REDLAND City mayor Karen Williams says she is cautiously optimistic about obtaining Commonwealth land at Birkdale after meeting with Assistant Treasurer Zed Seselja.
However Capalaba MP Don Brown said he was frustrated by continued delays and a lack of answers from the federal government.
Cr Williams said she had spent the past two days in Canberra encouraging the federal government to sell the land to council rather than use it for housing.
In May, budget papers stated the federal government would divest the land in 2019-20 and that it could support up to 400 homes.
The announcement has annoyed Cr Williams as council had been negotiating for more than three years to secure the 80 hectares owned by the Australian Communications and Media Authority.
The recent federal government reshuffle meant she had to start the conversation with a fifth federal MP but Cr Williams said she would ensure the government understood how important the land was to the community.
“My meetings this week have been very positive and I believe the federal government clearly heard the message that the community doesn’t want this important land used for housing and the best solution is for council to acquire it for the community,” Cr Williams said.
“While Mr Seselja has only been in the position for a matter of weeks I was very impressed by how across this issue he is and I am cautiously optimistic about his response.”
Mr Brown said the federal government had so far refused to rule out selling the bushland to private developers.
“Queensland Senator Murray Watt asked the Commonwealth Department of Finance multiple questions in budget estimates about the bushland’s future and received a complete non-answer,” Mr Brown said.
The response to Mr Watt said the Finance Department was leading the development of a divestment strategy for the Birkdale site.
“This process will involve consultation with a range of stakeholders,” the response stated.
“The divestment strategy will inform the government’s final decision about the sale of the land.”
Mr Watt asked for a guarantee that the site would not be sold to private developers.