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.