Previously confidential Cabinet papers, revealed over the past two years, show details of Queensland Government involvement in plans for residential development at Toondah Harbour during the late 1980s.
In 1988 Queensland was governed by the National Party (now part of the Liberal National Party). The Fitzgerald Inquiry was still investigating police and government corruption. Long serving Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen and ‘minister for everything’ Russ Hinze were no longer running Queensland. Mike Ahern was the new Premier.
On 26 April 1988 the Ahern government awarded an ‘investigation lease” over 312 hectares of land and water at Toondah Harbour to a consortium led by Hooker Corporation. This long established company was acquired by entrepreneur George Herscu in 1985.
The Government’s 1988 Toondah decision was made despite strong opposition from the Director-General of Primary Industries, Dr Graham Alexander, expressed in a confidential memorandum to Cabinet.
“I am concerned the way this boat harbour project has escalated to a project which now appears to be essentially residential and likely to destroy the productivity of a large area of tidal land in Moreton Bay” said Dr Alexander.
Expressions of interest in development of land and waters in the Toondah Harbour area were sought, initially, in 1983. Fresh submissions were invited in 1986 due to a “delay in preparing the final guidelines”.
The only proposal received was from the Brisbane Shores consortium led by Hooker Corporation. This developer wanted the lease area increased from 88 hectares to 312 hectares.
On 26 April 1988 Cabinet decided to offer the Hooker Corporation led consortium an investigation lease over the Toondah area.
Within a few months, Cabinet was backtracking.
In September 1988 as the ink was drying on the signed lease, the Crown Soliciter advised Attorney-General Paul Clauson on legal impediments to the government withdrawing from its Toondah lease agreement.
On 24 October, Cabinet decided to investigate options for terminating the deal. A few days later, in response to an opposition question in Parliament, Premier Mike Ahern made the Toondah agreement publicly available.
In January 1989 Cabinet rejected a bid by Hooker Corporation for an $8 million payout to exit the Toondah lease. Instead, Cabinet decided to give six months notice that the lease would be “resumed”.
Local residents’ severe antipathy to Toondah plan
The Toondah investigation leases had resulted in “severe antipathy from local residents” and it was “not in the community interest nor the public interest” to proceed with this lease “nor with any development as may be envisaged or proposed thereunder” said Lands Minister Bill Glasson in a submission to the Cabinet Meeting on 26 January 1989.
Local MP and Attorney-General Paul Clauson was acutely aware of the strong opposition from thousands of local residents led by community group S.T.I.R. (Save Toondah’s Invaluable Resources).
The day before cabinet met, Mr Clauson said that the Toondah project would not go ahead in any form, according to the Redland Times.
Hooker Corporation and George Herscu
Hooker Corporation collapsed a few months later, in July 1989, due to ill-considered investments in the USA.
George Herscu, Hooker Corporation’s leader, was jailed in December 1990 after being convicted of paying $100,000 in bribes to cabinet minister Russ Hinze for a different development project, back in 1983. Russ Hinze was charged with receiving bribes but died before his cases went to trial.
1989 Elections
At the State elections on 2 December 1989 Labor won office and Wayne Goss became Premier.
Paul Clauson, the National Party MP for Redlands, was replaced by Labor’s Darryl Briskey. A few months later, on 8 May 1990, Mr Briskey spoke in Parliament about the importance of protecting Moreton Bay:
Release of Cabinet papers
The various cabinet papers dealing with the late 1980s Toondah project are shown below.
Queensland’s confidential cabinet papers are (mostly) made public after 30 years. The Federal Government has transitioned, in recent years, to making its cabinet papers publicly available after just 20 years.
If Queensland followed the Federal Government’s lead, any State Cabinet papers about the 2014 Toondah deal could be available for review by the community in 2034. Without such reforms, Queensland residents will have to wait until 2044 to read these papers.
Toondah lease approved by Cabinet April 1988
Crown Solicitor advice to Attorney General September 1988
This advice by the Crown Solicter was written in September 1988 and attached to a submission to the Cabinet meeting on 24 October 1988.
Question in Parliament 27 September 1988
On 27 September Premier Mike Ahern received the following question in State Parliament from National Party MP Ian Henderson who represented the electorate of Mt Gravatt;
“With reference to the proposed Toondah Harbour Development by Hooker Land Development via its subsidiary company Brisbane Shores Pty Ltd— What is the extent and nature of State Govemment involvement, if any, in this proposed development?”
Premier Ahern responded with:
“The Govemment called for expressions of interest for the development of Toondah Harbour, for which only one proposal was received. The Govemment has approved that the basis for tenure be a special lease, awarded for investigation purposes only, under the Land Act and Harbours Act.”
Cabinet looks for Toondah exit – October 1988
Question in Parliament on 27 October 1988
In response to a question from the Opposition, Premier Ahern made publicly available details of the Toondah Harbour lease agreement on 27 October 1988.
The Premier also noted that the lease agreement is “currently the subject of negotiations”.
Cabinet kills off the Toondah project January 1989
In January 1989 a submission to State Cabinet from Lands Minister Bill Glasson noted that “of recent times there has been severe antipathy from local residents” about the proposed Toondah Harbour development.
A proposal by the developer to walk away from the Toondah project in return for a $8 million reduction in developer payments to the government on a Sunshine coast project was rejected. Instead, Cabinet decided that the developer would be given six months notice that the special lease would be resumed.
Aerial image of Cleveland and Toondah
Redlands2030 – 19 October 2020
Any election material in this article is authorised by Steve MacDonald of 104 Channel Street Cleveland.
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