Rainbow Beach Development

It used to be that you could commit to an idea, engage the experience of experts and move forward with a plan. Now it appears that all you have to do to stop a project that you don’t agree with is to imply that there’s been some sort of corruption or political deception involved and all of a sudden there’s a media circus and everyone involved is tarred with the proverbial rotten egg brush.

Even those who consider themselves fence-sitters or genuinely couldn’t care less whether or not Rainbow Shores Stage Two goes ahead should have an opinion on the events of the past few weeks. A volley of emails and letters have appeared in local and national newspapers and Rainbow Beach has made the six o’clock news more than once of late.

Amidst the backdrop of the: ‘he said/she said’, personal vendettas, environmental concerns, ulterior motives and fundamentalist anti-development lobbyists – there has been absolutely zero community consultation. No Master Plan, no presentation of facts and no opportunity for those most affected by the proposed development to voice their opinion: either for or against.

With the State Government’s current financial position best described as ‘dire’ at present, one would think that any proposal providing: jobs, infrastructure and ultimately revenue raising through Stamp Duty and Rates, should be given more than a just a cursory once-over.

To announce that Rainbow Shores Stage Two will not proceed on the basis of environmental conservation is a smoke screen. The Government has been on the back foot for weeks over allegations of corruption and ‘mates doing deals for mates’ behind closed doors. To deny a community of future growth to get yourself out of political trouble is just as unjust and unethical as attempting to circumvent due process by using ‘connections with power and influence’.

We might live in a small town, but we’re not all small-minded. It appears to be both coincidental and hypocritical for the Government to reject a development on the basis of environmental concerns when; less than 100km away they are planning a dam which will detrimentally effect the native habitat of the Mary River cod, Queensland lungfish and the Mary River turtle. The dam - incidentally, is planned to supply to water to the ever-expanding development of other parts of south-east Queensland.

For Rainbow Beach to survive there must be some scope for growth. Our population of just over 1000 permanent residents is largely dependent upon the success of local business. The vast majority of these businesses rely upon visitors to the town to support their income stream. If Rainbow Beach is to see no future development or growth, many of these businesses will recognise that their bottom line is likely to recede than improve over time as there will be no opportunity to expand or make progress.

Any new development should meet the strictest of environmental and conservation guidelines as it is vital for us to protect of our native flora and fauna. After all, our natural surroundings are what draw thousands of visitors every year to our region. It would be irresponsible and short-sighted to allow unsustainable development to occur in such a pristine environment. Given that Rainbow Shores Stage One has proven to be both ecologically and environmentally friendly, the precedence has been set that we can achieve a ‘win-win’ with developers.

Considered discussion between stakeholders armed with all the facts -should result in a rational, well-thought out decision based on statistical data and credible evidence. (Not knee-jerk press releases based on media hype and opinion poll pressure).The people of Rainbow Beach deserve to know these facts as well and be given the opportunity to understand both the benefits and disadvantages of any future development.