GOLD COAST BULLETIN

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

SAVE our Spit protesters said they would be proved wrong – or right – by a new public survey into the Gold Coast’s divisive cruise ship terminal proposal.

Despite the terminal playing a key role in the campaign that saw him elected, Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said there was still debate over whether the community was in favour of the plan – and he would pay for a public poll to settle it.

Cr Tate said he would commission “a reputable company” to conduct the poll and if more than 50 per cent of respondents were in favour of a terminal the planning would continue, otherwise the council would reconsider the proposal.

The Mayor said he had met with a member of the protest group and told that person the group’s claim that 96 per cent of residents did not want the cruise ship terminal was wrong.

Cr Tate said the group representative had agreed to stop making the claim if it was disproved in the new poll.

The group denied it had given Cr Tate this assurance, with Save our Spit spokesman Steve Gration saying it would not withdraw its argument, regardless of the poll results.

The terminal was being considered through the council and state government’s agreement on the Broadwater Marine Project.

Cr Tate said the survey would be undertaken after the successful project proponent was selected so they knew where the terminal would be. Four proponents had been selected to come up with designs for the area in the Broadwater.

“If the people of the Gold Coast want this – if 50.1 per cent say yes – we’ll keep going,” Cr Tate said.