Time to expand Yinneburra Reserve as well as helping our police

It's great to see the Police Minister and Department of Police so positive about the future proposed Pacific Paradise site for a police station. I was delighted to receive their confirmation that the Crown land, next to Bi Lo and fronting the David Low Way, is to be secured for the station site.

Despite a red herring surfacing last week claiming the land  is protected and can't be used for a police station, the good news is that this isn't correct. The land can be used as long as there are appropriate environmental offsets, similar to what the Airport or Council would do with their land when they need to build essential infrastructure for the community.

In contrast, land which is of high conservation value - the old police reserve at Point Arkwright next to the Yinnebura Reserve - should be protected and never built on. This block of land needs to be included within the neighbouring conservation area and this is something I strongly support and have reinforced with the Minister.

In other news, the priority now must be in ensuring that Coolum gains a permanent site for its police station. The leasehold site in town doesn't provide enough security of tenure. There are lessons to be learnt that failing to secure strategically central land for the police is bad planning. That's another reason why the Pacific Paradise site - which is handy to the airport and the bypass road - makes good sense.