Just before the 2016 local council elections, a majority of Redlands councillors voted for a secret Toondah deal allowing Walker Group to build thousands of apartments on wetlands next to G.J. Walter Park.
At a Council meeting on 16 & 21 December 2015, councillors voted 6/4 to delegate to the CEO authority to sign two Toondah agreements: the Infrastructure Agreement and the Development Agreement.
This decision was supported by Mayor Karen Williams, current councillors Julie Talty, Mark Edwards and Paul Gleeson and former councillors Kim-Maree Hardman and Alan Beard.
Voting against the motion to sign the Toondah deal were current councillors Wendy Boglary, Paul Bishop and Lance Hewlett together with former Division 2 councillor Craig Ogilvie.
Cr Murray Elliott was absent from the meeting but it’s understood that he has been a supporter of the Toondah deal.
Councillors were given very little time to consider these legal agreements before being asked to approve the deal, a few weeks before the Council went into pre-election caretaker mode. In commercial deals it’s often the case that a party under pressure to sign quickly doesn’t get a good deal.
Unusually restrictive confidentiality obligations have made it legally impossible for councillors to discuss any aspect of the Toondah deal with members of the community, even though the deal would alienate public land (and waters), cause significant social and environmental impacts and could impose financial burdens on the City’s ratepayers.
Efforts by Redlands2030 to obtain a copy of the Toondah Harbour Development Agreement through Right to Information laws have yet to deliver the required information. A favourable decision by the Office of the Information Commissioner in November 2018 is currently the subject of legal appeals by both Walker Group and the State Government (but not by Redland City Council).
The Toondah Harbour Infrastructure Agreement, made publicly available in 2017, showed that very little of the infrastructure spend on Walker Group’s Toondah project would benefit the general community. This is discussed in: Toondah infrastructure agreement – Cui bono?
More information about this controversial project is available is provided by Redlands2030 in Toondah Harbour – the illustrated history.
Redlands has a pretty sad history of coastal real estate deals. The 1970s Russell Island subdivision scam is part of Queensland legal history. The Raby Bay canal estate is costing the Redlands community millions of dollars in remedial engineering works.
Will the Toondah deal continue this pattern of allowing developers to make money while Redlands ratepayers foot the bill?
The next local council elections are due on 28 March 2020. Indications are that all eleven incumbent councillors are planning to run for re-election.
How can any of them face the voters without showing that they’ve done their utmost to ensure the community is properly informed about the Toondah deal with Walker Group?
Petition asking Council to reveal the Toondah deal
We, the undersigned, request that Council:
1. make publicly available a comprehensive and truthful explanation of all contractual arrangements agreed between the council and other parties relating to plans for residential and other development by Walker Group Pty Ltd in the Toondah Harbour Priority Development Area.
2. make this information available to the community well before the commencement of the next local government election period so that voters are able to consider:
a. The competence of councillors who voted to enter into these contractual arrangements;
b. Whether or not these contractual arrangements are in the public interest; and
c. The prospects of a newly elected Council being able to take actions aimed at ensuring the that development does not proceed in the form currently proposed by Walker Group Pty Ltd.
Signing the petition
This is an old-fashioned paper petition. Hard copies of the petition form are available in three ways:
- Download and print the Reveal the Toondah deal petition
- Save the image below, and print a copy
- Email thereporter@redlands2030 requesting a copy and we will post it to your mail address
Signed petitions can be returned to the principal petitioner (Steve MacDonald) or handed in at a Redland City Council office.
Redlands2030 – 25 September 2019
Please note: Offensive or off-topic comments will be deleted. If offended by any published comment please email thereporter@redlands2030.net
8 Comments
This deal should be stopped. There are no good outcomes except for councillors and the Walker Corporation and any deals we are not aware of. Why is the council so keen to get this through when so many in the Redlands are against it?
Sounds lovely. Apartment dwellers enjoying the good life in 3600 0f them built by Walker Corp… result of a ‘done deal’ with Council & State govt heavyweights overlooking our bay, on the buried Toondah Harbour site in Cleveland, would know nothing…is that right?…of the impact on Redland roads from added traffic on already congested roads throughout the City.
I have lived adjacent to Finucane/Old Cleveland road intersection since moving here in July 1986, when traffic was a trickle that changed after the building boom began in 1987. Train line progressed from Thorneside to Cleveland…end of the line.
There is no stopping development, as Cr Gleeson says: “jobs, jobs, jobs” but he turns a blind eye to the increasing number of people dying on our roads…particularly between Windemere Rd (congested with traffic each weekday rush hour from 4-way intersection at Capalaba through to Windemere Rd Alex Hills). Some deaths/crashes are unreported like the pedestrian killed outside 6-storey apt bldg. at Mt Cotton Rd intersection, another motor cyclist died this past week on deadly Finucane Rd Capalaba at turnaround, installed by Campbell Newman in his one term as Premier, had Labor’s Paul Lucas fixed the black spot, we wouldn’t be passing by seeing a floral spray attached to post end Willard Rd. There have been four deaths same place in recent times…so even with blocking off Willard Rd to motorists, deaths and crashes (I heard one recently, saw ambulances road blocked) at the turnaround. Palaszczuk Govt declared this road as ‘dangerous’ still is. With amount of traffic, ute said to be most popular today, air pollution from exhaust fumes causing cancer and other illnesses, now that its okay for developers to not leave any setbacks as pollution barriers, we will be seeing more deaths at this site. How many people have to die before the State Government takes action to make our suburban roads, that weren’t made for the kinds of heavy vehicles we see today, safer?
Neighbour’s office moved into city (Bne) informed me travel time each day will be over an hour…with continuing estates being built as I write, about 1000 I think, including social housing adjacent to Windemere Rd Alex Hills, with poor public transport, travel time could soon be two hours commuting into city…but…does any politician ever speak about the impact on health of a community? Great for all of those people this local/State govt want to see living in 3600 apts overlooking the bay breathing in fresh air…but what about the rest of us who can’t afford that luxury lifestyle…is it okay we, ratepayers in Capalaba, breathe in the toxic fumes their vehicles will generate? Does Cr Paul Gleeson, who is paid to look after the interests of the Capalaba electorate, give a damn?
This proposal should never have been drawn out for so long or have progressed to this level because it is “clearly unacceptable” in terms of the irreversible impact on the Ramsar protected wetlands and the plan to destroy a significant proportion of the shorebird zone, a zone which should only be disturbed if it is in the “urgent national interest”.
I have just googled Walker Corporation/Toondah and look what came up. This comes directly from the Walker Corporation advertising campaign.
“With an estimated start date of 2017, this project will see us revitalise Toondah Harbour with new housing – offering magnificent views across the bay. Complemented by retail and public facilities, such as a dedicated ferry terminal that will improve access and tourism to North Stradbroke Island. ”
Let’s look at each sentence. The advert indicates a start date of 2017 but we are nearing the end of 2019 and Lang Walker has yet to submit an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). He knows it would not pass the pub test because already the Federal Environment Department (minus Josh Frydenberg) has stated that the Walker proposal is “clearly unacceptable.” What a wealthy developer will sometimes try when faced with such a dilemma is to buy a similar area of wetland or bushland in another region or even another country and call it an “offset.” In other words they admit their development will destroy the natural environment of the area in question but the other area will be left untouched. Are we really supposed to fall for this ? He then talks about offering magnificent views across the Bay. Has he created those views ? No, they have been stolen from the properties that have paid high prices to have properties with magnificent views.
So what about the dedicated ferry terminal to North Stradbroke Island ? Peter Saba, spokesman for Walker Corporation, has already stated (RCB, 03 Oct 2018) that “if it cannot build enough apartments to turn a profit , it may walk away from the venture as it did with the Weinam Creek ferry rebuild.” Don’t say you haven’t been warned.
Corruption has been discovered in other Councils and in my opinion it could be a similar issue that has occurred here. All over Australia there is talk about “jobs”. Well there’s simply too many people and too much competition for jobs. So it’s a fallacy and crime to develop more and more, as there will be nothing left of the natural environment to sustain life. The governments, Federal, State and Local, need to face the need for human population control and move away from “economy, economy, economy”. People need to learn to make do with less (like the poor who have no choice because they can’t get a job, yet people who already have jobs find it easier to get a job – what madness and injustice is that?). Limits need to be placed on development. After WWII development was touted as a beneficial thing – but it is not, and the fact billions are STILL starving and going without, and many in the west are overweight and wasteful producing so much plastic garbage and effluent, are evidence that the “story” of development is only good for those who seek to exploit others. Saying “Jobs” is a way to keep detract from the fact that we all have rights to land and homes and water and food for FREE!!! If we continued as nature intended – for all we need is water, food, shelter and pain relief – everyone would control their own gluttony and live in supportive communities. Developments such as this and commercial and industrial activity only benefit the few. Australia needs to wake up and pay attention. The only trickle down effect is greed and selfishness for our own rights (our self or small family unit) over another’s. This development on Ramsar, that was protected for good reason, will damage habitats of other living, feeling beings and that must stop now.
In March 2018 about 50 residents of the Redlands and members of Redlands 2030 attended the Redland City Council meeting on the Wednesday. It was written up on 14th March 2018 on Page 3 of the Redland City Bulletin (RCB). At that meeting one of the councillors asked a question about the Agreement signed between the Council and Walker Corporation in relation to the Toondah Proposal. The Mayor replied that she could not give an answer because she was bound by “Commercial in Confidence.” When you consider the ramifications if such a proposal was approved, both councillors and residents need to be fully informed. The streets leading down to Toondah are narrow and if such a development was to pass an EIS, which seems highly unlikely because of the irreversible environmental damage, we would have at least 40 trucks per day for the next 20 years on those narrow streets. Then you have ridiculous comments by Cr Gleeson, stating that such a project would give “an $80 million port upgrade going in at no cost to ratepayers” (RCB, 14 Mar 2018). Does Cr Gleeson have any idea of the cost of 2-3 kilometres of sealed roads to accommodate heavy trucks? Then he says “it’s about jobs, jobs, jobs.” The guy is almost a joke. No wonder he has 15 misdemeanours to his name already. The statement by Cr Golle indicates that the Council has been hoodwinked by yet another developer, when he says “this could potentially bankrupt the council” (RCB, 14 Mar 2018).
Surely voting for a new council in 2020, without a full disclosure of the secret deal is no better than the voting methods used in North Korea and Iran.
It will be interesting to see how our civic leaders respond to the petition. It is likely the public presentation will be a fraught affair. Perhaps the presentation will be cut short on some technicality, again!
REVEAL THE DEAL
We are supposed to live in a democracy. How can such an important and large scale proposal be rubber stamped in such a manner? Future generations will not forgive us if we allow this to materialise. I believe this outcome is the result of a combination of things- Arrogance, Ignorance and Stupidity. There are things we are entitled to know in a Democracy, and in this case , we need to know them before we vote in March 2020. Please Council- Reveal this Deal.