REVIEW WILL END FARCE
THE Gold Coast City Council must commission its own independent review to end the farce that has become Black Swan Lake.
Revelations today that a scientific study found the Bundall wetland was not toxic after all, 15 months after councillors voted to allow the Gold Coast Turf Club to fill it in, will create further division in an already polarising issue.
And the fact those councillors — some of them honorary members of the turf club — refused to reconsider their position despite being told of independent scientific testing by ALS Environment four months ago fuels suspicion.
Most councillors and the turf club say the lake is a cesspit; environmentalists argue it is a wildlife haven and an important cornerstone to the city’s conservation.
The row has stained relationships between councillors and community groups, embroiled both the federal and state governments and sparked an inquiry by the Crime and Corruption Commission. Even Buckingham Palace has been asked to intervene.
The turf club last month put fencing around the 2.7ha “borrow pit” as it plans to convert the area for horse training amenities, equine green space and an overflow car parking facility.
Diggers are at the ready.
But it does not have to end in tears. As experienced healthy waterways campaigner Wayne Cameron told the Bulletin today: “It would be very interesting for council and the community to finally know the truth about what was being done to understand the value of the lake.
“In my opinion, filling such an ecologically valuable natural asset is something done 60 years ago, not today because we now know enough to make the right decisions.
“It would be a soul-destroying assault on the community and set back conservation on the Gold Coast 20 years.”
Council needs to do the right thing here. Refusal to show transparency and due process at a time of need before the diggers roll in will leave a bitter taste in the mouths of Gold Coasters.
This issue is not just about a few swans and wetland. It is about good governance and listening to residents and various groups.
Too much time and energy already has been wasted on a project that continues to erode the community, and it must end.
During this drawn out process, council officers as early as late 2016 recommended the water body should be retained due to its role in containing waste flow. The cause of previous water quality problems stemmed from the Gold Coast Turf Club and the neighbouring horse stables.
Councillors should take the high ground and access an independent report into the true happenings at the lake.
Or as Mr Cameron challenged councillors: “Stand back and say we were wrong with this and give it back to the community. I’m trying to back council out of a legacy that’s a black spot on their time in office”.