REMEMBER WHEN

GOLD COAST BULLETIN Saturday November 12, 2005

SOUTHEAST Queensland mayors called on Gold Coast Mayor Ron Clarke to resign after he led a council breakaway from regional water restrictions.

The mayors said Mr Clarke’s successful motion to allow longer handheld water hours across the city ‘lacked leadership’ and ‘did no favours for the Gold Coast’ in the eyes of the region.

The representatives were ‘livid’ that only two weeks earlier, Mr Clarke voted with them to keep level two restrictions uniform.

Mr Clarke said it was for the city’s elderly community.

The change came even though SEQ Water was reviewing restriction details in light of excellent conservation results.

The changes also may have caused unnecessary friction with level two restrictions likely to increase by January 2006 without rain.

Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman said Mr Clarke should ‘consider his position for the Gold Coast’.

“Two weeks ago we had a meeting on this and he voted to stick with it, and that was supposedly the end of the matter,” said Mr Newman.

“On at least two occasions he said he would stick to it. He has been disingenuous as usual about it. How can he look the rest of us in the eye?

“This is a disgraceful act.” Mr Newman said he had many elderly people in his city.

“But I’m not getting a deluge of complaints from them,’’ he said.

“To those that do, I tell them what the situation is and that it has to be done, because this is about ensuring we have enough water in three years.’