Peter Slipper (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is incredibly disappointing that the state Labor government is trying to foist a half-baked project onto the people of the Sunshine Coast which would see more than 14,000 people put into an area where the state government is not prepared to provide the necessary infrastructure. The state government has identified Palmview on the Sunshine Coast in the electorate of Fisher as a greenfield site for a massive residential community development. The situation is creating great concern locally because the state government has not indicated that it is prepared to provide the infrastructure necessary to meet the needs of such a growing population.

A wave of concern has engulfed the community as residents and the local community group, the Sippy Downs and District Community Association, fear the influx of new houses will not be accompanied by an acceptable standard of services. The development plan for the site was initially prepared by the Sunshine Coast Regional Council and included such positive and sensible features as a manageable and sustainable population level; a generous buffer between development and the nearby Bruce Highway; sensible plans for water and energy management, including plans for the community to become carbon neutral in 10 years time—that is, in 2020; environmental zones; plans for sustainable transport; and more. Unfortunately, these hard-fought good intentions and more have been scrapped by the state Labor government’s reworking of the plan.

A key concern is that, while the council said that there should be a maximum of 13,380 new residents, the state government has said that this is the minimum number of new residents and it has not capped the number of new residents. So there is a great concern that the state government might well be looking at many thousands more new residents. While the Sunshine Coast—as you would understand, Mr Speaker—is a wonderful place to live, we simply cannot manage a huge increase in our population without the infrastructure required to meet the needs of that increased population.

The Queensland state government has caused great concern in the community because it does not appear to be putting a maximum on the number of new residents in this massive greenfield development. A number of concerns worry people in the local community. For instance, the buffer zone with the Bruce Highway has been reduced by Labor from 200 metres to 80 metres. Plans impacting water and energy management and sustainable transport have been scrapped by Labor. The intention to become carbon neutral by 2020, which of course is a goal worth applauding, was also removed by Labor. In addition, the clear boundary that helped delineate between developmental areas and areas protected from development has been removed, and references to infrastructure agreements in the plan have been replaced with the wording ‘infrastructure arrangements’—which is an ambiguous statement that cannot help but raise concern and suspicion among the residents of nearby Sippy Downs.

I cannot help but reinforce what I said in a prior speech to the parliament about the Sunshine Coast University Hospital at Kawana, which has been deferred by the state Labor government until at least 2016-17: that the people on the Sunshine Coast are being penalised for having voted for the Liberal National Party at the state election and also at federal elections. I must also say that people are incredibly concerned over the fact that the state Labor government does not appear to be remotely concerned about the impact on existing residents. I just think that it is an appalling situation that any government, state or federal—or, for that matter, local—could seek to impose on a local community a huge increase in the number of residents without being prepared to say, ‘It is government policy that we are going to bring these new people in and we’re going to give you the assistance that you need to make sure that the community is ready to receive these new people.’

It is an indication of how the state Labor government is completely out of touch. It managed to get into office at the last election through a system of duplicity, and opinion polls are now showing that, if there were a state election today—as happily there will be in Tasmania and South Australia shortly—the government would lose 25 seats.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! It being 9.00 pm, the debate is interrupted.