Super group move shows waste won’t be tolerated

The Gold Coast is to be delivered a new super promotion group. This seems a big win for the city – for much-needed change in its second biggest workforce and for council’s new CEO Tim Baker. It’s a sign that waste in terms of duplication of jobs will not be tolerated.

It’s also about us needing more unity on branding to help sell what are our genuine attractions – our great tourist offerings, first-class education facilities and growing arts base.

After four hours behind closed doors at the Evandale chambers yesterday, councillors were united on delivering Experience Gold Coast.

Mr Baker at the special council meeting outlined the findings and recommendations from the Funded Entities Review.

Council had employed Deloitte to focus on Major Events Gold Coast, HOTA, Placemakers Gold Coast, Study Gold Coast and Destination Gold Coast, which cost ratepayers about $54m annually. Councillors behind closed doors went through a report and listened to a presentation.

The key takeaways are these: about $6.8m in direct savings for the city each year; instead of several boards regularly fronting council for money and not connected, there will be one organisation and voice; a new CEO will be appointed, instead of having multiple organisation heads front the media and deal with big commercial event contracts; HOTA will be part of the new group but keeps its philanthropic focus.

Mr Baker’s appointment just on a year ago was in part about delivering efficiencies and invigorating the organisation. From a ratepayer’s point of view, it will largely be applauded.

Hello to Darren Taylor. Could we please consider within the $138 million budget , a BEACHWAY that takes two ways of traffic underground from Soul to the Surfers Surf club. This would put EVERYTHING onto the beachfront including the surf club and not impact vehicles at all. The two lanes plus a bike lane can be scraped out and then a lid put on top ..should not cost the earth. Everything from Soul to the surf club including Cavill Mall becomes beachfront. Thanks Darren. The Local.

For goodness sake! If council is hell-bent on spending so much rate-payers’ money on revitalising Surfers Paradise, seize the opportunity to do something spectacular. There are plenty of wonderful revitalisation examples in the great cities of the world to draw inspiration from instead of continuing the Gold Coast’s romance with strange art and structures.

Orchid Avenue party strip “must” be part of the revamp of the Glitter Strip so that partygoers can behave badly in nicer surroundings.

Until the drunks, bums and homeless are completely removed from The Coast, it’s pointless spending even a dollar on any refurbishment program. Darryle

Isn’t it strange since albanize. Got in as the prime minister. Cost of living has gone through the roof. Doesn’t seem to affect him flying around the world every 5 minutes..... Stop blaiming . covid and the Ukraine war... .. What a joke.... Chef simon

Wondering how long it will be before the attack dogs and their minions in the Opinion page, start throwing stones at “Albo” for supporting the education “Early intervention” to get our kids up to speed. Burleigh Heads.

Albo and Jimbo have lost half their fans with their super take. Jack

Onya Albo, I won’t be putting anymore money into my super than I’m compelled to. Gold&silver for me now. Johnbrew

Albo’s Kumbaya socialist regime is now coming for self funded retirees’ superannuation.another broken election promise.i would never have voted for Bill Shorten when he was up against Scomo,but at least he was open and honest about what he would do if he won the election.we are now in the hands of a poor man’s Gough Whitlam who wants to use the billions of OUR MONEY in super to invest in his wacko renewables plan. Jolly Roger

Superannuation has been in the spotlight recently for all the wrong reasons. The previous Federal Liberal government allowed people to raid their retirement money, so they did not need to pay out to help those doing it tough during COVID-19. It is a well known fact that half the people taking money out of Super did not need to do so. Twenty to thirty years from now those same people will rue the fact that they did this and confined themselves to a less than adequate retirement.

Don’t complicate things unnecessarily. The government would have been far wiser to simply announce a referendum on recognising Aboriginal people in the preamble to the

Constitution, full stop. Nothing to fear-monger about stating a fact. Establishing a body for Aboriginal people to give advice and recommendations to Parliament is a matter that doesn’t have to be in the Constitution. There are plenty of established organisations in Australia representing community, professional and business groups that lobby government about their concerns and funding requirements. There wasn’t a mighty argument when they were set up.

Thanks to Lidia Thorpe, Albo & Penny Wong, I’ve now become a racist...apparently. - Sheridan Whitehead

Positive case for The Voice soon to be released. Err, ahh what about us, the voters when will we get just some basic information on it if we are meant to vote on it. Oldie Carrara

The “voice” is identity politics. It will contribute to the Balkanisation of Australia and the eventual implosion of our nation. Jessie

So you voted for Labor ‘to keep you safe from covid’. Well one could say they achieved that but it was done by controlling lock ups without a heart for families divided by borders. But that’s all they’ve done. They’re not keeping us safe from youth criminals. And Look at the mess we are in - hospitals, schools, roads, housing, police, youth crime, etc etc. are all in a mess.

Can someone please point out to me any benefits voting labor....all i see is pain pain & more pain. Broadbeach Oldie.

‘Keeping Qlders safe’ was Stacia’s mantra during the election. Apparently she was only interested in locking us all up as when it comes to these youths, it’s another story. She’s not worried now about keeping us safe from them.

THE VOICE: How about giving the victims of crime a VOICE in the sentencing!

How about retired defence members set up a boot camp for juvenile offenders.

Six months of hard training where they’re given a roof over their heads but they do their own cooking and cleaning with extra penalties for slackness. Some might appreciate the discipline.

I hope if I get charged with an offence the court will defer my case till a later date so that I can enjoy Christmas. Barney

Thanks to the GCB 21/02 for enlightening us with the reason why youth crime has spiked in Qld, the highest of all states. One paragraph read- “One police sergeant said the change to the youth justice act several years ago to require magistrates to only instigate detention as a last resort, has clearly led to a spike in the number of serious offences, a change he described as insidious and sneaky”. I congratulate the sergeant for his courage to speak out, when the high ranking police officers remain mute, too afraid of jeopardising any future promotions. And this also applies to Annastacia’s MP’S. What would we do without the media to watch our backs, we would be left in the dark and treated like peasants. Kenw.

All these Ads asking us to Donate to save various Species. Wake up people. We are not saving anything, if saving it gets in the way of making a Profit RAMBO

I just heard the ABC report the Prime Minister saying that some change “wouldn’t affect ordinary Australians”. Can anyone tell me what an ordinary Australian is these days? Sus Southport

4cr....i thinks “hav a cuppa, a BEX and a lie down.” 4218

It’s times like this when there is a cost of living crisis that the impacts on prices of market domination by big companies facing little competition is most evident. The price hikes for essential groceries and a lot of other goods are exceeding the rate of inflation and wage growth and can only be price-gouging. Highlighting discounts while hiking overall prices is heartless.

PGA, LIV, whoever, for the benefit of golfers and fans just let the best players in the world play against each other in tournaments around the world.

Council-please explain WHY it will cost $500.000 to talk to Indigenous people.how did some one arrive at this figure? MNT

Just reading again about Bailey minister for Transport flappin his gums about GC road problems and laying a big portion of blame on last LNP g’ment. Labor has been in power about 20 of the last 23 years. A+ for being a