Another study by Aquis...give us a break

Another report in the Cairns Post on May 18, 2015 by the one and only Aquis reporter Nick Dalton that a "computer model showing how the proposed $8.15 billion Aquis resort and casino would handle a Barron River flood has been produced".
This was carried out by senior lecturer Dr Sharon Harwood at James Cook University College of Marine and Environmental  Sciences.
If Aquis had all this carried out previously WHY would they want to do it again? it just doesn't make sense and what is going to achieve NOTHING in the long run and should the government fast track the application as the Treasurer has stated then the government has to be held accountable.
The previous government had no intentions of fast tracking the application and again one has to ask what did they find in their investigations and why didn't Tony Fung turn up to the three formal meetings and why didn't he complete the probity requirements.
Professor John Nott has previously tried to get the information from Aquis to test the validity of their tests but no they wouldn't hand over any information and that in itself is a concern, if there was nothing to hide why not allow a second opinion in regards to the flooding.
Last year , April 13, 2014 we had a down pour but not our usual rainy season I took some photos of the planned area that Aquis was intended to be built on and had there been a normal rainy season then the whole area would have been double the depth and with a mega structure that was intended where would have all the water gone to?.

 

Mr Fung you have found your niche now on the Gold Coast so why not be up front with the Cairns residents and admit that Cairns is not the place for your proposed Casino/Resort.
JUST GO.
Also taking a quick look at the qualifications of the two people involved from the James Cook University  Dr Harwood and Professor John Nott and also noting that that the Dr was contracted by Aquis to carry out the study so her report had to side with the proponents whereas Professor John Nott was carrying out the study for himself.

So here are the qualifications of both people:

Professor John Nott

Biography

Professor Nott graduated with a PhD in Geomorphology from the University of Wollongong in 1991. He took up a position as lecturer in Geosciences at the Northern Territory University, Darwin in 1991, then moved to a lecturing position at the Australian National University, Canberra between 1993 to 1995 and then to James Cook University, Cairns where he has been since.

Research interests

Professor Nott undertakes research into extreme natural events such as tropical cyclone storm tides and tsunamis and specializes in reconstructing long-term natural records of these events. These records provide a more realistic guide to the long-term behaviour of these hazards and can be used as a basis for estimating their return intervals and for risk assessment. Prof. Nott has published numerous articles on these topics in peer reviewed journals and has provided the first detailed review of the techniques involved in reconstructing these long-term records of natural hazards in his book ‘Extreme Events’ published by Cambridge University Press in 2006.  He has gained over 1.3 million dollars in competitive research grant monies. He is regarded as one of the world’s leading researchers into the long-term history and variability of tropical cyclones.


Projects

• Isotope signatures of tropical cyclones in limestone stalagmites
  

Representative publications

• Nott, J.F. 2006. Extreme Events: A physical reconstruction and risk assessment. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge U.K. 300p.
• Nott, J., Haig, J., Neil, H. and Gillieson, D., 2007.  Greater frequency variability of landfalling tropical cyclones at centennial compared to seasonal and decadal scales. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 255, 365-372)
• Nott, J.F. and Hayne, M. 2001. High frequency of ‘super-cyclones’ along the Great Barrier Reef over the past 5,000 years. Nature, 413, 508-512.
• Nott, J.F. and Horton, S. 2000. 180 Ma continental drainage divide in northeastern Australia: Role of passive margin tectonics. Geology, 28, 763-766
• Nott, J.F., and Price, D. M., 1999. Waterfalls, floods and climate change: evidence from tropical Australia. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 171, 267-276.
  

Dr Sharon Harwood

Journal Articles

• Harwood SK, Haynes K, Bird DK and Govan J (2014) Children's perceptions and adaptive behaviours in response to seasonal change and extreme weather in Broome, Western Australia. Australian Journal of Emergency Management, 29 (1). pp. 39-44
• Wensing E, Harwood SK, Bird DK and Haynes K (2014) Conflicting world views: disjuncture between climate change knowledge, land use planning and disaster resilience in remote Indigenous communities in northern Australia. Geography Research Forum, 34. pp. 92-108
• Harwood SK, Prideaux BR and Schmallegger D (2011) Social equity in regional development planning: who plans for remote communities? Journal of Contemporary Issues in Business and Government, 17 (1). pp. 13-30
• Harwood SK (2011) Regional plans and remote settlements: the implications of statutory planning upon resource dependent economies. Queensland Planner, 51 (3). pp. 12-17
• Carson D, Schmallegger D and Harwood SK (2010) A city for the temporary? Political economy and urban planning in Darwin, Australia. Urban Policy and Research, 28 (3). pp. 293-310                             
• Harwood SK (2010) Planning for community based tourism in a remote location. Sustainability, 2 (7). pp. 1909-1923                             
• Carson D and Harwood SK (2007) Tourism development in rural and remote areas: build it and they may not come! Queensland Planner, 47 (4). pp. 18-22
• Harwood SK (2007) Sense of place in rural planning: an analysis of attitudes, motivations and environmentally responsible behaviours in the Lake Baroon Catchment. Queensland Planner, 47 (4). pp. 28-32

Books

• Bird DK, Govan J, Murphy HT, Harwood SK, Haynes K, Carson D, Russell S, King DC, Wensing E, Tsakissiris NO and Larkin S (2013) Future Change in Ancient Worlds: Indigenous adaptation in northern Australia. National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility, Gold Coast, Qld, Australia

Book Chapters

• Harwood SK and Noske R (2014) The complexities of community-based tourism: how external forces influence the sustainability of bird watching tourism in the remote Arfak Mountains of West Papua. In: Rainforest Tourism, Conservation and Management: challenges for sustainable development. Earthscan Forest Library. Routledge, pp. 289-303
• Harwood SK, Carson D, Marino E and McTurk N (2011) Weather hazards, place and resilience in the remote Norths. In: Demography at the edge: remote human populations in developed nations. International Population Studies. Ashgate Publishing, Surrey, England, pp. 307-320
• Schmallegger D, Harwood SK, Cerveny L and Müller D (2011) Tourist populations and local capital. In: Demography at the Edge: remote human populations in developed nations. International Population Studies. Ashgate, Farnham, UK, pp. 271-288

Finally why are they having another seminar at the Mecure Cairns Harbourside Hotel to discuss "developing on a flood plain" it appears to be a desparate measure by the Flanagan Consulting Group.