General News
21 October, 2024
More queries than answers
IS THERE gold in the Kuranda Range, is the owner of Taylor Point really the owner – and for how long, and can Lake Placid become the nation’s first crocodile-free zone?
Last Friday’s meet the candidates lunch hosted by the chamber of commerce and TTNQ raised as many curly questions as it delivered.
In a packed room at the casino, a 220-plus audience listened for over two hours to what election hopefuls from the Mulgrave, Barron River and Cairns electorates had to say about how they would represent the region.
Chamber chief executive Patricia O’Neill said the number of people attending was evidence of how important the election was to Cairns.
She saluted the candidates “brave enough to put their heads up and get in the ring” before a mostly business-oriented audience.
Questions selected from a member survey were delivered to candidates by moderator, and Regional Development Australia Tropical North chief executive officer, Sonja Johnson, who proved adept at keeping candidates to their 90-second answers.
Dominating the discussion were the familiar issues of crime rates, cost of living, housing shortages, energy costs and regional development.
While there were some differences, unilateral support was clear on bettering water security, improving education services and sports infrastructure, increasing land and sea ranger numbers, having new parking for the Wangetti Trail and progressing the trail to Port Douglas, fixing Kuranda Range connectivity and developing the southern corridor.
Mulgrave candidates, five of which attended out of the 10 nominated, included Nicholas Daniels (Legalise Cannabis Qld Party), Steven Lesina (KAP), Richie Bates (ALP), Terry James (LNP) and Yodie Batzke (Independent).
Points of difference and highlights included:
Yodie Batzke
Suggesting diversification of the six catchments within the electorate, capitalising on natural assets sustainably.
Calling for a review of corruption within criminal services sector, given that of the 100,000 offenders in the state, 60,000 were re-offending
Pointing out that the southern corridor land securement to 2028 had stalled, and the promised 53,500 homes was “not much at all” when the funding formula was examined.
Steven Lesina
Saying he would push for a tunnel through the Kuranda Range, that it should undergo serious evaluation because, “who knows what we’d dig up? It could pay for itself.”
Calling for the abolition of zero net targets, which are destructive to the economy and would impact our way of life
Applying first-home buyer grants to all homes, not just new builds.
Nicholas Daniels
Raising the prospect of switching to CO2-negative cannabis crops, instead of sugar cane in the south, to supply aviation fuel. “We need a lot of weed growing in the south.”
Terry James
Calling for a bipartisan state funding trunk to be allocated to the southern corridor
A holistic approach to the criminal justice system and the introduction of his party’s ‘Reset’ policy to stop young reoffenders.
Ritchie Bates
The $3m housing plan, the Woree development and Labor’s rental assistance was a welcome start to addressing the housing needs of the region.
Labor had progressed satellite hospitals and planning for educational facilities.
Cairns electorate candidates included: Geena Court (One Nation) Josh Holt (Greens), Michael Healy (ALP), Yolonde Entsch (LNP) and Shane Cuthbert (Independent).
Points of difference and highlights included:
Geena Court
Young offenders should be sent to a “hard yakka” centre where they learn skills, trades and community values. “They become assets to us and assets to themselves”.
Education needs a curriculum review and a focus on teaching students how to survive in the workforce, instead of focusing on gender diversity. HEC’s debts should be removed.
Stamp duty should be abolished, it’s a double tax.
Josh Holt
More support is needed to support services that work in the community such as YETI and assisted housing groups.
Stamp duty should be reduced, as is happening in the ACT. to address insurance premium rises.
Education across the board should be free, which is a long-term investment in the economy.
Shane Cuthbert
Focus on reducing domestic violence which he said accounted for 51 per cent of crime.
Donate his full salary, if elected, to support young offenders.
Yolonde Entsch
Adult crime receives adult time for young offenders.
Focus on reducing crime and improving flood resilience to reduce insurance premiums, not stamp duty
Better support for TAFE.
Michael Healy
Introduced $1000 off energy bills, reduced registration fees, to assist in cost of living rises.
Introduced free kindy, free TAFE and funding for apprentices for buying tools.
Barron River. Of the five candidates, Craig Crawford (ALP) and Bree James (LNP), went head-to-head.
Craig Crawford
Kuranda Highway should be a national highway, so funding for its rebuild would get national support. A tunnel will not work, Defence cannot legally use a tunnel, nor can hazard material transport. The federal government would not support it and another 10 years of arguing would ensue.
A Labor government would buy back Taylor Point, if indeed it has really gone through a sale. His party had committed $10 million to ensure the buy back and a rejuvenation of the area for the community.
Bree James
Believes Lake Placid should become crocodile-free and restored to a community tourist and recreation spot.
Taylor Point has been languishing for two years and should have been bought by the government before now. New owner says he will not sell, (unless for $10m), but will the community have access to the area under his recovery plans?
