begin with some good works there. For instance, the rescue service desperately requires a new truck and it would be of great benefit for Lend Lease to donate one.

"Lend Lease, who make millions upon millions through bulldozing the homes of our wildlife need to make financial commitments that equate this, not just donations for local nurseries. The Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital takes in over 8,600 native animals a year, and these are the lucky ones who make it."

Vegan Warriors have extended an open invitation to Lend Lease to ride shotgun with the twin brothers who run the koala rescue service to witness first hand the devastation being caused by over development.

For comments, contact Jaylene Musgrave at veganwarriors[AT]live.com.au
www.veganwarriors.com.au
PH: 0448 310 640

NOTES

[1] "Supreme Master Ching Hai's organisation is the distributor of the award. This is an organisation with bhuddist-like values and a female leader. You can read more on Wikipedia about Ching Hai. Although the organisation has been criticised for a corporate approach to business and the leader for self-publicising, others might see this as putting the enemy of the environment's own methods to good use. Financial inscrutability has also been implied, but the sums involved seem quite small and the criticisms lacking detail compared to what one usually expects of reports on corporate financial misbehaviour, such as with Enron, or Australian political party shell companies. Candobetter.net would be interested to have comments and more information for and against this organisation. It is hard to sustain criticism for an organisation which appears to offer substantial support and publicity to people all over the world who are kind to animals and try to save the environment, especially when our economies are entirely dominated by organisations hell-bent on destroying our surroundings and life support base for profit. The fact that the organisation has a female leader is also an unusual and positive attribute in a world where most religions have male dominated corporate bases.

According to Supreme Master Ching Hai, "The Quan Yin Method requires two and a half hours of meditation per day and adherence to five precepts borrowed from the Five Precepts of Buddhism:

Refrain from taking the life of sentient beings.
Refrain from speaking what is not true.
Refrain from taking what is not offered.
Refrain from sexual misconduct.
Refrain from the use of intoxicants."

Readers may also wonder if candobetter.net has a religious or vegan bias. No. Candobetter.net is a website for reform in democracy, environment, population, land use planning and energy policy. Our writers come from various walks of life, but they all have a commitment to these principles. Human forces working for the environment are rare and you can find initiatives for such reforms in unusual places, some of which do have religious and vegan bases. Conversely, human forces working against the environment are vast, obscenely wealthy and multitudinous and include religious, political and corporate organisations which benefit from property development and consume everything, including their own children's future.

According to the Sunshine Coast Environment Council, the so called "Great Growth Debate" hosted by the Property Council of Australia in Brisbane on Friday 5 March 2010 was rigged in advanced to come out in favour the the continuation of "Business as Usual" rampant population growth that so suited its own members' interests at the expense of the broader community and our environment.

The earlier 'debates' hosted by the Courier-Mail in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast proved to be no less one sided. I intend to cover them in another article. Below, I include the media release from the Sunsine Coast Environment Council. The media release predated the Property Council forum. Please visit links for some media coverage of the discussion.

Sunshine Coast Environment Council Media Release, 4 March 2010 -

Property Council Population "debate" has a Predictable Outcome

The Property Council is holding their "The Great Growth Debate" on Friday 5th March. It is being billed as a symposium on new ideas and solutions to managing Queensland's burgeoning growth rate. This is a veiled attempt to disguise its continued lobbying of the State government to release more land, reduce infrastructure charges and minimise the requirements for valid environmental assessments and protections.

For the developers, there is no "debate" -- just their predictable mantra of encouraging population growth at any cost. Ensuring the greatest yield of their significant land holdings to reap the greatest profit with no consideration of the ecological or social impacts of their decisions and actions remains their agenda.
Narelle McCarthy, Manager of the Sunshine Coast Environment Council believes this is further demonstration of the Property Council's "business as usual" approach of enthusiastically embracing and encouraging the burgeoning population rate to drive up the profits for a small minority. "However," Ms McCarthy said "the communities are the ones who bear the detrimental effects of unfettered population growth. Loss of biodiversity, loss of open space, increased traffic congestion, increasing stress and social dysfunction are just some of the compounding and irreversible impacts. Population growth does not equate to economic prosperity or housing affordability. The SEQ Regional Plan has mandated another 98,000 dwellings be built on the Sunshine Coast thus ensuring a windfall for the developers but condemning the local community to a much degraded lifestyle".

From this orchestrated debate, the Property Council will provide a plan to the Premier's own growth management summit to be held at the end of March. This plan will predictably continue to echo their unjustified call for greater land releases and increased concessions to the development industry. So will the Premier accept the advice of the profit motivated vested interests of a few or the majority of her constituents calling on the government to limit the region's population growth?
To support the views and increased understanding of the community in how it can influence all levels of government in addressing the problems of SEQ's unsustainable population growth, the SEQ Conservation Groups are holding a free community forum on Sunday 14th March at the 2:00pm at the Lake Kawana Community Centre, Bokarina. The entire community is urged to participate in determining the future of the Sunshine Coast and SEQ at this critical juncture.

Originally published on 4 Mar 10 on scec.org.au. See also: Great growth debate slammed (based on this media release) by Bill Hoffman in the Sunshine Coast Daily of 5 Mar 10, Aussie growing pains by Sue Lappman in the Gold Coast News of 6 Mar 10 (includes Federal Transport Minister Anthony Albanese's witty and imaginative quip: "I think Dick Smith should stay out of people's bedrooms."), Dick Smith Joins the Great Growth Debate on the Australian Property Council Web side, "The Great Growth Debate" program (pdf 2.8MB).

What you can do

Attend public forums against population Growth.

Brisbane: 8:30AM - 12:30PM, Saturday 13 March,
Queensland Museum Theatre, South Bank.
Cost $10. Phone Queensland Conservation Council on (07) 32297992.

Sunshine Coast: 2:00PM-4:30PM, Sunday 14 March,
Lake Kawana Community Centre, Bokarina.
Cost FREE. See brochure below.

Population growth out of balance with nature on Sunshine Coast

Attempting to find the balance in the debate about population growth isn’t realistic as exponential growth will always present detrimental environmental, social and economic imbalance. It also won’t be achieved in an equitable way as the biodiversity and liveability of the region is already under acute stress. The stark reality is that development on the Sunshine Coast has degraded environmental values to the point where ‘critical threshold’ has been exceeded. The damage is already irreversible. Adding 200,000 more people is hardly going to reverse this devastating trend.

The coast cannot handle any more development or people

Sonia Marshall, campaigner at the Sunshine Coast Environment Council said “A glance at the SCRC Biodiversity Strategy will tell you that there is only 42% of remnant vegetation left on the coast. Development due to rapid population growth is fast encroaching on what is left. The coast can’t handle any more development or people without consequences. If we lose our environmental values, then we also face serious economic and social impacts. For example, recent data collected by Sunshine Coast Tourism indicates that 56% of tourists are drawn to the area to experience nature. Those visitors will be deterred if we have poor quality natural experiences or ambience to offer. The Sunshine Coast’s ecosystems play a huge role in the triple bottom line approach and in the community’s corporate plan vision– vibrant, green and diverse.”

Development industry's perceived financial imperatives can never justify destruction of natural capital

The development industry would have us believe that continued development is the panacea for the global financial crisis, yet their efforts continue to draw down the natural capital on which we fundamentally rely and do not equate to financial prosperity. Tactics to avoid the need to restrict development are also unacceptable.

Environmental offsets primitive and unreliable

“We can’t expect that environmental offsets will always work. The State’s offset policies are in their infancy and lack detail. In many cases, these policies facilitate development in core habitat areas, yet the development lobby wants more. Replacing remnant vegetation with a development accompanied by generous tree plantings might look good, but doesn’t adequately offset the damage. You can’t knock over mature koala food trees and replace them with seedlings. It will take years for the revegetated ecosystem to be able to support koalas again. Meanwhile the local koala population have taken yet another blow from development and their numbers decline even further. There are also other impacts such as the sediment runoff from land cleared for development, which can sit bare for several years before construction begins. This is having a massive impact on our waterways. The implications and cost of using techno fixes to reverse all the damage is horrendous” Ms Marshall explained.

Opening floodgates to development won't fix housing crisis

The Sunshine Coast community is being shot in the foot by the State Government’s ‘gung-ho’ attitude towards development at the behest of self-interest by the development industry. Opening the floods gates for development won’t fix a housing affordability crisis. Developers hold the land and release it when the price is right. Land banking has assured a steady stream of profit will be enjoyed at the expense of the wider community. Further unbridled development will equate to degrading our life style by eroding the natural beauty of the area. The science and the practicalities of inadequate infrastructure dictate a much more conservative approach.

There is no more give in the eco-system; population growth and development must now stop

Our ecosystems are too far gone and time is running out. The necessary and achievable action is to halt population growth to sustainable levels, protect and enhance what we have and diversify to the imperatives of sustainability. It’s is the only way that the Sunshine Coast will achieve the triple bottom line.

MEDIA RELEASE from the Sunshine Coast Environment Council
Tuesday 15th December 2009

Almost invariably reporting of Australia's acute housing unaffordability crisis does not inform the public of its causes, nor help it to arrive at a solution. The ABC's report No relief in sight for Brisbane's renters of 20 June 08 is no exception.

See also: Rent gouging threatens Brisbane inner city retail community of 8 Mar 08

Yet another article, this time on the ABC's online news service, No relief in sight for Brisbane's renters of 20 June 08 provides yet further confirmation that the polices promoting rapid population growth by all levels of government in Brisbane - local, state and federal - are recklessly harmful to many of Brisbane's existing inhabitants.

However, this obvious link is ignored by the article, and, in spite of its promising headline, the article, instead, turns out to be nothing more than another serving of propaganda in the service of the very people who caused the problem in the first place, namely the growth lobby consisting of property developers, land speculators, lenders, construction companies and others who profit from population growth at the expense of the rest of the community.

Property speculators lobby for higher immigration

Record and escalating property values and the consequent high rents is precisely the intended effect hoped for by the property interests who have been lobbying for population growth behind the backs of the Australian public for decades. Indeed, this hope was openly expressed by an economist working, as I recall for the Real Estate Institute of Australia in 2004 on Radio National's Australia Talks Back program on 19 May 2004 (it is now called just Australia Talks). The topic of the day was the supposed ‘problem’ of a short-lived slump in housing prices, which caused land speculators momentarily not to be able to reap the normally high profits to which they had become accustomed . Several times, the REIQ economist stated that when immigration picks up, the woes of property investors would end.

At the time, I strongly doubted claims that high immigration was, in any way, in the interests of the current residents of this country. In the past I had naïvely accepted the view that the immigration program was undertaken for altruistic reasons, even if I believed them to misguided. Whilst I was becoming more skeptical about this over time, the open acknowledgement of sectional self-interest behind our immigration program was still a surprise to me. I did phone in and speak on Australia Talks Back to make the point that housing prices, even at the supposedly depressed levels, were still impossibly high on a remotely normal income, but I had not sorted out my thoughts on that other question sufficiently as to be able to speak to it coherently. Two days letter at mid-day on Friday 21 May, I sent a letter, in the hope that it would be read out during Friday's "Week In review" program. However that was a week in which an "Australia Talks Books" was scheduled on Friday instead, so it was not read out. The letter was:

Dear Sandy McCutcheon et al,

Firstly thank you for giving me a say on your show on Wednesday.

However, I forgot to comment on what one of your invited guests said, which I thought to be extraordinary and revealing.

He expressed his hope that further immigration will help the property market to 'recover', that is, presumably, that the crowding of further new arrivals into Sydney and Melbourne, will drive the already hyper-inflated housing prices even higher.

This confirmed my suspicion that the motivations of many advocates of immigration were not as altruistic as they had once led me to believe.

Those on the lower rungs of our society were not informed or consulted about the consequences of such an increase in our population, and so now they can no longer afford what was affordable to them a generation ago.

As a matter of urgency, the process of decentralising our economy needs to be commenced, so that everyone can once again find somewhere affordable to live and to work, and before we increase our population levels even further, there needs to be a full and open discussion.

Yours Sincerely

,

James Sinnamon

Housing hyper-inflation the direct consequence of the property lobby's successful lobbying efforts

Subsequently, land speculators and property developers got their wish. John Howard, the man who told the Australian public during the Tampa crisis of 2001, "We will decide who comes to this country, and the circumstances under which they come," secretly ramped up Australia's immigration ever higher and, as a consequence, Australia has some of the least affordable housing in the world. Many, who could previously have hoped to take out a mortgage for a house if they made sacrifices, have been completely priced out of the market as a result, and have no choice but to rent.

Renters at the mercy of ruthless landlords and real estate agents

As the numbers of those seeking rental accommodation have greatly exceeded available rental stock, many tenants are now at the mercy of unconscionable landlords and real estate agents. In 2006, I witnessed the life of a neighbour destroyed during a six month period, as real estate agents and prospective buyers marched into her rented half-house almost at will. On one occasion, whilst the tenant was out, damp washing left hanging, which was considered an obstruction, was dumped on the ground. Eventually the house was sold and the new owners raised the rent beyond what the existing tenant could afford, so she had to move out.

More recently, another rental house occupied by a friend was put on the market. When my friend insisted upon being given adequate written notice by the estate agent before his floor of a two story house was inspected, the estate agent attempted to bully him over the phone. He, nevertheless, stood up to him, asserting his legal rights as a tenant. Fortunately, the landlord was more ethical than most and apologised profusely when he heard of this. The house was eventually taken off the market, and he was allowed to stay. Most tenants, of course, are not so lucky. The Courier Mail newspaper reported (will endeavour to obtain reference) in about two months ago that some Brisbane landlords are evicting their tenants without cause in order to replace them with other tenants able to pay higher rents.

Many who no longer can afford their own unit, let alone a free-standing home, now have no alternative but to share a roof with often incompatible strangers. Those who can't even afford that are resorting to living in cars or in tents in open spaces around the city. One prominent collection of tent dwellings is now to be found beneath the Story Bridge.

Small businesses are also paying the price. As reported in the story Rent gouging threatens Brisbane inner city retail community of 8 Mar 08 sudden exorbitant rent increases imposed by landlords, with the active encouragement of a local real estate agent, destroyed the economic viability of a number business in a formerly cohesive retail community the inner-city suburb of Paddington.

How housing unaffordability scandal is spun to suit the purposes of land speculators

Now, almost invariably, whenever housing unaffordability is raised in the printed media, radio and television, the ‘experts’ whose views are sought are invariably the exact same people who brought about this this human tragedy in the first place. They now would have the public believe that they are all working with single-minded determination to bring housing affordability back to the Australian masses once again. This line is accepted unquestioningly be almost all the newsmedia and the supposedly independent ABC is no exception.

In this story, the ‘experts’ consulted included:

• an unnamed spokesperson from economic forecaster BIS Shrapnel,
• Steve Greenwood, executive director of the Property Council of Australia,
• Dan Molloy, the managing director of the Real Estate Institute of Queensland,
• the pro-developer pro-population-growth Lord Mayor of Brisbane Campbell Newman,

In spite of the fact that the ‘solution’ proffered by these people is hotly controversial in South East Queensland, including on the Sunshine Coast and in Redland City, where anti-development councils have been elected, no critical views were reported in the article. The closest thing to a critical view was from Councillor David Hinchliffe, who, as former Labor majority leader on the Brisbane City Council, notoriously surrendered to Campbell Newman on nearly every key policy question, with disastrous results for Labor, during the March 2008 Brisbane City Council elections.

Economic forecaster BIS Shrapnel tipped that house prices in south-east Queensland were likely to rise by 22 per cent over the next three years. The obvious fact that this was almost certainly the result of the Federal Immigration minister Chris Evans having announced that the annual immigration intake was to be increased to 300,000 on 14 May was, of course, not mentioned.

Another contributing factor was Lord Mayor Campbell Newman's sudden hike in council rates directly counter to a clear commitment he made prior to the election of 15 March.

Naturally the whole discussion was couched in terms of what or would not entice investors to invest in rental property.

Campbell Newman and Steve Greenwood differed over the effect that his rate increases would have, with Newman absurdly insisting that his rate increases would have no significant impact upon rents.

Steve Greenwood naturally supported the federal rent-assistance scheme which does nothing but fuel housing inflation at the expense of taxpayers.

Greenwood claimed, as the Property Council invariably states in these sorts of stories, that the solution to housing affordability lies with the release of more land for housing development. In his words:

"But we need other things done, and those other things are increasing land supply.

"At the moment we have a regional plan that is being reviewed."

Mr Greenwood says land will need to be unlocked across the south-east to boost supply sufficiently and take pressure off the housing market.

In one sense Steve Greenwood could be right, to a point.

It is hard to imagine how the supply of more land would not make it cheaper, even if we take into account the extravagant developer's margins and the way that developers, themselves, notoriously withhold the release to homebuyers of land sold wholesale to them by governments in order to maximise their own profits.

If all other things remained equal, we could still expect the affordability of housing to marginally improve. Of course, this ignores the fact that the housing on offer is likely to be distantly removed from any worthwhile amenities, public transport or employment opportunities.

But, of course, all things are not going to remain the same as the greater demand caused by increasing immigration will almost certainly more than wipe out any marginal improvements.

Furthermore, most existing residents strongly object to the loss of open spaces, bushland and agricultural land that will be entailed in the release of new land for housing. As well as degrading the quality of life for existing residents the fragile ecology of the region could be destroyed and, with that any prospect of local food self-sufficiency, vitally necessary when the effects of ever higher fuel costs are inevitably to be felt.

It is for such reasons that the Redland City Council and the Sunshine Coast Regional Council are opposing the Queensland Government's release of more land. In response, Steve Greenwood complained:

"Just outside of Brisbane we've got a number of claims coming from some of the local government areas that actually want to cap their population growth.

"That is very alarming, because basically what they're saying is they're going to … attempt to further limit supply, and for most of us who have even a basic understanding of economics, you limit supply and your costs go up.

Of course, the abovementioned efforts made by the Federal and State governments on behalf of the Property Council of Australia and the REIQ to increase demand are not to be even considered.

On 22 April 2007 Queensland Premier Anna Bligh, then Deputy Premier, rejected calls for ending Queensland's population growth, claiming that it "would have a very serious impact on the construction industry that a lot people rely on for jobs."₁.

A year later, on 25 April 2008 as reported₂ in the Sunshine coast daily, town planning lawyer, Andrew Davis, similarly objected to the plans of newly elected Sunshine Coast Mayor, Bob Abbot, to cap the coast's population growth at 400,000 from the current population of 300,000₃. Davis claimed that Abbot's initial plan to reduce annual population growth from 3.5% to 2% would result in the loss of 8,500 of the region's 20,000 construction jobs. He also claimed that there would be further job losses in the transport, property and business service sector, with flow-ons to other sectors of the economy like retail, tourism, manufacturing.

Indeed, in a manner uncharacteristic for property developers' advocates, even Andrew Davis implicitly acknowledged that such a transition would be necessary when he said, “Turning off the tap of growth, without first achieving success in creating sustainable business, will cause enormous pain for everyone, whether you work in growth industries or not.”

Given that the region does not have adequate water resources, transport infrastructure, electricity generation, or health and education services to meet the needs of the existing population, many argue that it is urgently necessary to end growth now rather than to increase the number of people who will become dependent, for their employment, upon further growth. At the very least, a plan to end the region's dependence upon growth must be adopted without further delay. Sunshine Coast residents should not hold their breath waiting for Davis and the Sunshine Coast developers to devise a plan for a sustainable economy for the region.

Putting back the date for the necessary transition from a growth-addicted economy to a stable steady state economy will only make the eventual adjustment more traumatic.

At least Bob Abbot's plans for a cap are a step in the right direction. As far as it goes, he can rightly claim a popular mandate for his stance, having won the election for Mayor against pro-developer candidate Joe Natoli, with over 70% of the vote₄.

Comments posted to the web-site of the Sunshine coast Daily News, in response to the story, also confirm the overwhelming popular support enjoyed by Abbot. (See Appendix 1 below).

Saturday's Sunshine Coast Daily in the story Coast told to grow up and diversify₅ of 26 April reported that Sunshine Coast business leaders supported Abbot and called for the diversification of the economy away from dependence upon tourism, retail and the property industry.

Sunshine Coast Business Council chair Paul Pettigrew said, "Reliance on the mainstays of tourism, retail and property development industries must be reduced. The growth of the knowledge, creative, research and innovation, manufacturing and other such skills-based industries will create a larger total economic base that is better positioned for the region’s social and economic future."

Sunshine Coast Environment Council manager Ian Christesen said the time was right to have a debate about growth₅.

“The time is right, the people have spoken at the elections, so let’s get on with rational discussion,” he said.

“The rhetoric the state government has been going on about for some time is ‘we’re managing growth’. Everyone realises that’s not the case, growth is managing us.

“We have to diversify our economy. We can’t rely on the vagaries of construction and development to underpin our economy.

“We need to move on and develop something a bit smarter.”

However, as former State Labor MP, Cate Molloy, warned (see Appendix 2) Sunshine Coast residents may see their expressed wishes to curb the demands of the developers frustrated. State Labor Government's supposedly independent assessment panel, has powers to over-rule planning decisions of the Sunshine Coast Council and other local governments.

Already in 2007, at the behest of the Property Council of Australia (PCA), the State Government forcibly amalgamated a number of local governments, against the wishes of the residents served by these councils₆. The Property Council viewed the abolished Noosa and Douglas Shire Councils and many other councils, as impediments to its agenda for unrestrained development.

However, the Property Council and the State Government's plans suffered a setback when anti-development candidates in a number of key local government areas including the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, Cairns, and Redland City overcame the additional difficulties caused by the amalgamations and defeated candidates heavily financed by developers₇.

In response to this democratic resistance, the Queensland State Government, encouraged by pro-developer Murdoch Newsmedia, set up the independent assessment panel, of which Molloy warned.

Clearly, if Queensland is to be saved from overdevelopment and overpopulation, then anti-development councils, together with their grass roots supporters, will have to show at least as much determination as the developers and their government stooges.

Footnotes

1. Qld govt rejects population cap in the Age of 22 April 2007.[back]

2. Curbing growth 'would cost jobs' by Jane Gardner in the Sunshine Coast Daily News of 25 April 2008 [back]

3. Sunshine Coast plan to cap population on Radio National's PM of 24 April 2008 [back]

4. See Electoral Commission of Queensland's results for the Sunshine Coast Mayoral elections. [back]

5. Coast told to grow up and diversify by Bill Hoffman in the Sunshine Coast Daily News of 26 April 2008 [back] [back]

6. Cate Molloy : Forced council amalgamations planned by Property Council of Australia of 7 Sep 2007 [back]

7. The Australian laments outcome of Queensland local government elections of 29 March 2008 [back]

Appendix 1: Some comments in support of Mayor Abbot's population cap

Comments were posted in response to Sunshine Coast Daily article Curbing growth 'would cost jobs' of 25 April 2008.

"The coast cannot cope with the current growth. ..."

"Growth on the coast needs stemming. At present there are subdivisions without supporting services. The building quality is less than desired, but maximum price is called for by the developers. All in the name of greed."

"It is ignorant for anybody to suggest that we need "Growth" to sustain a economy, most problems in the world are caused by growth, sure there may be "some" job loss for a while, but this will naturally adjust after a while.

"Nothing is gained without pain.

"It's good to see somebody like Mr Abbot standing up to the development industry."

"There are so many examples across the coast of where we are playing 'catch-up' because growth has not been carefully monitored. I invite any Coast residents to try getting around the Sippy Downs / education precinct between 8am - 9am and again from 3pm - 5pm. I sat in traffic there yesterday for 35 minutes - to move only a couple of hundred metres. We're all waiting for the new Dixon Interchange to open and look forward to a reduction in congestion. I'm sure the residents of Maroochy North Shore are also looking forward to the Maroochy River Bridge project completion.

"What Mayor Abbot is suggesting is reasonable, and shows an interest in the long-term livability of the Coast region. I think his vision proves that we have elected the right man for the job - someone who looks at the big picture and doesn't play into the hands of developers and their dollars."

"We don't have a infrastructure now to cope with the people we have here, Look at the most important stuff like the poor state of hospitals,the lack of public transport, the traffic nightmare."

"I don't see why we have to concentrate so many people into one place changing the entire coast into a rat race, ..."

"Enough is enough.Overdevelopment only puts money into the pockets of large developers who are not domiciled on the coast. They are only here to make fast easy money at the ultimate expense of residents. ...

"We can't afford any further development on the Sunshine Coast that only puts money into the developers pockets and leaves the rest of us to pick up the bill. More strength to Bob Abbot and his plans. And an end to the Natoli 'sleep with the enemy' policy.

"From the story and the comments all I can say is, Good for you BOB!"

"The increase is being driven by the federal government via immigration, due to the failure of various other ridiculous schemes to maintain the human plague i.e 'baby bonus'.

"Since 2003, our immigration rate has doubled. This is short term economics; selling state forest, water supply, and sacrificing entire species for a quick-buck. This is a threat to our future far worse than terrorism."

"Perhaps Mayor Abbott's proposed growth rate will help alleviate the difficulties house buyers are having getting their homes completed due to a shortage of tradespeople. (see Saturday's Daily)."

Appendix 2: Cate Molloy warns of threat of dictatorial use of State Government's planning powers.

This comment by Cate Molloy, former Labor state member of Parliament who was expelled from the Labor Party for opposing the Traveston Dam was also posted in response to the abovementioned Sunshine Coast Daily article Curbing growth 'would cost jobs' of 25 April 2008.

The current Minister for Infrastructure and Planning Paul Lucas has stated a five member independent assessment panel would be given the first right of refusal on all Noosa development applications so that means they also have first right of approval, of those applications not just the ones in conflict with the planning scheme.

We now have this Famous Five who are about to duplicate the work not only done in council but also that which is referred to the State government for review- a call in- how can any council operate effectively if the responsibility to plan and approve is removed from their hands.

OK so Noosa is only one part of the cake but this kind of eroding of democracy smacks of arrogance.

Noosa got much of its planning done well with a great deal of community input, that is now being removed not only from the mayor but also all the councillors.

We can address this by pressuring the mayor and those councillors who enjoy close relationships with both federal and state government ministers to reinstate our democratic rights.

There is a specific tactic of turning the heat up on our elected representatives to stand up for us on this important issue and not simply roll over, making a few noises about how they hope the process is thorough enough and the state government doesn't select poorly.

I would like to see those councillors who have used state and federal politicians to advance their campaigns to now actually do something with that endorsement.

Vivien Griffin and Glen Elmes have openly declared they want to work together that's great so now Viv and Glen you have to take these issues to state parliament and report back to us the people what you have both achieved.

Debbie Blumel has represented as a labor candidate at least 4 times with endorsements from Wayne Swan and a tinny full of state pollies so now come on Debbie, you can get down to Brisbane get Wayne Swan to go with you, to see Minister Lucas.

You then can report back to us on what you have achieved to get Minister Lucas to rescind this ridiculous Famous Five duplication and removal of our democracy.

Russell Green has mates in State Government and has even turned up at a State Labor retreat. This level of friendship surely must allow you Russell to put forward our case.

Of course we have other councillors who also have close ties in government but lets start with this small but highly and well connected group to really start using their connections as they have so implied they would do.