ACTING Mayor Julie Talty has strongly defended the Redland Whitewater Centre at Birkdale, insisting the project will generate revenue, protect the environment and deliver a major recreational asset for future generations.
Speaking with ABC Brisbane Mornings host Steve Austin following the Federal Government’s decision not to require further environmental assessment under the EPBC Act, Cr Talty tackled concerns about costs, koalas, council rates and even the controversial Ormiston College expansion.
Cr Talty said there was confusion about what the Federal Government’s decision actually meant.
“It’s not so much that they’ve approved, what they’ve approved is what the council intended to do, and the conditions, if you like, are the council remains on that path and does what they intended to do with the site,” she said.
The Acting Mayor said the project was far more than an Olympic venue and would ultimately include parklands, heritage attractions, a water play area and emergency services training facilities.
“I have to say, it’s not just the Whitewater Centre. This is a significant parkland for our community,” she said.
“It has two historic sites on it. It has the historic site of Willards Farm, which has been fully renovated back to pristine condition, and it has the World War II radio receiving station on it.”
Cr Talty said the long-term vision also included a community water park and swiftwater rescue training centre.
“The Swiftwater Centre will immediately, as soon as it’s finished, be available for swiftwater training, for lifesavers, and emergency services rescue personnel,” she said.
Questions about the long-term financial viability of the project featured heavily during the interview, with listeners expressing concerns the facility could become a burden on ratepayers after the 2032 Olympics.
Cr Talty pointed to the project’s business case and future training opportunities as a source of revenue.
“The Whitewater Training Centre, all of the reports are telling us that it will be able to support itself and contribute to the cost of maintaining the rest of the parkland,” she said.
“The business case has told us that the Whitewater Centre will be able to contribute to the maintenance of the broader parkland.”
She argued the community wanted a major recreational precinct regardless of whether the Olympic venue was included.
“Our community still wants a South Bank lagoon type water play area and a nice parkland,” she said.
“So, it’s better to have it with an income coming off that other facility than not.”
Environmental concerns were also raised during the interview, particularly around koala habitat and wildlife impacts at the Birkdale site.
Cr Talty said extensive environmental investigations had been undertaken and maintained the project would not negatively affect local wildlife.
“We are the only council in Australia that I’m aware of that has a tracking program for our koalas. We know exactly where they are, where they go,” she said.
“Every report, every piece of information we have is that we can do this very successfully, and there is no negative impact.”
The discussion later shifted to the recently approved Ormiston College expansion, where Cr Talty revealed she held concerns about the extent of tree clearing involved.
“I do have some concerns about that,” she said.
“Personally, I would like to see a little less of that tree clearing.”
However, Cr Talty also rejected suggestions that widespread land clearing was occurring across the city.
“As far as bushland goes, that really is a perception rather than reality,” she said.
“There is no rapid clearing going on.”
She argued environmental protections in Redlands had become so extensive they were now creating difficulties for future community projects.
“The problem that we find now is that because we have been extraordinarily good environmental stewards in the Redlands for the last 30 or 40 years, we’re being punished for it,” she said.
Cr Talty pointed to the stalled Heinemann Road sporting fields project as an example.
“We haven’t been able to get through the EPBC process to build sporting fields for children,” she said.
“We’re being punished, really, for having done very, very good work.”
The interview also touched on claims that Redland City residents pay some of the highest rates in South East Queensland, a suggestion Cr Talty strongly rejected.
“No, that’s not the case,” she said.
She said council faced financial challenges because of its heavy reliance on residential rates compared with larger councils that benefit from broader commercial and industrial rate bases.
“All councils are feeling the financial pinch at the moment because of rising cost of service provision, rising cost of materials, and more and more cost shifting from other levels of government,” she said.
While debate over the Whitewater Centre continues, Cr Talty maintained the project represented an opportunity to deliver a major recreational and training asset while preserving the environmental values of the Birkdale site.
“We have to pay for it somehow, and we’ll be doing everything we can to make sure that it is revenue generating and that that revenue is able to contribute to the cost of having that fabulous facility for our community,” she said.
