Thank you for signing our petition to protect Pumicestone Passage and the Northern Inter-Urban Break.  

We have a major milestone update in the call-in process.

The Queensland Government’s own planning agency — SARA (State Assessment and Referral Agency) — has completed its assessment of the resort proposal at Coochin Creek and recommended to the Planning Minister, Jarrod Bleijie MP,  that it be refused. 

SARA found that the proposal:

• Has no overriding public interest
• Offers no justification for its location within the protected greenbelt
• Poses environmental risks to Ramsar-listed wetlands and National Park
• Presents serious bushfire and access risks
• Conflicts with key planning instruments, including the SEQ Regional Plan

Despite this, Minister Bleijie  can still exercise his discretionary Ministerial powers under the Planning Act 2017 to decide to approve the development application — even though he chose to call the application in while still under active and appropriate assessment by  the Sunshine Coast Regional Council and his own responsible agency, SARA.  In exercising the call-in, the Minister’s decision is final, affording no third-party rights to appeal the decision.

To reflect this important stage, we’ve updated the currency of the petition to include SARA’s assessment advice  in relation to the Tourist Park and to reinforce our call for the Minister to refuse this and the pending associated application for the Outdoor Exhibition and Music Festival which Minister Bleijie also alarmingly called-in shortly after.

Assessments should be transparent and follow proper due process, not be subject to the use of Ministerial powers, particularly when such powers carry significant risk for our outstanding natural assets, and our community voices. 

 What you can do next:

• Leave a comment and share the petition with your networks — we need more voices!
• Contact your local MP and the Minister’s office to express your concerns.
• Stay informed — we’ll keep you updated as this call-in process progresses.

Together, we must  protect our wetlands, our planning system, and our community’s voice.

Thanks for taking action to preserve our region and adding your voice!

Review the SARA assesment report is here