A RUSSELL Island resident has accused Redland City Council of fostering a culture of secrecy, a lack inadequate community and stakeholder consultation and putting property and lives at risk.
Alby Sutton told council that islanders lived a deprived existence.
Successive councils were negligent and committed a significant duty-of-care breach on public safety and administrative grounds.
Last month’s fires showed the cost of these failings, with the overgrown state of vacant land playing a major role.
He said impact of the fires and deficiencies of infrastructure and prescribed emergency action called for an urgent correction to years of neglect and disinterest.
The former private secretary to prime minister Bob Hawke and Moreton Bay Combined Islands Association member said he saw development potential but residents suffered from unsealed roads, poor drainage and privately built waste systems that leached effluent. Islands had inadequate street lighting, signage and abysmal parking at ferry terminals.
Islanders faced high costs when buying items on the islands and some materials were not available.
“High transport costs isolate families from their close relatives,’’ Mr Sutton said. “This isolation often leads to loneliness, depression and even suicide.’’
Islanders paid rates disproportionate to their return in material benefits.
Mayor Karen Williams hit back, saying council had made a significant investment in the islands, with millions of dollars in projects and services.
“...This month we issued a tender for the $6.5 million Macleay Island foreshore and car park upgrade, a project that will increase parking spaces, provide a new recreational boat ramp for islanders and visitors and provide a better design for the area.
“We are also currently engaging with the community about another major investment (that) will see four new ferry terminals constructed for the SMBI community.’’
Cr Williams said 95 roads or about 26 kilometres of roads had been sealed in 2014-15, with 14 kilometres to be sealed this financial year and a further 71 kilometres planned.
“Alby Sutton has not mentioned the fact we have doubled the SMBI roads budget, continued that level of roads investment and this financial year invested another $1 million on top of that for the program,’’ she said.
Cr Williams said a $1 million sport and resilience hub opened on Russell last year, complementing the $2 million Bay Islands Sports Field that opened in October 2013 which was one of the city’s best multi-sports facilities.
Other investments included an SES depot, upgrading the Weinam Creek bus interchange, introducing TransLink and negotiating a zone change which cut fares.
“Not to mention the fact we have negotiated an end to the TransLink special charge in 2018 – all of benefit to islanders,’’ she said.
Mr Sutton said disdain for the islands seemed to be shared by the three arms of government. “Whenever we residents complain, we are either treated with disdain or told that we chose to live here and therefore must accept the deficiencies that exist,’’ Mr Sutton said.
“This is an unacceptable argument... In choosing to live somewhere, you don't surrender your right to protect your entitlements as a resident or landowner.
“We land owners have had our island holdings devalued by often more than $30,000 in recent years, and we have had enough of being cheated and maligned and treated as virtual third world citizens.’’
