A proposed second highway aimed at easing congestion between the Gold Coast and Brisbane could be further delayed amid concern over its potential environmental impacts.
The federal environment department has begun public consultation after it was asked to reconsider the construction of the multi-billion dollar Coomera Connector over concerns for endangered koala populations.
The request from a small group of Gold Coast residents was received by Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek under provisions in the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (APBC) last month.
Under federal environmental laws a request can be made to reconsider a project if new information or circumstances have emerged about its potential environmental impact.
The group argued that "substantial new information about the impacts of the proposed action" and a "substantial change in circumstances that was not foreseen at the time of the decision" warranted a reconsideration of the project.
The document states that koalas being moved due to the construction of stage 1 will be relocated within 500 metres of the proposed future stage, restricting their access to suitable habitat.
The business case for the state government-led 16-kilometre stage 1 was approved in 2022 and design and construction contracts have been awarded to several firms.
The remaining 28km stretch, which would provide an alternative route between the Gold Coast and southern Brisbane, is yet to get state or federal approvals.
Stewart Brooker, speaking on behalf of the resident group behind the request, said the project should be assessed by the federal government in its entirety rather than by individual stages.
"Issues that may seem little individually turn into big issues when you put it all together," he said.
"We seem to planning on the Gold Coast in bits and pieces but we're not looking at the overall plan."
A spokesperson for the environment department said the request met the "procedural requirements" for consideration but that "no decision has been made about the substance of the request".
"Following the public comment period, the department will consider information provided in the request," they said.
Connector 'ready to go'
Mr Brooker, who ran as an independent for the federal seat of Fadden in 2022, said the decision to move forward with stage 1 in 2020 was made before koalas were declared endangered by the federal government last year.
The state government's SEQ Koala Strategy, which details the need to "stabilise koala populations in [south-east Queensland] and achieve a net gain in total core koala habitat area" was also released after the approval of stage 1.
The state government's environment report into stage 1 of the Coomera Connector has outlined "extensive environmental investigations" with plans to mitigate impacts on flora and fauna.
Queensland Transport and Roads Minister Mark Bailey said stage 1 was "absolutely ready to go".
He said "a final federal approval" through the EPBC was yet to be granted.
"In our planning for this project environmental protection has been at the forefront," Mr Bailey said.
"There are some very fragmented and at-risk koala populations that are very likely not to be sustainable."
The state government has announced a 400-hectare site in Pimpama where koalas impacted by stage 1 will be relocated to.
"We want a positive outcome for koalas and other fauna, but particularly koalas in this area, where their habitat just getting eaten away by urban development all the time," Mr Bailey said.
The environment report forecasts minimum speeds during peak hours along the M1 will fall below 19 kilometres per hour in some areas by 2041 without the Coomera Connector.
At least $126 million has already been spent on the Coomera Connector and land has been resumed along much the route.
Stage 1 is expected to be completed by 2027.
Conservationists welcome review
Coomera Conservation Group spokesperson Karina Waterman said the connector intersected "two important koala populations".
"If you think of it like a pie, take out one piece of pie, it's not too bad, take out another piece, not too bad," she said.
"Each piece of pie is looked at on its own but when you turn around, half of its gone."
She said conservation efforts should "be looked at holistically in terms of all the things that are happening in this landscape".
"There's a large number of koalas who've been, for all intents and purposes, cut off from other habitat and have sought refuge within the Coomera Connector itself," Ms Waterman said.
The request for a reconsideration of the project is open for public consultation until March 10.
