The Bligh Government is planning to allow a massive tourism development on the spectacular Shute Harbour and, once again, their ‘mates’ are set to profit while the Queensland environment suffers.

The location of the proposed project within the waters of Shute Harbour is a World Heritage area, a National Heritage area, A Great Barrier Reef Coastal Marine Park, a Habitat Protection Zone and is in an Area of State Significance. It is surrounded by the Conway Range wilderness, Mt Rooper terrestrial national park and the waters and islands of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

The potential impact of the project on the Great Barrier Reef alone should rule out any chance of it going ahead…but that’s not how things work here in Queensland.

The development will contain:

• A multi-building, five-storey resort with 109 suites.
• High density, three-storey apartments built on several hectares of reclaimed seabed.Other commercial and retail outlets.
• Multi-storey car parking. A 669 berth marina for big boats, the vast majority over 10 metres.
• A one kilometre long breakwater.

Both leases covering the area and permits to occupy have been renewed over and over again regardless of the fact that proponents have not delivered on time and/or been unable to meet lease conditions.

A former Department of Natural Resources heavyweight with oversight of the project took time off to work for the developer who later became his boss. This stirs more silt in the murky waters of unseemly contacts between government and business.

Like Great Keppel Island, False Cape, the Traveston Dam and a host of other projects currently being fast-tracked and approved by the Bligh Government the Shute Harbour development is just another example of the cronyism, corruption and addiction to unsustainable development that afflicts this government.