Golden Age kicks goals
FROM tourism and transport, to technology and health industries, the Bulletin’s Golden Age campaign has uncovered a bright vision and already kicked some goals for the Gold Coast.
The next decade, or GC 2.0, as imagined by Bulletin readers in a comprehensive survey, has also revealed the work yet to be done.
Southport business identity John Howe said conversations about our city’s future were essential for growth.
“The Bulletin’s Golden Age Campaign is something we, as a young city, need,” Mr Howe said.
“We live in one of the fastest growing areas in Australia, if not the Southern Hemisphere, we have seen boom and busts, new suburbs and thousands of new residents – we need to take stock to know where we are going next,” he said.
Central Chamber of Commerce president Martin Hall said the in-depth campaign had already resulted in great outcomes for the Coast.
“It is great to see the Golden Age Campaign highlight a strong vision of what those in our city believe it needs,” Mr Hall said.
As the campaign launched, after years of intense lobbying, the State and Federal Governments agreed to a $2 billion deal to widen the M1.
Funding for congestion hot spots, like Yawalpah Rd was then secured in the council budget, after Golden Age Transport coverage revealed it to be among the city’s worst.
Excessive transport fares were highlighted as Gold Coast commuters admitted they would ditch the M1 – only if return fares were dropped to $10.
In week two of the campaign, a top 10 list of future Gold Coast attractions was compiled by tourism industry figures.
The commercialisation of our beaches also sparked debate on whether to allow businesses to set up hubs on certain stretches sand.
During week three the Bulletin revealed a software giant will soon call the Coast home, as the first major tenant of the Griffith University Health and Knowledge precinct.
The Bulletin then uncovered the top five fastest and slowest growing schools on the Gold Coast, with some in the northern suburbs exploding by 75 per cent in a single year.
In the coming weeks the campaign will explore city vision, The Spit masterplan, our film industry, crime and courts, the environment, the National Broadband Network and the city’s Health and Knowledge Precinct.
The results of the Golden Age survey will be released each week.