$5.9m Gracemere gamble: Schwarten
COUNCILLOR Stephen Schwarten believes council has made a $5.9 million gamble, which it might just lose.
It's the exact amount the Bligh government set aside for the future redevelopment of the riverbank of the Fitzroy River, with $100,000 to come from Rockhampton Regional Council.
Cr Schwarten has accused his colleagues of acting on "the whim of a mayor" by passing a motion that endorsed Mayor Margaret Strelow to formally ask the Newman government to transfer the money from the redevelopment to infrastructure for the Gracemere industrial area.
While the redevelopment is a State Government-funded project, infrastructure for Gracemere is a council priority, and Cr Schwarten is afraid the Newman government may revoke the funding.
The State Government yesterday would not confirm the likelihood of the money being reallocated.
But Member for Rockhampton Bill Byrne weighed in on the debate.
"If I'd have been sitting at that council table I would have opposed it and tried to investigate other options," Mr Byrne said.
"But I'm not a councillor. I certainly respect the new council has the prerogative and right to make that decision."
Mr Byrne said he understood both council's infrastructure priority and his predecessor Robert Schwarten's passionate opposition of council's decision.
"I appreciate how passionate Robert is about this project, it took him so many years for funding and plans and I respect that," he said.
Cr Schwarten chose to table a notice to rescind the motion yesterday, but Cr Strelow said it had already been acted on.
"There was no community consultation, no business case, no reports, just a decision made on the run," he said
. "It's certainly not good governance."
Cr Bill Ludwig was the only other councillor that did not support the project, because there was no community consultation.
Cr Schwarten said discussion between the two tiers of government about the project should have occurred before the application was made.
Cr Strelow has made it clear that infrastructure, particularly a water and sewage plant in Gracemere is one of her priorities.
