Media Statement
Community raises concerns over approval of Comiskey Group tourist park on Pumicestone Passage
09 January 2026
Media Statement
Sunshine Coast groups question Ministerial call-in decision following approval of large-scale tourist park adjacent to sensitive wetlands.
A coalition of Sunshine Coast community and environment groups has expressed serious concern following Planning Minister Jarrod Bleijie MP’s decision to approve the Comiskey Group’s large-scale tourist park on the edge of the Pumicestone Passage following his objectionable call-in process at the request of the developer.
The State Assessment and Referral Agency (SARA) had found the proposal failed to comply with relevant planning legislation and policies, demonstrated no overriding public need, conflicted with the Northern Inter-Urban Break, and posed unacceptable risks to the Ramsar-listed Pumicestone Passage and surrounding protected areas. These findings reinforce strongly held concerns of the community coalition and the broader community, reflected in hundreds of submissions and
thousands of petition signatures.
SARA’s well-founded recommendation to refuse the proposal, together with the significant weight of community objection, has been disregarded. This has been compounded by concerning and questionably timed Planning Regulation amendments that came into effect on 28 November last year, during the Minister’s decision-making period, which weakened important protections for the Northern Inter-Urban Break greenbelt, rural landscapes and the overriding need in the public
interest. These changes risk diminishing SARA’s capacity to undertake robust, independent planning assessments into the future and deliver sustainable development outcomes for the region.
“This decision ignores expert advice and significant community concern, undermines the integrity of Queensland’s planning system, and places an internationally significant wetland at risk,” the coalition said.
“The Pumicestone Passage is not an experimental tourism site and is already under pressure. This is not low-impact, nature-based eco-tourism, and conditions that are difficult to monitor or enforce cannot guarantee protection of these fragile ecosystems.”
The coalition said the Sunshine Coast’s long-term tourism appeal and economic resilience depend on protecting its green spaces, natural environment and the Pumicestone Passage — not sacrificing them for short-term, limited gain based on overstated economic assumptions.
The coalition is calling for the project to be referred under federal environmental law for assessment of impacts on Matters of National Environmental Significance and warns the approval sets a concerning precedent for protected green spaces across Queensland.
-ENDS-
ACTION STILL NEEDED TO STOP THE MEGA OUTDOOR EXHIBITION & MUSIC FESTIVAL!
The Planning Minister, Jarrod Bleijie MP, will make a final decision on the even more impactful and inappropriately located mega–Outdoor Exhibition Centre and Music Festival on or before 12 February.
Thank you to everyone who made a submission—your voices have been heard. But this is not over.
👉 Keep the pressure on:
✏️Sign the petition: Protect Pumicestone Passage and the Greenbelt – Refuse highly inappropriate developments.
🗣️Add your comment
ᯓ➤Share it widely.
Together, we can keep demonstrating the depth of community opposition and ensure the decision reflects the will of the people and the protection of the Northern Inter-Urban Break - our green frame, National Parks and the Pumicestone Passage, not an ill-considered development.