Sunshine Coast Mayor Mark Jamieson has declined to comment on any personal differences between him and local federal Member for Fairfax, Ted O’Brien, and how that might affect the region’s preparations for the 2032 Olympic Games.
Mr O’Brien, who is in Canberra for Parliament sittings this week, has also skirted the question, saying he, “will continue to work productively with all levels of government to deliver for the Sunshine Coast”.
The two men clashed publicly recently on Facebook, where Mr O’Brien, of the LNP, described Mayor Jamieson as a “Labor” mayor, after he questioned the legitimacy of what has become a controversial pre-federal election announcement of $1.6b for the Beerwah to Maroochydore railway project.
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Mr O’Brien posted photos on his Facebook page showing a pre-election budget document entry for the funding.
However, the Mayor, along with Queensland Minister for Transport and Main Roads Mark Bailey, suggested the funding pledge was never officially ratified by the Parliament – a view the Minister has also expressed since March.
In the Facebook exchanges, Mr Bailey went so far to publicly label Mr O’Brien a “nong”.
Mr O’Brien responded: “…your response sadly demonstrates that you have no interest in delivering for the Sunshine Coast.”
Mr Jamieson assured he was politically neutral and shot back at what he described as Mr O’Brien’s failure to secure the funds.
“I’m not sure how pointing out the truth makes me a ‘Labor Mayor’ – I suspect only someone who has problems being truthful would make that claim,” Mr Jamison’s Facebook comment read.
Mr O’Brien last Friday held a media conference with Member for Fisher Andrew Wallace, where they demanded that the new Anthony Albanese government “honour” the “$1.6b rail commitment” in its federal budget today (Tuesday, October 25).
“In the lead up to the election, Labor’s now Infrastructure Minister expressed enthusiasm for this project and Labor’s two local candidates confirmed their support so the Sunshine Coast should expect nothing less than confirmation…,” Mr O’Brien said of the rail project funds.
The Sunshine Coast Mass Transit Action Group also wants the project progressed, regardless of the party in charge.
“Heavy Rail has been on the table for over 20years. The time has come to stop playing politics and to deliver something that will be a legacy investment for the region,” Kate Harvey, MTAG Executive Member, said.
Read a previous story: Environmental surveys begin for long-awaited railway to Sunshine Coast beach towns
The Mayor and Mr O’Brien also appear at odds over two rival new centres to host Olympics basketball games on the Coast.
On October 5, Mr O’Brien announced he had secured $10m in anonymous public donations toward a new convention centre to also host games, to be built in the new Maroochydore CBD.
The following day, at an Olympics breakfast with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and key local businesspeople, the Mayor spoke of “an indoor sports centre at Kawana to host basketball”.
Neither of the two men seems to have publicly acknowledged his rival’s favoured project.
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The issue generated the sole response to several questions posed by Sunshine Coast News for the Mayor yesterday.
“While he has no comments in response to the questions posed, Mayor Jamieson would like to make it clear (so there is no doubt), that there has never been any funding commitment – by Mr O’Brien or the State or Federal governments – to deliver a convention centre in the Maroochydore City Centre,” a Council spokesperson said yesterday.
Mr O’Brien said, “I have been upfront with my preference from the get go, and that’s for the Maroochydore option, on the basis that Kawana still wins from the Games with an upgraded stadium and a station for the new rail line.
“It’s no secret that the mayor has a different view … These Games are meant to be the people’s Games and it is therefore the people of the Sunshine Coast who should decide between Kawana and Maroochydore.”
Along with Brisbane and the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast will play a key role by hosting a number of Olympics events, including the marathon, race walking, the cycle road race, basketball, football, mountain biking, kiteboarding and possibly sailing, and housing 1300 competitors and officials at a new athletes village to be built in the new Maroochydore City Centre.
Read a previous story: Business goals: Sunshine Coast can star in ‘Queensland Olympics’
Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers has already flagged considerable spending cuts from former the previous Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s government’s programs, but many locals hope the $1.6b in funding will remain.
Jeff Addison, of community group Rail Back on Track, is confident the funds will be secured.
“A tweet I sent, congratulating Federal Transport Minister Catherine King for honouring the $1.6 billion for 50% of Maroochydore rail, was ‘liked’ yesterday by the Minister, indicating to me the money will be in tonight’s Federal budget, but I guess we have to wait and see to be certain,” he said.
Mr Chalmers will deliver the budget at 7.30pm (Canberra time) today (Tuesday October 25).
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