Member for Currumbin, Jann Stuckey stepped up the call to the Bligh Government to accept responsibility for chronic sand siltation at Currumbin Estuary.
In Parliament last Thursday Ms Stuckey said “Now, some eight years since the Tweed Sand Bypass system commenced and after approximately that number of million cubic metres of sand has been pumped out, this Bligh Labor government arrogantly refuses to accept any responsibility for maintaining a safe passage through the mouth of this popular waterway.”
“Despite the fact this pumping project, which has been blamed for creating the bulk of the problem, is a State Government partnership between New South Wales and Queensland, minister after minister has fobbed off any obligation to fix it.
“The Government has had its head in the sand for years on end, using the excuse that this is not a navigable channel”.
“Our Volunteer Marine Rescue log up to 16,000 bar crossings every year and have witnessed too many near disasters to count. They genuinely fear loss of life will occur if the Government does not step up to the plate and fix this problem soon.”
“Over five years ago, Brad Smith organised a group called Fix Currumbin Creek. After intensive lobbying and the Gold Coast City Council’s willingness to address the problems inside the creek mouth, we have managed to avoid the mouth completely blocking off.”
“A request in 2005 for $340,000 by the State Government to be added to the $660,000 offered by the Gold Coast City Council for a research and development project was ignored”, Ms Stuckey said.
“Three years later, we have an even more complex problem and our surfing groups, fishing groups and other recreational users have joined together to ask the state government to pull their head out of the sand and do something.”
“Premier Bligh continually brags about her congestion busters. Well, we want a bar buster in Currumbin.”
Media Contact : Jann Stuckey 0439 755 919