EDITIORIAL MAY 2018

EDITIORIAL MAY 2018

CONCEPT PLAN FOR FUTURE ISLAND INDUSTRY IS NEEDED

The Southern Bay islands need to be ‘a special case’ when it comes to island industry and jobs.

Similar to the ‘green seal’ road sealing program that has been so successful, Redland City Council should also consider similar “out of the square" options for the islands that encourage and assist economic development to reduce reliance on the mainland.

Clearly our islands need help when it comes to developing industry and opportunities.

That is because economic return on property development is opposite to that for mainland development.

There are enormous challenges for the islands, and development of on-islands employment opportunities is essential for future growth.

We need a secure economic base on the islands that creates employment over and above other sectors such as any tourism opportunities.

Tourism is important, but even more essential are more island services and industry that will reduce dependence on the mainland, and will lower unemployment.

It is important to recognise that every island job created not only supports spending on the islands, but also eliminates the need for workers to travel to the mainland each day.

The Friendly Bay Islander notes that Russell Island has 40 blocks of land zoned industrial yet little development has occurred.

Macleay Island has no industrial land!

That raises the question of why haven’t more businesses been established over the past 30 or 40 years?

What are the stumbling blocks that prevent island commercial and industrial development?

And, how can council assist to encourage the development of an area that would generate goods and service industries on the island?

An island businessman told the FBI that he deliberately purchased an island industrial block of land when he moved here nearly 10 years ago.

“I wanted to bring an established industry to the islands and employ islanders.

“I purchased the land and then went to council to discover it was going to cost in excess of $100,000 in costs and charges to council before I even turned a sod of soil.

“There was no help or assistance at the time in the form of encouraging island industrial development, so I dropped the idea and sold the land,” he told us.

The other problem was that the blocks are usually too small to provide the customer onsite parking, plus the septic trenching required and then to build a viable building on the residual land.

The challenge is to present a case that enables easier development of the islands’ commercial and industrial land which will reduce the impact to Council over the longer term.

Industry will bring employment and more future rate payers.

Easing council regulations and charges for the islands would go a long way to seeing important island services and industry establish here sooner rather than later.

This could be done in a number of ways to make the islands viable for investment and future industry.

Why not offer to give land to industry to relocate appropriate industry to the islands?

TIME N TIDE MAY

DEPUTY MAYOR CHANGE

Deputy Mayor Wendy Boglary has handed over the reins to her position on Redland City Council. Unlike the position of Mayor which is held by Karen Williams and is elected by the public; the position of Deputy Mayor is voted by the councillors. The new Deputy Mayor is Lance Hewlett who is the councillor for Coochiemudlo Island and Victoria Point. It has been an amicable changeover

GOLF CLUB LOOKING GREAT

Driving past the Bay Island Golf Club in recent times, have noticed a huge change in the look of the course. Certainly the recent heavy rains have helped, but we were glad to see that, finally, work has been done to fix the bald spots on the sixth hole that fronts directly to Waterside Drive. What a big improvement in a small space of time. Shame it wasn’t done years ago and congratulations to those involved and the stalwarts who have made the club what it is today!

WELL DONE ISLAND SCHOOLS

Both Macleay State School and Russell Island State Schools, made significant contributions to the Anzac Day celebrations on their islands. The youngsters from Macleay were sterling in getting up for the Dawn Service and providing the catafalque party at the cenotaph, and we particularly admired the young fellow wearing the slouch hat. On Russell Island, the youngsters must have spent several days making wreaths to lay at the island cenotaph out the front of the RSL Club. They were respectful and definitely colourful. A great effort by our young ones learning to respect the Anzac legend.

KERBSIDE RECYCLING TO CONTINUE HERE

It is business as usual for Redland City Council’s kerbside recycling collection service with yellow-topped recycling bins continuing to be collected fortnightly from every Redland and island residence. Uncertainty in the sector was raised when the Ipswich Council announced it was going to end the expensive part of collections services, but they quickly retracted that position. Redland City Mayor Karen Williams said council had just renegotiated a two-year extension (until June 2020) with Visy, the supplier that sorts, processes or recycles the city’s recyclable materials. “It is important that Redland Residents continue their efforts to sort their household recyclables so their yellow-topped bin is as free from contaminants as possible. Recycling correctly ensures the city has a premium product that can be properly recycled into new products,” Cr Williams said. “I urge everyone to be part of the solution – continue to recycle and recycle well.” So say all of us!