Full video set of meeting held at Kuranda District State College, Myola Road. Kuranda
*Click play, then click icon on video to open full screen.
* Click +NOTES under each video to open question/comment notes and follow ups from the meeting
INTRO BY CHAIR/KUR-WORLD TEAM (19 mins)
MARK LAWSON – KUR-World Project Manager
– Team – Simon Danielsen Environmental Manager, Geraldine McGuire Community Engagement, Nathan Lee Long Infrastructure Services, Harry Sou Chief Operations Officer
– Outline of EIS – 12 month process, baseline studies, identify potential impacts on land and community
– Outline of eco-tourism resort outline – north and south zones, heavily developed areas on northern zone, southern zone relatively untouched, precinct descriptions
– Coordinated Project – state is managing the complex approval process
– Currently setting up Community Reference Group
– August 2017 Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
– Construction wouldn’t commence until June 2018 at the earliest
Difference between activities on Barnwell now and proposal under KUR-World
“The owner has the right to 1. The right to continue the use of the land as a cattle farm. And 2, the right to change the existing use of the land.”
Project Manager: “Stage 1 consists of 50 Farmstay lots, a 3 star hotel, a aquatic centre, no not aquatic centre, a horse centre and a golf course.”
EIS is broken up into 3 areas: Environment impacts, Infrastructure impacts, Community impacts
Water, sewer, cultural heritage, jobs, flora, fauna form part of EIS process
KUR-WORLD TEAM QUESTION TIME (9 mins)
COMMUNITY – What about the Range Road?
COMMUNITY: Who will pay for upgrades on roads, rail? Impact on Myola Road? Where is the entrance to this monster?
COMMUNITY: Brazen presumption that this will go ahead at your will – irrespective of the local community, the local landholders, state, local, we’re expected to wear the costs of this like it’s a fait accompli.
COMMUNITY: In what respect is this an eco-resort?
CRAIG CRAWFORD (19 mins)
CRAIG CRAWFORD: Yes it is an independent process. Independent to the Minister. Independent to the department. Barry Bragg is the Queensland Coordinator General for KUR-World. Barry was also the Coordinator General for the AQUIS project in Cairns. Different to KUR-World as AQUIS had a casino. EIS still required.
Coordinated project status is Queensland government’s standard response to developers with large scale ideas – not supporting or approving.
Apologies for not making the KUR-World Public Meeting 11 August 2016 – had another engagement.
Craig Crawford visited the site prior to December 2016, pre dam.
8:30 Conversation with Main Roads about the Kuranda Range Road and what impacts KUR-World or anything else up in this part of the world will have on that. On notice depending on how this project moves down the track to provide analysis.
Craig Crawford will spend time discussing project with multiple departments regarding necessary infrastructure.
Craig Crawford does “not have the power to alter, approve or deny this proposal. Everyone is entitled to step forward and say, I want to build something, and they have a right to go through the process.”
Craig Crawford does not have a crystal ball. Neither does the Minister.
COMMUNITY: Did you support AQUIS?
COMMUNITY: What would you do to support the local community if they were against this project?
COMMUNITY: What would you do to support the local community in opposing KUR-World?
COMMUNITY: Search ‘Craig Crawford’ and ‘KUR-World’ on Internet and the only quote available on the public record is “The site contains habitat of the protected Kuranda tree frog, but most of the development is proposed in the northern area of the site which has been cleared”
KUR-MYTH: KUR-World northern area is not critically endangered Kuranda Tree Frog Habitat
*Correction of public record required.
COMMUNITY: You support the process. Before we got to this stage – part of the IAS requirement must have a ‘demonstrated need or demand’. Please follow up with Director General to provide this requirement.
* Craig Crawford to follow up
COMMUNITY: What are the risks inherent in the KUR-World project as you see them?
MAREEBA SHIRE COUNCIL (11 mins)
Apologies for Mayor Tom Gilmore
Councillors present: Lenore Wyatt, Mary Graham, Alan Pedersen, Angela Toppin
– MSC made a submission regarding EIS Terms of Reference
* follow up – request copy
– Development application will be assessed from the plans by MSC
COMMUNITY: What about the work that’s been done on the property is it illegal?
COMMUNITY: Have they been fined like anyone else would be? No? Strange I would have been if it was my property.
COMMUNITY: Never mind the dam – what about the deforesting of the regrowth that was there? And the huge fires we saw that just razed the all trees to the ground? And what about the existing wildlife?
COMMUNITY: They’re already doing all this destruction. And it shows that they don’t care because they haven’t done the proper procedures, the proper approvals, that shows it’s not an eco-resort because they don’t care about the environment, they’re destroying it before it’s even started and people are offended by it. I am offended by it.
COMMUNITY: KUR-World is not a ‘Rural Residential’ development – why does everyone else have to abide by the planning scheme – but not these people?
COMMUNITY: addressed to Mareeba Shire Council: Why don’t all these people here get to have a say?
PETER FRANKS – CEO MAREEBA SHIRE COUNCIL: explains local council input in process in KUR-World proposal, KUR-World could use the Planning Court
COMMUNITY: Can we expect a reduction in our rates because the land values around the area have got to have been reduced. Can’t sell your house at the moment because of this proposal?
* Peter Franks (MSC CEO) does not have a crystal ball either.
QUESTION TIME 1 (14 mins)
COMMUNITY: The Terms of Reference for the Environmental Impact Study talks about baseline tests that need to be done. How can you baseline environmental aspects of this application when there’s already been damage done to the site?
COMMUNITY: Repatriation of dam will use the same operating hours it took to build the dam in the first place.
* Permitted operational hours: 7am-6pm Monday to Friday. Saturday 7am-2pm, Sunday Nil.
COMMUNITY: The question ‘what, if any, perceived benefits to local indigenous, and the wider community, from this project…’ didn’t receive an answer to that yet.
COMMUNITY: Craig Crawford mentioned prospective infrastructure for this development – that it is not us that will pay – it’s the state – are we not constituents of the state of QLD?
COMMUNITY: What will the extra millions of dollars worth of prospective rates go towards funding infrastructure upgrades in the future?
COMMUNITY: Concerns expressed about the intention of the proponent. The council has chosen not to look at what is happening on the land. Concerns about the quality of the ‘experts’ put together in the last week for the EIS process. Very concerned about statements like ‘that’s just the law’ – how has the law served our historically – and how will the law serve our community now? Already had demonstration of the intent – demonstrated to us in the first months – before we even got to this point.
QUESTION TIME 2 (13 mins)
COMMUNITY: Cultural heritage – is any care being taken to register any finds (axes, spears) on the BARNWELL site as work has been done? It was a big camp. An aboriginal camp of the Djabugay people and there are ancestors still alive today.
COMMUNITY: Coordinator General is an unelected representative. It seems that nobody here is willing or able to say they actually make a decision about this in the end – that it’s the Coordinator General who in the end will say – yes or no – someone who is not elected by any of us – and that our elected officials are unable or unwilling to say whether they support it or not. So, come the next election can you please tell us who should we be voting for?
COMMUNITY: Concerns about council brochures prior to the election that they would listen to us – that they were there for us – not developers. Infrastructure concerns that Kuranda Region is already behind on the main categories. Should we make all Queenslanders aware that their tax money is being used for inappropriate developments further afield.
COMMUNITY: Road closure on BARNWELL
QUESTION TIME 3 (11 mins)
KUR-World Initial Advice Statement (IAS):
http://eisdocs.dsdip.qld.gov.au/KUR-World%20Integrated%20Eco-resort/IAS/kur-world-ias.pdf
Bill Cummings – http://www.cummings.net.au/
COMMUNITY: What is the budget for council to work on the process of the approval process? Cairns City Council spent $500,000 on the AQUIS approval process. Concerned that our council – that initially told us they had no say in this approval process – just a few phone calls found out – that our council actually has the final say in this process – is unaware of the huge cost to both council and ratepayers – should be looked at carefully – and that any costs should be bounced back to the developer.
COMMUNITY: Harry Sou is the most important person in the room from the point of view of whether this proposal goes ahead or not. Community that doesn’t have much political power – in the sense that we never seem to get represented by members of parliament, but, we are a united and very powerful community in terms of our spirit. We’ve very environmentally conscious. We’ve lost a lot of faith in this project because of the damage that was done to endangered species habitat already. We have got our suspicions up, and frankly at this stage we’d prefer to not have to fight another environmental campaign against something that is being foisted on us that we don’t think is a good idea. So, I’d ask would you, to take account of what you’d heard tonight, go back to Ken Lee and tell him that he may be in for a lot of trouble if he really wants to push this proposal through.
COMMUNITY: Directed to Harry Sou – Why do you love his region? What about the trees? Don’t come and destroy what you came to enjoy.
CHAIR: Any outstanding questions can be asked on the notes at the back of the room. These will be answered in due course. Geraldine McGuire would like to speak with all the adjoining BARNWELL neighbours first.
‘Have your say’ VIDEO COLLECTION (3 mins)
‘Have your say’ VIDEO COLLECTION (2 mins)
‘Have your say’ VIDEO COLLECTION (2 mins)
‘Have your say’ VIDEO COLLECTION (2 mins)
‘Have your say’ VIDEO COLLECTION (2 mins)
‘Have your say’ VIDEO COLLECTION (1 min)
‘Have your say’ VIDEO COLLECTION (2 mins)
‘Have your say’ VIDEO COLLECTION (1 min)
‘Have your say’ VIDEO COLLECTION (2 mins)
‘Have your say’ VIDEO COLLECTION (2 mins)
KUR-World / KUR-Cow / BARNWELL full Youtube Playlist, click here