Massive UQ/CSIRO
bioscience labs at St Lucia
The St Lucia Residents' Association raises the following matters of concern:
1. Destroying Community
The further expansion of the UQ campus will only exacerbate the existing serious issues of traffic congestion, overspill parking, conflict and loss of amenity in incompatible land uses.
2. Lack of "community consultation"
"Community consultation" is only now being addressed with demolition scheduled for December 1999. The community seek a more appropriate "green field" site for the huge research complex, to ensure, not only compliance with the applicable codes, but "best practice" in the containment of potentially dangerous organisms, bacteria and viruses, etc.
3. Don’t forget the country folk
Why does the UQ and the CSIRO not want to help regional Queensland with this $100 million project? Such a facility would be a tremendous boost to economically deprived areas of our state. In the light of the Government's announcement of a Rural Advancement Foundation, there could be real benefit in locating the Institute and CSIRO facilities closer to the rural industries and areas which they purportedly serve.
4. Community deceived
Proponents at the recent Open Hearing of the Parliamentary Public Works Committee claimed that there was an attempt at "relocation by stealth" of the UQ. We counter that it is rather the community that is the victim of stealth, in being "kept in the dark" on the proposal for the biotech centre. Why are the two bodies so secretive, and why are they acting in such haste? They are good at PR and self justification, but not at giving out simple and full information.
5. Danger to public
The proponents assertion that "only 5% of the building was of PC3 classified laboratories" is curious as, in the gigantic scale of this project, that could be up to 2,000 m2, perhaps the combined area of 10 - 20 houses. Furthermore, the UQ administration proposed a PC3 classified laboratory during the eighties, which the Staff Association strenuously opposed due to the risks involved, and the proposal was eventually abandoned. So past research at the UQ would, by implication, be different from what is proposed in the new facility.
6. Possum Slaughter
The mystery of the exterminated possums at Long Pocket remains. Were the possums secretly killed by CSIRO after they got into a laboratory and ate biologically contaminated material? Why was there an apparent "cover up" of the incident?
7. Planning laws ignored
The location of the proposed building, over the road from a Residential A area, would not be considered if the site development plan of the UQ campus were subject to the provisions of the Integrated Planning Act and came under the constraints of the draft City of Brisbane Town Plan.
8. No benefit to residents
The assertion by the proponents that it is vital for the University to develop the Joint Building Project with the CSIRO in this location rings hollow, as it is common knowledge that the University has been trying to "get rid of them" from this site, for many years. By maintaining a presence on the campus, the CSIRO is denying space to other faculties and allowing a domination of the campus with biological sciences to the detriment of other disciplines, not so much the "flavour of the month"!
9. Public trust and confidence
People remember the misleading statements of the big tobacco companies and the dishonesty of the public authorities over the Chernobyl fallout. It is understandable that we all get anxious. This issue is serious not only because huge taxpayer expenditure is involved, but it is also about public trust and confidence in our public officials and our political system. Are these huge public organisations and our politicians sensitive and responsive enough to the worries of ordinary people?
This page is maintained by
The Rivermouth Action Group Inc
E-mail: activist@rag.org.au
as a community service.