Residents outrage grows over casino resort message

LOCAL residents are outraged with the confusing and misleading messages which continue to surface and in particular the mixed messages from City Hall.

The Mayor asked that we “stick to the facts” so a group of concerned residents met and the responses below are the collective views of concerned locals

In particular the residents wish to respond to the Bulletin article “Show us the money, government tells casino suitors”.

So here are the facts:

■ The Mayor wants to allow the market to determine if a new Global Tourism Hub (GTH) is possible for the city. We stand firm that the market should not be allowed to determine what happens on our public land and the public has spoken and the message is loud and clear.

■ The Mayor said the city is built on confidence and without confidence we loose investment and jobs. The fact is residents have lost confidence in the Mayor who assured the local community that he has withdrawn his support for the GTH at Carey Park in October 2017 but is not willing to remove Carey Park from the 11 sites currently under consideration.

■ There are 11 sites under consideration for the GTH and the only site that the Mayor has so far promoted is the Carey Park site, so we ask the Mayor to publicly announce the other 10 sites

■ The Mayor is trying to shift the focus away from the sale of public land to suggesting a leasehold arrangement believing the wider community will come on board. The fact is once a commercial enterprise is set on public land under a leasehold with peppercorn rent our land is gone forever and that is no different from selling the land.

■ Local residents are passionate about protecting the valuable open space and parkland. We are angry and confused as to why the Mayor has selected this site in the first instance and why he continues to cause distress by not showing he stands firm behind his own Mayoral resolution of not supporting the casino on Public Land at Carey Park.

■ Local residents and Gold Coasters in general stand united in their opposition to public land falling into the hands of developers to establish commercial uses which should be built on private land.

■ Local residents will not rest until both the State Government and Council withdraw their support for the precious public land at Southport and they will reach out for fellow Gold Coasters for further support.

■ Gold Coasters who value public spaces are here to stay. Mayors and governments come and go.

PAULA LIPTON, GOLD COAST