OPINION Revealed: How the Sunshine Coast beat the Gold Coast on getting more money The Sunshine Coast was the big winner out of the State Budget compared to the Gold Coast. And there may be a shocking reason why, writes Paul Weston.

Paul Weston, Gold Coast Bulletin Subscriber only | December 3, 2020 12:00am

THE Sunshine Coast was the big winner out of the State Budget compared to the Gold Coast. Take a deep dive through the Budget papers and look at the infrastructure spend. This raises more serious questions about whether Labor suddenly feels unloved by you and me on the Glitter Strip.

Canoes on Noosa Beach. On the breakdowns provided in Palaszczuk Government’s regional action plan, the Sunshine Coast will in the next 12 months get $1.6 billion in infrastructure, which will create an estimated 5200 jobs.

By comparison, the Gold Coast is looking at $1.13 billion in capital works. About 3500 jobs will be provided here.

In health, there is a massive difference in the capital works budget. At least $5.2 billion in funding for the Sunny Coast and only $1.7 billion on the Goldie. New satellite hospitals will be built at Bribie Island and Caboolture, almost $30 million to be pumped into improving Redcliffe Hospital, more than $27 million at the Sunshine Coast Hospital and $22 million at Nambour.

Noosa Main Beach. Picture: TEQ/Mark Fitz Escape. The Coast health service is to get $1.7 billion for improvements, including about $2.3 million for much needed mental health units at Gold Coast University Hospital and $6.5 million on upgrading facilities at Robina Hospital. A new satellite hospital will be built at Tugun with a yet unknown destination.

Labor will pump more than $300 million to improve Bruce Highway interchanges and provide $5 million as part of a $20 million State contribution to the upgrade of the Sunshine Coast Stadium where the Storm have been based.

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On rough ballpark figures it is possible to see about $7.4 billion in spending up north compared to about $3 billion down here.

A business leader and marketing strategist who knows George Street told your columnist: “It’s politics. Obviously they’re putting more into the Sunshine Coast to get a stronghold. The M1 exit upgrades, the light rail — all of that is set in stone down here. There is no new stuff (in the budget for the Gold Coast).”

A recent report has predicted the Sunshine Coast will be home to 515,000 people by 2033, with an economy worth $33 billion. Major infrastructure projects like the Maroochydore CBD (main), Bokarina Beach development (left) and Aria Mooloolaba development are paving the way. Labor in the October State poll gained the seat of Caloundra where the ALP’s Jason Hunt won on his third attempt after respected LNP MP Mark McArdle retired. The businessman and marketing strategist says Labor wants more seats on the Sunny Coast.

“The thing is the Sunshine Coast and the council up there do a fabulous job when it comes to advocacy. We do an appalling job,” the businessman says.

The Gold Coast continues to push for projects like a casino, cableway and cruise ship terminal, all of them controversial and difficult to achieve, he adds. Labor sees pursuing them as burning more potential green votes in an LNP stronghold.

One of the great lost opportunities from this State budget for our city is no funding for an expansion of the convention centre at Broadbeach as the city’s fights COVID-19.

Aerials Caloundra, Sunshine Coast (pic/ProMedia). What do Labor insiders up in Brisbane think about the Coast?

Other than retaining in Gaven, promoting her as the city’s only ALP MP to the Ministry, there is huge disappointment and disillusion about the poll results.

The loss in Currumbin, despite Kaylee Campradt being a strong candidate, really hurt them.

All of this means the city leaders, from council to business and tourism, they will need to be stronger advocates when dealing with George Street in the next four years.

EARLIER: TEACHERS are finalising your child’s end-of-year report card. Next week we get an even bigger one — the State Budget. Like our kids, there will be positives and negatives in the comments. Does the Gold Coast’s economy get a distinction or failure?

Premier and Treasurer did a great job of talking up the economy on the return to Parliament on Thursday, saying jobs had returned to pre-COVID levels and that the borders are re-opening. Gold Coast skyline — what next for the economy. Picture Glenn Hampson. But Opposition leader showed his first business was talking about the economy, asking for “job targets” and whether it was acceptable for so many Queenslanders to be out of work at Christmas.

The latest Regional Development Australia survey, which involved interviews with 184 Coast businesses, found 95 per cent had a change in revenue, mostly negative.

About 65 per cent require JobKeeper payments to stay afloat and around a third are not confident about their ongoing viability.

Council data has suggested without JobKeeper, the unemployment rate would have been more than 19 per cent. What can Gold Coasters expect from the Budget?

The only clues are from the promises made in the recent State election campaign.

Labor announced $1.53 billion would be spent on stage one of the Coomera Connector, for six laning of second M1 between Nerang and Coomera.

Crowds return to Surfers Paradise beach. Photograph : Jason O'Brien. Transport bureaucrats recently told councillors more would be known about timelines after a business case would be delivered mid-next year.

The budget documents will at least reveal spending across the next four years.

Labor’s other promises are much more general, including a $160m health plan for new and expanded hospitals including a new facility in the north, along with $74m to rebuild the tourism industry. Other election goodies included a new $40m satellite hospital and $78m for classrooms, halls and facilities at Coast schools.

The budget papers will show which schools will get the money.

The Government also details the infrastructure spend for the region and jobs to be created.

Others regions are the same, so we can compare who gets the best slice of the funding cake.

The Gold Coast is unlikely to be short-changed. “We need to keep spending money on the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast,” a government insider told your columnist.

17th November 2020, - An empty Gold Coast Airport check in area after the last plane from Adelaide arrived — airlines with borders opening will get busy again. Pic: Scott Powick Newscorp. If you glance across the promises made by Labor and the LNP during the election, remove sugar hits like the Opposition’s promise of a $300 registration rebate before Christmas, the Government on the Coomera Connector alone promised a bigger package.

The reason is Labor needs not just to retain new Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon in Gaven, gain potentially another two MPs at Coomera and Currumbin, along with others on the Sunshine Coast, to win the next election in four years.

Without voters from the two Coasts onside, a strategy realised long ago by then Premier Peter Beattie, Labor has no permanency in government.

The Coast is where Mr Crisafulli must reclaim first as his territory for the LNP to win back government. [email protected]