Long term planning is missing in this country.
The Chinese are buying up because they have to get their money out and
the return is not immediately important. Hence the thousands
of home units standing empty in Sydney & Melbourne.
You cannot outbid a panic.

In the longer term the thousand mile salad is finished.
Food must be produced within say, 150 kms of population centres.
Not familiar with the area under discussion but it does sound like an
ideal logistical location to produce food for both Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
If it is not suitable for fruit and vegetable production is there
another area further North that is under threat of housing construction ?
Anywhere near a rail connection within one or two hundred kms is needed.

This is what is known as long term planning.
Our politicians need to plan for food production close to major
population centres and for regional towns to have their surrounding
areas planned for their own food production and then further out plan
for export food production. However good rail connections will be needed.

Export will almost certainly need either nuclear propelled ships
or sailing ships. Don't laugh, Europe was fed that way for a long time.

An idea ! there has been talk of nuclear modules for towns etc.
Why not for ships, just lift them out for refuelling with container
handling gear ?

Unfortunately politicians are simply unable to comprehend long term planning.
We need a completely new assemblage of politicians.
They will need a completely new mindset on how to actually do things.

Capitalism is up for a complete rethink on its processes which has
been structured for hundreds of years on growth and that sort of
financing structure. That will change all present political parties out of sight.

Thinkabit,

You should think a bit, or at least read a bit. I explained why building on farm land is moronic. I think your idea that I should buy farm land and farm it is also moronic. I am a septuagarian, with no experience in farming, nor any money to buy farms.

Hasbeen,

Rather surprised by your post. What would happen to the Australian ecomomy if the "bloody idiots" stopped growing? What other exports do we have other than mining (which the comrades are trying to do away with)? We can't manufacture economically. What else is there? Mythical 'knowledge' industries that the smart alecks have not been able to get up since Barry Jones' (the last man with a brain in the ALP) famous 'spaghetti' drawing? Australia is nearly rooted already, mate. We can't do away with the only thing we do well. And agriculture is still the biggest money spinner in my poor old SA.

Aidan, "It isn't prime agricultural land. It's too wet and stormy"

Use your Google Maps. The report you referred to concerns a small section of the land, which isn't soggy as you suggest anyhow. It will be used for expensive resort-style housing. Which should indicate to all that drainage and necessary compliance with the new global warming sea rise estimates is cheaply and easily done, which is true. Other countries that value saltwater fish breeding grounds more than the Qld State government would keep the green belt and not overdevelop along the foreshores of Moreton Bay.

Armchair Critic remembers the many farmers' stalls that were once common along the rural roads. Common because the land was used for vegetables, fruits and some nuts. Yet the land is all being represented as only suitable for sugarcane, And for a massive redevelopment with windfall taxes to a cash-strapped Labor State government that has been getting its fingers burned for proposing to sell off government assets, contrary to its pre-election promises.

Armchair Critic is also right to confirm that poor land planning is not new and a lot of agricultural land close to Brisbane has already been developed as housing estates. What makes this a precedent is that this State government and others before hypocritically presents itself as being concerned about the environment and sustainability.

Hasbeen is right to reflect on the poor returns from traditional farming and from investment-led farming. However, demographics have changed and there are new crops and trade opportunities with Asia.

The key problem here is the over-enthusiastic immigration policies of federal governments. That and the idiotic preferencing of migrants who have proved time and time again that they prefer large coastal metropolitan capitals and Centrelink to settling in country areas.

If there really must be excessive population growth that puts undeveloped third world countries to shame, why must it be all in the already infrastructure overstretched South Eastern corner? The answer again is that the Labor State government is desperate for money.

This land is just swamp, previously drained. it is not good farm land.

There are thousands of acres just over the range in the Logan & Albert river valleys, which are much better farm land. Some of it was very successful dairy country, until the fool competition tribunal decided to give all profit from milk to the supermarkets.

Some of it is now used reasonably productively, but most is now just grazed. Many of the "farmers" are now part time farmers, working in town, & running a few cattle.

A mate who still has a dairy run by his son is still working 60 hours a week at 80, because they don't get enough from 300 cows, 145 in milk, to pay staff. Just how stupid are they. Another 10 around here gave up.

A Vietnamese family thought they had gone to heaven to be able to buy a market garden, with a good irrigation allocation, & over 20 acres to farm They worked their guts out, right down to the pre teen kids. It took almost 3 years for them to realise driving a truck for a boss just 40 hours a week was a lot easier, & more lucrative.

I did find a way to make money off my irrigation allocation. I grew advanced clumps of day lilies & metre high advanced hibiscus bushes for the Gold Coast landscape trade. This was quite lucrative, but not something you could give up your day job for completely.

My neighbour grew turf successfully for some years. He bought a bitumen company when a growing family required more income.

Yes you can make a bare living working 75 hours a week on the land, but I made 3 times as much running tourist boats in the Whitsundays, working slightly less hours. But food production, you've got to be kidding.

Hasbeen, surely in the end a hungry stomach will pay anything for food ?