A caller to the Cueball show this morning, located in "Kuranda Springs" (there is no such place), summed up the stupidity quite well. He said "I reckon once Mick Borzi gets back in we'll have so much money that we'll see a drop in our rates".
When did ANY politician anywhere in the world cut rates? This isn't a progressive vs. conservative observation. It is an anthema for any politician to somehow come to the conclusion that they need LESS money to spend. IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN.
While Mayor Bob "Sleepy" Manning has repeatedly claimed the Cairns Council was "neutral" on the issue, this is a clear furphy. First he sent his Mayor for Vice Terry James out to make a startling claim - that if de-amalgamated, Cairns would return "millions of $$$" back to Douglas. There is no evidence for this claim - it was clearly an attempt to influence the vote. Then "Sleepy" gave an interview to The Newsport that clearly shows he's desperately attempting to influence one side of the argument, while claiming to be "neutral". De-amalgamation is going to be difficult work. Who wants that?
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| RUDOLF THE RED-NOSED MP OFFERS UP HIS CONSIDERED OPINION ON PUB QUALITY IN PORT |
While the Queensland Treasury (QTC) issued an analysis that clearly show both Councils unviable on their own, reasoned analysis seems to be ignored by voters on a wide variety of issues. And now every level of government has waded into the argument. Tablelands leader Rosa Lee Long has taken the same position against de-amalgamation there.
The real people that should be voting in Douglas are the thousands who own much of the real estate in town - those that will see their already dodgy returns collapse even further when rates skyrocket.
With all these facts on the table, it looks likely to us that both de-amalgamations will succeed. For a while. We expect that in a few years both will want back into the larger group.
What a cock-up. A cock-up that could have been avoided by "leaders" that would lead. Wishful thinking.
63 comments:
De-amalgamation was used as an emotional catch-cry during the last State Election when LNP candidates played shamelessly upon the parochialism of the people on the Tablelands and in Douglas, and made it an election promise to have a referendum on de-amalgamating. At no time did they ever say why amalgamation had to happen and at no time ever did they say the ratepayers would have to cough up extra rates if de-amalgamation happened. The ratepayers have been taken for a ride by these self-serving LNP representatives. Of course Entsch, Rosa LeeLong and Manning as well as the rest of us all know bloody well that economically smaller Councils were not sustainable.
Good piccy of Entsch there HBW! Let's hope he has a driver to bring his home this time (especially if he hasn't eaten anything all day.) LOL
All the politicians who now oppose de-amalgamation were of course screaming blue murder when Beattie first announced it. I really hope Port Douglas de-amalgamates. Bye bye, Pearl !!! That will give you plenty to whinge about up there and there is no more need for you to try and sabotage good projects in Cairns, once we get rid of our caretaker do-nothing excuse of a Mayor. And I hope they will still put the boot camp (bootcamp ? what bootcamp, another King fantasy..)in Wangetti..
It was a highly emotional issue driven along by the LNP candidates during the last State Election who all dangled carrots out in front of the electors about having a referendum. Then, once elected the new Minister, Cristafulli announces that if they vote for de-amalgamation it will cost the ratepayers packets. Typical of the cunning political trickery of the LNP.
Yeah no-one has heard about the boot camp recently. Wonder if it is all shush shush because the LNP know damned well that people wont want it in their suburb. After all wasn't it the LNP who sooled on the people at BlueWater Estate onto Jim Turnour over that one public housing development there? Hey who could ever forget seeing all those people out there bloody screaming their bloody heads off? King and Trout must be shitting bricks wondering if the same reaction will happen with the Boot Camp. Not that King or Trout will go out and front the residents personally.
Where was this photo of Entschy taken? Why are his glasses all askew?
Baillieu is gone. Newman will be next.
Oh gosh everytime I look at that red red nose, I laugh. Good one HBW.
Whatever the outcome, the LNP and Cristifulli should be responsible for the outcome especially if both Mareeba and Port Douglas vote to De-amalagamate. The LNP and Cristifulli think they are smart allowing the Hillbillies a vote. Cristifulli allowed the Councils to vote on Flouridation and what we are getting are Hillbilly outcomes. The Hillbilly Councillors on the CRC were besides themselves with glee with their outcome on Flouridation. The Hillbillies in Mareeba and Douglas will be beside themselves if the YES vote gets up. It will cost each and every Ratepayer in both of these shires thousands because Cristifulli allowed the HILLBILLIES to vote even after the Boundary Commissioner recommended against this. The big LIE that is being told in Mareeba is that all of the Mareeba Rate Monies are being spent in Atherton and none in Mareeba and you know, the Hillbillies in Mareeba actually beleive this. The LNP need to learn to GOVERN. I wonder if the LNP will learn anything from allowing the Hillbillies to vote? Charlie.
Jethro accuses the LNP OF "cunning political trickery". Does this mean a looooooong period in opposition for the ALP?
Interesting to read Manning's comments - "My hope has been for the amalgamation to remain together."
Slightly off topic but have you caught up with the article in todays SMH concerning Costello and his Queensland conflict of interest re asset sales? The implications for Newman's govt are interesting to say the least.
You've got to seriously question the ethics of the LNP which campaigned during the last State Election on the issue of "de-amalgamation" then, once in Government, agree to referendums with the warning that it will cost the people if they vote for de-amalgamation. Still, this is the government the people voted for.
You really have to question the "Bill Cummings Report" into the Mareeba Shire Costings as a comparison against those provided by QTC. Bill Cummings was one of the leading proponents to wrecking the Entetainment Precinct with his costings on the use of "Strategic Port Land". Yet the Mareeba De-amalgamation Committee are heavily promoting the "Cummings Report". This Report was prepared simply to provide an alternative point of view and rubbish the QTC figures and the Boundary Commissioners Report. If I was a betting man, I'd back the QTC figures. QTC is a very professional organisation with high quality staff with a knowledge of the whole of Queensland whereas "Cummings" is small firm based in Cairns whose owners are Card Carrying Members of the LNP.
According to the compost, Douglas Shire is going to vote to go it alone. Good riddance.
Every year around the world thousands of people give up their lives fighting for self-determination. Yet here in Douglas there are still people who are prepared to hand over their independence and a future in which they will have little or no say - blindly,without a whimper, to the scare-mongers and dog whistlers who fear - not for Douglas - but for their own miserable vested interests. As for the "real people that should be voting in Douglas are the thousands who own much of the real estate in town" ...these people are able to claim tax advantages on their investments, their body corporate fees, refurbishments, depreciation and so on so it's hard to see why if they are not on the electoral roll here they should be able to vote here. Simple really. (Incidentally the ones I know are all keen to vote YES anyhow). Your arguments will come back to bite you on the bum, particularly the furphy that rates will skyrocket with de-amalgamation. They won't. This geat big rates lie is courtesy of the government, the neutral (ha ha) CRC and those with vested developer interests who know their big bucks will give them a smoother ride through their mates on the CRC than a new Douglas Shire. No governments want de-amalgamations. They are much more comfortable and have much more political clout dealing with mega councils than smaller councils like Douglas.
The NO side in this debate has shot themselves in the foot with their clumsy and inappropriate "Big Brother" campaign - the sort that went out with WW1 recruitment advertising - complete with CCTV on their miserable signage. (All produced in Cairns and Brisbane by the way) Their latest "effort" is the distribution of a bogus rates notice which has only served to highlight how desperate they are - and how their stunted intelligence has only succeeded in scaring the daylights out of the elderly and less informed in the community. As for the QTC's lamentable report - please read the following disclaimers:
QUEENSLAND TREASURY HAS ADMITTED THEIR INFORMATION SHOULD NOT BE RELIED UPON!
“QTC has not independently verified the information supplied to it and accordingly does not represent that the information contained in this Report is accurate or complete and it should not be relied upon as such. Queensland Treasury Report Page 31 Nov 2012”
• No reliance should be placed on the working papers. The information in these working papers is not intended by QTC to be advice of any kind.
QTC working papers Nov 2012
Cheers
Doug
Vote ✔ YES to De-Amalgamation
Good luck Doug. Looks like you might be running a few chook raffles because I can't see much financial support coming from the premier of SEQ.
Well Doug all the letters to the compost today and callers on rugnut's show were all against de-amalgamation. Their main concerns of course were the rise in rates.
Another piece of trickery and deceit by the Newman Government. Now that Costello has been outed by a complaint lodged with the Criminial Misdemeanour Commission about his financial interests in a health service corporation, Newman is now jumping up and down and saying that he announced Costello's interests when he appointed him to do the State's "audit." Yeah, we all knew it. Like bullshit we did.
QDoug Lassiter,The Douglas Shire will suffer if it de amalgamates.The rate base is not big enough,and it will return to the disfunctional go nowhere place it was,and this time there is no property boom to load up the coucil coffers..I noticed. that when the amalgamation happened ,the parks and garden boys from Mossman even got issued with new eguipment so they could work efficiently.You have to move with the times Doug. On another issue,there is a story circulating the clubs and pubs about a certain LNP grogmonster..........uuuummm!
GREAT NEWS ! Pearl has announced that she will leave Queensland if Port Douglas de-amalgamates. Bye, bye Pearl !
Anonymous 12.18 "All the letters to the compost and callers to rugnut were anti-de amalgamation. " Well of course they were! Just like all Alan Jones' callers are misogynist, racist, zenophobic wingnuts. Unfortunately they don't have the cerebral capacity to understand, let alone thoroughly question the QTC's figures. The government -in its desperate attempt to avoid de-amalgamations has put a rate rise in Douglas at $701 for the first year into the mouths of the numerically challenged. But hey! Some of us have been working on this -in detail - for years. To say we are in awe of the government's cupidity at the manipulation of this poll is an understatement. But that won't come as much of a surprise to anybody except maybe those who don't know what cupidity means. Cheerio for now - Doug.
Aw Shucks, them Mareeba folks have been learnin' how to use that Facebook computer machine and have set up a pro de amalmanation page. Real purty it is too.
http://www.facebook.com/ANewMareeba?sk=timeline
Even if we were aware of the predictable antics of the LNP boys club like Costello lining the pockets of his clients with the LNP style 'audit' what could be done? Now Newman reminds us he knew about Costello's interests and we can do nothing about it because Queenslanders have handed him enough political power to make a third world dictator green with envy.
What a snout!
Yeah all those people who bought in Cow Bay etc are now all clamouring for council services...someone has to pay for them. Can you all remember how John Mackenzie did the commercials for Quaid's rainforest properties - "How would you like to get away from it all and have your own little piece of paradise? No phones, no cars, no hustle and bustle. Just you, the forest, the sea......". Yeah so everyone raced it and bought it, virgin rainforest because they "wanted to get away from it all", and within months they were screaming about "no power", "no sanitation", "no phones". Yeah. None of them ever heard of CAVEAT EMPTOR obviously.
You Labor loonies crack me up.
Suddenly it's all Newman and the decietful LNP's fault.
Excuse Me!!!
It was bullshit Beattie and bollocks Bligh that pushed through this amalgamation.
I remember Kevin Byrne saying that it was not a good idea amalgamating with the Douglas Shire.
Kuranda was a better "fit".
Best thing for Cairns ratepayers is to let them go - if that's what they want.
Stop playing big brother.
Let the people decide.
At least the LNP seem to be in favor of democracy.
You labor dogs just can't get over the trashing the people of Queensland gave your bankrupt Labor guvmint last year, can you?
Caveat Emptor precisely Anonymous 18.30!! They should have realised the LARGE Quaid print giveth and the small print taketh away!
Cheers
Doug
ote ✔ YES to De-Amalgamation
How long do you reckon Newman is going to last hey Anonymous 20.40? He's as popular as a hot flat stubby these days. In fact I don't think I have ever seen a political party lose its political capital so fast. Only a matter of time before you go the same way as Victoria and the NT.
ROFL "LNP grogmonster". Love the expression!
The LNP and ehtics?? "Ethics" you say??? Shit, they wouldn't know what the word means. Look at Costello and his shonky "Audit" recommending privatising our health system hey? Then we find out he represents a company with interests in being a health services "provider". So once it becomes public knowledge, Newman gets up and reckons he always knew about it and that there was nothing wrong with it. Nothing "unethical". Seems everything is "ethical" to the LNP if they can get their snouts in the public $$$$trough.
What about this business of the sealed files from the Fitzgerald Inquiry being broken into,some put out into the public domain while some were shredded. This sort of stuff can only be accessed by a few people. So someone with a high security clearance got to those files, either motivated by destroying incriminating evidence against themselves or their mates, or to discredit the CMC itself. The Courier Mail is saying that Biellje (or what the hell his name is) wants to put handpicked people in the CMC. It's all suspicious as bloody hell. Something is bloody crooked here.
Doug Lassiter, I think we all know what cupidity means. I believe someone said much earler that the best way to describe the LNP is to think of rampaging warthogs screaming "Greed and avarice!" as they race to the public troughs.
I well recall John Mackenzie's voiceovers for the Quaid Daintree Rainforest Property commercials. He really bunged on his silvery voice. "How would you like to get away from it all and have your own little piece of unspoiled paradise? No phones, no traffic -just you, the rainforest and the sea". Oh yes, the commercials received such a run on radio and on TV that I remember them well.
Now years later, after all the buy back schemes and so on, Mackenzie is backing up those people left there with their demands for grid electricity, roads, sewerage etc.
Most of this will be dumped onto the Douglas Shire to provide most likely.
All my links on the A new Mareeba Facebook page to this very plain speaking Cairns Post article with critical information by Boundaries Commissioner Colin Meng today are being removed as I post them. Can anyone else try?
Why do they not want people to see Mr Meng's timely comments?
The best news of course which everyone is missing is pearl,she of the complain,will move to northern NSW if Douglas splits.She will have to of course because it would be hard to ring mckenzie and complain about stuff happening down here when she will be in another shire.See,there is a god!
Cmon Hillbilly, There's a federal election in September. Throw your hat in the ring. Then you can make a difference.
who cares who wins the hatfields or the McCoys it doesn't matter but whose profitable but do we have to give back the tractors ?
Just when you think nothing could get worse with the Newman Government comes the terrifying news that confidential documents from the Fitzgerald Inquiry have been shredded and put onto the public archives. Christ or bloody mighty, this is a monumental crime with possible dire consequences for the people who went forward to provide testimony over the two years the Inquiry ran. It seems SOMEONE, in May last year, not long after the election of the Newman Government, went trawling through the documents. I say SOMEONE in capital letters because with this sort of information, it is sealed, stored away securely and access is restricted to ONLY A FEW PEOPLE. So, someone out of only a few people, deliberately went trawling through the stuff, and apparently shredded (how do they know they were shredded, and not just taken away?) what would have obviously have been incriminating evidence. This is a criminal act!!! So the Fitzgerald Inquiry which lasted two years, and was the biggest investigation into crime and corruption ever in Queensland's history,ultimately ends up itself subjected to criminal sabotage amidst growing suspicions about the integrity of certain people.
hey hby watch go fuck yourself !!! your as bad as cueball
Well the results are in and all four de-amalgamtions in Queensland have been successful. Politically howewver it doesn't look so wonderful and there are clear splits within both Douglas and Mareeba!
The turnout looks shocking with less than 50% so far in Douglas bothering to vote if those numbers are final (except postals etc)? Booths around Daintree voted against de-amalgamation.
On the Tableland the stand out booths were Kuranda and Speewah which voted massively against de-amalgamation!
The centres of Port Douglas and Mareeba were central to both results.
I am very happy for the people in Mareeba and Douglas. They got the result they wish for. Lets now hope we don't hear any of them complainging about the Rates they have to pay and blame Atherton and Cairns for what ever going forward. They have made their bed, they need to lie on it and not look to blame any other Council for any outcomes going forward. It is now up to these resurected Shires to be responsible for themselves going forward. Charlie
4 outa 4 !!!
Mareeba, Douglas, Livingstone, Noosa.
All rejected the amalgamation.
That was the result of the vote to de-amalgamate of the 4 shires given their choice.
Now if the LNP wants to really undo the terrible wrong of the Beattie Bligh amalgamation process it should let all those other forced amalgamations have a say as well.
That's democracy
That's what the LNP stand for.
Suck it up uou Socialist Labor Loonies.
Charlie. I'm no lawyer, but when you say 'they made their bed, now they need to lie in it', that's not quite true. Its the State Government that caused their mess, THEY should pay in full to fix it back to the way it was. Why should Douglas/Mareeba etc pay for something they had nothing to do with? A class action may be their option.
Bye bye Pearl !!! Now Cairns will have to build a CEP your expert opinion. Port is so lucky to have you. You deserve every rate rise that will be forced upon you. At least you won't have to pay for a CEP, although the cost would have been a fraction of what de-amalgamation will cost you.
Hillbilly, thank you for your efforts in weeding out the knobhead trolls that offer very little to the discussion except low intelligence abuse, but I think your filtering system is staring to slip a little.
See ya later peral.Opps,I've forgotton how to spell her name already.I think it was p for pain,e for egg head, a for a#@%^&*$ licker,r for reamalgamation,l for little minds spells PEARL.
The only worse thing ratepayers of Mareeba could do now would be to votes that old fossil Borsi in as mayor. Back to the future in the worst possible way
WTF did you say Shanghai,you take your hat off to the McCoys while driving your tractor, and you and Hatfield like fucking cueball.
Yeah true Anonymous 22.15, there were reasons for amalgamation, something which you have obviously forgotten. Yeah it was a good political carrot wasn't it? Now the people can pay the price of it all.
And it's goodbye Pearl. Hallelujah!
Thank the living Christ we done got our local councils back! Those Big City sofistycates in Atherton and Cairns caint even unnerstand a banjo, let alone play one, plus their loose morals puts all our chillun in danger. Now we is free, and all it cost was that damned federal paper money what everyone knows is worthless anyway. Burn in hell city slickers!
Thanks very much for voting to take us backwards Mareeba, you dopey half wits.
Maynard, Speewah
Well Anon. 22.15, I can see you are beside yourself with joy at this outcome, as I suspect are those who fought hard to conveince th Hillbillies to vote in the manner they did, are. But lets put some perspective into this- "Mergers" were first mooted when a number of people sat down to look at the number of Councils in Queensland and the cost of running these Councils which was being borne by the Ratepayers, State Governments and the Federal Government. Fewer Councils, fewer Mayors,Councillors and Administration Staff would mean in the long run that the rate payer burden would be lessened. In the long run every rate payer in Mareeba and Douglas would have benefitted. Now, because the LNP were stupid enough to allow the Hillbillies to Vote the Cost of Rating will go up in Mareeba and Douglas as well as in Atherton, Herberton etc. I hope that everyone who voted YES clearly understood that they have to pay the cost of seperation. Anon 0655, I agree with a Class Action being taken against the Qld. Govt. by the new Shires. Clearly the Government allowed this to happen so why should the people have to pay for it. I also feel that the remainder of the TRC should take out a class action against the Qld. Govt. as well as the total rate base of the TRC has changed and why sould these Ratepayers have to make up the shortfall for something they had nothing/ were not allowed a vote on. Deamalgamation will prove to be a total waste of money for an ideology of "having your own shire" which is/was financially unstable right from the beginning. Charlie.
Thats a good photo of Stench, HBW. That is exactly what he looks like which is nothing like the photos of himself he publishes in the Newsletter he sends to his constituents. Truth in marketing???
Already the complaints are pouring in from the results on Saturday. The northern beaches will be left without a Councillor on the CRC. The vote polarised the two communities with the YES vote highest in the towns of Mareeba and Port Douglas while rural people were against it. People are already stating their fears of increased rates. It looks like a real schmozzle. My guess is, it ain't over yet!!
It was fun to listen to Pearl spitting chips on "Macca's" this morning. Unfortunately she has reneged on her promise to move to NSW, but she is going to stay and fight the new council instead. Apparently what the majority wants does not apply when things don't go Pearl's way. Pearl, you are now part of a vocal minority, so why don't you stop squealing and accept what the majority wants. Cairns can now go ahead and build a CEP without your negative input. I hope they stick that boot camp (does it still exist ?) in your neighbourhood too.Good luck with your rates ! It couldn't happen to a more deserving person. It must be karma !
As previously commented upon the massive NO vote to de-amalgamation in Kuranda and Speewah does not augur well for the future of the "new" Shire. Borzoi has previously said that it will be an un-divided council, ie no wards. In the interests of unity and of moving forward Crisafuli and Trout need to argue strongly and forcefully to ensure regional representation for the newly in-represented voters of Kuranda and Speewah. Afterall the spark that lit the fires of the American revolutions was "no taxation without representation"!
I can't speak for Mareeba, but in Douglas it was mostly the hillbillies who voted "no"...you are more than welcome to them since they are all so enamoured with Cairns, Pearl included!
There are nearly 2,000 people in Kuranda.... all of them smarter than the average buttrfly. They ought be allowed to form a shire of their own. Granted it will be the first Shire with 50 CEOs and no workers, but they could hire Mareeba's grader for a day each month to keep the roads in order.
Sorry anonymous 15:16, but the minister has said that there is no going back, so Pearl will have to stay in Douglas. Now if only Tenni would move back to Mareeba and take the rest of the hillbillies with him......
Jethro - something going on with those Fitzgerald files. I read some of the files they are so worried about at the Archives and while I obviously can't repeat what was in them because of the rapid legislative response - it was just silly stuff - scurrilous rumours and Chinese whispers. One file I read had accusations about a gay petty crim who knocked about the Valley for years - a guy so stupid he once got caught trying to break in through the roof of the Chubb safe factory because he figured lots of safes equaled lots of money - the files contained a police interview with someone he'd had a fling with describing his huge crime empire. A couple of times I got very stern looks from pensioners doing genealogical research when I roared with laughter at some of the bullshit. The gay godfather did a bloody good job of hiding his criminal wealth in the decade I was in the Valley - living in run down boarding houses and begging drinks. :)
I suspect more interesting is that all the 30 year embargoed state government material from the last few years of the Bjelke-Petersen government is about to become available and there is going to be some great stuff for researchers in that which will be very embarrassing, if not troublesome, for some in LNP ranks.
Last year I read an embargoed file from 1984 when I was accidentally given a whole box rather than just the document I'd requested. It was a report by the Deputy Director General for Health complaining about the police corruption which was covering up the massive homosexual activity and transvestism infesting Yarrabah. Now while I've known a few gay guys and one drag queen from Yarrabah, the place had never struck me as the San Francisco of the southern hemisphere. I read the document right up till closing time - just astonished at the ignorance of a public service that had been so politicised and intellectually rundown by the Bjelke-Petersen regime - the second highest health official in the state mentioning as fact that aboriginals were more naturally disposed to homosexuality than whites - and this in 1984, not 1884!
I went back the following day to copy the document but a different archivist noticed the mistake of the previous day and I wasn't allowed access again. :-(
If nothing changes it and much more will be available next year - but with change the only certainty in life....
(The police BTW denied that there was any corruption but didn't deny that Yarrabah was a hotbed of homosexual orgies - instead declaring that they were unable to penetrate the Aboriginal omerta and that current staffing levels and laws left them unable to do anything more.)
Destiny, only a few people have the security clearance to access the CMC files. They would include a coupleof CMC staff, the Attorney General and the MPs like Peter Wellington and Liz Cunningham who are on some sort of ethics committee. One of these managed to access the files and shred some. It's obvious to me that the person had something to hide. Corruption is back at the highest levels in Queensland.
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