Redlands2030 labels Bowman MP Andrew Laming's letterbox survey 'propaganda'

Spokesman Chris Walker said the document purported to be a community attitude survey.

He said the document stated that construction was due to start this year and continue over the next decade.

“This is implausible,” Mr Walker said. “If there is to be a properly conducted environmental assessment it’s likely this would take a couple of years, at least.”

Mr Walker said the document failed to mention things like the plan to dredge wetlands and reclaim land for the building of up to 3600 apartments.

“By omitting this information, the community is being misled by the local MP,” he said. “The document appears to have been written many months ago, begging the question why is it being distributed now?

“Is it intended as disinformation to create community confusion about a project which is becoming increasingly unpopular, as evidenced by a recent on-line poll run by the Redland City Bulletin?”

Mr Laming slapped down the complaints, labelling Redlands2030 a fringe green group of whingers.

He said he would not be intimidated by them.

He said an annual electorate survey that he conducted was the nation’s largest electorate survey, with more than 25 per cent of Redlands households having taken part.

“I am endlessly soliciting question for these surveys. Sadly, a tiny minority of locals fly into a rage over the questions, presumably because they fear answers received from a survey that goes to every household in Redlands, because it doesn’t accord with their special interests and agendas,” he said.

“...If they want to stand for office, they are free to run their own surveys.”.

Mr Laming said that by crying to the Redland City Bulletin Redlands2030 was hoping to dissuade people from taking part but this had the reverse effect.

“I neither solicit nor accept donations from property developers, so I have absolutely no conflict of interest in the development debate but I am completely committed to giving every person a say,” he said.

He said complaints that dredging and high rises were not mentioned in the survey were nitpicking. “I didn’t mention waterparks, boardwalks or restaurants either,” he said. 

He agreed that it was unlikely that construction would start this year but wanted people to realise that this was an issue to address now.

“Let me be clear that dummy-spitting from the Australian Greens, masquerading as some 2030 anti-everything front won’t prevent me from working with the rest of the city to seek their views,” he said.

“If you want to stop everything in Redlands, go join the 2030 group. If you want things to happen, there is an even larger 2031 group.”  

“I won’t allow any special interest to silence the thousands of locals that these fringe groups don’t represent.”