Complaint against GC councillor dismissed

A GOLD Coast City councillor has had an official complaint against him dismissed after it was found his criticisms of the proposed cruise ship terminal (CST) were correct.

Mudgeeraba-based councillor Glenn Tozer was contacted on August 6 by the Office of the Independent Assessor (OIA) after he made public statements in June about the planned offshore CST at Philip Park on The Spit.

Cr Tozer was reported as saying the offshore jetty would have cost $500 million, that a council report by PwC indicates a transit port would not be economically feasible or recommended and economic consultants were advising council against it.

The OIA after an investigation later in a letter said: “The three statements listed were factually correct on the basis that they refer to a “Transit” port.

“These statements would not be correct if they were referring to a “Home” port.”

The OIA maintains confidentiality about complainants, but the complaint itself highlights the tension surrounding the cruise ship debate at city hall.

Cr Tozer, Councillor Peter Young and Councillor Daphne McDonald in the lead-up to the budget in June voted against $1.25 million being spent on the CST during the next 12 months.

The Hinterland councillor in a blog to residents yesterday revealed the circumstances of the OIA complaint against him which has further opened up debate about the feasibility of the CST.

Referring to the PwC report, Cr Tozer said he was not sure how the economic feasibility of a home port could be determined without a comprehensive assessment and cost estimate for fuel supply. The other factor missing in the forecast was a costed infrastructure solution for ferrying the passengers to shore, he said.