That's a seriously huge development if that goes ahead, I haven't seen the plans for that, please post the link to the actual plans or is this just hearsay from those protesting? Being constructive like this, rather than insulting people may swing more people to sign your petition, nice work.

Well here are some Scientific Researched Facts about Cruise Ship Impacts on Environments if the disbelievers have the guts to click on the link below and read the report.

In brief all Cruise Ships leach contaminated Bilge Water, Grey Water and Sewerage, this creates toxic blooms and introduced noxious marine species into environments within several kilometres of a Cruise Ship Passage and Dock Areas. They generally have a rule where they can dump their Bilge and Sewerage no less than 3klm out to sea, I'm sure the Surfers and Swimmers all along our Beaches from South Straddie through to Burliegh are going to enjoy their water quality once this happens. In addition to this Docked Ships do not shut down there carbon emission producing smoke stacks as they have to continue to run all their onboard facilities while docked so in the North Easters that will be spreading to all the residences along the Southport/Labrador Beachfront and beyond areas and on the South Easters spreading to the residences along Biggera Waters/Runaway Bay areas.

Many Ships have breached their rules and had mishaps (mass leaks) inshore and at Docks and have failed to be prosecuted for it as their Ship Registration are in Haven Countries where Courts are unable to obtain details on them in order to take action and seek compensation for damage. The ships create mass turbidity from their propellers and thrusts while entering and exiting ports. All the above have severe impacts on the environment and end up destroying most marine species within a large distance of an Passageway and Dock area. Also there are many documented cases of Shipping accidents and anchor dragging that destroy whole reefs to just add to the many benefits of Cruise Ships.

If you would like our beautiful pristine Gold Coast Broadwater turned into a putrid brown turd devoid of Marine Life then I guess you need not support our campaign and be more concerned for jobs going to imported 457 Visa Mandarin and Cantonese Speaking Workers and a once former Queensland and Australian Public Owned OPEN and FREE access public space being sold off to foreign investors for a SONG and having a mini Hong Kong/Macau Island in the middle of OUR Broadwater.

I myself am not anti development or jobs creation as there are places zoned on the Mainland allocated for commercial developments and if its a Casino, Shopping Malls, Highrise and Luxury Development they want then there is a unique and large development site with a major transport hub right on its doorstep going begging only a stones throw away from where they are proposing this development and its called the Former Gold Coast Hospital Site at Southport!!!

http://montereybay.noaa.gov/resourcepro/resmanissues/pdf/cruiseControl.pdf

Good point, do you know how many cruise ships per month they are planning to have enter the Broadwater? Are all of the 36,000 jobs going to 457 visas?

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LostinSpace said..


If you would like our beautiful pristine Gold Coast Broadwater turned into a putrid brown turd devoid of Marine Life

you're about 40 years too late. the gc ecosystem is screwed already. let them build it - keep the development there and away from the rest of the coast to the north and south

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stamp said..

LostinSpace said..


If you would like our beautiful pristine Gold Coast Broadwater turned into a putrid brown turd devoid of Marine Life

you're about 40 years too late. the gc ecosystem is screwed already. let them build it - keep the development there and away from the rest of the coast to the north and south

No joke mate! It does not take a Rocket Scientist to work out that one house, building or man made structure on the planet will severely impact it's immediate ecosystem. I suppose you live in a Cave do you? The Gold Coasts Waterways are far in excess clear and relatively clean of pollution and silt compared to many others. Why support something that is going to stuff it completely? I notice your profile sais your from Northern NSW and you probably do not or have ever Kited at Kfc's or Shearwater? Over the last 7 years I have been kiting there I have heard many Kiter's that come down from Brisbane and Internationally to have a session at our locations say they are envious that we have such good spots to Kite and the water quality is so clear and clean compared to there locations.

Here is some more interesting reading that has factual information contained within it for you nay sayers that are just either SH#T Stirrers, apathetic Aussies (as long as my back yard is ok, I could not give a stuff about yours) or are Naïve and have no basis for their argument or post apart from shooting your mouth off!

If you have an ounce of concern for our Kiting locations in this Country then I would implore you all to help and support our cause to have this Proposed Development abandoned now and forever by helping to allow the Gold Coast City Council and more importantly the Queensland State Government know.

PRESS RELEASE / STATEMENT – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE VITAL MARINE MAMMAL HABITAT AND SANCTUARY UNDER THREAT FROM PROPOSED GOLD COAST CASINO RESORT AND CRUISE SHIP TERMINAL “This is the Gold Coast’s very own ‘Barrier Reef Marine Park’ and it is equally diverse and sensitive - it could never endure 15 years of massive construction and an infinite large-scale dredging operation.”–Save Our Spit Vice President Luke Sorensen June 12th 2014 Today the Save Our Spit Alliance has reaffirmed their organisation’s unwavering commitment to actively doing all they can, both publicly and behind the scenes, to prevent the large scale environmental devastation that will certainly occur should the proposed cruise ship terminal, resort, casino and residential mega development in the Gold Coast broadwater be allowed to proceed. Save Our Spit are backed by tens of thousands of residents and have said they will fight together against this proposal to the very end and beyond, calling for the area around Wavebreak Island and The Spit to be legislated for inclusion in the Moreton Bay Marine Park reserve, and protected from irresponsible development in perpetuity. The announcement comes as the federal minister for the environment Greg Hunt tours the Moreton Bay Marine Park today with a leading dugong research and conservation team. Save Our Spit is urging the minister to not overlook the pivotal role the Gold Coast Seaway and Wavebreak Island areas play in the interconnected marine environment he is visiting. Save Our Spit Vice President Luke Sorensen has today highlighted the importance of Wavebreak Island and the Gold Coast broadwater as a critical habitat for marine mammals, as well as hundreds of other species, many of which are threatened or endangered – “Much of the area around Wavebreak Island and the Gold Coast Seaway is home to fragile seagrass beds and breeding habitat as well as critical migratory bird end points – it’s one of the most important habitats for our broad-spectrum sea-life ecologies in the region. We’e seen slowly increasing numbers of dugong sightings over the last few years, with the threatened marine mammals now being sighted regularly in and around the Gold Coast seaway as well as being observed resting and feeding around Wavebreak Island. Even the humpback whales are increasing in numbers each year with many mothers and calves now relying on the seaway as a vital resting spot on the long journey back to Antarctica. I’e been diving there for over 20 years and there’ never been so much life, so many special animals, all living in and depending on the area. A humpback whale plays just in front of Wavebreak Island, late season in 2013 – almost on top of the area that is currently being proposed to become a cruise ship terminal and swing basin that is dredged in perpetuity | Photo: Nate Mills “Whilst we think it’s great to see Mr Hunt here in the area investigating dugong conservation, it’s an absolute scandal that under the highly questionable plans currently being thrust out by the Gold Coast mayor, the state government and a mysterious Chinese consortium, we would certainly see the entire area almost wiped out by dredging and construction - all of it gone for the sake of a giant foreign owned suburb, casino and hoax cruise ship terminal. We are calling on the federal government and the minister to not sit idle on this, to step in and act on their sovereign responsibility to ensure that the preservation and conservation of our best natural assets is not forsaken for a few private developers and Chinese owned engineering companies to run up a profit. We are calling on Greg Hunt to act now to ensure that common sense prevails in this instance, and that the Gold Coast’ own coastal central park, our public beaches and foreshores, and our marine sanctuary is not obliterated just to assist in elevating the bank balances of Chinese investors and because of a few outdated lines on a map. “he Gold Coast and Southport broadwater have always been home to dugongs, dolphins, turtles and more, and we are just now seeing their numbers increasing. The Seaway and Wavebreak Island now have over a quarter of a century’ worth of recovery and growth behind them; to destroy it all would be irresponsible and negligent. Dugongs and whales are just one small piece of the diversity here though - we have over 450 species of documented marine life here that will all suffer greatly or be lost forever under the irresponsible proposal, along with dozens of migratory and resident birds that rely on the area as a safe and undeveloped roosting location. We’e not talking about a few black swans here, this is the Gold Coast’ very own ‘arrier Reef Marine Park’and it is equally diverse and sensitive - it could never endure 15 years of massive construction and an infinite large-scale dredging operation. If this goes ahead and there are mega ships and ongoing dredging, it will very likely permanently convert our turquoise and blue broadwater into a baron and brown dredge-soup.”Save Our Spit Alliance is not only calling on Mr Hunt to step in and move the Gold Coast broadwater area up into the top of his list of concerns, and for the federal government to work with the state government to extend the boundary of the Moreton Bay Marine Park to include the southern broadwater to west of Seaworld, the Gold Coast Seaway and the waterways surrounding Wavebreak Island and the Spit. Save Our Spit wants to make it crystal clear that whatever happens in the Gold Coast broadwater will always ripple outward and have a lasting impact on the whole southern Moreton Bay Marine Park, and as such the outdated boundaries should be revised to include the Gold Coast broadwater properly in the Moreton reserve – the areas are one in the same. Mr Sorensen also went on to say - “Certainly no other place in Australia, and I doubt many anywhere in the world have such an environmental treasure and spectacular marine park right inside a major city. This area is as rich in economic opportunity from soft and green tourism, as it is in biodiversity and its social and Dugongs are native to the Nerang River and once thrived here. Their numbers are slowly increasing from nearly being wiped out from the area late last century. Seagrass beds as well as other fragile habitats around Wavebreak Island and The Seaway form and critical and important part of their recovery. More and more are being sighted and their recovery should be given all the support we can offer | Photo: Julien Willem ecological value – to not legislate to protect it permanently would be an immeasurably tragic loss for not only the people of the Gold Coast, but for all Australian’s and those that come to our shores. This place is unique and irreplaceable, it is public land that belongs to the people and to preserve and protect it is what the people of the Gold Coast want - this is what our tourism in Queensland is based on, not casino chips and mega shipping lanes designed to benefit a private foreign minority.”Visit our Facebook page for the latest updates from Save Our Spit – www.facebook.com/saveourspit Should the Moreton Bay Marine Park border be extended to the Seaworld section of The Spit to include Wavebreak Island, The Seaway and the surrounding region? (Moreton Bay Marine Park current map - www.docstoc.com/docs/91953798/Moreton-Bay- Marine-Park) Let your federal environment minister Greg Hunt know what you think should happen to this area, and how you feel about how much, or how little, is currently being done to preserve and protect the ecology, the marine animals, the waterway and environment in that space. CONTACT MINISTER HUNT HERE www.greghunt.com.au/ContactGreg.aspx Humpback whales often call the Seaway their temporary home – it is now clear that it has become a vital resting place for mothers and newborn calves during their long migration back to Antarctica | Photo: GCB

hi lostinspace

i appreciate your passion, but see post from harlie earlier about emotive language and losing potential supporters due to the way you put your case forward - not to mention not being able to sway the decision makers that will just see these things as another "rant" that takes facts and science out of context.

case in point: "an infinite large-scale dredging operation. If this goes ahead and there are mega ships and ongoing dredging, it will very likely permanently convert our turquoise and blue broadwater into a baron and brown dredge-soup"

infinite? really?
also, turbidity is a part of natural ecosystem response (storms, seas, rainfall run off etc etc), it is the duration that is important. in my experience most dredging operations cause short term turbidity that is not too disimilar to a storm effect and recovery afterwards. there are exceptions of course. you'd do better to understand the scale of the dredge plumes analytically and then apply that to how the local ecosystem might be affected. if the plan is to use the dredge material for reclamation, this can be done to minimise return water turbidity very effectively with the right controls, and then the plumes form the cutter are quite minor compared to an uncontrolled disposal for example. can you honestly say that the broadwater has the kind of clear water year round, usually found on the GBR on a clear day?? i've only been there a few times, but it sure waasn't then.

an eye opener for me at work was watching dolphins swim in and around a backhoe dredge bucket (large excavator) feeding on the stirred up crabs and fish from the process. management plans all called for standdown in the presence of marine animals but you could not get them away - they loved it! and they are smart/ good enough to work their way around the machine. so after the first few days of trying to stop works every time they came in we just adapted and let them have their feed when it suited them. win win.


tbh, i'm a bit of a fence sitter on the whole thing as:
- i haven't seen enough environmental data to really gauge the full impact,
- the scale of development seems excessive but i can't tell if this is being exaggerated by the anti campaign (given the emotive language and one sided view point in all info)
- the area is fundamentally altered by the sea entrance already, regardless of what is claimed otherwise
- my background is in work of this nature so i am pro the work / jobs, as long as it is done right (which i am not convinced yet in this case, and there is always risk for stuff ups)
but i did sign the petition as i think it needs far more consideration and refinement before any political sign off would sit well with me.

all the best with your efforts.
maz

Reading the possible effects that are on the petition have certainly swayed me a bit, but until I see the actual factual evidence from both sides I am now currently 50/50 on the project. but like Mazdon and Harlie have posted, you start reading the downside from the petition and start to believe their side of the story, then the sweeping statements that are hard to believe start and also the ranting, which does not do the petition any favours whatsoever. Bottom line is, what is best for the rate payers who actually live on the coast?

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With the way the system is currently set up, it’s almost as if people are intentionally pit against one another like a giant game of survival of the fittest. Like the famous line states, ‘the rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer.’
Practically every industry today is fueled by financial gain. People are willing to step on whoever they need to in the name of money.
Most unfortunate of all, we see financial interests literally wiping out the planet, destroying ecosystems and wildlife at an unsustainable pace.
How did a made-up value system come to be the eventual downfall of the entire planet?
Will mankind wake-up to its own insanity before it’s too late?
<div>

No,, no they wont, unless someone offers them big money not to.
Kinda like big hole mining destroying the landscape in WA,,,,,,,money is more important,,,apparently

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greenleader said..
With the way the system is currently set up, it’s almost as if people are intentionally pit against one another like a giant game of survival of the fittest. Like the famous line states, ‘the rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer.’
Practically every industry today is fueled by financial gain. People are willing to step on whoever they need to in the name of money.
Most unfortunate of all, we see financial interests literally wiping out the planet, destroying ecosystems and wildlife at an unsustainable pace.
How did a made-up value system come to be the eventual downfall of the entire planet?
Will mankind wake-up to its own insanity before it’s too late?
<div>

A wise old man once told me that there are two things in this world that are infinite.....

1. Is the universe
2. Is human stupidity

The first one, they are not to sure about

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Paul1 said..
...........Being constructive like this, rather than insulting people may swing more people to sign your petition, nice work.

so.................... only pro development people are allowed to insult people as follow's?

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Paul1 said..
Wow, you actually don't have a brain do you?

and actually causing a wind shadow is about a billion to one, genius.

You really do seem to have a problem with Asians don't you?

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Paul1 said..
Fck me, what a drama queen,.....

Nice. You're all class Paul1

I suggest some memory improving classes

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Paul1 said..
Good point, do you know how many cruise ships per month they are planning to have enter the Broadwater? Are all of the 36,000 jobs going to 457 visas?

.....................................................................unless you actually get a kick out of looking like such a loudmouth tool?

Casino's are not the type of tourism the gold coast should be focused on expanding.
For the few jobs they supply the local's the ruin loads more many time's over.

In a place where natural wonders abound this proposal is a piss poor charade that only serves to benefit those implementing it and burden the cost onto those with nothing to do with it.
A total sham and purely grand theft of a beautiful resource

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Casino's are not the type of tourism the gold coast should be focused on expanding.
For the few jobs they supply the local's the ruin loads more many time's over.

Is this your professional opinion?

Exactly what research is it based on….?

^Maybe use the $350 million redevelopment of Jupiters in Broadbeach and $billion Queens Wharf in Brisbane as an examples to support your point so we can all see it as a real world example.

I think these Kiters need somewhere new to gamble....
Maybe the new development might encourage them to spread out because this looks like a really smart bunch of people.

Learn to kite in the ocean not that mud flat u call the Broadwater. Bring on the jobs and the skyrail at beechmont.all it is at low tide is a mudhole full of nimbys