DESPITE the best efforts of Jenny Goodwin and others, including many in Toowoomba’s business community, an adult nightclub has recently opened in the city’s main street.
The Vault on Ruthven received its adult entertainment licence after months of legal battles in early March and opened its doors on March 26.
Mrs Goodwin, a member of Toowoomba’s Catholic community, said among reasons for opposing the club was “that it was much more than a strip club but I’d be embarrassed to detail other practices going on there”.
Now she has vowed to fight on and is focused on petitioning Queensland’s Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie to change the law to allow local communities to make decisions on this type of facility.
Mrs Goodwin congratulated the Toowoomba community, including a considerable portion of the business community, of their magnificent job in opposing the development.
“More than 3000 objections to the club’s licence application were tabled in State Parliament last year,” she said.
“Among reasons for the objections were the location of the venue to place such as a child care centre, Lifeline and places of worship.
“It was also seen that Toowoomba is the state’s flower capital, has many educational facilities and is an annual venue for Easterfest, a major religious event.
“There were objections from a local Member of Parliament, the council, the chamber of commerce as well as from thousands in the community.
“It was even admitted by the Office of Liquor and Gaming that the amenity of the area would be affected by the granting of this license.
“It’s clear that democracy hasn’t worked in this situation.”
Mrs Goodwin said the next step was to change the legislation “so our local council, which is against the club too, can be given power over its approval”.
“If the law isn’t changed, the precedent set in Toowoomba will ensure that facilities similar to The Vault will be forced on other unwilling communities,” she said.
“For example, I understand the community of Emerald is now having exactly the same problem.
“Also, I know we are not allowed to talk morals these days but it is necessary to say that there is a moral law which is much stronger than any other.
“We ignore it at our own, our families and our community’s peril.”
