Sparks fly at final Whitsunday Regional Council meeting





No truce was reached between Mayor Mike Brunker and his main challenger, Councillor Jennifer Whitney, before the final council meeting of the term, held in Bowen on Thursday.

Whilst Cr Brunker began the meeting by thanking Council staff for their work over the last four years, Cr Whitney succeeded in steering attention towards the controversial Airlie Beach Main Street Project.

Cr Whitney submitted a notice of motion calling for Council to hold a public meeting at the Airlie Beach PCYC within a month to provide a community update on the project.

"Walking around the streets of Airlie, there’s still a great deal of confusion," Cr Whitney said. "Businesses are struggling to survive week by week."

Cr Brunker was critical of the suggestion.

"Putting something like this onto a new council has never happened in my lifetime," Cr Brunker said. "We may as well set the budget now, too."

Despite Cr Whitney claiming that "people are very anxious to have a community meeting," the motion was defeated.

The second motion submitted by Cr Whitney requested Council to advise of the total debt following the funding of the Water and Sewerage Infrastructure.

Cr Brunker claimed that the figures had been available since 2011.

"In two days you could be mayor, and you don’t know that information," Cr Brunker said.

After the two motions were debated, Whitsunday Regional Council CEO John Finlay praised the achievements of the Mayor and Councillors.

"This isn’t something you can learn by reading a textbook," Mr Finlay said.

Mr Finlay acknowledged Council’s achievements, among them the Bowen PCYC, front beach development, sewerage treatment and water treatment facilities, the Whitsunday Coast Airport upgrades, extensive road upgrades, and the "tackling of inherited deficit from the previous council."

"This council has set the bar for the next," Mr Finlay said.

Cr Mark Gaudry, who chose not to recontest his position as Division 6 representative, used his final meeting to deliver a light-hearted speech, thanking council staff, his colleagues and his constituents.

"Thank you for your friendship, help, advice and support," he said.

"Council is a cross between the Commonwealth Bank and Vinnies," Cr Gaudry said. "You’ve got to run an efficient business, while also being the first port of call for support and donations."
Cr Gaudry expressed his faith in the local government system, and wished current and prospective Councillors well.

Decision imminent for Airlie main street

 Airlie main street submissions to the office of local MP Jan Jarratt have now closed, with the tourism minister expected to make an announcement by the end of the week.

 At the time of going to press on Tuesday afternoon Ms Jarratt was in the process of reviewing more than 100 formal submissions. While the minister had yet to make a decision she also ruled out an extension, requested by the Whitsunday Ratepayers Association, until November 4.

 “The original design concept has been out for discussion for more than a year and I have previously made it clear that October 31 would be the deadline for submissions. I have spoken with the Whitsunday Ratepayers Association committee’s president and committed to accepting their submission, provided it is received by tomorrow,” Ms Jarratt said.

 “I believe our town needs an expedient resolution on this matter and I intend to deliver that,” she said.

 Save Our Foreshore president Suzette Pelt said over 1,063 local people had signed objection letters (to the idea of a land swap and proposal for a four-storey hotel) to date.

 “The public oppose this so-called land swap for good reason and have come out and made their wishes known. The Minister must consider the Land Act’s guiding principles which are founded on the duty of the State Government to “protect the public interest” in the use of State Land on behalf of all Queenslanders. There is clearly no overwhelming community support for the proposal for any public land swap,” Ms Pelt said.

 “Last week’s successful four-day Reef Festival is just one example of how this site benefits the whole town and its organisers are to be congratulated.  There is nowhere else like it,” she said.

Community divided over upgrade to Airlie main street

 Straight versus curved, land swap versus resumption, four-storey building versus uninterrupted park: these are the issues dividing the community, with the future of the Airlie main street upgrade still up to local residents to decide.

 Just two weeks ago Whitsunday Regional Council recalled its main street survey referring the matter to local MP Jan Jarratt and minister for natural resources Rachel Nolan, but Ms Nolan says a formal application to the state government for the proposed land swap that would allow Des Davey’s building to be turned on it’s side has not yet been lodged. 

 “I will consider such a proposal when and if this happens,” she said.

 Mayor Mike Brunker said due to the costs and bureaucratic processes involved council would not make the submission unless it was sure of community support.

 “There’s no point in putting in an application if the community isn’t supportive, so we’re trying to gauge opinions first,” Cr Brunker said.

 “At the end of October we’re going to have to get our heads together and see whether we proceed or not,” he said.

 “If we’re not going to go ahead with it (the current design) we need to get new designs for a straight road, which will cost a couple of hundred thousand dollars.”

 Meanwhile both the Airlie Action Group (AAG) and Save Our Foreshore (SOF) are continuing to rally support, with SOF taking their pink caravan to the Airlie Beach markets championing the protection of public land and AAG holding a stakeholders question and answer meeting at the Reef Gateway Hotel earlier this week.

 Member for Whitsunday Jan Jarratt said she was engaging in extensive consultations with all groups concerned.

 “Just last week the acting premier Andrew Fraser and I met with Save Our Foreshore and the Airlie Action Group to hear both points of view,” Ms Jarratt said.

 “In the interests of expediting this process for the benefit of our entire community, my office will continue to accept submissions until Monday October 31 and I will make an announcement on the Main Street upgrade shortly thereafter,” she said.

Debate heats up over Airlie's main street

 Whitsunday Regional Council’s recent move to gauge public opinion on the Airlie main street upgrade (via an online opinion poll) has sparked more intense comment in the ongoing curved-versus-straight-street debate.

 Out-of-town property investor Gary Dunn says any opinion poll should take into account the views of non-resident ratepayers, without whom, in his judgement, the area would be “an economic disaster”.

 Mr Dunn recently wrote to the offices of local MP Jan Jarratt and WRC expressing his concerns and accusing community group Save Our Foreshore (SOF) of “once again impeding the economic development of Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays by opposing the main street upgrade unless it is done on their terms”.

 “If SOF think turning the area totally into a park with a ‘soundshell’ and waterslide is going to draw tourists to the area they are sadly uneducated as to what modern day tourists demand.

 “The failure to allow the redevelopment of the car park with the so called Outrigger Hotel (largely as a result of the opposition by SOF) back in 2008, now has consequences that can be seen by empty shops and an untouched main street,” Mr Dunn said.

 Meanwhile SOF continues to defend its stance on the protection of public land, saying the area in question is simply “not the mayor’s to give away”.

 “The curve in the road is a pretty design feature which is not needed, is too expensive for the limited budget, is not wanted by many and will benefit one flood-prone property owner,” said SOF president Suzette Pelt.

 “Let’s be realistic and practical about this and live within our means. Leaving the road straight with tree plantings and landscaping will deliver the results (and more likely within budget). Importantly, it will deliver without wrecking Airlie’s unique foreshore asset. The Main Street upgrade was never intended to be dependent on taking public foreshore land,” she said.

 Members of the public are being encouraged to have their say by completing the WRC online survey at www.whitsundayrc.qld.gov.au with a cut-off date of Wednesday October 19.