People have spoken: we don’t want second casino

I’D like to thank the 9000-plus people who signed my petition against a second casino on the Gold Coast.

The petition, which was tabled in parliament last week, enabled thousands of Gold Coast residents to again say no to another casino, and say no to giving away public land for one.

I note the story ‘Show us the money, government tells casino suitors’ (GCB, 19/2/19) reports that the State Government is going to run a “beauty pageant” for a global tourism hub.

The same report says there are two casino resorts in Brisbane, so there should be two on the Coast.

Wrong. The new casino being built in Brisbane will replace the existing one in that city.

Further, Brisbane’s replacement casino is being built on land that has been neglected and underutilised for decades.

Proposed sites for a second casino on the Gold Coast such as Carey Park at Southport, or the Broadwater Parklands, are much-loved and much-used public spaces.

The community does not want our popular public spaces gifted to the highest bidder, which is likely to be a foreignowned company.

The Gold Coast already has three times more poker machines than Victoria and 40 per cent more than Sydney.

How many more petitions do we need to show that the Gold Coast does not want, or need, a second casino?