OUR CENTRE OF POWER
ARGUMENTS for a centralised “tower of power’’ for government departments in the Southport CBD are growing stronger.
But debate is also exposing critical flaws in liaison between the three levels of government and in how some departments have dealt with the Gold Coast in cavalier fashion in the past or simply ignored the city’s views, steamrolling over the city’s needs and wishes.
Earlier this month the Bulletin revealed how the Department of Human Services had finished an expressions of interest exercise in its hunt for a 6200sqm office building somewhere at Robina or Varsity Lakes, leading to fears of a “super Centrelink’’ and a potential parking crisis.
Industry, Innovation and Science Minister Karen Andrews waded in, saying she had made her concerns known to her Human Services counterpart.
Ms Andrews told the Bulletin yesterday she backs a “hub and spoke’’ model for government offices on the Gold Coast – in other words, a Southport tower housing the main offices for federal, state and council departments in the city while Centrelink, for example, would continue to have grassroots offices in major business centres in other suburbs.
Mayor Tom Tate has mounted a campaign on the cost efficiency of bringing departments and their staff together in a single high-rise building in the CBD.
Yesterday he beefed that up by pushing the light rail argument. It makes sense.
The light rail route would deliver federal, state and city departmental staff to the tower in the Southport CBD, meaning cars could be left at home or at park and rides.
The Department of Human Services search for a Gold Coast hub has shown up a lack of communication or disregard for what the council wants and how the City Plan operates. Why not consult the council about where the best place would be? Why doesn’t a decision of this magnitude involve the local authority, which could be left to deal with a parking mess?
A tower would tick many boxes in efficiency, cost, transport and in generating investment in the surrounding area.
The debate that finally led to Southport becoming the city’s CBD ahead of Robina was a long and hard process. With that decision made, the Gold Coast has to support it and Canberra and the State Government should acknowledge this is how the city wants to develop.
This does not mean there cannot be vibrant development in other major centres in this linear city, but the Gold Coast needs a CBD and it has made up its mind, settling on Southport.