Do they have the nerve?

We’ve been thinking about all the stories going around - council debts slowly rising to the surface, infighting among staff and worse still councillors who openly mouth off to all in ear shot about their fellow councilors.

Makes us really wonder how much egg is on the faces of Ms Bates and others who lauded the “safe hands” around the last election.   Come on, lets be serious - the only council without underlying money woes was Woocoo and that was only because they simply had to throw a grader over the odd road occasionally.

David Dalgleish was quoted last week as being overwhelmed by Maryborough’s infrastructure problems - hang on Dave, what about all the white elephants Hervey Bay Council presided over? Then we look out to Tiaro and from what we can tell, they had a plan in place to catch up on their neglected infrastructure but amalgamation ensured that all went out the window.

The state government has just indicated they are prepared to admit they stuffed up calculating the cost of amalgamation.  The purse strings haven’t been closed on assistance yet our fearless CEO comes out yesterday saying he won’t hold his breath and they won’t cover this or that.  What a load of nonsense Andrew.  Swallow your pride son and hold your cap right under the minister’s nose and don’t take it away until you have your share and half that of the next guy.

The money is on the table - if we don’t grab every cent we can, other councils will.  What happened to the rivalry between the Bay and Bundy?  Its gone - look at their council doing every damned bit they can to make the most of what the government is offering!  We will miss out if bury our heads in the sand.

From the Mayor and CEO down, it is time the elected representatives and senior management of the Fraser Coast Regional council all got off their proverbial backsides and started making things happen.  Projects are stalling left right and centre because council has thrown up their hands and guys like Cr Dalgleish are running about telling anyone who will listen how hard the situation is - if it is too hard get out and let us vote in someone who is prepared to make things happen!

We’re none too pleased and once we’ve digested the first budget no doubt the anger will rise even more.  We’ve put up with poor governance for too long.  We must expect better and we must demand our elected representatives stop warming seats and make things happen again.. this region has massive potential but it that potential can’t eventuate on its own.

POLITICAL PRAGMATISM

Yes the conservatives can smell a political cadaver in the wings , political pragmatist, and i agree with some of your sentiment , they ARE out to harness the anti traveston vote to hopefully get one of the off spring elected .

1200 votes should do it , and as you point out , ‘is there a viable alternative ‘?

Would a conservative drovers dog woof it in?

A conservative member in Hervey Bay does not ’sustainable’ use of the environment make.

However i can say that the qld opposition have finally grasped a smidgin of the green perception, based on my discussions with some of them . The young conservatives well understand the need to embrace the urban greeness and they are planning as we speak to make inroads .

Woe betide the young socialists that ignore this at their folly , the ‘tractor driver from Warwick’ , is no fool , his people have watched the Traveston Movie and have had a revelation .

I made this clear to Andrew when i spoke to him at the community cabinet forum , unseating Andrew will have no direct influence on whether Traveston Dam happens or not , ‘there are many ways to smoke a mullett’.

What we need to remember here is that his party has made no arrangement for regional compensation for the Fraser Coast , to account for the economic loss or ‘costs ‘ which the dam will produce for our economy. We therefore have no option but to shake the voting assagai at him and Anna , in the hope that they will come to the fire and barter for the future use of the regions water , and or a share which may be made available to the SEQ for a market value per megalitre.

The river is our regional resource , I reminded both Andrew and Anna that they had failed to come to the fire and negotiate for sharing of the resource , and if they continue with this method of domination , we will stop them , the hard way .

We do not need to lose Andrew , we just need to get him and Anna to compromise, its their choice , they control the labor party’s political destiny in the Fraser Coast.

They know Traveston is not really needed , they just need to find an elegant escape plan , and i and many others are working very diligently to prepare it .

 

Bringbackstrewth writes: Roger you make some very valid points here and hence got lifted to the main page.  What we’re stil cautious about is your statement that we don’t need to get rid of Andrew McNamara - yes on some topics he sings the same tune but on Traveston he has proven that he is still a party man and will toe the party line regardless of what his community says. 

Our politicians are there to serve us and not their party bosses.  If they are talented operators they will convince us that what they want and what we want are the same thing - heaven forbid.  Andrew has failed to do this and unless he turns himself around and shows some backbone he will be thrown out with the baby at the next election. 

There is growing discontent and if “the Borg” gets his team heading in the right direction and quickly the current government will need to take notice and fast!

Damn the Dam let’s protest!

What an exciting weekend we have coming up.  This weekend is the annual Wheels on Wide Bay motoring festival.  Held at Maryborough Park, WOW is an event all car enthusiasts must not miss.  But we digress..

What is not to be missed this weekend is the State Government’s regional cabinet meeting.  The meeting itself will be nothing more than hot air but lets see how many of us can get out there Sunday afternoon with our Anti-Dam posters, shirts, bikinis - whatever and show the government we are not going to back down.  We don’t want your dam Anna - not now, not tomorrow, not ever!

Stripped of our freedoms

     Nancy Says.
 
“Business of individuals, not governments”,Nancy Says
and she is very right. It appears Nancy and I have some
thing in common! We both drink fermented brews. But
Nancy’s article is not about alcohol, it’s about personal
freedom. Over the last twenty or thirty years we have
been stripped of our freedom of choice and freedom of
association. This has been done by successive governments
under the guise of Safety, Health, Terrorism or Political
correctness!!!
I find it amazing that since the day our ancestors crawled
out of the slim, stood up and took the first step on dry
land. Our personal Safety, Health and Thoughts were ours
and ours alone. Now educated, living in the SMART state
and shooting for the stars, we have to be told what is
good or bad for us!!!!! We are told what to say, what to
think and worse, not to argue.
Nancy and I might, just might, have two things in common.
Our loss of personal FREEDOM.
 
John A Neve

Balance needed

Planning for continued growth in the South East corner of our state is one of the biggest tasks facing the State Government.  In 2005 the government released its 20 year plan for future development in the state.  This document spelled out  just where development should and shouldn’t go and was even good enough to win a national Planning Institute of Australia award.

Back then, the predictions were for a population growth of some 250,000 people by 2026.  The latest estimates blow this out completely to something more like 600,000!  We’re already struggling to keep up with infrastructure demands for our current population particularly water, roads and public transport so how will we cater for this massive increase? 

In an ideal world the fast tracking of new land to ease housing demand would be the perfect solution but what about infrastructure?   How are we going to cater for all these new suburbs and hundreds of extra cars on our already congested roads?  Have we considered availability of public transport into these areas? 

This latest announcement is another tell tale sign of a government that is rapidly losing the battle in providing neccesary infrastructure and planning to sustain the growth this state continues to experience.  Without good decision making now, the future will not be pretty.

Sack them all

Ok so we’re a bit cranky this week.  Here’s a few things that have got our backs up today:

Fraser Island Rangers:

RANGERS on Fraser Island are reportedly so bored they are demanding to be flown back to the mainland daily at taxpayers’ expense.

A group of rangers, employed by Queensland’s Environmental Protection Agency, are choosing to live at Hervey Bay rather than stay in State Government provided accommodation on the island, the Sunday Mail reported on the weekend.

The EPA has confirmed about one third of the agency’s 48 staff were choosing to commute and are being flown to and from the island daily at an undisclosed cost to taxpayers.

Locals are bewildered the rangers do not want to live on the World Heritage listed island, with the rangers  apparently whining that they can’t go out for entertainment or shopping and they are bored.   

The relationship between rangers and locals has deteriorated since the EPA constructed a controversial dingo fence on the island.

Strewthisback writes: We’re not surprised their popularity has dropped since the ugly fence went up but honestly, should we tax payers be footing the bill or should we demand the EPA replaces the staff with those who are prepared to work to the conditions of the job?

And… A government out of control?:

The second issue really bugging us at the moment is the State Government.  They have just announced they will be fast tracking the desecration of large tracts of green space for urban development.  These announcements go directly against the previous Beattie government’s 20 year plan for the future and make us wonder what happened to Sustainability?

We should be concerned as a government that constantly back-flips on its own “expert” advisers and reports stands to make errors that could well be irreversible in the future.  The Traveston Dam is just another of these mad decisions made by a government that has lost touch with reality. 

Rumours.. and not from our corner either!

It wasn’t that long ago that our daily was accusing the predecessor to Bringbackstrewth of spreading malicious lies and rumours.  We’ve made an effort to take on board that criticism and it now amuses us to find the same paper printing claims that a certain councilor wants to pull the pin.

We won’t waste our time speculating whether or not the allegations are true but there is no doubt things aren’t going to be plain sailing down at council and there will always be a black sheep prepared to go against the flock.  This term for many councilors not just here on the Fraser Coast was always going to be a difficult one as regions meld together.  We can only hope they all do their best, think things through carefully and endeavour to achieve big things for our community

 

 

Fee Simple and Common Law abolished?

We’re steering back towards local issues tomorrow but for those who are interested in learning more about this subject, a contributor has informed us there is a meeting at Beerwah Community Hall on Saturday 31st May at 1pm where a group of speakers who have researched the issue thoroughly will make a presentation.  We encourage all those who can make it to attend as this is something that will affect us all.

Peak Panic

Here he goes again, last week Andy Pandy enthralled parliament with his latest ravings on oil supply.  We don’t doubt that all things must come to an end but we can still recall his predictions of $2 a litre fuel by Christmas.. which Christmas Andrew?  We might also point out that a quick google of the term Peak Oil will not only give you the version AP reads from but also the flip side which clearly indicates there is sufficient oil in diverse locations and forms to supply the planet for many years to come.

If Mr McNamara so passionately believes we will reach the point where fuel is rationed and we are forced to drastically change our lifestyles for the worse to suit, why doesn’t he start giving us some answers? 

Here’s a suggestion - instead of wasting millions on dams that won’t fill, lets open a world leading research centre into alternate transportation technologies. water production & processing technology and other planet-friendly technologies right here on the Fraser Coast.

–o–

    Nancy Says Vol: 20

 

Nancy Says “A change in direction is needed now” and how right

she is. I am pleased to admit Nancy’s 99% correct, Australia’s

history and social/political system should be a mandatory part of

our education curriculum.

 

The only part of Nancy’s editorial I disagree with, is learning

Butchulla, as a child forced to learn Latin, I see no point in

learning a dead language. Chinese, Japanese, Russian etc

yes, yes, yes, any language that helps our trade and political

aspirations. But Butchulla and Latin, no way.

 

On the down side, yes there is a down side. If only Nancy felt

this way at a local government level. After all, for the electorate

to make good, sound, political decisions, they need the facts,

warts and all.  (Author: John Neve)

Strewthisback writes:

John we had a chuckle also when the learn Butchella idea was first floated however, the history of the region extends back before white fella ever set foot on the banks of the Mary.  The concept is novel and yes it does not have any real life application as such but our region’s history is important too. 

–o–

Also today we’ve had correspondence from Cy d’Oliveira - the following is a letter he presented to council this week - we’ll remind readers that these views are that of Mr d’Oliveira and we would be very happy to present the response of Council to provide you with a balanced view should they choose to do so.

Dear Mayor & Councillors, 

It has come to my attention that in the recent past, Biosolids [********** ***** ********] harvested from sewerage, has been used by local farmers as fertilizer. This material has apparently been supplied to them free of any charge! More importantly the users were not informed of the materials nature and the potential for it to be toxic!

 Will council investigate this matter? If found to be correct, will council stop the use of such material being put on local farmland?

 I wish to draw council’s attention to Biotech Laboratories (NATA approved), report No. 652214 dated 27^th November 2007. This report clearly shows the presence of

Arsenic, Cyanide, Lead and Mercury amongst other chemicals in the biosolid being used as fertilizer.

 As this material is being made, supplied and used within the Fraser Coast Regional Council’s area of control. I believe the onus is on you, to put the public’s mind at rest.

 Yours sincerely,

Cy d’Oliveira

Strewthisback writes: previous advertising by WBW claimed biosolids were safe for use on crops and further reports indicating that they have full EPA Approvals to use said biosolids in this manner.  Mr d’Oliveira’s claims are very serious and we welcome anyone involved who can provide factual data proving his claims or otherwise to get in touch.

 

Ouch!

Reports this week from the Sunshine Coast suggest that the Sunshine Coast Regional Council is about to embark on the search for a new CEO.  Nothing unusual in itself but how about the cost?  Information received suggests the process will cost that council in the vicinity of one hundred thousand dollars and that is not to mention the potential cost of paying out the 3 former CEOs.

It is a scary thought and one has to wonder what other councils are paying to recruit CEOs.  Not a bad lurk if you are in the business of corporate recruitment but not so good for the ratepayers who foot the bill! 

– 0 –

Here’s some thoughts on today’s council meeting courtesy of John Neve:

Fraser Coast Council’s Ordinary Meeting No. 2, was just that, ordinary.
 
Public Participation:
Three members of the public spoke in support of REST, seeking an extension on time for their operation. It will be interesting to see if councillors heed their cry.
 
I put a number of Questions on Notice, relating to the HBCC’s “flawed town plan”. The $150,000 ratepayers apparently will have to cough up in legal costs. I also questioned whether it was true that ongoing developer challenges could cost ratepayers millions of dollars.
 
There are a number of questions still outstanding, regarding the ex mayor and councillors actions in relation to the confrontation with the ex CEO. These related to legal costs, council’s actions and authority to engage lawyers.
 
Items of interest:
 
Ord 10.1  Councillors Superannuation, councillors can receive twice their own contribution up to 12% of salary.
 
Ord 10.2  Corporate Governance Portfolio Terms of Reference.  This I believe will replace the current Code of Conduct, but suggest you read it for yourself.
 
Ord 14     General Business:
 
This was interesting as Councillor MucKan asked if the Water Park cost $12 million, where would the extra $7 million come from? Mayor Kruger suggested this would be better answered in confidential!!
 
Ord 15     Confidential:
 
Ord 15.1  Chapel Rd Rehabilitation and Widening.
Ord 15.2   WBW Quarterly Report for March 2008; and
Ord 15.3   Water Park - Hervey Bay.
 
Unfortunately I cannot comment as result is unknown.

Strewthisbackwrites: It is very disappointing that council chose to discuss the Water Park issue behind closed doors.  The question Cr Muckan asked is a valid one and many of us would love to see council publicly debate this issue.