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.

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I can't help but be amused by the over-the-top response by someone who seems to be out of date in relation to how people are communicating these days.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!!!

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