GOLD COAST LEGAL HUB IS OUR DUTY

THE Gold Coast needs a Legal Hub – now!

Powerful political leadership is planning for the future, not pandering to the pundits, or papering over the cracks.

Our Southport Court building is crumbling under the legal (and not so legal) load of Australia’s sixth largest city.

It is not just about criminal trials, or complex commercial matters.

Gold Coast citizens are being deprived of easy and affordable access to justice through a permanent Supreme Court, Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT), Family Court and Federal Court.

A dedicated home for probation and parole officers, prosecutors and alternative dispute resolution facilities is increasingly an urgent necessity.

Why is it that a simple probate matter has to be dealt with in Brisbane? Why are mediation matters having to be dealt with in Brisbane? Why do parenting issues have to be dealt with in Brisbane? Why do businesses have to take building disputes to Brisbane?

For too long our political leaders have either remained quiet or complacent, or both, in the face of an increasingly gaping hole in our Gold Coast critical social infrastructure.

The land is available around the current court on the space of an under-utilised carpark.

A Southport Legal Hub is an essential part of the plan for our growing city.

Our duty is not to our own present needs and wants, it is to our future generations. We have a duty act for them.