SURFERS IN A BARREL

CITY and tourism leaders can’t have it both ways.

Either Surfers Paradise outs itself as a hedonistic, full-blown party town with all the fun and the underbelly downside that go with it, or it stays true to the declarations of it being the jewel in the crown of the nation’s family tourism capital.

It is difficult to see how it can be both, especially in the wake of the mindless, drunken violence that dragged the Gold Coast’s image down into the mire on Sunday when idiots drank themselves to a point that plumbed new depths of boofheaded redundancy.

Added to that is the continuing existence of that most vile of so-called innovations, the pop-up loo that is an affront to the eyes, nose and sensibilities of innocent passers-by who have no choice but to run the gauntlet if they want to get from one end of Orchid Avenue to the other after 11pm.

It hurts to think ratepayers were billed $400,000 for this supposed Europeanstyle convenience that the council says can be found everywhere in the great cities on the continent. The jury is out on that claim.

Surfers Paradise councillor Gary Baildon wasn’t happy with the inadequate screening of the open-air urinals when that particular complaint was an issue four months back.

He was surprised when told this week that council workers had still not done anything to fix the screening, which raises an important point. Who runs the city? The councillors or the council staff?

If the council and tourism bodies cling to the view that Surfers Paradise can be both a party town and a family destination, we can expect many more clashes of opinions, more in the way of outrage every time drunken yobbos run out of control and plenty of debate about Schoolies and public safety.

Surfers should be given its head. If it is to be ruled by bars, clubs and their crowds, then be honest about it. Broadbeach is ready to take over the role of the “jewel’’.

But even a precinct that commits to the after-dark culture should do something about drunks flashing what passes for their manhood as they stand at the urinals.

Public convenience? More a monument to vulgarity.