The Mayor of the Gold Coast, Tom Tate, supported by the Crisafulli State Government, has proposed a cableway to Springbrook. The Mayor has consistently announced it will traverse Springbrook National Park in the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area. The City of Gold Coast is using $500,000 of ratepayers money to fund feasibility studies, consultation and potential route identification. And now the Mayor has announced Council bought a $10million property at Springbrook for ecotourism saying it would “restore connectivity to The Cream Track” in the Tallebudgera Valley, suggesting “a  zip line, cafe and fine dining” - threatening the Valley’s wildlife and tranquility.

Around 20 years ago, a previous proposal for a cableway through Springbrook National Park was refused due to: extensive clearing adversely impacting on the park’s values and threatened species, a high threat of fire risking lives and changing the park’s management to protect infrastructure instead of nature, 1000’s of people landing at the head of the Gold Coast water supply with no sewage treatment and the area’s vulnerability to landslide. At the time, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) stated “IUCN believes that the cableway represents an important threat to the integrity of this World Heritage site.”

None of these issues has changed. However, in 2019-20, bushfires burned more than 50% of the Gondwana Rainforests World Heritage Area, including 26% of its rainforest.  With more intense and frequent fire events as a result of climate change, it is now an even greater risk for a cableway. Also, in 2020, the IUCN reclassified the Gondwana Rainforests from “good with some concern” to “significant concern” recognising the threat that climate change posed to the property.

We, the signatories to this petition, call on the Mayor of the Gold Coast, Tom Tate, the Premier of Queensland, the Honourable David Crisafulli and the Commonwealth Minister for Environment and Water, the Honourable Tanya Plibersek to:

•    cease further spending of ratepayers / taxpayers monies on exploring a commercial cableway to Springbrook and redirect budget to developing appropriate eco-tourism plans with three levels of government for the Springbrook Plateau and surrounds through meaningful consultation and co-design with Tallebudgera Valley, Springbrook and wider Gold Coast residents, First Nations peoples and the tourism sector; and

•    publicly announce that any proposed development of a cableway will not be considered in Springbrook National Park as it is inconsistent with the management principles and would adversely impact the integrity of the world heritage area and it’s Outstanding Universal Value; and

•    stop any planning to intensify the use of the historic Cream Track, including for a zip line or built commercial enterprise that would increase traffic through the Tallebudgera Valley.