Report on the slow boat

Delay to the arrival of council’s cruise ship plans

A REPORT being prepared by council into the proposed $450 million cruise ship terminal on The Spit may not be presented until after the State election.

The report was due to be put before council this month but has already been put back until November.

A spokesman for Mayor Tom Tate said the delay in pre“My senting the report was because Cr Tate was unable to attend the meeting at which it was set to be handed down.

But council sources have blamed the hold-up on the departure of former Economic Development and Major Projects boss Darren Scott and said they expect the report will be delayed even further.

“He (Mr Scott) would have been securing that particular thing,” one source said.

“(The mayor) is just as likely to defer it again until after the state election.”

The report is due after councillors voted for work to begin on preliminary environmental studies into the proposed terminal, which will be located on a 6ha site at Philip Park. It was also to prepare advice for the state government.

It was ordered after a major fesability study by PricewaterhouseCoopers commissioned by council found the proposed terminal would bring $4 billion into the economy over 30 years and create 3500 jobs.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has said her government will consider any proposal put before it, but has already committed to spending $100 million on the Luggage Point terminal in Brisbane.

Mudgeeraba councillor Glenn Tozer, who is opposed to the proposed terminal, said it was clear more investigations needed to be done.

gut feeling is that these things are timed for a reason,” he said. “There needs to be adequate time to deal with significant issues (seen in the feasibility study).”

It remains unclear whether ratepayers will get to see the contents of the latest report when it is eventually handed down, with Cr Tate’s spokersperson saying it would be up to council to decide if the report was made public.