Luke Howarth (Petrie, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to talk about a suburb in my electorate—the suburb of North Lakes in the Moreton Bay Regional Council area. North Lakes was originally part of Mango Hill and was gazetted as a suburb in 2006. If you go to the last census, you will see that there were almost 22,000 people living in North Lakes. I suspect there are a lot more today. In its description of North Lakes and its geography, Wikipedia says:

The suburb is mostly made up of newly developed housing around the North Lakes Golf Course.

The North Lakes golf course is what I will be talking about. Last month there was an announcement that the owner was in negotiations to sell the golf course to a developer who wants to develop retirement living and a nursing home development on two sections of the golf course. It's unclear what would happen to the rest of the land. What is certain is that the golf course as we know it would cease to exist. Many people that I represent bought in North Lakes, not just on the course but in the surrounding communities, to be around the North Lakes golf course and Lake Eden.

Very quickly the community has galvanised behind this to make sure that the North Lakes golf club is saved. I've been very clear in speaking to the golf course owner, Adam Simpson, that I don't support the sale of the course for development. I want it to remain a golf course because, quite frankly, North Lakes is already lacking in sporting facilities. Clubs like North Lakes Blues netball club need a new home, as do the Eels AFL club. I'm also pushing for Mango Hill State High School to incorporate a swimming pool, because there is no swimming club other than a small one at North Lakes state high.

I thank those committee members and the 3,000 or so people who have joined the 'save North Lakes golf club' campaign. There have been a couple of rallies, one of which I was able to speak at. The community has said really loudly and clearly: 'We want the golf course to remain.' I thank committee members Phillip Carlson, Amy Carlson, Craig Brown, Matt Williamson, Ryan Harris, Andrew Cathcart, Jill Anschau, Brad Lawler, Katrina Daff and Carl Pollard, who have been very strong in leading the way. I say to the community: I'm with you. I want to see the golf club remain a golf club.

Today Phillip Carlson spoke to Moreton Bay Regional Council. The committee are pushing for the development application, when it's submitted, to be rejected or for the council to vote no. I thank those councillors I've spoken to asking them to reject the DA. I say to the owner and the VRG retirement group: don't bother submitting a DA. We don't want it in that community. We want it to remain a golf course, just like Redcliffe Golf Club is a community run golf course owned by the council and is making a profit every year.