A DUNWICH resident says the North Stradbroke Island transition strategy is an insult to business-minded islanders and few of its projects have the potential to boost the island's economy.
Speaking at a Redland City Council meeting last week, Bill Giles asked councillors to call on Tourism Minister Kate Jones to re-evaluate the 23 projects in the ETS, restructure the strategy so it encouraged private investment and explain how the ETS would fill the economic void post sand-mining.
"It needs to be a balanced business plan that will be used to secure the future for all of the island community," Mr Giles said.
"And it must include what incentives, such as availability of freehold land, and opportunities there will be for commercial investors."
Ms Jones said the transition was set back more than three years under the LNP when former premier Campbell Newman tore up the strategy.
Mr Giles said there was no indication of innovative and cost effective models of infrastructure delivery like joint ventures, private-public partnerships, cross-subsidy innovations and private investment, as had been recommended in a 2011 Bligh government report.
"Therefore it must be assumed all will be reliant on government funding," he said.
Mr Giles said the ETS reported that opportunities would leverage $40 million in private sector and stakeholder investment but the state government was doing nothing to promote that.
"One of the key considerations in developing a more diverse economic base for the island and encouraging commercial investment is to ensure land is available for development opportunities for sustainable industries," he said.
Mr Giles said the granting of native title meant an absence of freehold land for commercial development.
Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation chief executive officer Cameron Costello said native title had been a catalyst for commercial investment on the island.
"Minjerribah Camping is an excellent example," he said.
"Previously run at a loss by Redland City Council, the transfer of the holiday parks and foreshore camping to QYAC saw the realisation of a commercial partnership driven and forged by QYAC and an external investor Indigenous Business Australia.
"This successful commercial partnership saw an attraction of $7 million invested on the island and a turn around to a positive cash flow tourism award winning business."
Ms Jones said that sand mining took up about 40 per cent of North Stradbroke Island.
"With the end of sand mining there's more land that's open to the public and for commercial use," Ms Jones said.
Mr Giles questioned QYAC's preparation of a World Heritage site application, saying the listing would conflict with the ETS's aim of commercial and residential development.
However Mr Costello said World Heritage listing brought global recognition of natural and cultural values and commercial development occurred in World Heritage areas.
"Any development however, needs to be done in a culturally and environmentally sensitive way," Mr Costello said.
Mr Giles said the relationship between QYAC and the state government was unethically close for commercial purposes.
"(The state government) has assigned the management of the economic transition projects principally to QYAC and QYAC concentrates on meeting its own agenda which is proving to be more commercial than cultural and that the cultural argument is just a means to an end."
Mr Giles said QYAC's membership included a large number of non-island residents and neither the chair nor chief executive officer lived on the island.
Mr Costello said QYAC was the body authorised by the Quandamooka people and recognised by the Federal Court to represent Quandamooka people's native title rights and interests.
"Both the QYAC chair and chief executive officer live on Quandamooka Country."
