Political foes align on trams
THE trams going further south to the Gold Coast Airport is facing united political opposition from both the sitting Palm Beach councillor and a rival candidate.
Veteran councillor Daphne McDonald has been a longterm opponent of light rail, alongside Burleigh MP Michael Hart, Currumbin MP Jann Stuckey and Federal Member for McPherson Karen Andrews.
Cr McDonald’s only divisional opponent so far in the lead-up to the March 2020 poll, award-winning journalist and author Katrina Beikoff, revealed her transport policy in a Facebook post.
“Work on Stage 3A of the Gold Coast light rail from Broadbeach to Burleigh is to start early next year and take two years to complete,” Ms Beikoff wrote.
“It is my view that the heavy rail from Varsity to the airport should be the priority ahead of any further extension of the light rail. We need significant public transport improvement and heavy rail to the Gold Coast Airport should be the priority.”
Ms Beikoff told the Bulletin she was a strong supporter of public transport but the trams would not help Palm Beach.
“My reasoning is it makes Palm Beach a thoroughfare. It makes sense that light rail goes from Burleigh to Varsity,” she said.
Cr McDonald said she had long opposed light rail Stage 3B, from Burleigh Heads to the airport, because she was concerned about the resumption of properties on the Gold
Coast Hwy and parking.
“I’ve made it quite clear that light rail should stop at Burleigh. Heavy rail should go from Varsity to the airport,” Cr McDonald said.
“That’s been my stand all along. I’ve felt light rail through Palm Beach has been the wrong route. Michael Hart, Jann Stuckey and Karen Andrews are all of the same view, that light rail should go to Varsity to link with the heavy rail.”
But independent research conducted for the State Government provides a contrary view with massive support for the Broadbeach to Burleigh line and even more residents wanting the trams to go further south.
About 86 per cent of residents surveyed support stage 3A to Burleigh and 91 per cent back stage 3B to Coolangatta.
A year ago, more than 10,000 people signed an online “stop light rail” petition. Many of them have voiced their opposition in private Facebook pages and offered support for Cr McDonald.
But Ms Beikoff’s policy should appease outspoken anti-tram residents.
Zac Revere, a 23-year-old operations manager at the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, faced criticism after outlining the positive impact of the trams in a research paper prepared for his Division 12 campaign.
Both he and area councillor Pauline Young are strong supporters of how light rail can improve both urban and environmental outcomes in the area, including protection of koalas through special overhead bridges. removal of