And from under Townsville, too, with some more unwelcome and totally unnecessary negative publicity.
Of all the ill-advised things this ill-advised woman has done, you’d have to think attacking the humanity of charity organisations would be way up there, at the very top of a long, long list of ill-advised public attempts at vote catching. But now, suddenly she running for cover from the shit storm of her own creation … saying it is all the media’s fault. That is one lie that sticks out like Dolly Parton’s nipples in a bottle shop cold room. The Magpie considers the proof. (No, not about a chilly Ms Parton – another time, maybe – but about our red hot fibbing mayor).
But the mayor has form with this sort of idiocy … she has emerged unscathed (well, officially anyway) from two years of dodging and weaving on another matter … that infamous Adani airstrip deal.
How did the Astonisher miss a world record set right here in Townsville? The medical world is agog.
Plus the Fox News worm turns on Donald Trump … and how!
(Bentley is again before the mast, off playing sailors at Maggie Island Yacht Week … back with us next Saturday.)
So let’s get straight to the story of the week.
The Mayor’s Inadvertent Outburst Of Honesty
Memo
To Mayor Jenny Hill
From: Omar Khayyam
“The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.”
From The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam (not to be confused with the Rubbish of Rabeah Krayem).
Replace wise Omar’s words ‘piety nor wit’ with ‘bluster nor bullshit’, and there you have Mayor Mullet’s dilemma of the week in a nutshell.
To recap, last Wednesday, Mayor Mullet got on her TV soapbox for some empty re-election campaigning.
The mayor( see video clip) told the gathered TV-oids that she was fed up with the homeless living in our parks, and people were feeling threatened and fed up with the situation. A reasonable campaign issue, for sure, but then jaws collectively dropped across Townsville when the mayor pointed the finger of blame … she accused charitable organisations for being responsible for the on-going problem, that people who volunteered to provide food and mobile hygiene facilities were ‘enablers’ that is enabling park people to maintain a ‘lifestyle’ in the parks. And by golly, she was going to sort them out, and she was going to put a couple of these agencies ‘on the mat’.
And you’d never guess it, but a shit storm broke over her head. Gosh, whoda thought! The condemnation of her empty tough-girlie talk was instant and widespread, and unfortunately for the city generally, well beyond Townsville. The Guardian was just one which took issue.
There were plenty of locals who initially applauded the mayor’s move against ‘parkies’ in a general sense – it is a galling situation in some areas – but few supported her attack on what a few 360 degree thinkers called ‘the bleeding hearts’, the disgust with a community leader attacking charitable groups was overwhelming. Even the city’s senior police officer point blank disagreed with her, albeit very diplomatically. Of course, The Bulletin was all adither which way to jump, so played down the charity attack aspect.
But despite the Bulletin’s best boosting efforts, even this arrogant, scheming tin-pot politician couldn’t miss the outrage, and if there was an Olympic back-pedalling event, Mayor Mullet would do us proud. Except she went straight to the Donald Trump ‘fake news’ playbook – it was all the media’s fault – and basically denied that she had said or even implied what she clearly had.
FFS, you Mullethead, you said it on television!!! But Jenny Hill, in a panicked muddled response, insisted she had been misreported, and playing a losing game of semantics revolving around the words ‘agencies’ and ‘charities’. And homeless.
The real giveaway is that, like Mooney and Townsville First before her, Mayor Mullet knows full well she has almost no ammo to back her verbal heroics, the council is greatly limited in what it can do about the parkie problem, it is almost entirely in the state’s hands, because it a policing matter. This is undoubtedly why she had the brain fart to target charities as scapegoats. She is also trying to run the argument that many of the people in the park are in fact not homeless at all, but go to the parks from home to drink and do drugs. There’s plenty of evidence that that is true, but it is also true that there are genuinely homeless people there too, put in that situation The ‘Pie believes, because of the economic mismanagement of all levels of government. Should the charities be demonised for being unable to discriminate between the two groups?
But make no mistake, Jenny Hill is sweating bullets right now, she knows what a massive misjudgement she has made. She clearly thought it a vote-winning ploy to make an empty powerless statement about putting ‘enablers on the mat’, but tellingly refusing to say just who she was going to carpet. Bluster called out. Big fail, madam mayor.
Now it is a popular front bar trope in any argument about people who live in parks that hey could better themselves if they wanted to, but to conflate the really ‘homeless’ with ’dole abusing drunken drug takers’ is intellectually lazy, callous and politically abhorrent.
Our Mayor seems To Have A Lot In Common With This Bloke
Sir George Young
This gent is Sir George Young – full moniker: George Samuel Knatchbull Young, Baron Young of Cookham CH PC, 6th Baron from 1960 to 2015, at which time he relinquished his right to sit in the Lords to join the masses in the mud and mire of the Commons.
One wonders if Jenny Hill had read somewhere of his now infamous quote about the London homeless.
‘The homeless are the people you step over when you’re coming out of the opera.’
Jenny’s version replaces ‘opera’ with ‘footy stadium’.
Our Mayor Has A History Of Claiming To Be Misquoted
Businessman Philip Batty
You may recall that this blog has received several progress reports from reader Phillip Batty, who went to a great deal of dogged trouble (and expense) to pin down evidence that Jenny Hill had lied to councillors about the ownership of the proposed Adani airstrip in order to get their go-ahead. Phillip was also concerned about apparent anomalies in the mayor’s register of received hospitality from Adani.
Now, after a couple of years, the verdict is in … and if you want to believe the government investigators, our gal is a pure as the driven snow. You can judge for yourself from Mr Batty’s summation of the official findings. He writes to The Nest:
Mea Cupla
It would seem I am actually as stupid as I look, I have probably banged my head against the wall too many times, it seems. After asking TCC 15 times if Mayor Hill had indeed declared her $1500 of hospitality on her register of interests from Adani in line with the rules, and receiving no answer (just a threat from council to prosecute me when my question was wrongly decided to be a ‘complaint’), it seems now that there is a piece of paper which turned up to the Office of Information Assessor (OIA) saying the Mayor did indeed declare this way back in May 2017 after her trip. Could have saved me lots of bother if they just said that 2 years ago or indeed presented that to the CCC or the Department Of Local Government at anytime during their investigations.
But thankfully it has surfaced now so all is well. truly a load off my mind, whew.
The fact that even though the bit of paper turned up….I mean existed all the time, it was just an oversight that it was not recorded on the public register….and anyway it was the CEO’s job to do this not the mayor.
Storm in a teacup I expect.
Then there was the question I asked if Mayor Hill declared this hospitality in any of the closed meeting to discuss the Adani Airport, which of course she didn’t, BUT, the OIA passed this section of the complaint to the TCC to determine if this was OK which, I know you will be deeply surprised to hear, they said nothing to see here so we can close that one too.
Then my stupid question about the tender process, given that it seemed we had decided that Wagners would build the airport and that Townsville and Rockhampton councils would jointly own it. Well when the CCC investigated this it turned out that TCC would never own it so no need for tender. This led to my final complaint to the OIA, asking if Mayor Hill had deliberately lied to the councillors and the public about the ownership in order to gain their support for the vote to spend (ultimately) $18.5m on an airstrip 400kms away.
Now this is where my stupidity reaches new levels and for this I hang my head in shame. For it seems:-
When councillor Paul Jacobs was quoted in the Guardian Newspaper he said “Both the CEO and the mayor said that we would own the airport, the money was like a half-ownership deal with Rockhampton.”
But when he was questioned by the OIA, this was the result “Cr Jacob stated that in the months leading up to the council meetings councillors had met informally to discuss the proposal, at some point during those discussions Mayor Hill with CEO Adele Young stated the council would own the airport. Once the special meetings began however, the proposed deal had moved to a lease arrangement; the costs increased and were to be shared with the RCC.”
My bad.
Then when the OIA were presented with the numerous media reports ( ABC “Councillors yesterday approved the investment of up to $15.5 million over two financial years in a joint venture with Rockhampton Regional Council, to build and own the airport down in the Galilee Basin” ) of the ownership question, here is the finding:- “It follows then that in being interviewed by ABC news Mayor Hill was either misquoted or she mischaracterised the ownership of the airstrip.”
So what a storm in a teacup this was, the piece of paper which answered the first question has been there for two years, the TCC said nothing wrong with failing to declare it in meetings and the Mayor was either misquoted or she had mischaracterised the ownership.
Simple really, probably as simple as I am, or am expected to be.
Really, The Magpie feels for Jenny, with all the incompetent reporting and misquoting of her, and staff not keeping the filing up date. Poor dear, one wonders how she copes. Or why? Oh, wait ….
A World Medical Record Here In the ‘Ville – And The Bulletin Ignored It!
A record, that is, if the Bulletin is to be believed (always a question). In the welter of tedious bumf the Astonisher honked on about the Cowboys final game at the current stadium on Thursday night, there was this story.
A good little yarn of its type, but one would conclude that the reporter did not have much of an inquiring mind, or maths ability (weeelll, it is the Astonisher). We read:
“Ms Reid remembers her first game with Jackson like it was yesterday.
“It was April 10, 1995 when she took Jackson to the Cowboys v Wests Tigers game at what was then known as Dairy Farmers Stadium, sitting in the western stand“
But hang on a sec …, the pic shows young Jackson at 2 months old – in 2010. So, that means Ms Reid took her imminent son along in 1995 as an embryo. Now that can only mean one thing … the longest gestation period – 15 YEARS – in human history!
Ms Reid, the Guiness Book of Records awaits your call. But another aspect of the story proves the old saying about wisdom falling from the mouths of babes. Jackson himself, now 9-ish, was interviewed for the story. We read:
Jackson said Michael Morgan is his favourite Cowboys player and gave a short but firm answer when asked what was his favourite game day experience at 1300SMILES Stadium
“When they run out on the field,’ he said. His mum added: “He loves the start of the game, that his favourite part.”
Jackson, my boy, you speak for us all this season … often after they run out, the ‘game day’ experience for us fans goes downhill fast. Next year, buddy.
The Bulletin And Numbers Again
This report’s use of the word ‘visitation’ conjures up vague religious connotations, and it will certainly have some exclaiming, ‘Christ, what?’
The Astonisher tells us: ’The 31.9 per cent increase set a record for visitation in Townsville. A third of visitors came to Townsville for a holiday while the rest travelled for leisure.’
Eh? Two questions.
Did the third who came here ‘for a holiday’ bring the kids, and therefore it did not qualify as ‘leisure’?
And does that mean that not a single business person came to Townsville in that time to be counted in the tsunami of southerners flocking to what one tourist described to the Bulletin as ‘wildly untamed Townsville’?
Come to think of it, that’s quite possible.
At Bloody Last
It seems finally Townsville is to be allocated much needed police reinforcements, indeed, specialist officers, to keep the public safe from some of the most vicious, anti-social scam artists, drunk, drug-taking, fornicating and destructive rogues that have plagued our lives for so long. The ‘Pie understands that the police hierarchy expects the long-standing problem to be completely eliminated in Townsville within a week, but they expect these selfish social misfits to persist elsewhere. Probably Brisbane. You can read about it in the paper.
And here, The ‘Pie would like to register his total disgust at this ‘travelling Parliament’ waste of money … it serves no purpose whatsoever other than as a campaign expression of love for next year’s state election. Anyone who is feeling the love should tie their hands to the bedhead.
Where Are You At?
Food for thought for a city that’s had more than one kick in the guts lately. How’re you coping?
Perhaps The ‘Pie is premature, and should have waited to put this chart up after the next council elections.
A Classic ‘For The Ages’ Opening Line
The Guardian’s Marina Hyde is far and away the funniest elbow-jabbing-the-funny-bone columnist in the English-speaking world today. Her latest column opens with one of the most timely and devastating summations of the decision to prorogue the British Parliament – even if you disagree with Ms Hyde, you’ll still wince.
Barely three months ago, the work and pensions secretary, Amber Rudd, gave a speech in which she explained that “Being in a job gives a person dignity”. Does it always though, Amber? There is currently no job in the UK with less dignity than cabinet minister. Desperate people are doing things for crack rocks round the back of disused warehouses that are significantly more dignified than signing up to Boris Johnson’s decision to prorogue parliament, even when you said it was the last thing you’d ever do about 10 minutes ago.
Jee-sus! Remind not to get on this woman’s bad side. Whew!
Meanwhile, In California
The wholesale slaughter of the English language has picked up pace in California, with an imbecilic PC law passed this week.
And that led to various other suggestions … this was one of the best.
Fox Bites Man …Now That Is News
And not the fake sort. Donald Trump has had the adoring folks at Fox News (hi, Rupert) more or less as an extension of his PR office from even before he became Prez.
But that has suddenly taken a u-turn.
Fox anchor Neil Cavuto has had enough of the man-child in the White House when Trump said that Fox ‘wasn’t working for me anymore’ and viewers should go elsewhere.
In a devastating blockbuster piece, the Fox newsman has delivered some long overdue (from Fox, anyway) home truths to Discombobulated Donald. And in this piece (watch the video embedded in the Guardian yarn) Cavuto didn’t hold back, with such judgments as ‘ My job is to cover you, not fawn over you’, also ‘you are entitled to your own point of view but you are not entitled to your own set of facts’, and the killer closer ‘You are not entitled to a free pass – just a free press.
But The Trump Juggernaut Continues To Roll Over Everything In Its Path …
…. with the economy, the environment, the trade war and his performance at the G7 hootenany all getting the work-over from delighted ‘toonists.
………
That’s another week down, and if something sparks you up, enter the fray yourself in the comment section, it’s livelier than a frog in a sock. And if you enjoy this weekly labour of love, perhaps you might consider a donation – a couple of blog-related bills have knocked The ‘Pie’s piggy bank around something chronic. The Donate button is below.
The information I have been given is that the itinerants hanging around Aitkenvale at the moment were given some remuneration incentive, yes paid a bit of $$$ to relocate from the V8 area to minimise the visual during race period. Itinerants are not a Local Council issue but should work with all levels of government to help wherever they can. Being an Itinerant does not discriminate and although sometimes is a lifestyle choice is mostly a life circumstance.
Proof, please, Trev, a couple of affidavits would do it, preferably from recipients. If what you say is correct, and that then it turns out the money was ratepayer funds via the TCC and distributed by council representatives, then that opens up a very wriggly can of worms, verging on the criminal.
But just a reminder, Trev, as a candidate running for council, understand that unsubstantiated claims can come back and bite you on the your electoral bum big time. Proof on the other hand would make you a community hero… certainly in Aitkenvale.
Hi Magpie, thanks for your concern but probably as yourself I do not post without confirmation of any issue, I have been doing this for over 20 years and the information I have been given is true. I am 100% sure that as a city we move the itinerants out of the public eye when we are under the spotlight during an event as I was involved in 2002 when we last had the parliament here when the itinerants were moved on from the Flinders Street precinct. (Old CBD) Although I did not agree with it at the time I was one of the persons making the phone calls to make it look like we did not have a homeless problem. My thoughts back then and still are why mask the issue instead by just moving them on which we have done for the 38 years I have been a resident of Townsville. Being an itinerant does not discriminate, although sometimes it is a lifestyle choice it is often sadly a life circumstance.
With you in all that, Trevor, but The ‘Pie’s crucial point is if ratepayer funds were used as a financial incentive to get itinerants and vagrants to move from one place to another. And as someone who cares enough to want to serve the community, you have a DUTY to further investigate a matter which should, if provable, be immediately brought before the CCC.
It appears as if the communication – read spin – at TCC has taken a dive recently. Considering the spin was never going to be backed up with action, not ideal timing for its decline
Happy Father’s Day Pie including any LGITBQ followers of the nest . Unless Scott Stewart was misquoted his response about the Mullet . “ it’s all right for a Mayor who lives in a great house and has a great job but we’ve got to look after everyone ( that’s a few houses the Mayor has Scott ). I will continue to look after everyone in the Community Scott said so does that mean those of us who have been burgled or our cars stolen ? . In regards to Paul Jacobs back peddling on the Adani airport surely the Labor party bought him into line ?. Speaking of Labor , how long will they put up with their poor polling due to Jackie Trad . The $100,000 cash donation to Labor NSW raises questions about bags of $ in Townsville to certain Political Parties . A tip for ICAC and the ACCC , when you raid Political offices those note counting machines arnt there to count sausage sizzle fundraising $.
Naughty Philip Batty, how could he have ever questioned the integrity of a woman who still has a 1990’s mullet hairstyle. And the naughty ‘fake media’ who twisted her words and comments about the local ‘parkies’. How unprofessional is that. Although, having viewed her media Montague of dribble and folly several times, like most of Townsville has, it’s hard to see how her ‘words are being twisted’ when sh bhwrself makes it clear what she thinks about parkies.
P.S Dear Pie, can i suggest a disclaimer be put up before you post photos like the opening article photo of the Mullet? Children and those with heart conditions read this blog. Photos like that can have a negative lifelong effect on people.
Well, give the gal a chance, she’s been making an effort with photoshop to be more appealing to view.
Much better. Thank you.
“oh, the humanity!!!!” So very wrong….
She’s in good company. Repeated calls of “fake media got an orange turd elected to the White House.
You’ve done it again Pie!
My homemade soy cappuccino latte with a twist of lime, that I was delicately sipping on, has just splattered on my very nice YSL white satin pajamas. Yes, please – put a disclaimer in as G.Hill is suggesting.
Mr. Bean as Mullet? Laugh? I nearly choked. My fancy PJs now appear to be a graffiti-inspired leopard print.
The bill for a large tub of Napisan will be on its way to you shortly.
(But seriously, keep it up. Your blog makes my Sundays worth crawling out of bed for: now where did I put the bloody Panadol?)
What have I done?
Dunno. What have you done?
Just a couple of posts have ignored/deleted.
Just harmless comment or observation.
One last week still sitting there and one this morning was there but gone now.
Well, things occasionally get lost in the mix, especially on a Sunday, in the first flurry of contacts, not all of which are in comments. Had a look around now, and see one from you was deleted inadvertently this morning, but having thought about it, have decided to let it go through to the keeper. Probably my bad for allowing a sense of humour to bend The’Pie’s usual rule of not commenting on family or appearance without a solid newsworthy reason, and our lapse has thus encouraged others, but The ‘Pie does not want to start derogatory threads that concentrate on Jenny Hill’s appearance. This issue has been canvassed here before, and while The ‘Pie has offered the opinion that a community leader has a responsibility to present as a person of reasonable taste and grooming, he will leave it at that. The issue, if there is an issue, will speak for itself. The Jenny Bean photoshop is meant as a non-judgemental laugh.
… and in keeping with that spirit we all look forward to seeing the ‘pies face on Elle MacPherson’s bod….
Fine by The ‘Pie … nobody will be noticing the face.
Did Mr Batty really expect any different ruling from the CCC.
Surely there will come a time when Anna Alphabet wakes up to the fact that her protection of Tragic Jacki and Mayor Mullet is going to cost her big time at the next election.
As for the Mullet, can’t wait to find out how the CCC will assess her dodgy deals when the LNP takes over running the State, AND the CCC next year.
I’ve got my complaint and documentary evidence all parceled up and ready to send as soon as the LNP takes over ( no point in sending it right now).
Message for the Mullet: tick, tick, tick!
Phillip Batty may well have suspected the outcome, but as he has said here in comments over time, someone has to stay the course to expose the manipulations and the mindset of those adjudicating such matters in Queensland. He went the whole way, and for that we all owe him a debt of thanks.
There is still the option to take the decision to the “Ombudsman”.
The ‘Pie is sure Phil will set aside few hundred bucks more and another couple of years to get another bureaucratic kick in the cods. And no, The ‘Pie isn’t suffering sour grapes, the outcome of this ‘investigation’ is on the ponger more than Hulk Hogan’s armpit.
Happy Father’s DAY PIE. Itinerants in the parks are nothing new. We came to Townsville 32 years ago and guess what? nothing has changed! Itinerants and homeless in the parks and around the CBD back then. The problem needs to be sorted by an authority. TCC, police, charities. I well remember being greeted at the doorway of an office behind the Bulletinin in Ogden Street that resembled a pollie waffle. Who cleans all this stuff up? Enough is enough! In 32 years time the situation will be the same. There must be an answer? As for the expression of charities or enablers being responsible is not a new expression from TCC. I well remember being disgusted when some years ago when it was alleged that a TCC Councillor was supposed to have said that it was charities such as the food van who were responsible for helping the itinerants. This is 2019 not 1819. Surely there must be some authority who can fix the problem?
The problem is more complex nowadays, because back in the times you speak of, it was a 98% indigenous problem, with those kicked out of their own communities for drinking or whatever, descending on Townsville (and Cairns), with no programs in place to attempt a solution. Now, there are plenty of people – right around Australia – who find themselves homeless through bad decisions, but not always their own bad decisions. And a lot of them aren’t indigenous.
Fully agree that many are not Indigenous and I recall the case a few years ago of the business man in Brisbane who was arrested for being homeless in the Brisbane Mall resulting from a family breakdown.
I see that the Cairns post has reported that 470 people who were issued air tickets by Qld Health to return to their communities have not used these tickets costing the taxpayers a huge amount of money. This problem has been occurring in Townsville for years yet the QLD government has never addressed the issue inspite of suggestions by the Indigenous community and others that QLD Health actually take discharged patients to the airport and ensure that they board the aircraft. It is well known that many of this group of people end up in the parks and have a decline in health and are readmitted to hospital and the merry-go-round continues.
Sorry, just to be clear about those Cairns ‘no-go’s … were they in Cairns for everyday medical reasons and just chose not to return to their communities (which we white folks would term our ‘home towns’)? Could be wrong, but surely as the law stands, once out of hospital, they, like all non-criminal or other legally sanctioned Australians, would be free to choose where they go after that, be it Cairns, Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne for instance. Did anyone buying the airline tickets actually ask these people if they wanted to go home, or if they would do so anyway? Here is the nub of the ‘parkie’ problem. It is a slippery slope indeed if we start making exceptions to basic laws of freedom of movement for any particular groups, because when a law is made, it applies to everyone. (That’s why the Townsville council, much to the disgust of Judge Clive Wall, introduced the non-drinking by-law to cover the Strand, removing a reasonable right of the majority to create a reason to deter indigenous drunkeness.) It is the same dilemma faced by the totally unworkable plan to have refugee immigrants live in rural areas for their first five years. How close are we then to an internal passport regime, comrades?
This is of course purely a legal argument about the democratic process, and The ‘Pie doesn’t deny it is a vexing problem for all concerned, the parkies, residents and police. The only ones it doesn’t overly concern apparently, are the politicians, including indigenous power brokers, for whom the too hard basket is way too accessible.
Then there are those who are bought here for various reasons by government /semi government organisations, from communities all over North Queensland. Through their bad choices,(alcohol or drugs) these individuals end up homeless in our community. They need assistance (government money) to get back to where they came from as they do not have the resources themselves.
Simple question in free Australia – what if they don’t want to go ‘back to where they came from’?
Another question is what if ‘back where they came from’ don’t want them back, having legally ‘exiled’ them under indigenous dry community laws?
The government funded scheme referred to is the Patients Transport Subsidy Scheme and having used the PTTS twice for medical related trips to Brisbane I can assure you that if you are going to another centre for a medical related consultation the hospital staff fully discuss with you both the forward and return flights. If you are hospitalised, again hospital staff discuss with you your discharge date and home return dates and flights so to correct your comment, no-one is forced to return to their town or community of origin. An updated news story in the Cairns Post notes $250,000 as being the figure for booked PTTS flights that patients have not used for the Torres and Cape Health Service. I wonder what the total value of the unused PTTS funding is across Queensland.
I’m certain that people will agree that this tax payer funding could be used to shorten hospital waiting lists etc. instead of being wasted.
(Sigh) whatever is the visual equivalent of cloth-ears, it applies to you, Crits, in this instance, you are correcting nothing. The ‘Pie not did not say any such thing, quite the opposite, he was just seeking clarification of a previous comment which was unclear … it implied that some patients were under obligation to return to their communities, and use travel tickets already supplied. Just read it again.
When it comes to comments, The ‘Pie can explain it for you, but he can’t understand it for you.
Fair bit of Fathers Day shenanigans being had with this thread, which has been great, but I agree with The Pie that Mr Batty deserves a round of beers. Always a good feeling that even if defeated, you gave it a shot, and that’s what Phil did. It’s hard to win against the might of a politician with their endless buckets of legal money and Barristers on speed dial, top cover by other politicians and rich business folk, and so the list goes on. But Phil had a crack at it.
Phil, better to die on your feet than on your knees. You did well mate. You gave it a shot and for that you are a winner. Top points.
Mick, Genitalia, Frequent Flyer et al
In all honesty I did expect the outcome to be different, probably naively, and possibly because of my simple logical view of things.
The rules for disclosure of hospitality benefits are clear, has to made within 30 days and has to be made public within 30 days from there. Clearly neither of these things were followed but it seems we have rules which can be ignored.
In 2 years of trying I found out only last week that a certain piece of paper with a date of May 2017 stated this was when the declaration was made (not made public until August 2017 BTW), it would have been very easy for any of the 4 departments to tell me this at anytime over the last two years.
The tender question was dismissed quickly by the CCC due to TCC not owning anything therefore no tender required and just as quickly reopened what I provided the evidence on what was stated publicly and to the media by the mayor and then Paul Jacob’s quote to the media.
Three agencies later and 2 years on there are three things which bemuse me:-
Mayor Hill must have been misquoted by the media (common theme here it seems) or mischaracterised the facts to the media.
Paul Jacob now remembers it differently than at the time, his memory unlike mine must improve with the passing of time.
And the last one even more strange quoting from the OIA letter I received dismissing the matter was “These inquiries determined that the understanding of most councillors was that TCC would lease, not own the airport” MOST councillors…….MOST is a very interesting term.
I tried and I dont beleive I failed.
The interesting thing now will be what happens to the $18m we have committed to ? will it go ahead? what does Rocky do without our contribution? (nice to see Adani building an office in Rocky now)
Stepping away from a fight is not an option for me and should not be an option for anyone who pays rates to council they should be accountable for how they spend it.
Precisely. To all of that.
Phillip , I believe your foi put T.C.C. under the microscope and both Adele the Impailer and Stephen Beckitt ( Labor ring ins ) have since departed . It coincided with the Ipswich Mayor and Councillors , Logan Mayor and Councillors debacles along with other Councils and CCC showing it is a criminal offence and it’s likely like Pissale there will be jail time . Ipswich Council investment company lost $80 mil so that could be another bullet the Townsville ratepayers have been saved from .
Peter Dutton is right in his tough stance on the Sri Lankan family deportation.
The adults in the family have explained their circumstance to every decision maker and judge up to and including the High Court and every one of them has rejected their claim for protection.
They are simply economic refugees seeking a stronger financial future for their families.
They should be returned to Sri Lanka and they should then join the queue to come to Australia legally if they want to live here.
When the emotion is put to one side, The ‘Pie totally agrees with the government’s position. The salient facts are that both father and mother are illegal boat arrivals, coming separately about a year apart, both were told in clear terms that the law stipulated that entering the country illegally, they could never live here, because it quickly was determined on their own evidence that their claims to be refugees fleeing for their lives were false, but to game the system, they made appeal after appeal (costing the Australian taxpayer millions of dollars) and their arguments rejected by the most senior legal minds in the land, all the while having a family. This smacks of well planned emotional blackmail, which appears to have worked on some people.
Pie, I agree 100% with your summary.
Sorry for my naivete Pie, but how could they have spent “millions” of tax payer money, care to qualify? ta.
Quoting Dutton, who is unlikely to make an easily refuted error like this. But apart from massive legal costs, there is the cost of extended detention before settling in rural Queensland, medical bills and no doubt social benefits mandated for such cases. But there is one thing The ‘Pie read somewhere that he does not understand … can’t find it just now, but somewhere it was reported that the father who persistently claims he and his family’s lives would be in jeopardy if deported back, has in the past few years returned to Sri Lanka three times for family reunions or funerals or something. Not sure how that works or if it’s true, but if it is, these folks are playing us for suckers. They just refuse to respect Australian law.
I get the emotional side of it, but the likes of Keaneally, Plibbers, Albanese and Shorten (remember him?) aren’t putting another nail in Labor’s coffin, they are screwing it down from the inside.
For those of us who have promoted the idea of a Nth Qld political party as a much more viable strategy for NTh Qld rather than the seperate state idea, Jason Costigan is going to completely fuck that whole concept today up by announcing he is getting involved, nothing sinks an idea quicker than having a first class loser running the show.
Bawhahaha … Just what a new North Queensland state needs, a plagiarist and perv as a Premier.
Jason Costigan as premier of a new NQ state? What a great way to kill off an idea before its day has come.
A couple of questions could be asked, since Costo aspires to be the leader ergo he wants us to see as a role model.
First, given his boofy sports jock ogling of women (which is OK by The ‘Pie, but the old bird doesn’t want to be premier or even an elected politician for that matter), he might just outline his personal life, a sad but necessary minimum required by all public figures except Alan Jones, who has that closet door firmly closed.
Costigan’s parliamentary info sheet says : single … 2 children. Now these sections usually say something twee like ‘Partner so and so, two children’. Or ‘divorced, 2 children’.
But single, two children? A clarification would instantly stop any naughty and scurrilous speculation.
But here’s the one for the Astonisher reporter who, we are told, asks all the questions we want answered. Politely inquire of Costo if he was forced to skip Townsville in the early 2000s after being caught out as a blatant plaigarist. He got out of Dodge City in a hell of a hurry back then. Are we being asked to elect a plagiarist perv premier?
It occurs to me that, just because one pervy buffoon has said he is starting a new party (seemingly because no one will have him) doesn’t mean that it will be the only one. I suspect the KAP shill “Separate State NQ” will stand against him, along with the existing major parties, and potentially a host of others. If you take a look back at separatist history from around the world, it is populated by very crowded fields of mainly no-hopers from which eventually emerge some semblance of cobbled together government.
While we speak of “me semblance of cobbled together government”, it also occurs to me that there might not be a need to topple the Mullet – with an effective opposition in Council, or even better an opposition Council and a stranded Mullet, the doors of transparency and governance might open again. Probably easier to unseat some of the doorstops we have as ward councillors rather than drain the entire swamp.
Just an idle thought.
Well, idle thoughts should wander back to when we had exactly that situation here in Townsville, when Townsville First had the majority on the floor, but because of our lop-sided system of a separate election for mayor, Jenny Hill was in the chair. (She won that mayoralty by lying default against Dale Last, by conniving with the Bulletin in the Friday edition before gthe Saturday election to print the outrageous claim that under Last and Townsville First, rates would rise by 17% annually. That demonstrated three things … Jenny Hill’s word CANNOT be trusted, that the Bulletin actively interfered and went beyond its remit in failing to give Last a timely right of reply, and that Dolan Hayes is a master of political timing.
So under any normal democratic rules, the situation was that Jenny Hill became the titular head of the council but the real decision making was in the hands of the TF majority who had been overwhelmingly voted in across the city. They blocked many of Hill’s populist disasters (they staved off kerbside collection for instance) but because Jenny continually ran to her chums at the paper, it became a case of a ‘war torn, ineffective factional council’ … which of course was utter bullshit, and they knew it. But an electorate that would swallow a 17% rate rise every year found it easy to buy the lie that the democratic process was ‘squabbling and in-fighting’, and thus we’ve ended up where we are today – Shitsville.
And that’s what you will get again, the iditor has even signalled it already in a recent iditorial, judging such a democratic situation as unpalatable. A snippet from last month’s complete gibberish:
QUOTE:Cr Hill has weathered the potentially politically dangerous storm around Townsville’s water security.
Regardless of who deserves the credit for securing construction of the Haughton pipeline, she will go down in history as the mayor who was in charge when the project was delivered.
Cr Hill also did a sterling job during the Townsville floods.
The emotional toll that event took on her was evident in the immediate aftermath but she showed strong leadership throughout a difficult time.
The biggest problem ahead for Cr Hill is likely to be dealing with a more divided council from March next year.
It is highly unlikely she will enjoy the support of all councillors as she has done for the majority of this term.
Winning the election may be the easy part. Leading a more divided will pose a greater challenge.
UN-FUCKING-QUOTE!!!~
Engineer, mate, it may be distressing enough to make you become very uncivil very quickly.
Not at all distressed by this Magpie – public debate is healthy and contributes to the body politic.
That said, you seem a little bit heated this week – you OK or should you have a lie down?
Look around you, mate, and tell me the secret of staying calm. Confronting catatonia every day ain’t easy.
catatonia | ˌkadəˈtōnēə |
noun
Psychiatry abnormality of movement and behavior arising from a disturbed mental state (typically schizophrenia). It may involve
repetitive or purposeless overactivity
,
or catalepsy, resistance to passive movement, and negativism.If there is TCC regime change the new mayor, new councillors, and the people of Townsville will still be left with a Council administration stacked with ALP sycophants.
That can’t be good for change. Can these people be sacked or will they stay-put, bloat, and obstruct?
well, for starters, doesn’t the CEO serve at the council’s pleasure, and would have to step down if received a vote of no confidence? An expensive step down it would be too.
This wont be the Townsville bulletin
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-02/townsville-property-housing-market-boom-bust-mining-north-qld/11464454
Indeed, it’s a tale of two media. From the ABC (bloody snivelling, leftie socialist anti-capitalist fake news gossipmongers that they are)
… but the lie is given to that tripe by the community champion and insightful Townsville Bulletin.
That’s why the paper is known as The Astonisher.
Notice how the Astonisher does not allow comments on these articles. We built at Northshore and 6 years on I can confirm our property value has dropped $100K (Ouch). And the valuation was done by valuers not associated with local builders or the Stocklands mob but our banks valuer as I wanted an honest appraisal. Mind you, what do we expect when most of the housing here is investment properties.
And what does it say about our society when you have to go to a bank for honesty? Let’s face it, we’re buggered.
Only a $100,000 loss ??
Welcome to Club Townsville.
And yet still they build more houses and vast housing estates , to what end ?? Real estate ponzi schemes to lure investors? I’m surprised real estate agents don’t just try swinging hurricane lamps down by the rocks at the strand to lure ships to their doom.
Ok, exactly how will the price of your house ever improve or even remain the same if they build new houses during a housing market collapse? Then you have the projected housing estates behind the huge grey formidable ” walls of occupation ” seen by the ring road. Presumably the new tactic against crime in the new estates is to physically stop criminals from creeping into the estates from all angles ( see? – walls work).
I feel sorry for the ones that have been sucked into buying into the new estates. Building houses in Townsville has turned into a cargo cult.
The Jenny Hill effect, whether it’s the overall economy, property prices, business confidence, it can impact anything, it has no bounds, can’t wait to see how the Dudley’s spin this one.
If sellers keep accepting low offers so they can amputate themselves from this fine city, then the prices will continue to go down. A utopian idea would be for all sellers to say NO to shit low offers.
Dutch Rev, the population of Townsville has continued to rise despite the “downturn” so perhaps it is not true that people want to “amputate themselves from this fine city”. And listening to the whingeing and whining from Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne about the cost of living and house prices I wonder where it is these amputees actually want to go?
If this is the case NMD. Why would the market accept such low offers ? I can tell you for a fact that there people who have left town never to return. If as you say they are not amputees from this city, then it must be investors desperately trying to offload the properties they own. Remember there are lies, damned lies and stats. It must be nirvana living in the bubble you you have around you.
In 2014, Townsville population was 90,000 … today (if TCC is to be believed/trusted) it is 94,000 … growth rate 0.6%
Also, read it and weep … or moive the Maggie Island.
Hi Magpie, just reread my initial draft and I do agree though that the wording should have been “From the information I have been given I allege that the itinerants etc”
Keep up the great work
Trevor
Trevor, you aren’t convincing me to vote for you old mate as much as I dislike Jenny Hill and her team.
Your previous post isn’t a “draft”, it exists in the public realm.
You seem to have a few slip ups that keep demonstrating that you probably aren’t up to the task of Councillor.
With the best wishes, I’d suggest you save your money and stay at home.
If not, sharpen your pencil a lot. You shouldn’t have to rely on blog sites for advice about how to express yourself
Ouch !
Fark… even the Mullet makes slip ups… err is misquoted… errr… has fake media
Harpic, the hapless ALP member for Thuringowa on local TV news tonight ‘Townsville we have got your back’, referring to the continually rehashed ‘promise’ re 53 extra Police officers. The equally hapless and incredibly disappointing ‘member’ for a Townsville, Private Cupcake in his usual place standing behind Harpic.
The ONLY thing we want see is the BACK of these inept, embarrassing and failed ‘politicians’ at the next Qld state election. Do the honourable thing Harpic and Private Cupcake – don’t bother standing again – please!
And doesn’t this just up the Yes Minister- Utopia double-talk out of George Street.
Fast-bloody-tracked? To the end of next year, another 15 months, to fulfil an election promise more than two years ago? Why doesn’t the paper that’s ‘all for us’ call these imposters out?
But but that is fast, in the world of bureaucracies!!! A promise from 2 years ago that will be fulfilled in 15 months time. Yep, that’s pretty quick for Government. Shame on you Magpie for not grasping how many idle hands a request like this would have to pass through, before reaching active hands. Lots of meetings, discussions and advisory papers to write. Boxes to tick. Arguments to have. Budgets to be stretched. Accountabilities to be dodged. Spin to be created! All takes time………yawn
DO NOT AGREE ABOUT THE IDLE HANDS … those hands are busy as can be, it’s what they’re doing is disgusting, sometimes not even under the desk. (You missed that in your list, didn’t you?)
Toppling the Mullet is the only game in town, changes of councillors, changes of CEO etc mean nothing if Jenny Hill is still there, the same toxin that runs through this city will still be there, the same level of failure will still resonate through the town if Jenny Hill is still mayor, plain and simple she has to go.
Since The ‘Pie does not advocate or publish anything suggesting violence against ANYBODY but particularly women, he doubled check to ensure you had put the ‘l’ in your opening word.
I see Sam Cox is still in the phony war stage of his tilt for the mayoralty. His letter to the editor In today’s Bullshit was full of the “vision stuff” (albeit a bit light on in detail).
I was intrigued by the $500k rubbish truck that couldn’t do the job. Where’s our local Waste Department informant (Waste OFTAM), what’s the story there ol mate?
C’mon Sam, come clean. Put your hand up and let’s get on with it.
Stay home Sam – having a ‘bob’ each way and trying to ‘decide’ to run is no good to us after what what have had to endure with this Council. Your ‘uncertainty’ has put me and a lot of others off you, I expect………You also seem to be carrying a fair bit of baggage from recent political defeats………
FFS, Sam, take Alan Jones political advice, and put a sock in it.
Who do you think you are, our bloody mother? Why keep telling us what we all already know … WHAT WE WANT TO KNOW IS IF YOU INTEND TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. And if not, lay off, you are in fact just perpetuating the myth this this destructive, self-seeking woman and her sock puppets cannot be beaten at the polls.
The Magpie’s advice – always welcome, we know – how about inquiring with Ashleigh and Martin if they can grow some fur on your balls … if they can’t or you choose not to have the necessary transplant, suggest you buy some Deep Heat Goanna Oil, go home and massage your bruised ego.
Oh, and BTW, do not include The Magpie in your opening line, at least not in the ‘disappointed few’ about you not declaring a run … the old bird is glad you’re not running, a person who demands conditional commitment is hardly what this poor benighted city needs right now.
Thats harsh magpie, he’s just doing what he can like the rest of us.
Anyone putting their hand up for public office will find it hard, its no wonder he’s just checking the water.
It’s no wonder they are finding it hard to get candidates if they are being attacked by their own side.
Not harsh at all, just the reality of the damage that dithering does. And no, he’s not like the rest of us, because ‘the rest of us’ didn’t say they were ‘thinking about maybe, possibly, might run, but then on the other hand, not unless you say you love me’. In behaving as he has, Sam has thrown away his best hope at the polls, gone weak at the knees and appearing to be overwhelmed by the challenge. Not the mind-set we need in Walker Street. Maybe he can turn it around, just hope we don’t end up with a split ticket.
A timely footy coaching analogy for you, Mr Cox, which also applies to politics … Go Hard Or Go Home.
Funny, I use exactly the same quote when out on the drink, and I don’t go home!
Also the motto for the local knock shop….so I’ve been told….
Maggie on fire! Burn-off or bushfire? Either way, poor bloody koalas and possums, doesn’t seem to be near any houses at this stage.
‘Pie, last couple of weeks there have been a number of prescription burn offs in the national park near the forts and up behind Horseshoe Bay – the weather is calm-ish, the temps low and the humidity in the evening high so lit fires are likely to go out after a few hours giving the desired mosaic burn pattern. There has been helicopter activity this morning so quite possibly the smoke is coming from aerially lit fires in the centre of the Island well away from the ‘burbs. The fuel load is quite low so the actual fire/s creep around rather than blazing through the tree canopy. Prescription burning is a difficult and controversial art form which the state is obliged to carry out. We are lucky to have well trained professionals doing it safely and with a light touch. Also, alongside its urban fire brigade Magnetic Island has two local volunteer bush fire brigades at Horseshoe Bay and West Point who have been keeping firebreaks up to scratch and keeping equipment at the ready. We should wish them good luck with the task they have ahead of them.
Thanks, now we know.
Straight from the government information office. Them firies are right up there with electoral office workers, hey Dredges?
It can`t be, coz its not on the Astonishers web site.
Planned burn therefore wildlife all forewarned.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/park-alerts/17184.html&ved=2ahUKEwiNiIOqhLTkAhWD73MBHU8JCH0QFjAAegQIAhAB&usg=AOvVaw3jhCvgJ_VWNSnxpRNK4LSO
Eh? Wildlife forewarned?
Dear Kenny and Katherine Koala,
cc Paul and Penelope Possum,
Please be advised ….
Yep! Hope it is done buy email and not Aust Post, or the wildlife will be toast.
Trump and Hill use the same hairdresser?
Strewth! Hope the Mullet does not get motivated by this precedent.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-03/agressive-magpie-shot-dead-after-hills-shire-council-decision/11473598
Uh oh.
All the best to the independent Whitsunday MP Jason Costigan ‘aiming for a fair go for the North’. With the regional Parliament here in Townsville he may not be the only one, wondering where new heights of next years’ Public Report of Ministerial expenses will end up all in the south. Costs reported for State Government Ministers and the growing legions of minders have sky-rocked by $11.7M in three years. i.e. Queensland’s 18 Ministers and their offices#$44M.
Have they considered offsetting these costs by letting out their accommodation on ‘air b & b’ while away. On a positive, we could be in for property boom with some keen- eyed investors here this week.
We all hope, they consider and making some commitment to fixing the extreme lack of water outside Metro South East, ie The Drought, being experienced by northern farmers and cattle graziers, stretching from Southern Downs through to Charters Towers.
A hint for the future, Build some new Dams in the North and not misnamed flood mitigation controls or remedial engineering works, to avoid upsetting the Greens.
Maybe it’s more a problem with English than it is with arithmetic, but the Bulletin continues to entertain us like grade two youngsters wrestling with both.
Make what you will of this quote from today’s story about developers taking the council to court over planning decisions.
“Three separate developers have lodged legal actions against the council in the Planning and Environment Court in the past fortnight, a significant increase from the eight appeals lodged in all of 2018.”
Moment, what is the point of your “hint for the future – build some new Dams in the North”. Only a few weeks ago the latest Hells Gate dam feasibility study reported that:
“Modelled water costs are well above those seen in established irrigation areas that have viable economic scenarios growing broad acre crops (for example the established horticulture areas such as the Murray-Darling Basin). This is not an unexpected outcome – this greenfield site was never intended to compete domestically with Murray-Darling sourced produce, while the 2014 study that concentrated on sugar cane showed that traditional broad acre cropping was highly unlikely to be internationally competitive.”
Is “Highly unlikely to be internationally competitive”, a recommendation to invest, in your mind? Does “Never intended to compete domestically”, suggest that it might be a dud prospect at the moment? And what of the impact of clearing and ploughing up to 50,000 hectares of dirt in the GBR catchment of the Burdekin River? What planet are we on here? Or is the sole objective here to get the federal and state governments to just spend the money, any money, no matter how wasteful and uneconomic the prospect?
Well you see, NMD, a dam shouldn’t have to be “economically viable” and/or “make a profit”. The idea is to provide water where there currently is none, for the common good.
And I did attend the presentation by SMEC on their so-called Feasibility Study (actually more of a scoping study or pre-feasibility study, or more accurately a report produced to provide the answer the State Government wants so they can shut people up). The presenter was almost apologetic as to the lack of meaningful Engineering involved.
Have a nice day.
Rusty, how does the “common good” work when there’s no ‘market’ for the shit you grow? Now that Townsville’s water supply is guaranteed for a few decades by the new pipeline there’s nothing other than some debatable agriculture (or aquaculture I suppose) to make use of the unrealistically priced water. OK, maybe it’s a work creation activity or something for the North’s earthmovers to do for a few years to weather the lean times but let’s be honest about it.
What planet are we on, well NMD most of us here are on planet earth, unlike yourself who would most likely be found either gravitating around planet Mullet or circling around Uranus looking for Klingons.
So Cantankerous, what economic activity would you be recommending for a newly built Hells Gate dam? Would you be clearing and ploughing the 50,000 hectares north of Charters Towers for sugar cane or cotton regardless of the fact that the initial studies show that neither crop can ever be competitive on the world market? Or would you be planting citrus or avos even though such crops cannot compete even with other Australian growers? Or deep down are you looking at a gravity-fed fully subsidised water supply for a north Galilee Basin coal mine? Probably not. That would be too obvious. Perhaps there could be a water ski gardens with a geyser like they have in Canberra, with a nice hotel overlooking the mined-out Greenvale nickel deposit? If you want to be a spruiker for Hells Gate (along with TEL) why won’t you face up to the realities revealed by the multi-million dollar study? It looks like a very, very expensive and destructive dud. Mind you, the promoters are now looking for another $24 million from Canberra for a “proper” business case. To prove up something for someone, sometime. I thought you objected to corporates sucking on the public tit? Where are your standards?
Someone in layout at the SMH having their little joke with ad placement?
The tedium of UK`s efforts to leave the insane EU has spawned a host of New words, mostly nouns to describe the whole debacle. Its called Brexit-speak.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/brexitspeak-brexhaustion-to-backstop/news-story/d50088499a92bcb773c644aee3a47e21
Some are very funny, as well as descriptive such as;
BREXHAUSTION: The state of anxious weariness felt by many UK citizens and politicians at the unresolved Brexit crisis.
BREXTREMIST: Pejorative term for a Brexit supporter.
BRINO: An acronym that means “Brexit in name only.” It’s a pejorative term used by Brexiteers for a “soft Brexit”
I see that Bob Katter has chained himself to a shovel. Excellent move.
I think it would be more effective if the shovel was inside a tool shed with all of the other blunt tools. Bob would fit right in then.
T, your opinion is yours to have, but in his electorate he is well respected and, indeed, keeps getting re-elected.
Dave, you are exactly right.
It just puts paid to that old adage.
You can actually fool all of the people all of the time!
Agreed. Katter is authentic and works hard. More than one can say about the 3 pockets on a singlet that are “representing” our great city.
Indeed, knoiws his people better than most politicians. Just imagine what a force he would be if he was sane.
? . What ? You do not accept that one of Bob’s constituents is being torn to pieces by a crocodile every 3 months?
It is better to be known for something than for nothing and Bob has the knack.
Yes Kelso, Katter has the knack, as well as the knackers!
Hey there ‘Thursday’………and I think it would be a good move to erase your day of the week from the calendar and replace it with the word Plucker – yes you are!!!
?
Please explain
He’d sack Christina Keneally as his Senate Rep and he would deport the Tamils.
Very much doubt Jesus would be anywhere near Canberra.
He’d also teach her how to spell “Christina”, she spells it Kristina.
Then again, English would be a second language for Jesus and he probably wouldn’t be let into Australia anyway
If Jesus sought refuge in Australia and Potato Head incarcerated him on Christmas Island, would that be ironic?
Suppose so.
Not ironic, just appropriate. Especially if he arrived by boat.
WW,
Christmas Is would not hold him. Remember, He can walk on water, and can go without tucker for 40 days. By that time he would be on the Aust mainland or on the beach in Bali.
Well as Jesus was actually Church of England I’d say there was a very good chance of him speaking English.
Don’t start.
Pie, since we are only 6 months or so from the stadium being sort of ready I thought it only fitting we should be first to come up with a nickname for it, given the now ridiculous decision to use a vinyl type product on the roof peaks, I thought the Tent or the Annexe might be a good start.
The Tarp ?
Hills Hoist
“Welders world”
The Beehive, The Flap Trap, Lancini’s Folly, Clownboys Coliseum, Wang Park, Blunderdome……
Think you’re all on the wrong track. The stadium needs a company sponsor, like our dentist mate in the past. So given the dramas in construction, the cost blow-out, the continuing money sink hole it will be when opened and in honour of all those wittering on about how it will save the CBD, there is only one company who should get naming rights.
JT’s WOFTAM
Wallyworld…..
All good stuff, but unless something better comes along, he’s going with Total Tools Stadium …slogan: ‘We Can Fix Anything’. Fit right in with Peter Beattie at the helm.
OK, but you will need to modify the little man with folded arms, on the left of the image. Unfold the arms, and one hand lowers and gets a (total) grip.
Bentley may help here.
Katter is as mad as a cut snake, and sometimes he gets it wrong, but more often than not he gets it right. He works very very hard, and he understands the Bush. He also isn’t afraid to go in to bat for the Bush. Other ‘so called’ Bush politicians like Beetroot Head Joyce, Wasn’t Truss and Michael Mc’do’naught are pathetic examples of Politicians who didn’t represent the Bush at all. Spineless muppets.
In 2011 when there were 6000 people in immigration detention, Keneally said: “I believe Australia is big enough culturally, economically, socially, geographically, to be able to officially process these applications and to welcome these people into our country.”
Last Sunday (talking about the Biloela Tamils) she said: “Open your heart, understand what the gospel tells us as Christians to do,” She went on: “It is the Parable of the Good Samaritan where we welcome in our land the stranger, where we treat them with compassion and kindness.”
Meantime back at the ranch, Albanese said in 2013: “If you come to Australia by boat without a visa, you will not be settled in Australia”
I reckon Keneally is the gift that just keeps giving for the LNP and Albanese is being guided right into a trap of his own making.
Morrison must be chuckling.
You do realize that I don’t exist.
Wha …wha … who said that?
Huge stuff up on Ch 7 “local” news tonight when they showed the Mackay edition here in Townsville.
Assume the good folk of Mackay got our Townsville version.
God, I hope someone warned them about Jenny Hill!!!!!!
Mackay locals might have thought she was Freddy Krueger
Old Lozza unloads on Anna Alphabet in the paper today, I always enjoy watching someone highlight the deficiencies of the state Labor govt, shame he didn’t take the opportunity to give it to Jenny Hill as well given many of his gripes regarding lack of confidence and the worst economy he has ever seen can be aimed directly at the Mullet, I don’t see Anna Alphabet rejecting development after development in this town, then again maybe he doesn’t have that problem.
One supposes that’s Lancini’s squring off Mayor Mullet’s support for the stadium move, but he did allow himself a small kick in the cods for the local administration … what ever ‘step up’ means.
Mr Lancini said he had never seen the garrison city’s economy as bad as it is right now in his 38-year career.
“I have never seen Townsville in as a poor economic state as we are in now,” he said.
“I love Townsville and there is a lot of opportunity, but we need state and local government to step up.”
And he loves Townsville so much, he is about to move down to southern farm permanently, where The ‘Pie hears in addition to his ‘farm house’ … yeah, very basic rustics, you can bet … he has built three or four luxury guest cottages. Will not repeat the purpose of same, as relayed by the person who offered the info. At least no one will get seasick on any dirty weekends anymore.
And good luck to him too, he like many who have the $$ to do so are leaving and heading south and even north, I have been to two goodbye Townsville drinks in the last month alone, it’s not exactly a choice place to live out your best years anymore and offers little in the way of the lifestyle many want, such a wasted opportunity.
Hang on….NMD says all is good and no one is leaving Townsville.
The start of something big???
From the Fin Review ..
Electricity prices hit minus $1000 in Qld
Angela Macdonald-Smith and Mark Ludlow
A collapse in the spot price for electricity in Queensland on Wednesday morning to as low as minus $1000 a megawatt-hour has rattled the industry and raised questions as to who will bear the losses triggered by a flood of solar generation from rooftop panels and large-scale farms.
What is the spot price on dusk and early evening? No sun and higher domestic demand, and will they attempt to make up the shortfall in this time slot?
The other looming electricity calamity will occur when a critical number of households opt out of the grid for individual domestic battery/solar generation.
What price for those reducing numbers on the grid, or will those off-grid be charged for simply having power lines running in front of their property. We are in for an exciting future.
Surprise, Surprise!!
The Crime and Corruption Commission will not launch a corrupt conduct investigation into Ms Trad over an investment property in Brisbane’s inner south.
Who’da thunk?
Are you related to ‘Thursday’, ‘Friday’?????????
Oh, FFS kids, don’t start.
Oh, ok Pie, I’ll leave it till Monday!
No, just neighbours
How about you all become tomorrow … tomorrow.
Looks like NMD’s prescription burn (??, guess its Gov. speak 2019 for planned burn) is going well. (someone at National Parks needs to have their presciption pad taken off them), still Isuppose it will make it easy for a 2019 census count of Drop Bears. Bloody dickheads lighting these types of fires at this time of year with no chance of targeting or control, should be done earlier, months earlier. Shades of Hinchinbrook Island when the nesting Torres Strait Island Pidgeons were decimated in times past by the same agency.
By the way where is Dredger today? RDO?
Don’t know much about koalas and possums, let alone snakes (well not the legless kind, anyway) so serious question: why was this very necessary and sensible burn taking place in the breeding season? It is the breeding season for these animals, isn’t it?
Exactly, probably related to middle of the year State Gov. budgeting and the flow through funding, based on the use it or loose it mantra.
The financial year timeframe doesn’t work very well with our NQ seasons, by the time the paper work gets done we are into the worst of the dry or in the case of roadworks the wet impacts on half finished jobs.
Arthur. It’s the Electoral Workers Picnic Holiday.
James Cook University has been ordered to pay reef scientist Peter Ridd $1.2 million for unlawfully dismissing him after he publicly criticised the institution’s climate change science.
I reckon they got the decimal point in the wrong spot is should read 12 million.
Harding should have to pay it personally
You are greatly in error, as they say in legal circles, if you think this is all over … indeed, it is only just the start, and for one over-riding reason … the judgement, reasons, and the costs and damages were awarded by a person some have deemed to be the most incompetent goose ever to sit in a court anywhere in Australia. The ‘Pie does not enter into the merits of either side’s cases, but the greatest thing JCU have going for them if they appeal is the erratic and bully-bluster performance of Judge Sal Vasta. Vasta’s big blind spot is that he can’t get over himself, something his peers and betters look certain to help eventually do.
I recall years ago, when a District Court Judge was hearing an appeal from an infamously bad local beak. His honour remarked to counsel for the appellant “ I see that Magistrate X made the original decision – are there any other grounds of appeal?”
Poor old Sal maybe heading the same way.
That sounds suspiciously like old mate Clive Wall, who once told a barrister who had said he didn’t know what was going on in the magistrate’s mind when a certain decision was reached, replied ‘In my experience, trying to fathom what goes on in a magistrates mind is a fruitless pursuit.’
Tut tutting all around from the legal professional, barely suppressed hilarity from the media desk.
And you may rest assured, Sal Vasta is neither poor nor old.
Recent Courier Mail article about a second Brisbane team.
https://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/five-queensland-business-tycoons-behind-huge-bid-to-launch-brisbane-bombers/news-story/ce410cc3344b9dde935927d73a879b11
Article says: “There’s a team of five businessmen and a couple have a footballing background.” Four are based in Brisbane and one investor is in north Queensland.
I wonder who the NQ investor could be?
JCU $1.2mil out of pocket.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-06/jcu-ordered-to-pay-1.2m-compensation-peter-ridd/11487086
Ummm, is it ‘just me’ or does Private Cupcake (the ‘member’ for Townsville) appear to be unwell? On 7 local news tonight, whilst standing behind a Minister and in media photos this week he was decidedly florid in the face area and looked like he had swallowed a sheet. Whilst I don’t agree with his ‘politics’ or his insipid political performance over the last two terms, I do hope he is ok…..,,,,,
LOL strike me pink, CCC reckons Trad did no wrong or throw away, “there isn’t enough evidence.” Sorry Pie have no time for Frecklington as she is too nice and doesn’t have what it takes, she should be raising hell about this…
On another subject that reached news here in NSW, Lancini’s shot at the Premier. Know maybe some will disagree but Townsville needs new blood and as much as I was fond of a self made businessman he was when I moved north IMO he needs to move on now. Can’t help thinking any developer that is dependent on lobbying for tax-payer largesse’s like Stadiums and council contracts has his best years behind him.
The Catholic Church is truly unfit for purpose. Since the Royal Commission and other revelations world wide, Catholics who piously perch in the pews each Sunday, no longer being able to claim ignorance, are equally responsible for future clergy abuse of little children. I cannot understand why Catholics have not risen up to demand reform. I have had my protest, suggested it be sent to Rome, and now have nothing to do with the church. I may be many things, but I am not a hypocrite.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-06/secret-report-findings-into-alleged-catholic-abuse-cover-ups/11487006
Assume your inclusion of the Ridd link was an error, so deleted it.
Thanks ‘Pie,
My error.
This is the other article.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-06/lawyers-say-catholic-church-admits-liability/11487214
I am saddened
Then DO something!
Demand the reforms that have been well articulated by eminent observers, some Catholic, some not.
Wouldn’t it be better to ban the Catholic Church? Make the entire entity ‘illegal’? This has been going on forever – priests diddling children, heirachy covering it up, billions and billions of dollars stashed in the Vatican (Vatican state, where nobody can legally touch them), and other atrocities that date back to the dark ages.
Ban the religion, strip its wealth and distribute it to the poor, jail every Pedo and person in the Church that has committed or covered up sexual crimes.
Silly suggestion despite the accuracy of your summation … and for the record, there is no evidence that any modern Pope has been, as you put it, ‘a pedo’, and The Magpie very much doubts it anyway, because , like all those driven executives seeking the top job, they are sexless, soulless, spiritual eunuchs. Fucking your way to the top in the Catholic Church would be a tad tricky, to say the least. However, one thing The ‘Pie has long advocated, which is an abuse and violation of every citizen, is ALL religions’ tax exempt status. Vicious, avaricious fruitcake organisations like Scientology are invented solely to make money, and the main vehicle for that is tax exemption.
And thank you in advance, Scientology, for the dark and threatening letter prompted by the forgoing. Reply in advance – GFY.
All religions are simply a mind virus, hopefully some scientist will find a cure or at least an antidote. Common sense is a pretty effective antidote to this scourge.
Then no wonder the churches are thriving … financially anyway.
On the button mate
Magpie, more likely they will set up surveillance of your home and follow you in their car. Nonetheless, perhaps if you dro Tom Cruises name and jump up and down on the couch like a prized buffoon they might leave you alone??
L. Ron Flubbard
How could one tell them from the dozens of lonely widows who already do that?