‘LAND GRAB’ BY A GOVERNMENT DRUNK ON POWER
Broke border businesses, little immediate hope in sight and behind the scenes the incumbent rulers of the state are involved in a roughshod property play
HAVING watched the Palaszczuk government send border businesses broke with its Covid-19 madness, nobody should be surprised about the way it has ridden roughshod over the wishes of a pioneering Currumbin family.
It’s a scandal and the good folk of the Gold Coast need to understand what sort of people we have in power right now. Tear this story out and put it on your fridge, so you can be reminded every day of how the Labor Party treats good people next time you line up to vote in 2024.
The Palaszczuk government has quietly and with great stealth introduced a law which enables it to forcibly acquire a valuable block of land owned by the Gold Coast’s pioneering Neumann family. It’s a straight-out land grab by a government drunk on power. The story began last year when the Palaszczuk government was so desperate to win the seat of Currumbin it decided to compulsorily acquire land for a park.
The Neumann family, who have employed thousands of people and donated millions of dollars to the community over the years, purchased the 148ha Martha’s Farm site in the Currumbin Valley in May 2020 for just over $15m.
Neumanns made the purchase in the depths of the Covid-induced recession when the sharemarket was down more than 30 per cent and falling, and most property buyers had left the market.
The previous vendor paid $75m for the site and invested significant extra cash finalising the development approvals, so the Neumann purchase was regarded at the time as risky but likely a bargain.
The Queensland government did not make an offer for the property. Fastforward to now and the property market has boomed to record levels. The site has Land and Environment Court approvals in place for a 348home subdivision – a project which would have helped relieve some pressure on the Gold Coast’s housing market.
There is a chronic land shortage which is contributing to soaring property prices and is putting home ownership out of the reach of many families. The plan involved developing only 25 per cent of the site (38ha), with the remaining 75 per cent set aside for public open space including wetlands, walking and cycling trails, picnic areas and lookouts.
Almost 50ha was to be preserved to protect mature forests of endangered blackbutt trees. The Neumanns were also in advanced talks with the Currumbin Wildlife Hospital to establish a specialist koala treatment, rehabilitation and research facility in the Currumbin Valley as part of a nation-leading Koala Conservation Plan.
It would have been in addition to the $150,000 recently donated by the Neumann Benevolent Fund into the search for a chlamydia vaccine to help eradicate the koala’s biggest killer.
As long-time Currumbin Valley landowners, the Neumanns have a vested interest and commitment to preserving the area’s natural scenic beauty, flora and fauna. However, during the election campaign last October, the government announced a plan to transform the Martha’s Farm property into the
“Currumbin Eco Parkland”. The announcement was made without consultation with the Neumanns.
The government also announced that it would “negotiate with the current owners to purchase the site at a fair market price”. Talk about being blindsided.
During subsequent extensive negotiations with the state government between February and May, the Neumanns submitted multiple development proposals, including a collaborative option which would see a por- tion of the land transferred to the Gold Coast City Council.
Despite the obvious and spectacular increase in the value of the property since the Neumanns’ purchase, the government has indicated an acquisition budget of $15m – the price paid for the property 15 months ago.
On July 17, State Developvoters ment Minister Steven Miles issued a release – again blindsiding the Neumanns – announcing the government had “secured” the site for the Currumbin Eco-Parkland.
The media release then stated the government had “commenced the process to compulsorily acquire (the site) … delivering an election commitment”. Steven Miles forgot to say that Labor lost Currumbin. It was retained for the LNP by Laura Gerber, suggesting the majority of
did not prefer Labor’s policies and promises over those of the LNP.
But that’s a trivial matter to the Labor Party. When was the last time they took into account the majority of people’s views on anything?
Mr Miles said the government had undertaken commercial negotiations with the current landowners since early 2021 to purchase the site.
“Unfortunately, an agreement has not been reached, and we have had to take further action. We remain open to a commercial resolution with the landowner,” he said.
What Mr Miles did not tell the public was on July 16, the government amended legislation to essentially fast-track the compulsory acquisition of the Martha’s Farm site. The change was made through the State Development and Public Works Organisation Amendment Regulation 2021.
It’s the sort of creative policy that would make Stalin or Xi Jinping proud
It gave the State Co-ordinator General powers including “but not limited to … acquisition, land access and road closures” in relation to the Currumbin Eco-Park. On the same day the legislation was amended – July 16 – the Office of the Co-ordinator General sent the Neumanns a Notice of Intention to Resume the Martha’s Farm property.
After the unusual and rarely used process being put in place to resume the land, the Neumanns were given until August 18 to lodge an objection. The deadline has been extended to September 22.
As much as I’d like to think the Neumann family have a good argument – Blind Freddy can see they are being treated disgracefully. This government has no scruples or morals when it comes to this sort of stuff. They are arrogant, full of hubris and a law unto themselves.
This is small fry when you’re allowing 100 wives and girlfriends of footy players to fly into Queensland, while locking your own people out. The real tragedy is that there are some people out there, probably your neighbours, who still vote for them.
Blind Freddy can see they are being treated disgracefully