Marine Stadium was purposely created in 1987 at the time of the construction of the Gold Coast Seaway to provide an area for the public to use for passive recreation. 
Clubs and organisations regularly staged events there including open water swimming, triathlon, F1 Boat Racing, dragon boat racing, surf boat rowing and Jet Ski racing. It was even used by the TV/film industry.

Since that time, Gold Coast Waterways have neglected the area for this use. They introduced a financial deterrent of fencing into event permitting and neglected to keep the area dredged to a safe depth. They have also welcomed Boating live aboards to take up residency in the area, releasing effluent into waterways and outstaying their welcome.

During this time the Australian Jet Ski Association and many other training and competition water sports clubs have constantly requested permanent fencing, dredging and enforcement of liveaboards to preserve this asset for the use of which it was constructed. 

A recent Wakeboarding competition attracted an invoice of $4,792.07 from the GCWA. This was to install and remove marker buoys with signage to notify the liveaboards of an upcoming event at Marine Stadium.

It is very difficult to imagine a competent government allowing homeless people to live at Metricon Stadium and the AFL paying for them to be removed for the football each weekend?

This exorbitant cost of infrastructure placement could also have been completed by the club concerned in a few hours at almost no cost. This was intended as a deterrent and it worked as the National titles were moved down south to Canberra. Many Queensland champions were forced to travel there for the event as their own back yard which their taxes contribute to maintaining was made unavailable to them.

Preferably the infrastructure would be permanent and the liveaboards no longer granted access.

During the consultation phase of the Queensland government led Spit master plan the AJSA and other clubs approached and consulted with the GCWA and the state government to make them aware of the demand and benefits of such an area in our overcrowded and under enforced waterways. Safety led the discussion with training and competitions proving to be essential at a controlling the waterways recreational environment.

Many unsanctioned races are held in the Broadwater every weekend putting the public and competitors at very high risk. Competitions and training in a controlled environment is a proven way to deter this behavior. Juniors are only able to train and compete legally in a sanctioned event.

Following the recent release of the Spit master plan it has become known that all of these discussions have been completely ignored. The release of the master plan has determined no such facility.

Most importantly, despite ignoring the benefits to the water users from a functioning Marine Stadium, no alternative has been offered.

If you are a water user on the Gold Coast or enjoy competitions on the water in Australia please sign this petition and let the Queensland State Government know how many of us are being affected by the naïve thought that the safety problems associated with no training or controlled competition will make the associated safety problems just disappear.