Vote to move a mountain

A MAJORITY of Tamborine Mountain residents have voted to break away from the Scenic Rim and become Gold Coasters.

The results of the controversial “Rexit” plebiscite to be released on Saturday will show 65 per cent of the 1539 who responded want a change.

The plebiscite was an election promise self-funded by long-serving Scenic Rim Regional councillor Derek Swanborough, who has lived in the mountain for 35 years.

“The people have spoken and there is a clear desire to make this change,” he said.

“The reason is for the longterm future we need a council which is perhaps larger and more resourced and robust and can realise our potential.

“We are already considered by Gold Coasters as being within their city and this region is often referred to as the Gold Coast hinterland.

“This proposal is good for Tambourine Mountain but it is good for the Gold Coast too. We need a strong council so Tamborine’s beauty and character can be protected and enhanced for the benefit of all of southeast Queensland to enjoy.”

The plebiscite was sent to 3015 homes across Tamborine.

A total of 51 per cent responded via online voting or using a QR code.

Cr Swanborough said the statistical level of confidence achieved by the result was equal to 99 per cent.

The results of the vote, which ran for two weeks in late May and early June, will now go to the state government for consideration.

Local Government Minister and Deputy Premier Steven Miles will be asked to recommend the split to the Local Government Change Commission, an independent body which has the final say.

The most significant consideration would be the continued viability of the Scenic Rim Regional Council if it was to lose the hinterland township’s 8100 residents.

If Tamborine residents get their way, they would join the Gold Coast at the March 2024 election.

And they’d be welcomed with open arms by Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate.

“The people of Mount Tamborine have clearly spoken in favour of becoming Gold Coasters, proving once again there are only two types of Australians – Gold Coasters and those who want to be Gold Coasters,” he said.

“This is ultimately a decision for the state government so we await the state’s response with interest, but should the boundaries be redrawn we will provide a typical Gold Coast welcome to the good people of Mount Tamborine.”

The issue has long divided the community and political leaders.

Scenic Rim Mayor Greg Christensen has strongly opposed the move, insisting that “changing council boundaries is not as simple as moving a line on a map”. “To make such a significant change involves following a stringent state government process and the decision is ultimately made by the Local Government Minister,” he told the Bulletin in May.

The idea was first proposed in August 2018 by the Tamborine Mountain Chamber of Commerce which argued the town was not getting enough out of the regional council and joining the nation’s tourism capital would boost its viability as a tourist destination.

If approved, the 2024 move would be the biggest shake-up to the Gold Coast’s electoral boundaries since a March 2008 electoral boundary redistribution resulted in Beenleigh and Eagleby moving from the Gold Coast into Logan council.