Toondah Q&A process questioned in letters

Walker Group’s on-line discussions about their proposed development on wetlands next to Toondah Harbour resulted in letters to Redlands2030.

Toondah information sessions: answer the real question, please!

The Walker Group’s print advertising (RCB 29.07.20 page 11) about their ‘Talk Toondah’ Online Information Sessions on the Toondah Harbour project states “You can ask questions of the experts undertaking the technical assessments for the EIS.” 

What it should say is “you can ask questions, but our moderator may decline to read them as you have written them, and may instead interpret and paraphrase so as to make them borderline unrecognisable and possibly bereft of original intent”.

Having attended three of the six sessions thus far, I can say that such a firewalled approach does a great disservice to the process and to the experts, who to date have presented as clever, educated people, more than capable of answering a direct question.  And of course, it is a great disservice to those of us interested enough to write the questions in the first place.  

LW
Thornlands

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Fix the Toondah port now!

As the years of uncertainty drag by with regard to the monster proposed development at Toondah Harbour, we users of the decrepit port continue to suffer lack of shelter against sun and rain, confusing arrangements for buses and parking, and daily scrums as coming and going passengers jostle in cramped waiting areas.

The port is reliably described as third world. It’s unsafe and inconvenient. It’s been like this for decades. How much longer?
Who is responsible for provisioning essential transport infrastructure? The State Government is.

Why has the Minister for Transport failed to step up to repair the barge and water taxi facilities (for which there is a budget)? It’s not as if Toondah Harbour is some backwater. It is the gateway to Minjerribah/Stradbroke Island and receives tens of thousands of travellers a year. It has a claim to special treatment as a transport hub.

The reason the State Government is failing to initiate the necessary upgrade of the port is because of the secret, PDA-linked contract signed years ago with Walker Group to build 3,600 apartments on Ramsar territory reclaimed from the bay. 

We do not know if the unwise development will ever proceed. If it does, Walker is on record saying that work would not commence on upgrading the port until 900 apartments were sold. How long do you think that would take? 

Walker’s caveat pushes the projected upgrade of the port well into the “never never”.  

It’s never going to happen.

Time for the Government to get real and to acknowledge it has carriage of delivering essential public infrastructure and the responsibility to upgrade the port. And do something.

JC
Point Lookout

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Toondah Q&A: process questions

Did you enjoy how the questions were edited? I did not enjoy or appreciate the censorship. Couldn’t see questions, or likes or dislikes from other participants, audience response to answers received, or indeed how many were engaged?

Will transcripts and audio copies be made available for fact-checking and integrity?

Love how apparently the Port of Brisbane, Townsville and Cairns are all apparently entertaining Toondah style water reclamation projects of 3,600 dwellings now as if it is commonplace. Downplay much? Creative license, or wishful thinking?

An absence of references provided in preparation to allow participants to fact check anticipated questions and responses for themselves. An intended whitewash- IMOATT.

DN
Birkdale

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More Letters To Redlands2030

Letter To The Editor Re Walker Corporation’s Online Information Session About The Toondah PDA

Toondah and the virus of coastal development

Jack Mundey, Planet of the Humans and Toondah

Moreton Bay science, ABC cuts, home builder grants and Lang Park in letters

Cover image

Redlands2030 – 7 August 2020