Cr Fran Lindsay’s decision not to run again as a division 2 councillor (Edmonton, Bentley Park) in the next local government elections is a real loss to the city.
I had been hoping that Cr Lindsay would be re-elected and bring her skills and experience to the new Cairns Regional Council. She is arguably the best performing member of the current council and is the person who demonstrates the most courage in standing up to the current mayor. If she doesn’t agree with the Mayor or Unity Team position she will always challenge in a respectful and assertive way.
She plans well, is always prepared, works with community groups, looks after her constituents and advocates skillfully for them. Division 2 residents – 75% of whom voted for her in the 2004 elections – will be disappointed that she is finally calling it quits. She leaves very big shoes to fill.
Cr Lindsay has stated that she will stay involved in community groups and find more time to spend in her garden and with her recently retired husband. She is a model for current and future councillors and hopefully she will make herself available to mentor her successor or other councillors.
With Cr Lindsay’s retirement the field is now wide open for a new candidate and a fresh face in the much larger division 2 in the new Cairns Regional Council.
Sunday, 9 December 2007
The Winds of Change
I've been tree planting this morning with Treeforce and chatting at Holloway's Beach market and people are continuing to tell me that they think that I will go well in the 15 March 2008 election as, "It's time for a change." We need fresh faces and new leadership seems to be the message.
KB wasn't really happy about me telling the Cairns Post that one tired old man had gone federally and there was another to go next March! Surprisingly, Kevin is only a year older than me.
We had an ad in the paper on Saturday that was headed IT'S TIME FOR A CHANGE: "In just 100 days we will elect a new Regional Council. That means you will have the opportunity to elect not only new leadership, but a new team with fresh ideas, new energy and proven skills. A team dedicated to:
KB wasn't really happy about me telling the Cairns Post that one tired old man had gone federally and there was another to go next March! Surprisingly, Kevin is only a year older than me.
We had an ad in the paper on Saturday that was headed IT'S TIME FOR A CHANGE: "In just 100 days we will elect a new Regional Council. That means you will have the opportunity to elect not only new leadership, but a new team with fresh ideas, new energy and proven skills. A team dedicated to:
- protecting our lifestyle, character and diverse communities
- listening to our needs and aspirations
- insisting on sustainable devleopment - NOT growth at any cost
- providing vital plans for the future: climate change, water, transport
With Christmas, New Year and the school holidays in between, time is going to move quickly with the countdown from 100 days.
Saturday, 24 November 2007
Parks are for People
Back in Cairns after my mum's funeral - the community gave her a great send-off - I was pleased to see that the Cairns Sun did a front page on Cairns City Council's decision to trial the closure of 4 popular parks from 10.00pm to 5.00am daily: Centenary Lakes, Apex Park, Lily Creek reserve and Fuller Park in Edmonton.
I believe this decision is wrong. We need to be encouraging people to use parks and it would be preferable if the Council looked at at alternative solutions such as better lighting to protect ordinary residents who use the parks every day.
Lighting is a proven deterrent to crime as are cameras such as those in use in the CBD. Who is going to enforce these closures? We know Queensland Police have huge demands on their time and it’s unfair to expect them to enforce this ban as well.
Cr Fran Lindsay needs to be congratulated for speaking up for legitimate users. She was one of the minority to vote against the park closures and has been working constructively with local groups to deal with groups of young people and vandalism in Fuller Park, Edmonton.
It's clear that the Council has not properly thought through how to create public awareness of the closures and the costs involved. How many signs are going to be needed to cover all entrances to Centenary Lakes, where are these signs going to be placed and what are they going to cost? People won’t even know about the new law.
Cairns 1st is investigating options to reduce crime through strategies successfully implemented in other cities.
I believe this decision is wrong. We need to be encouraging people to use parks and it would be preferable if the Council looked at at alternative solutions such as better lighting to protect ordinary residents who use the parks every day.
Lighting is a proven deterrent to crime as are cameras such as those in use in the CBD. Who is going to enforce these closures? We know Queensland Police have huge demands on their time and it’s unfair to expect them to enforce this ban as well.
Cr Fran Lindsay needs to be congratulated for speaking up for legitimate users. She was one of the minority to vote against the park closures and has been working constructively with local groups to deal with groups of young people and vandalism in Fuller Park, Edmonton.
It's clear that the Council has not properly thought through how to create public awareness of the closures and the costs involved. How many signs are going to be needed to cover all entrances to Centenary Lakes, where are these signs going to be placed and what are they going to cost? People won’t even know about the new law.
Cairns 1st is investigating options to reduce crime through strategies successfully implemented in other cities.
Saturday, 17 November 2007
Jean Schier 1926 - 2007
I got to Tasmania earlier this week in time to see my mother before she died in the home she'd lived in for 61 years of her life.
It's a time of crying and laughing as we gather to recount stories of Jean. As her doctor said, she was a remarkable woman and an inspiration.
She raised six kids while being the Falmouth Post Mistress, growing flowers and vegetables and still finding time for involvement in numerous organisations that provided services and support.
It is from her that I got my determination, resilience, my love of the environment and my belief that strong communities are only created by the work that individuals put into them.
She hasn't lived to see it, but she told an old friend recently that I would be the next Mayor of Cairns. Her spirit lives within me and I will do all I can to fulfil her wish, to honour her life and live mine according to the values that she so strongly instilled in all of us.
It's a time of crying and laughing as we gather to recount stories of Jean. As her doctor said, she was a remarkable woman and an inspiration.
She raised six kids while being the Falmouth Post Mistress, growing flowers and vegetables and still finding time for involvement in numerous organisations that provided services and support.
It is from her that I got my determination, resilience, my love of the environment and my belief that strong communities are only created by the work that individuals put into them.
She hasn't lived to see it, but she told an old friend recently that I would be the next Mayor of Cairns. Her spirit lives within me and I will do all I can to fulfil her wish, to honour her life and live mine according to the values that she so strongly instilled in all of us.
Saturday, 10 November 2007
Restoring the environment
A good turn out this morning on Redden Island, Machans Beach, for the planting of 80 bush tucker trees. These trees were selected with the advice of aboriginal elder, George Skeene.
The Cairns Port Authority is working with Volunteers Australia and the local community to revegetate the island at the mouth of the Barron River.
Cairns1st recognises the importance of preserving and restoring our natural environment. Redden Is was abused for years as an illegal dumping place and has been cleaned up over the last decade.
There will be more plantings on 30 November and 1 December and everyone is welcome to assist.
Monday, 5 November 2007
Congratulations Renae Kunda
Here I am at the Cairns Business Women's Club (CBWC) Awards night congratulating Renae Kunda on winning the Small-Business Woman of the Year award.
Renae is a Director of Cape York Motorcycle Adventures and I have been a business mentor to her over the past 6 months while we have both participated in the CBWC business development program.
Renae is talented, enthusiastic and creative and is currently developing a great business proposal for a Motoworld facility on a cane farm north of the Holloways Beach roundabout. It's just the sort of business that we need to be encouraging in Cairns: environmentally sound, meeting a market need and innovative. Well done Renae.
Who's behind the latest Cairns polling??
The latest poll being conducted about the council election is an interesting one. It not only asks what do you know about Val Schier and what do you know about Kevin Byrne but also, "Would you be more likely to vote for a Mayor who is part of a team or for an independent mayoral candidate?"
This sounds like some research by the people who are very disenchanted with the current Mayor and his chances of being re-elected, and want to stop the mayoralty bid from being a two-horse race.
The telephone poll also specifically asks whether people know of councillors Margaret Cochrane, Alan Blake, Paul Freebody and Terry James and then asks what are their strong points.
Are Alan Blake and Margaret Cochrane behind this? Or the Liberal Party members who have been openly critical of their colleague, Kevin Byrne? Or is it a way of capturing the anti-Kevin votes which may come my way if there is no other strong contender?
It's good for democracy if we have a broader pool of applicants. My informant, who is a stalwart supporter, said she found it difficult to find strong points in any of them!
This sounds like some research by the people who are very disenchanted with the current Mayor and his chances of being re-elected, and want to stop the mayoralty bid from being a two-horse race.
The telephone poll also specifically asks whether people know of councillors Margaret Cochrane, Alan Blake, Paul Freebody and Terry James and then asks what are their strong points.
Are Alan Blake and Margaret Cochrane behind this? Or the Liberal Party members who have been openly critical of their colleague, Kevin Byrne? Or is it a way of capturing the anti-Kevin votes which may come my way if there is no other strong contender?
It's good for democracy if we have a broader pool of applicants. My informant, who is a stalwart supporter, said she found it difficult to find strong points in any of them!
Sunday, 4 November 2007
Candidates finalised
Interviews have concluded and we have finalised candidates for divisions 9 (Kewarra Beach, Trinity Beach, Trinity Park, Smithfield, Caravonica and Lake Placid) and 10 (all of Douglas Shire plus Palm Cove and Clifton Beach).
We will be announcing the team shortly and currently propose to run candidates in 7 of the 10 divisions in the new Cairns Regional Council. We won't be running anyone against Rob Pyne in division 3 despite our disappointment at the intemperate and mischievous comments he made when he chose to do it on his own. Best wishes to you, Rob.
We suspect that we are doing a better job of attracting good quality candidates than the Mayor is; rumour has it that he's struggling to get a team together with a couple more of this current (dis)Unity team planning to walk before the election is formally declared in 3 months' time!
We will be announcing the team shortly and currently propose to run candidates in 7 of the 10 divisions in the new Cairns Regional Council. We won't be running anyone against Rob Pyne in division 3 despite our disappointment at the intemperate and mischievous comments he made when he chose to do it on his own. Best wishes to you, Rob.
We suspect that we are doing a better job of attracting good quality candidates than the Mayor is; rumour has it that he's struggling to get a team together with a couple more of this current (dis)Unity team planning to walk before the election is formally declared in 3 months' time!
Tuesday, 30 October 2007
A day is a long time in politics
Today I was diverted from interviewing two potential candidates for divisions by an extraordinary email from Cr Paul Freebody who represents division 4. It is almost incomprehensible that an elected representative would state, "I will not rest until I have destroyed you and your grubby little mates! . . . . you have shown you are a low life and I will treat you as such from now on!"
I have passed this on to the media as I think that the general public need to be made aware that this is how a member of the Unity team communicates. This attack seems to have arisen from some mistaken beliefs that he holds.
In addition to this out-of-the-blue threat from Cr Freebody, the Cairns Post ran with some inaccurate and dishonest remarks from Robert Pyne who has chosen to withdraw from my team. Rob knows that Cairns1st is not a Labor team and he knows that there has been no Labor input into any of the policies that we've developed over the past months.
THE new amalgamated Cairns Regional Council will require teamwork, common purpose and effective representation and this is why I am coordinating a team of independent candidates from a broad cross-section of the community.
I value the independence of councillors, but there is a difference between being an independent and being a maverick.
While I am sorry to lose my friend Robert Pyne from my team, I’m afraid there is no room for people who are driven by emotions rather than by what is best for the people of our region.
Yes, it has been a long day but my team are all resilient, positive and focussed and we will be staying that way for the next 4 months.
I have passed this on to the media as I think that the general public need to be made aware that this is how a member of the Unity team communicates. This attack seems to have arisen from some mistaken beliefs that he holds.
In addition to this out-of-the-blue threat from Cr Freebody, the Cairns Post ran with some inaccurate and dishonest remarks from Robert Pyne who has chosen to withdraw from my team. Rob knows that Cairns1st is not a Labor team and he knows that there has been no Labor input into any of the policies that we've developed over the past months.
THE new amalgamated Cairns Regional Council will require teamwork, common purpose and effective representation and this is why I am coordinating a team of independent candidates from a broad cross-section of the community.
I value the independence of councillors, but there is a difference between being an independent and being a maverick.
While I am sorry to lose my friend Robert Pyne from my team, I’m afraid there is no room for people who are driven by emotions rather than by what is best for the people of our region.
Yes, it has been a long day but my team are all resilient, positive and focussed and we will be staying that way for the next 4 months.
Monday, 29 October 2007
Having the right people for 15 March '08
It's been great over the past couple of weeks to interview very high calibre people who would like to be candidates in the couple of divisions we haven't yet finalised. It's also good to know that there are people who are motivated to make a difference, have a vision of a different Cairns and are not just out for their own personal gain. Or wanting to push a particular agenda.
At the Industrial Relations forum last week, John McKenzie commented favourably on the commitment of the candidates who have put themselves forward for Leichhardt and the hard work that they are doing.
It's not easy to put yourself in the public eye knowing that there will be people who want to have a go at you, try to bring you down, make incorrect claims or take cheap shots.
Fortunately, I am privileged to be working with people who are really focussed on the vision that we have developed and on winning office in March next year. They know that it won't be easy. We don't have a huge campaign budget but we do have a passion for our region and a belief that we won't have good local government unless we have the very best candidates who are clear that they are there to represent all of us.
At the Industrial Relations forum last week, John McKenzie commented favourably on the commitment of the candidates who have put themselves forward for Leichhardt and the hard work that they are doing.
It's not easy to put yourself in the public eye knowing that there will be people who want to have a go at you, try to bring you down, make incorrect claims or take cheap shots.
Fortunately, I am privileged to be working with people who are really focussed on the vision that we have developed and on winning office in March next year. They know that it won't be easy. We don't have a huge campaign budget but we do have a passion for our region and a belief that we won't have good local government unless we have the very best candidates who are clear that they are there to represent all of us.
Friday, 19 October 2007
GALA ART AUCTION
Deanna Maich's artwork
We don't have all the developers' money behind us and need to raise money to be able to counter Kevin Byrne's big spending TV ads, so support us by coming along to our fund-raising art auction. It's a chance to acknowledge the generosity of many of the region's artists, make a substantial donation to the Cairns 1st Campaign and buy that unique Christmas present.
We don't have all the developers' money behind us and need to raise money to be able to counter Kevin Byrne's big spending TV ads, so support us by coming along to our fund-raising art auction. It's a chance to acknowledge the generosity of many of the region's artists, make a substantial donation to the Cairns 1st Campaign and buy that unique Christmas present.Gala Art Auction
An opportunity to purchase
drawings, photography, textiles, jewellery, ceramics, paintings, sculpture
donated by contemporary Cairns and renowned Australian artists
Friday 16 November 2007
Junior Eisteddfod Hall, Greenslopes St Edge Hill
Viewing from 5.00pm; Auction: 7.00pm
Cash bar and complimentary finger food
An opportunity to purchase
drawings, photography, textiles, jewellery, ceramics, paintings, sculpture
donated by contemporary Cairns and renowned Australian artists
Friday 16 November 2007
Junior Eisteddfod Hall, Greenslopes St Edge Hill
Viewing from 5.00pm; Auction: 7.00pm
Cash bar and complimentary finger food
For enquiries, please phone Louise on 4041 3322
Sunday, 14 October 2007
Starry nights: TNQ Tourism Awards
It was good to be at the TTNQ Awards last night and to see the tourism industry celebrate excellence in such style.
I was sitting with reps from the Daintree Cape Trib Tourist Association who were very pleased to get recognition and to win the award for Visitors Information and Services. Amongst others, I had a chat with Marion from Cow Bay Homestay, Prue Hewitt from Cooper Creek Wilderness Tours and Alison and Digby Gotts from Cape Trib Exotic Tropical Fruit Farm.
Doug Ryan from Port Douglas Daintree Tourism was keen to make sure that Port Douglas Daintree Tourism does not lose out in any way as a result of the amalgamation of the two councils. And Josh got into my ear about the Pink Guide.
Over 500 people attended the event; an indication of the strength of the tourism industry.
I was sitting with reps from the Daintree Cape Trib Tourist Association who were very pleased to get recognition and to win the award for Visitors Information and Services. Amongst others, I had a chat with Marion from Cow Bay Homestay, Prue Hewitt from Cooper Creek Wilderness Tours and Alison and Digby Gotts from Cape Trib Exotic Tropical Fruit Farm.
Doug Ryan from Port Douglas Daintree Tourism was keen to make sure that Port Douglas Daintree Tourism does not lose out in any way as a result of the amalgamation of the two councils. And Josh got into my ear about the Pink Guide.
Over 500 people attended the event; an indication of the strength of the tourism industry.
Wednesday, 10 October 2007
Living in the Tropics
We don't think the current council does enough to encourage good tropical design or minimise energy use. Having air conditioners in every room is just not good enough. We need to enhance our outdoor lifestyle by doing what the early settlers did when they created the "old Queenslander": use louvres, balconies, high ceilings and features to keep the heat out and the breezes flowing.
Tuesday, 9 October 2007
"Boring, Mum"
Yes, that was the response from my son when he checked out the web site!
James is 29 and is visiting from Tom Price in WA where he's teaching media studies to high school students.
He's been telling me to put lots of video online to jazz the site up a bit. So stay tuned for clips of me around our beautiful region.
James is 29 and is visiting from Tom Price in WA where he's teaching media studies to high school students.
He's been telling me to put lots of video online to jazz the site up a bit. So stay tuned for clips of me around our beautiful region.
Monday, 1 October 2007
What are our policies?
We've been holding regular meetings of the candidates who will contest the election, revising the policies from last election and updating them where necessary.
Discussions with candidates are a good way of ensuring that new candidates get their head around the various policy ideas. Candidates will be faced with lots of questions when they doorknock constituents over the next 4 months. They need to know what the Cairns 1st positions are in a variety of areas including arts, the environment, sport, service delivery, business and economy:
- What can we do about getting a new museum?
- How can we better meet the needs of the southern suburbs for more sporting facilities?
- How can we strengthen vegetation protection?
- What are we going to do about Cairns' poor record in recycling?
- What's our position on the inequities in the rates?
We now need to take into account various Douglas Shire matters and have been listening to different residents and taking into account their concerns. We've also been consulting with key industry bodies around the draft policies to ensure that the policy details we announce closer to the election reflect residents' views.
Monday, 24 September 2007
Some odd decisions in the new divisional boundaries
The new divisions are now known (see www.ecq.qld.gov.au) and they signal some real changes for the residents of the new Cairns Regional Council.
We had anticipated that Palm Cove and Clifton Beach would be included with all of the Douglas Shire in the new Division 10, but we weren't expecting that all of the coastal islands would be thrown in as well.
It's likely that the new councillor for division 10 will reside in the Douglas Shire so the residents of Green and Fitzroy Islands will have a hard time getting to see their local councillor. Surely the Electoral Commission has made a mistake by not including these two islands in the CBD division.
In their haste to finalise the divisions, it seems that they have also not considered the implications of splitting Edge Hill into two with the areas north of Woodward St going into the new division 8 (along with Aeroglen, Stratford, Freshwater, Machans, Holloways and Yorkeys) and everything south of Woodward St into division 7. North Cairns would have been a better fit with the northern beaches.
But no objections are allowed so we will have to live with it for the time being. Currently, many of the existing sitting and aspiring councillors are thinking hard about which division they will run in.
We had anticipated that Palm Cove and Clifton Beach would be included with all of the Douglas Shire in the new Division 10, but we weren't expecting that all of the coastal islands would be thrown in as well.
It's likely that the new councillor for division 10 will reside in the Douglas Shire so the residents of Green and Fitzroy Islands will have a hard time getting to see their local councillor. Surely the Electoral Commission has made a mistake by not including these two islands in the CBD division.
In their haste to finalise the divisions, it seems that they have also not considered the implications of splitting Edge Hill into two with the areas north of Woodward St going into the new division 8 (along with Aeroglen, Stratford, Freshwater, Machans, Holloways and Yorkeys) and everything south of Woodward St into division 7. North Cairns would have been a better fit with the northern beaches.
But no objections are allowed so we will have to live with it for the time being. Currently, many of the existing sitting and aspiring councillors are thinking hard about which division they will run in.
Saturday, 15 September 2007
Back in Cairns and blogging
I am back in Cairns after the visit to my mother in Tassie and am catching up on 16 days of local newspapers. And of course one of the news items has been the extraordinary over reaction from the current Mayor to the new blog created by Michael Moore
I can't help but be amused by the over-the-top response by someone who seems to be out of date in relation to how people are communicating these days.
I had a blog on my website in the lead up to the 2004 election and know that the Mayor read it regularly. His rate-payer-funded personal assistant once sent me an angry email demanding that something I had written on it be retracted. He didn't seem to understand that he had no power to control what I write; and it seems that his boss hasn't learnt this either.
I look forward to the current Mayor getting with it and posting to his own blog!!!
I can't help but be amused by the over-the-top response by someone who seems to be out of date in relation to how people are communicating these days.
I had a blog on my website in the lead up to the 2004 election and know that the Mayor read it regularly. His rate-payer-funded personal assistant once sent me an angry email demanding that something I had written on it be retracted. He didn't seem to understand that he had no power to control what I write; and it seems that his boss hasn't learnt this either.
I look forward to the current Mayor getting with it and posting to his own blog!!!
Saturday, 1 September 2007
Clear direction for Cairns
In a little village in the North East of Tasmania (that other beautiful - but distinctly cooler - part of the world!), visiting my mother who is ill, I get reports that the Cairns Post thinks that I am muddying the waters by talking with Douglas Shire Council Mayor, Mike Berwick, about the best strategies to get a new mayor for the Cairns Regional Council.
There is no lack of clarity. Both Mike and I operate from a similar value base: we want a council which enables a strong economy, we want to protect our environment and we also respect all members of our community and want them to be involved in planning our future.
We believe that it's time for the current mayor of Cairns City Council to go.
We know that it is difficult to operate with a hostile council or a council where some people put their own personal agendas ahead of the common good. That is why it is really important that high calibre candidates are encouraged to join an alliance of people who will vote independently and from a value base, not according to self interest.
I encourage anyone who is interested in being involved in local government to contact me for a chat about your motivation and how you can demonstrate that you can commit to the vision and values described on this website
There is no lack of clarity. Both Mike and I operate from a similar value base: we want a council which enables a strong economy, we want to protect our environment and we also respect all members of our community and want them to be involved in planning our future.
We believe that it's time for the current mayor of Cairns City Council to go.
We know that it is difficult to operate with a hostile council or a council where some people put their own personal agendas ahead of the common good. That is why it is really important that high calibre candidates are encouraged to join an alliance of people who will vote independently and from a value base, not according to self interest.
I encourage anyone who is interested in being involved in local government to contact me for a chat about your motivation and how you can demonstrate that you can commit to the vision and values described on this website
Tuesday, 21 August 2007
10 new divisions in the new Cairns Regional Council
The Electoral Commission is currently considering submissions to ensure that each of the 10 new divisions in the new Cairns Regional Council has an approximately equal number of electors; ie around 8,200 in each one.
The commission is supposed to complete this task by 24th September so let's hope that they keep to their schedule. Meanwhile, we can make some guesses. Division 1 will keep its name and expand from the current 6,000 voters in Mirriwinni, Babinda, Bramston Beach, Gordonvale etc to gain an extra 2,000 voters in Edmonton and East Trinity. This means that the current division 2 will have to push north into the Whiterock area to get its quota of voters.
Division 3 will be left with only half its constituents and will have to encompass almost all of the current division 4. Does this mean goodbye Paul Freebody?
Going north, a new division 10 will take in all of the Douglas Shire plus Palm Cove and Clifton Beach and a new division 9 is likely to include all the remaining northern beaches. Sno where will you go?
The main part of the city will be covered by the new divisions 5, 6, and 7.
The Cairns1st candidates are keen to know the boundaries so that they can get out there and start knocking on doors. Whilst it's a time of uncertainty we are all still out there listening to people, attending functions and raising our profiles.
We don't have developer money behind us so will be holding functions to raise the funds necessary to run a campaign and buy all the media we need. And no - unlike federal government candidates - we don't get any funding from the government!
The commission is supposed to complete this task by 24th September so let's hope that they keep to their schedule. Meanwhile, we can make some guesses. Division 1 will keep its name and expand from the current 6,000 voters in Mirriwinni, Babinda, Bramston Beach, Gordonvale etc to gain an extra 2,000 voters in Edmonton and East Trinity. This means that the current division 2 will have to push north into the Whiterock area to get its quota of voters.
Division 3 will be left with only half its constituents and will have to encompass almost all of the current division 4. Does this mean goodbye Paul Freebody?
Going north, a new division 10 will take in all of the Douglas Shire plus Palm Cove and Clifton Beach and a new division 9 is likely to include all the remaining northern beaches. Sno where will you go?
The main part of the city will be covered by the new divisions 5, 6, and 7.
The Cairns1st candidates are keen to know the boundaries so that they can get out there and start knocking on doors. Whilst it's a time of uncertainty we are all still out there listening to people, attending functions and raising our profiles.
We don't have developer money behind us so will be holding functions to raise the funds necessary to run a campaign and buy all the media we need. And no - unlike federal government candidates - we don't get any funding from the government!
Wednesday, 15 August 2007
"Iconic legislation"
Mayor, Mike Berwick, will play a key role in drafting the new state legislation which will ensure that the character of the Douglas Shire is protected and the shire is not over developed when it becomes part of the new Cairns Regional Council in March 2008.
The current mayor of Cairns, Kevin Byrne, condemned Mike Berwick and the huge number of people in the Douglas Shire who vented their anger at the proposed merger of the Douglas and Cairns councils, telling them to: "Take a cold shower and get on with it". Fortunately, they did not take his advice!
The protests of Mike and the Douglas shire residents have been heard in Brisbane and they have had a win. Whilst they have not been able to stop the amalgamation they will have the satisfaction of knowing that they have tightened up legislation and will have a better chance of being able to keep the balance between the environment and development that they have struggled so hard to keep over the past decades.
In a democracy it's important that people can express dissenting views and do everything legally possible to change policies and laws that they believe are not in their best interests.
The current mayor of Cairns, Kevin Byrne, condemned Mike Berwick and the huge number of people in the Douglas Shire who vented their anger at the proposed merger of the Douglas and Cairns councils, telling them to: "Take a cold shower and get on with it". Fortunately, they did not take his advice!
The protests of Mike and the Douglas shire residents have been heard in Brisbane and they have had a win. Whilst they have not been able to stop the amalgamation they will have the satisfaction of knowing that they have tightened up legislation and will have a better chance of being able to keep the balance between the environment and development that they have struggled so hard to keep over the past decades.
In a democracy it's important that people can express dissenting views and do everything legally possible to change policies and laws that they believe are not in their best interests.
Wednesday, 8 August 2007
Amalgamations
Most Douglas Shire residents were dismayed to find that the Independent Commission on local government reform had recommended that their shire merges with Cairns City Council to form the Cairns Regional Council.
They have expressed their concern that they will lose their identity and the proposed nine Cairns-based councillors will dominate the new council’s decision-making with their one Douglas councillor struggling to be heard. They also look south to Cairns and see that it has not been able to get the right balance between development, protecting the environment and building a community in which everyone can participate and everyone can prosper.
My alliance of Cairns1st candidates can understand their concerns. The reason that we are running again is that we believe that we can do a better job than the incumbent has done in the past seven and a half years.
If the protests of the Douglas Shire residents are to no avail, then I look forward to the challenge of working with them on ways that their fears can be put at rest. We have a lot to learn from our northern neighbour and we need to work in a spirit of collaboration.
They have expressed their concern that they will lose their identity and the proposed nine Cairns-based councillors will dominate the new council’s decision-making with their one Douglas councillor struggling to be heard. They also look south to Cairns and see that it has not been able to get the right balance between development, protecting the environment and building a community in which everyone can participate and everyone can prosper.
My alliance of Cairns1st candidates can understand their concerns. The reason that we are running again is that we believe that we can do a better job than the incumbent has done in the past seven and a half years.
If the protests of the Douglas Shire residents are to no avail, then I look forward to the challenge of working with them on ways that their fears can be put at rest. We have a lot to learn from our northern neighbour and we need to work in a spirit of collaboration.
Cairns1st: Val Schier's Alliance
It's just over 7 months to the next local government elections and I and my new alliance of independent councillors are preparing for 15 March 2008.
We are reviewing policies, attending functions, listening to people's issues and raising funds to be able to mount a media campaign to persuade voters that we are a better option to Kevin Byrne's (dis)Unity Team. And in our spare time, we are all trying to earn a living!
It's a tough job but we are driven by the passion to make Cairns better than it is and are assisted by numerous supporters who also want Cairns to head in a different direction. We want a thriving tropical city where: people are valued, respected and listened to, services are properly planned to meet our needs, we look after the locals as well as the tourists, decision-making is open and accountable and not behind closed doors, and the environment, charm and character of our city is retained.
We are reviewing policies, attending functions, listening to people's issues and raising funds to be able to mount a media campaign to persuade voters that we are a better option to Kevin Byrne's (dis)Unity Team. And in our spare time, we are all trying to earn a living!
It's a tough job but we are driven by the passion to make Cairns better than it is and are assisted by numerous supporters who also want Cairns to head in a different direction. We want a thriving tropical city where: people are valued, respected and listened to, services are properly planned to meet our needs, we look after the locals as well as the tourists, decision-making is open and accountable and not behind closed doors, and the environment, charm and character of our city is retained.
We learnt a lot last time. Many people did not give us a chance of toppling the incumbents and were surprised when I received nearly 42% of the vote in the mayoral election. This time we will work to get over the line and make this region the best it can be. Val
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