the massive privatisation and foreign control
of the entire central broadwater. Australian
investment brokers ASF Group are leading the
ASF China Consortium, which first appeared
during the original Broadwater Marine Project
process, where they were rejected by the
state government on their bid for the land.
The state has again offered the land under a
new unprecedented process and ASF have
moved in for a second attempt at the prize.
They are now in the midst of the state’s
Integrated Resort & Development process,
with ASF proposing what can only be
described as a whole new small foreign city
to be developed over a staggering 20-year
period inside the broadwater. This proposal
now has very little to do with cruise ships,
centering around a massive casino and hotel
development, with the terminal appearing
to be just a token ancillary attachment.
The proposal has dozens and dozens of
highrise towers and structures, commercial
operations, a super yacht facility along with
the reclamation of much of the waterways
around Wavebreak Island. Accommodation
for over 15,000 new residents will be sold off
prior to construction, with strong speculation
almost all will be pre-sold to foreign buyers.
Ultimately though, whether large cruise ships
can actually safely come or not, ASF are still
planning one of the largest dredging projects
ever in the southern hemisphere, which will
see a decade or more of silted waterways
and exclusion zones around the site.
There are hundreds of significant, legitimate
and scientifically supported concerns that
have been raised by the community, and even
by the state government at times. Despite the
deadline for detailed proposal and the deadline
to demonstrate ‘strong community support’
having already passed, the consortium has so
far done next to nothing to address any of the
concerns, failing to engage the community
genuinely and simply resorting to pumping
out unsubstantiated ‘fact sheets’ and media
releases to the community and media. One
of the greatest concerns - held closest by
the surfing community - is the significant
hydrological risks and changes associated
with the unimaginable scope of the proposal.
To be clear here, according to the limited,
unsubstantiated and albeit appetising ASF
‘facts’ about the types and frequency of ships
they claim will be coming, the developers will
need to do the following • Dredge and maint