Do you have an opinion to share? Submit a Letter to the Editor at Sunshine Coast News via news@sunshinecoastnews.com.au. You must include your name and suburb for accountability, credibility and transparency. Preference will be give to letters of 100 words or less.
- Read the story: Esplanade glows ahead of major foreshore works
Over 100 free parking spots, mere metres from the Mooloolaba beach, are being eliminated with this current foreshore design.
We are being forced into paid parking. The price for tower parking will be yet another financial burden. The loss of easy parking will be a loss for businesses. It is a loss for the community: wonderful access for the aged and the disabled; a wonderful resource area available for club events and fundraisers; easy access to cafes and shopping; close access to the beach; and free.
Now, after businesses were dubious and their concerns were ‘heard’, there was more consultation, business activation people were hired, groups were formed, meetings were held. The outcome that everyone is apparently so delighted with is that fairy lights have been wrapped around the trunks of trees.
We still lose over 100 free parking spots.
P. Hurrey, Palmwoods
- Read the story: Plan to add extra sites to $35m creekside tourist park
My first thought was ‘wow, great for jobs, tourism etc’, then reality hit me. How do people get there? The Bruce Highway!
It cannot cope with present-day traffic let alone any accidents, and with the added dramas this development would bring. The talk of 35,000 people to festivals, that alone creates an even bigger issue to the number one problem that Queensland has, the Bruce Highway.
I moved to the Sunshine Coast some 26 years ago for the beautiful lifestyle and it took us one hour to get to Brisbane: easy. Not anymore. We currently now have to allow a minimum of two hours with all the traffic.
This new development and attraction would bring many more thousands of cars and would need a minimum of six lanes both ways to cope on the Bruce Highway from Brisbane to say Gympie at the least, to cater for the extra thousands of cars and people. This is also aside from the expansion at Aura, a suburb of Caloundra that has rapidly gone ahead with houses, schools and shopping centres that’s added extra traffic too.
The Bruce Highway should, and needs to be, the first priority and No.1 on the agenda before any more thought into a new really large development occurring, let alone festivals of any sort.
Crafty Di, Golden Beach
- Read the story: Vow made to advance motorway business case
Jo Justo has been a dynamic lobbyist for the motorway duplication since long before she was endorsed as Labor’s candidate for Ninderry, so the project’s resumption appears to be as much down to her formidable talent as a negotiator as an upswing in the budgetary outlook.
Peter Baulch, North Arm
- Read the story: Owner appeals council order to decommission tiny homes
The council says no to tiny homes, van living, caravans, tents etc. What do they plan to do with the people who can’t afford to live anywhere?
Council gets paid to sort problems, not to ignore problems. Do something.
S. Mata, Buderim
Reading about the continuing jackboot-style of the Sunshine Coast Council just makes my blood boil. Where is the compassion or any plan to facilitate housing options? They only seem to be obstructionist and dictatorial, full of threats and flexing their self-important bureaucratic muscle.
If it was something that developers wanted, council would be falling over themselves to approve it. Ordinary ratepayers are never council’s priority when they should be.
Glenn Bunney, Woombye
Make these privileged councillors live in a tent or car to realise the extent of the housing crisis.
Small houses are giving people somewhere to live.
Barry Chin, Currimundi
- Read the story: CCTV commitment to town centre
I think that is an excellent idea, having CCTV installed in Nambour. I lived there and went to TAFE Nambour for a few years. During that time the area around Nambour railway station, McDonald’s and particular CBD areas were very frightening places. The railway station in particular is so dirty and mostly occupied as a hub for youth criminals and was a very scary place to sit and wait for public transport (it’s basically a bus terminal).
I now live in north Queensland but my family and roots will always be in the Sunshine Coast. The main reason for me leaving the Coast was safety. I’m a mature woman and don’t drive so depend on public transport. The public bus enroute to Nambour, or departing Nambour, was always filled with youths who terrorised the bus: completely took over, swearing, screaming and playing loud music.
The bus drivers did nothing, couldn’t do anything, were powerless to intervene and make the journey for the rest of us a safe and pleasurable experience. I experienced other bus journeys around the Coast and found a huge difference in bus etiquette and behaviours. The Nambour bus was the most fearful experience and the Nambour railway station, being the transport hub, is where the majority of these delinquents hang and plot.
So, yes, CCTV will be a definite improvement in safety. However, there needs to be a permanent person policing that particular area in my opinion. CCTV will not pick up the passive aggressive dialogue and bad behaviours disguised by the knowledge of being on ‘big brother’. There needs to be random policing on these bus routes as well in order for change.
If these badly behaved individuals think the railway station/bus terminal and Nambour bus are being patrolled regularly it will make it a lot harder for them to act up. Therefore, people like me can just jump on a bus and get to their destination without fear.
Debra Langmead, Airlie Beach
- Read the story: Road to recovery starts at landslip sites
I understand they have to stabilise the landslips but I just hope they don’t spray concrete all over the place.
My husband and I recently went for a Sunday drive into the country for a relaxing day out. We were so disappointed to see so much spray concrete all over the hills in various places. It looks awful and doesn’t blend in with the natural environment at all. I wish they would at least put some green colour into it and perhaps plant some vines over it.
Lynette Saxton, Yaroomba
- Read the story: Pledge made for permanent moorings off renowned isle
This is indeed a fantastic idea. As a keen sailor, I too have seen the results of anchor chains damaging coral and wildlife at Mudjimba Island and other places, so a range of sensibly placed and sensibly sized permanent mooring balls is the answer for sure.
This has worked extremely well in pristine sites like the Whitsundays for years. Mudjimba Island is our only island so we should certainly look after it. Well done.
Peter Birks, Maroochydore
- Read the story: Candidates outline why they should get your vote
Over the past four years, Jason Hunt has demonstrated that he deserves another term as the Caloundra MP.
I’m speaking up because I’m fearful of the Coast returning to the blue-rinse era with wall-to-wall LNP representatives.
I get that there are some calling for a change of state government, I truly do, but the Coast is very conservative in its voting habits and this has never served our community well. Having a balance of blue and red representatives definitely results in better outcomes locally.
Remember the Newman Government (2012 to 2015), we had six of our MPs with ministerial or senior cabinet portfolios. Such an incredibly powerful result, where together they could have controlled budget decisions and ensured that the Sunshine Coast got a ‘fairer share of the taxpayer pie’. Unfortunately for our community they took us for granted and delivered nothing. Instead they simply porkbarrelled the marginal seats in other parts of the state. Ego and power, what a terrible combination. There was certainly no ‘rewarding’ our community for continually electing them.
So when Labor took the seat of Caloundra in 2020 after 100-plus years of conservative LNP representation, many were excited to see what could be delivered. In my opinion, Jason Hunt has positively responded to the years of neglect and demonstrated he can deliver.
I say this because during my 12 years of (formerly) representing the ‘southern end’ on the Sunshine Coast Council, I witnessed a level of passion and commitment not often displayed by our MPs.
He has great ideas and plans to continue fighting for the infrastructure that’s so desperately needed, so I encourage everyone to please consider this when it is time to cast your vote.
Peter Cox, Kawana
- Read the story: Jobs bonanza as key details of $14b hydro project revealed
Climate change is happening now, which is why Queensland has a net zero emissions reduction target by 2050.
It has been enshrined in legislation, with both major parties agreeing to it. Our Labor government has us on track and ahead of schedule to achieve 75 per cent by 2035. The LNP shadow environment minister said “We must do all we can to become more sustainable”. Pumped hydro projects are one way to ensure we can achieve our targets with energy able to be supplied around the clock in a sustainable manner.
So why is the Liberal National Party scraping the Pioneer Burdekin Scheme and threatening the Borumba Pumped Hydro Project? Their federal leader says, should they become the government, not one cent of federal money will assist in the project. The Borumba Pumped Hydro Project will be a huge boost to our region’s economy with nearly 3000 local jobs during construction and around $1 billion will flow to local businesses. Millions of dollars in contracts have already been signed.
We need pumped hydro as part of our energy supply chain along with solar and wind power and we need it now, not in decades time when we will have well passed the tipping point on climate change.
We can’t risk our future with the LNP likely to take a backward step on our energy transition.
Robyn Deane, Nambour
- An inspiration to young people
A young lady, her name was Emily, noticed I was bleeding from a wound on my right elbow. She stopped and guided me to a chair near JB Hi-Fi at Kawana shopping centre. It was about 3pm on Monday. She went for help and arrived back shortly with two medical officers with a first aid Kit.
It was this young lady who took charge and attended to the injury, cleaning the damaged area and wrapping it securely with a bandage. Her mother and grandfather arrived. Salt-of-the-earth people. They moved on without me obtaining their contact point.
You only ever read in the media of people being assaulted and damaged in some way. I hope Emily reads this note of appreciation. An inspiration to all young people, because one day you will be a senior person and may require support.
Jeff Rumble, Parrearra
Do you have an opinion to share? Submit a Letter to the Editor at Sunshine Coast News via news@sunshinecoastnews.com.au. You must include your name and suburb for accountability, credibility and transparency. Preference will be give to letters of 100 words or less.
