Our four-page Cairns First newsletter has been very well received with the phones running hot on Thursday 28th when it appeared as an insert in the Cairns Post and the Port Douglas Gazette.
Most people have been really impressed with the the messages, the easy-to-read format, the information on candidates and polling booths, the colour and style, the cartoon and the advert promising Schier relief if you are suffering from Byrneout!
We don't have the advertising budget of Kevin Byrne and his Unity team so have to be distinctively different in what we do and the feedback has been very positive.
We have reinforced the "time for a change" message as that is the thing that people tell us over and over. They also comment on Kevin Byrne's arrogance, the inappropriate developments that have been approved, the loss of our tropical character and heritage and the poor planning around traffic, climate change impacts, and sporting facilities in the growth areas.
If you didn't get a newsletter - there seemed to be a lot of "slippage" with the paper's insertion machine - ring the Cairns 1st Campaign Office on 4032 2882 and we'll post you one; or call by to 393 Sheridan St, North Cairns.
Friday 29 February 2008
Launch on Wednesday 27th
We got together on Wednesday to officially launch the campaign.
It was good to be surrounded by the supporters who have been working really hard to get us elected.
At the launch I spoke about how critical this election is for Cairns. On 15th March we have a clear choice.
Do we want 4 more years of Kevin Byrne and Unity?
Or a fresh, strong, new team that is passionate about making a real difference to this region and creating the best TROPICAL city in the world? The supporters didn't need any help in deciding which way they want to go!
It was good to be surrounded by the supporters who have been working really hard to get us elected.
At the launch I spoke about how critical this election is for Cairns. On 15th March we have a clear choice.
Do we want 4 more years of Kevin Byrne and Unity?
Or a fresh, strong, new team that is passionate about making a real difference to this region and creating the best TROPICAL city in the world? The supporters didn't need any help in deciding which way they want to go!
Sunday 24 February 2008
Another debate: Chamber of Commerce and CBWC
After the Engineer's lunch on Wednesday, there was a much more restrained atmosphere at the Chamber of Commmerce and Cairns Business Women's Club Mayoral debate on Friday at the Cairns International.
It was $55 a head so there were not too many ordinary voters present and there was a real sense that it was a pro-Kevin crowd.
Most of my candidates and supporters decided that I could handle KB without their support and that their time was better spent out in the suburbs where the election will be decided.
I was able to raise a number of points which demonstrated the clear choice that can be made on 15th March. Deputy Mayor Margaret Gill expressed concern that a group called PALM was going to force her to have to close her windows or get double glazing and sound proofing at her Esplanade unit.
PALM - People Advocating Live Music - is a large and growing group which thinks that the city has lost much of its vibrancy and soul with the closure of live music venues. They are wanting to explore the establishment of a music precinct in the city and are looking for industry, local and state government support for more opportunities to play and perform.
This is something that Cairns 1st will support. City centres need to be exciting and creative places where tourists and locals come to engage with one another and help build diverse cultures.
Yes, the needs of retirees and unit dwellers need to be taken into account but not at the expense of deadening the city's heart.
It was $55 a head so there were not too many ordinary voters present and there was a real sense that it was a pro-Kevin crowd.
Most of my candidates and supporters decided that I could handle KB without their support and that their time was better spent out in the suburbs where the election will be decided.
I was able to raise a number of points which demonstrated the clear choice that can be made on 15th March. Deputy Mayor Margaret Gill expressed concern that a group called PALM was going to force her to have to close her windows or get double glazing and sound proofing at her Esplanade unit.
PALM - People Advocating Live Music - is a large and growing group which thinks that the city has lost much of its vibrancy and soul with the closure of live music venues. They are wanting to explore the establishment of a music precinct in the city and are looking for industry, local and state government support for more opportunities to play and perform.
This is something that Cairns 1st will support. City centres need to be exciting and creative places where tourists and locals come to engage with one another and help build diverse cultures.
Yes, the needs of retirees and unit dwellers need to be taken into account but not at the expense of deadening the city's heart.
Thursday 21 February 2008
Head to head with KB
I went head to head with KB at the Institute of Engineers lunch yesterday.
For Kev it was more of the same that we've come to expect: we've got to have growth, there's nothing wrong with the high-rise buildings and housing estates; we don't have to be worried about climate change as the sea-levels are actually going down; there's nothing wrong with building on hillslopes; don't you all worry about how we would evacuate Cairns in the event of a tidal surge or direct hit by a cyclone.
Cairns 1st knows that the region will grow as people move north to the tropics and we know that we need higher density building. But we differ from the Unity team in that we want to grow as a remarkable tropical city. Not into a city that looks like everywhere else with buildings not designed for the tropics, our natural environment destroyed and infrastructure not planned well to cope with population growth.
And we don't believe that the city has planned well enough to cope with the increased turbulent weather, tidal and storm surges and flooding that is being forecast to occur in the future.
There was good coverage on TV and in the Cairns Post today; coverage that I did not attract last time when the media saw me as being an unknown quantity who would struggle against an incumbent. Bring on the Chamber of Commerce and Cairns Business Women's Club debate tomorrow!
For Kev it was more of the same that we've come to expect: we've got to have growth, there's nothing wrong with the high-rise buildings and housing estates; we don't have to be worried about climate change as the sea-levels are actually going down; there's nothing wrong with building on hillslopes; don't you all worry about how we would evacuate Cairns in the event of a tidal surge or direct hit by a cyclone.
Cairns 1st knows that the region will grow as people move north to the tropics and we know that we need higher density building. But we differ from the Unity team in that we want to grow as a remarkable tropical city. Not into a city that looks like everywhere else with buildings not designed for the tropics, our natural environment destroyed and infrastructure not planned well to cope with population growth.
And we don't believe that the city has planned well enough to cope with the increased turbulent weather, tidal and storm surges and flooding that is being forecast to occur in the future.
There was good coverage on TV and in the Cairns Post today; coverage that I did not attract last time when the media saw me as being an unknown quantity who would struggle against an incumbent. Bring on the Chamber of Commerce and Cairns Business Women's Club debate tomorrow!
Tuesday 19 February 2008
"About Val"
It was great to go doorknocking over the past few days and have people comment that they read about me in the Cairns Post on Saturday (16th Feb).
KB probably choked on his cornflakes when he saw the full page article in the weekender - complete with a photo of me looking glamourous and strong.
A documentary film crew from Iris Pictures came to my home village in Tasmania just before Christmas to film me for a documentary, About Women, which will air on SBS later in the year.
They came back to Cairns for 3 days in early February and will come back again on March 15 when we hope that they will be filming me becoming the new Mayor of the Regional Council.
It's all been very interesting, especially so when they filmed me going around the public bar of the Red Beret Hotel in Redlynch to meet the locals. I even got propositioned!!
KB probably choked on his cornflakes when he saw the full page article in the weekender - complete with a photo of me looking glamourous and strong.
A documentary film crew from Iris Pictures came to my home village in Tasmania just before Christmas to film me for a documentary, About Women, which will air on SBS later in the year.
They came back to Cairns for 3 days in early February and will come back again on March 15 when we hope that they will be filming me becoming the new Mayor of the Regional Council.
It's all been very interesting, especially so when they filmed me going around the public bar of the Red Beret Hotel in Redlynch to meet the locals. I even got propositioned!!
Sunday 17 February 2008
There was a "Sorry Day" event in Cairns
I was lucky that my connections with the Murri network alerted me that Wu Chopperen medical centre had organised a gathering last Wednesday to bring people together to watch the historic broadcast from Parliament House in Canberra of Kevin Rudd's apology on behalf of the Government and Parliament.
People stood around quietly, many with tears in their eyes, and there was sustained applause at the end of the speech.
Whilst I felt privileged to be one of the few non-indigenous people there - along with Cairns 1st election candidates Richie Bates and Kirsten Lesina - I couldn't help but feel sorrow at the lack of political leadership in Cairns.
Kevin Byrne and Cairns City Council could have organised a big screen in perhaps City Place and invited the general public to share this day with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Scenes from around the nation showed that people wanted to gather and be together in the celebration.
It was an opportunity lost for local reconciliation and for us publicly to acknowledge the past hurts before we move into the future with practical strategies to deal with ongoing Indigenous issues.
People stood around quietly, many with tears in their eyes, and there was sustained applause at the end of the speech.
Whilst I felt privileged to be one of the few non-indigenous people there - along with Cairns 1st election candidates Richie Bates and Kirsten Lesina - I couldn't help but feel sorrow at the lack of political leadership in Cairns.
Kevin Byrne and Cairns City Council could have organised a big screen in perhaps City Place and invited the general public to share this day with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Scenes from around the nation showed that people wanted to gather and be together in the celebration.
It was an opportunity lost for local reconciliation and for us publicly to acknowledge the past hurts before we move into the future with practical strategies to deal with ongoing Indigenous issues.
Wednesday 13 February 2008
Two $5,000 Unity ads already in the Cairns Post
Cairns Post readers will have noted that Kevin Byrne and Unity have published their second full-page ad. in the Saturday paper.
They have not repeated the Creating Australia's Most Liveable City advertisement perhaps because some larrikins changed the "r" in Creating to an "h" and made it Cheating Australia's Most Liveable City!
Tampering with election signage is an offence but people could not help but smile at how clever this word play is.
They have not repeated the Creating Australia's Most Liveable City advertisement perhaps because some larrikins changed the "r" in Creating to an "h" and made it Cheating Australia's Most Liveable City!
Tampering with election signage is an offence but people could not help but smile at how clever this word play is.
KB goes, "Me too" with Cairns 1st community engagement policies!
I smiled when I saw that Kevin Byrne had pinched the policy of the previous Team 04 Cairns and the current Cairns 1st Alliance and has advertised that he is going to "hold council and divisional meetings in the Port Douglas and Mossman areas."
I have already announced that the second full council meeting of the new Cairns Regional Council will be held in Mossman. It will be important for me to take the 9 southern councillors north. We will take additional time prior to the meeting and allow local groups to have deputations to the full council and senior staff so that we can really get out heads around the issues in the area.
We will take the promise further and have Babinda and Gordonvale as locations where we will be holding future meetings. Our "Mexicans" also think that they miss out.
It is interesting that KB and Unity are suddenly thinking about community engagement after 8 years of never holding a full council meeting off site.
I have already announced that the second full council meeting of the new Cairns Regional Council will be held in Mossman. It will be important for me to take the 9 southern councillors north. We will take additional time prior to the meeting and allow local groups to have deputations to the full council and senior staff so that we can really get out heads around the issues in the area.
We will take the promise further and have Babinda and Gordonvale as locations where we will be holding future meetings. Our "Mexicans" also think that they miss out.
It is interesting that KB and Unity are suddenly thinking about community engagement after 8 years of never holding a full council meeting off site.
Monday 11 February 2008
Sadly, no "sorry day" events in Cairns on Wed 13th
Cairns City Council has failed to recognise the historical significance of the Federal Government’s formal apology to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stolen generation.
There is no indication that the Cairns City Council has worked with community groups to organise a local commemoration of the “Sorry Day” apology which will occur this coming Wednesday 13th February in Canberra.
The Kevin Byrne council has failed to understand that local action to acknowledge the federal government’s initiative would have assisted with reconciliation.
The Cairns Council area has a large Indigenous population with whom we have a shared history. We need to acknowledge their cultural connections with the land and the changes, challenges and injustices that have occurred with successive waves of people coming to live in this region.
Other cities and councils have organised events to recognise this historical day and there is much excitement in the Indigenous communities. In Sydney, the commemoration at Redfern will include a live broadcast of the apology on a giant screen, community activities, music, dance and a free BBQ for families.
It would have been an important gesture for Cairns City Council to facilitate activities where Indigenous and non-indigenous peoples could come together and watch the event unfold in Canberra.
My Cairns 1st Alliance is committed to recognising Indigenous peoples’ interests, giving them a greater voice and promoting their diverse historical and contemporary connections with places and peoples.
One of our policies is to establish a formal mechanism/s for continual Indigenous involvement in Council decision-making. And we also will look at how Council can contribute to practical measures to get more Indigenous young people into employment.
There is no indication that the Cairns City Council has worked with community groups to organise a local commemoration of the “Sorry Day” apology which will occur this coming Wednesday 13th February in Canberra.
The Kevin Byrne council has failed to understand that local action to acknowledge the federal government’s initiative would have assisted with reconciliation.
The Cairns Council area has a large Indigenous population with whom we have a shared history. We need to acknowledge their cultural connections with the land and the changes, challenges and injustices that have occurred with successive waves of people coming to live in this region.
Other cities and councils have organised events to recognise this historical day and there is much excitement in the Indigenous communities. In Sydney, the commemoration at Redfern will include a live broadcast of the apology on a giant screen, community activities, music, dance and a free BBQ for families.
It would have been an important gesture for Cairns City Council to facilitate activities where Indigenous and non-indigenous peoples could come together and watch the event unfold in Canberra.
My Cairns 1st Alliance is committed to recognising Indigenous peoples’ interests, giving them a greater voice and promoting their diverse historical and contemporary connections with places and peoples.
One of our policies is to establish a formal mechanism/s for continual Indigenous involvement in Council decision-making. And we also will look at how Council can contribute to practical measures to get more Indigenous young people into employment.
Half a day off!
After five weeks straight of 14+ hour days, I took some time out for half a day yesterday and did some unwinding.
I've had two offers from masseurs and need to find some space to enjoy those particular donations.
Saturday night's fundraiser generated fabulous music from some of Cairns' best-known musicians. The company was great too and we raised some more $$$s for the campaign fund to help purchase TV, radio and newspaper ads.
Everyone wants to know how it's all going and I reply, "Steadily." Am trying to stay focussed and positive for another 4 weeks and 4 days and then hopefully we will be in a position to really make a difference in the region.
I've had two offers from masseurs and need to find some space to enjoy those particular donations.
Saturday night's fundraiser generated fabulous music from some of Cairns' best-known musicians. The company was great too and we raised some more $$$s for the campaign fund to help purchase TV, radio and newspaper ads.
Everyone wants to know how it's all going and I reply, "Steadily." Am trying to stay focussed and positive for another 4 weeks and 4 days and then hopefully we will be in a position to really make a difference in the region.
Wednesday 6 February 2008
New office opened today
We opened the new campaign office today at 393 Sheridan St, North Cairns near the turnoff to Collins Ave. It's a great spot: easy parking, high visibility, a nice tropical feel to the old building.
It was good to see the supporters who could get some time out to come along and support the Cairns 1st candidates and me.
We'll be operating here for the next 37 days of the campaign so call in if you can volunteer in any way. The phone number is: 4032 2882.
And here I am with the car signage, courtesy of Tolly's signs. Every bit of advertising helps and I am pleased when I am doorknocking when someone comments that they have seen the car or a bumper sticker.
Bumper stickers are free so call in and pick one up.
Saturday 2 February 2008
Irresponsible dumping: the Portsmith landfill
I have had a number of people phone and make contact with me in relation to my questions about the operation of the Bedminster composting plant and the dumping of untreated household waste in the Portsmith landfill over the past 6 months.
I have included the media release below and invite anyone else with pertinent information to contact me so that we can get to the bottom of the issue:
23 January 2008
UNTREATED household waste continues to be dumped at the Portsmith landfill each day despite it being closed for many years because of suspected toxic leaching.
Cairns Regional Council mayoral candidate Val Schier said urgent answers were needed about what was going on with waste treatment in Cairns.
“The Portsmith landfill was meant to be rehabilitated as parklands once the Bedminster composting plant was up and running,” Ms Schier said.
“This has taken some time, but both Cairns City Council and CEC/Sita assure us the plant is at last fully operational.
“But untreated waste is still being dumped at the site. Trucks are going in and out at a great rate of 15-minute intervals.”
“Why is this happening?” Ms Schier said.
“I understand FGF/Thiess did due a diligence investigation on the Bedminster operation and decided it wasn’t viable without the contract being changed.
“Then CEC/Sita purchased the composting plant two years ago for $5 million with a contract determined in a closed session of council and an embargo on the contract for three years.
“Is the cost of operating the troubled composting plant too great and it’s easier and cheaper to dump the waste from Cairns and Douglas shires?
“Has the Portsmith landfll been quietly reopened so that the untreated waste can be dumped and the cost of composting be avoided?
“The Cairns City Council website used to show actual volumes (in tonnes and metres) from the waste treatment processes: how much was going to the composting plant, how much was being diverted to the Mareeba landfill and how much treated compost was available for landscaping and agricultural purposes.
“Curiously, this information no longer available on the website. Why?
“Does Cairns City Council and CEC/Sita have something to hide? Are the ratepayers of Cairns being misled? Is Trinity Inlet again at risk from leaching of chemicals?”
Ms Schier said it was important these questions were answered and the people of Cairns informed of what was going on in the household waste industry.
I have included the media release below and invite anyone else with pertinent information to contact me so that we can get to the bottom of the issue:
23 January 2008
UNTREATED household waste continues to be dumped at the Portsmith landfill each day despite it being closed for many years because of suspected toxic leaching.
Cairns Regional Council mayoral candidate Val Schier said urgent answers were needed about what was going on with waste treatment in Cairns.
“The Portsmith landfill was meant to be rehabilitated as parklands once the Bedminster composting plant was up and running,” Ms Schier said.
“This has taken some time, but both Cairns City Council and CEC/Sita assure us the plant is at last fully operational.
“But untreated waste is still being dumped at the site. Trucks are going in and out at a great rate of 15-minute intervals.”
“Why is this happening?” Ms Schier said.
“I understand FGF/Thiess did due a diligence investigation on the Bedminster operation and decided it wasn’t viable without the contract being changed.
“Then CEC/Sita purchased the composting plant two years ago for $5 million with a contract determined in a closed session of council and an embargo on the contract for three years.
“Is the cost of operating the troubled composting plant too great and it’s easier and cheaper to dump the waste from Cairns and Douglas shires?
“Has the Portsmith landfll been quietly reopened so that the untreated waste can be dumped and the cost of composting be avoided?
“The Cairns City Council website used to show actual volumes (in tonnes and metres) from the waste treatment processes: how much was going to the composting plant, how much was being diverted to the Mareeba landfill and how much treated compost was available for landscaping and agricultural purposes.
“Curiously, this information no longer available on the website. Why?
“Does Cairns City Council and CEC/Sita have something to hide? Are the ratepayers of Cairns being misled? Is Trinity Inlet again at risk from leaching of chemicals?”
Ms Schier said it was important these questions were answered and the people of Cairns informed of what was going on in the household waste industry.
The (dis) Unity team has a website!
Good to see that the Unity team has finally joined the electronic age and has launched a website.
They have followed the lead of Cairns 1st again and put up their vision and candidate profiles. Not exactly inspiring stuff but hey, it's a start.
There's nothing on their blog or message page at the moment but we'll have to check it from time to time to see how much interest there is in the site.
I note also a $4,000+ full-page advertisement in today's Cairns Post. We won't be matching the full page ads and will stick to a low cost grass roots campaign that aims to really listen to people and respond to their concerns.
They have followed the lead of Cairns 1st again and put up their vision and candidate profiles. Not exactly inspiring stuff but hey, it's a start.
There's nothing on their blog or message page at the moment but we'll have to check it from time to time to see how much interest there is in the site.
I note also a $4,000+ full-page advertisement in today's Cairns Post. We won't be matching the full page ads and will stick to a low cost grass roots campaign that aims to really listen to people and respond to their concerns.
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