The proposed avaricious and mealy-mouthed rationale for the Cowboy’s to build a poker machine palace in a socially depressed area near Brisbane is just wrong and irresponsible on every level. But will an organisation that is forever virtue signalling about ‘commitment to community’ really risk hypocrisy over profit? There are four people who can stop this deeply offensive idea immediately. But will they?
When The Magpie runs the rule over the field of cartoon characters lining up for the Divvy 1 council seat, you’ll laugh or cry. Probably both.
And things are looking up for the Townsville Council …. well, kinda
And we’ve been saying it for a decade now, but whenever you think the Orange Abomination couldn’t go any lower, Trump again proves us wrong, with an act of depraved and potentially deadly cowardice.
For as long as you keep receiving the Nest each week, The ‘Pie will keep receiving bills for its upkeep, which can be onerous at times. You can help out with a donation to ease the pressure, or even create a ‘set and forget’ monthly contribution of your choosing – it can always be cancelled. Or Increased. Either way, it will all go to helping The ‘Pie keep the bastards honest.
One Way To Right A Wrong Is To Stop It Happening In The First Place.
Modern social discourse is now littered with what could be best described as ‘what the hell were they thinking?’ moments. The North Queensland Cowboys management proposal to build a $20m pokie palace 1400 kms away from its Townsville base at Logan City in the Greater Brisbane area, falls squarely into this category.
Is this wrong?
Oh, FFS, let us count the ways.
First, despite some mealy mouthed Uriah Heep handwringing from Cowboys CEO Tim Follett about the usual wonderful ‘other things’ the new money pit will provide, this all about making money from the lower socio economic groups who are the main cohort addicted to poker machines. Logan is an area of several significantly depressed localities none of which have any discernible, even tenuous, link the NQ Cowboys. The risible suggestion that it would give Cowboys fans in the area a gathering place is a brazen insult to the intelligence. And how is this for a quote from Follett, a bloke who has been with the Townsville-based Club for less than five months, and in the town’s private sector for just 4 years:
“There was a significant and passionate support base in the state’s south east with the region home to one of their largest supporter communities outside North Queensland. For many years we’ve heard from members and fans who would love a place they can call their own.”
Is one allowed to susopect this is utter crap? This-is-simply-about-the-money-pokies-will-generate.
To the year ending October 2025, the club’s Flinders Street operation reported a profit of $17.6m from its 235 Townsville machines., more than food and booze ($$8.7M), membership subs ($5m) and merchandise sales($4.4m) lumped together. So an extra 100 machines could be expected to bring in around $5m. How this would stack up against Logan operating costs is beside the point, most of this sum will be involuntary taxation by those who can least afford it, or do anything about their addiction.
And let’s dispose of that old canard that it’s a free choice if you decide to play poker machines. That is like a paedophile’s defence ‘The kid chose to take my lolly and chose to accept my invitation to get into my car, so it’s the kid’s fault they got hurt, not mine’. Disguised invitations to harm are unacceptable at every level.
It is now indisputable that pokies are a harmful addiction that do more damage socially and economically than smoking ever has. And unlike smoking, there are no requirements to meaningfully warn players of the dangers of this mind-dead activity (it’s not gambling when no skill, knowledge or tactics, are required, just the zombie-like pressing the button of a machine pre-programmed to ensure you lose). Ironically, studies have found that playing poker machines increases smoking.
But OK, we could go on forever in general terms, but let’s get specific: there is another aspect to this proposal, which in a word is hypocrisy.
Because the organisation proposing this move is forever virtue signalling its commitment to any number of fashionable modern poses, like an indigenous round to recognise ATSI contributions to the game, patronising (both ways) Welcome To Country ceremonies, protocols of care for players brains (a questionable concern in many cases), outspoken condemnation of domestic violence, support to further the women’s game, rules against homophobia, and any number of programs promoting healthy minds and bodies, which include no smoking or drugs.
So why not the inarguably damaging social poison of pokies?
OK, existing machines on which the club depends are in place , and will stay until the law says otherwise (ha, fat chance!) , but creating more? In an area where the damage will be palpable? Surely that is unconscionable.
Well, here’s the good news, which will render unnecessary any outcry from the club’s 20,619 members. The ‘Pie feels certain that just four people, all highly regarded citizens, can and will stop this ill-conceived idea stone dead. These four.
The board of NQ Cowboys Ltd, chair Lewis Ramsay, Joe Carey, Deirdre Comerford and Paul Rissman.
It is difficult to believe that this foursome, the board of the North Queensland Cowboys Limited can be comfortable with this plan from new CEO Tim Follett. Perhaps Mr Follett (appointed only last April) could be counselled against this thoughtless idea, and told in no uncertain terms to cease and desist. He might also be asked how this plan sits with his religious beliefs, having been chairman of the WorshipCentre Christian Church in Brisbane for seven years.
This church appears to be one of the smaller ‘happy clapper’ variety, founded in Tonga and now spread across several countries. The ‘Pie’s research suggests the church to be cheerful, sincere and responsible in their social and spiritual beliefs. Beliefs one assumes Mr Follett shares.
Let us pray that he does. For Townsville’s sake if no other reason, we’ve had enough reputational battering over the last decade or so.
Division One: So Far, It’s Hobson’s Choice – But Not Necessarily THAT Hobson
For the developmentally delayed, a Hobson’s choice is a free choice in which only one thing is actually offered – it is an illusion of an alternative.
So far, the by-election field seems to suggest that whoever gets the electoral nod, the good burghers of Divvy one are going to get a dingbat of one variety or another. One is an ex-violent crim, one claims to have a ‘spidey’ senses (The ‘Pie had to look it up, too, it means intuition or gut feeling – ironic as you will see) and the third may have late onset brain rot.
With noms closing in four days ( Thursday August 20 12pm) a quick call of the current card.
Michael Pugh,. A former crim, prissily described in the Daily Astonisher as ‘community group leader and volunteer’ whatever that entails, appears to be running on a rehabilitation ticket. Basically ‘I fucked up a few years ago with an armed robbery and would now like to unfuck myself by becoming a councillor and committing the legal robbery of a vastly inflated salary well beyond the worth of the position.’ If he gets in just as well we have our committed pacifist mayor to make sure there’s no violence, unless someone mentions Slick Nick’s apres-matrimony squeeze during slurps around the mayoral drinks cabinet. Anyway, Div 1 could do worse. For instance …
Steve Clare, apparently an aggressive, thought-disordered lunkhead who seems more interested in the local drug scene than in anything to do with Division 1. His main foaming, spittle-flecked demand is that all councillors, starting with his by-election opponents, submit to drug tests. He seems to have a hair fetish, and one recoils a bit imagining how he leeringly pronounces the word ‘follicles’ This is front bar, five schooners in, intelligentsia at its best, and Mr Clare doesn’t feel hampered that he probably needs Google maps on his phone to find where Division 1 actually is. Interesting to note that he is a retired spray painter, an industry that for a long time risked exposure to lead based paints and other misty floating chemicals. Perhaps his opponents should insist he submit to a brain scan. Which brings us to ….
Michelle Hobson, who boasts of having ‘spidey senses’ aka gut feeling, which turns out to be ironic, given her health problems are further down south from the brain. The Astonisher assigns her the vague, generally meaningless description ‘health advocate and community author’ whatever the fuck all that means. Ms Hobson was in the news recently for melting into a quivering puddle of panic, when a heavy-breathing Clare approached her from behind and growled something like ‘how about giving me a follicle, girly?” Since it was unclear from where Clare wanted to obtain the hair sample, Ms Hobson promptly follicled off, fleeing the scene permanently, she says. But having boofheads like Clare in your face wanting to fondle your follicles is one thing, but Ms Hobson’s actions did not inspire confidence as a Divisional champion facing down opponents. Discussing the ‘confrontation’ with her, The Bulletin reported:
She said illicit drug use was medically impossible due to her severe ulcerative colitis and ongoing treatment following major abdominal surgery.
“I have a chronic illness, and I am on like serious medications, like biologic medications that suppress my immune system,” Ms Hobson said.
“I’m not taking any drugs … Literally, I’ve almost died three times, and I had surgery earlier this year.”
One doubts the voters will thank her for sharing matters best left in private, and at the same time leaving open the possibility of another by-election at some stage due to health reasons.
There are other mouth breathers who will muddy the electoral pond, but now, the furrowed brow pondering all this is one Troy Thompson. Yes, our old conman mate TwoNames seems to think he might be able to take the innocent burghers of the North shore by surprise and maybe make a late entry into the race. He’s such an obsessed goof, that his FB post dropping the hanky and trailing his coat criticises the paper for saying exactly what he himself then says.
Still getting plenty of airtime apparently, “teasing a run” now. I haven’t nominated, nominations don’t close until 20 August, and I’ll make my own decisions in my own time. Funny how much space I still take up in the paper though, seems to be assisting in selling papers though. Timing is everything. ????
Fair to say, he is lying in wait, and will be still lying when he stops waiting.
TCC Lookin’Good? It All Depends On How You Read It – But It Doesn’t Add Up
There are a few Nesters who adamantly disagree with The ‘Pie’s view that Slick Nick Dametto is just what the TCC needs for the time being, sort of ballast for the rocking boat. Putting aside that ballast is usually rocks or lead not capable of original or independent – or any – thinking, Nick has mastered the cheesy grin of the photo op and has so far avoided any ‘visionary legacy’ projects (a spaceport on Castle Hill … why not?) and, beyond tinkering around with the Strand, wisely keeping his head down.
Seems a growing number of people agree with The Magpie’s view, but when they read this paean of praise, some maybe feel a distinct dissatisfaction with the maths in this key takeaway from the TCC media release .
In 2026, Townsville City Council’s rating increased by 7.1 per cent to 58.5 (from 54.6), bucking national trends that saw most Australians’ satisfaction with their councils decline.
It’s rare, the ‘Pie could be wrong (- yes, it’s been known, however let’s not talk about unpleasant infections right now -) but 58.5% minus 7.1% is … crikey, I’m running out of blackboard here – ummmm – 51.4%?
Anyway, the journalist in the old bird says the other unmentioned side of this story is that 41.5% of citizens are NOT satisfied with the council performance. And of course, this cynic might wonder if the decline in other jurisdictions is , say, down from 94% to 92% – that’s a decrease of -ummm – 6.2%, isn’t it? Or something like that, close enough.
It’s all relative, as they say in Tasmania.
A Close-Up Look That Says It All
Reality can catch us all off guard.
Having lived there for a few years back when it really was a green and pleasant land, The ‘Pie has been mildly disconcerted to see the effect drought is having on Britain. Viewing the drone footage of parched parklands and ruined, brown crops, and today, unprecedented urban fires caused by the tinder dry conditions, the human dimension doesn’t really come to mind.
But then an expat Aussie friend sent a couple of photos of their backyard that changed the perspective from the general to the personal.
These photographs would be unremarkable if taken in Australia anywhere west of the Great Dividing Range in any summer… but these, taken during the week, are from one of the southern counties of England that normally rival even Ireland for lush greenery.
As Mr Dylan said, the times, they are a changin’.
So This Is Where We’ve Reached – In A Truly Heinous Act, Republicans Just Shrug and Chuckle ‘Another Day,Another Donald’.
At least we got a good headlinbe out of it – from The Australian.
It seems it is not enough that he has stripped away the finally dangling shreds of dignity, respect and credibility of the once world-revered office of the President of the United States. Donald Trump has now nonchalantly shrugged off any pretence of legitimacy with one of the most craven acts of cowardice unimaginable in any previous occupant of the Oval office. Or anybody, for that matter.
Forget the laughable indignity of his secret transfer from one presidential jet to another in an airline food truck to foil a suspected Iranian assassination attempt. This slithering piece of sub-humanity allowed more than a hundred or more people – his unsuspecting traveling entourage of officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, other staff, the entire press pool, and the plane’s crew – to remain on the aircraft he was smuggled off fully knowing his security people believed it would be targeted by a rocket attack.
Even when the whole elaborate deception fell apart days later, this truly insane megalomaniac, speaking from his private fantasyland, even claimed he had made those left behind safer because he wasn’t with them, because he was the target! seriously.
And Americans were worried about Joe Biden’s mental state?
But with this arch cunt, there’s nothing left to do laugh, with gritted teeth. Which just about every US penman has done. Our gallery.
This One Works For Australia, Too
And The ‘Pie as a kid …
A Final Random Thought
Does Jesus look down on earth’s turmoil and sigh ‘Oh, for Mysake’!
…………….
‘Pie will join you again next week, unless the Big One happens and the cockroaches have inherited the earth. But hey, if that’s the case, you can give a generous donation to The Nest, just in case it can continue under cockroach management. In the current climate, a refund is guaranteed in the case of a nuclear war or if Troy Thompson is elected in Division One.
Ah, ‘Pie, I’m afraid that with council’s satisfaction increase, you’ve fallen into the trap between ‘percent’ from ‘percentage points’, and council has actually used the correct term, for once. Council has divided 58.5 by 54.6. 58.5 is indeed a 7.1 (actually 7.142857…) ‘percent’ increase. If one subtracts 54.6 from 58.5 to arrive at 3.9, that’s the ‘percentage point’ increase. Hope that makes sense. I agree, though, that a DISsatisfaction rate in the low 40s is really nothing to crow about, but I suppose a lot of folks aren’t going to be happy with council no matter what it does…
OK, if what you say is correct, it is fair to say that everyone who read the release was deliberately meant to fall into that trap. And if it wasn’t a trap, hope you’re not suggesting that the media spinner expected everyone to have your (impressive) knowledge of the maths. But just reading the numbers as presented, The ‘Pie’s point remains valid.
The spinners lose out either way.
The other overlooked fact here is that the rating is only on council performance on the “Snap, Send, Solve” phone application, and not on over all performance. We have gone from only half of people who used the app being pissed off with the service they received to only 2 out of every 5 getting rubbish service. I am actually surprised only half the people were not happy.
Way off the mark with the Cowboys Leagues club build Pie. The Logan Mayor is always trying to stir up any storm he can against the Kid. He is a Labor tragic looking for a ticket into State or Fed politics with his best mates being Jim Chalmers and Cameron Sweaty Dick. He has no problem supporting other places in Logan that run 200 pokies but not the Cowboys. The area that they propose to build in is not a lower income area. Logan is a very big city and this area is far from one you make it out to be.
So you’re OK with pokies per se, and see this in terms of a political fight rather a deeply poisonous social issue. Bet you had shares in British Tobacco, too. Your moral stance would have no problem with that, either.
And no problem with the fact that Lozza Lancini owns the proposed site?
No, I hate pokies and do not play them anywhere. However, one way or the other, there was always going to be a club of sorts going into that development, whether it’s the Cowboys or not. This nut job Mayor would accept anybody else whether it be with 100 or 200 pokies. As for Lancini (and I’m not sure it’s Lawrence) he owns the land and development not the Leagues club. By the way, there are hundreds if not thousands, of housing developments completed in the area. That’s why the area is expanding retail and hospitality opportunities. If it were Broncos wanting to go there with 200 pokies, there’d be no questions asked.
And for what it’s worth, I believe a start to controlling gambling, ‘Rewards Clubs’ for gambling should be banned at pubs, Clubs and Casinos.
Wouldn’t you feel a bit better about yourself if, rather than making evasive excuses aimed at winning an unwinnable argument, you instead took the view the residents of the expanding housing developments should be shielded from this legalised thievery.
Easy fix, I reckon: By all means, build the club, let the fifty-odd Cowboys members have their ‘place of their own’ in the posh end of Logan town…but don’t licence it to have pokies. If it still goes ahead, then I guess we were wrong about their hearts not being in the right place. If it doesn’t, we’ll know that we weren’t.
Can’t argue with you on the current field, ’Pie. None of the three have convinced me they’re what Division 1 needs. Shayne Blacklock perhaps deserves a closer look, but who knows. Then again, maybe leave the seat empty and save the salary. The administration seems to run everything anyway, while councillors move, second and vote. Could be the cheapest option for ratepayers. Can’t happen, but what’s put their hand up is a terrible choice. Put Thompson in for shits and giggles….. hahaha
Re: Cowboys
Have to agree, ’Pie. This is grubby. Setting up more pokies in a lower socio-economic area, knowing exactly where much of the money comes from, isn’t community building, it’s exploitation dressed up as business. From an organisation constantly preaching community values, the hypocrisy is breathtaking. Greed, pure and simple.
“It is difficult to believe that this foursome, the board of the North Queensland Cowboys Limited can be comfortable with this plan”
And yet, board oversight and approval would have been required for this plan to go ahead. So perhaps this needs to be written up for Ripley’s.
Or perhaps they will have a ‘what was I thinking’ moment.
Is it Division 1 or is it Dud 1? What a motley crew of dimwitted duds. Some choice. Our region is very poorly represented.
As for Thompson, will he or won’t he nominate, who cares as he won’t be elected if he runs for the division. His actions, his ‘teasing’ on social media and the manner in which he is playing games simply confirms that he is a sociopath and a fuckwit. Keep going Troy, you give us a good laugh. You fool.
Thompson has zero interest in Div 1, he has openly promised divisive action in council, probably dictated by his Sov Cit fuckwit mates.
Joanne Kuene has just put a page up, indicating she’s running, how entertaining it’ll be.
No surprise there, she has family property links to Div one and although she doesn’t live in the area, knows it well and has history there. She might have a chance if she steers clear of virtue signalling campaigns that really are none of council business, and identify local priorities and hammer home her solutions.. Tell you one thing, though … she won’t run any campaign from her office, she has demonstrated in the past she is more than willing to be out on the streets, malls and parks, arguing her case. And she might just be the gal to tell that annoying twerp Clare to mind his own business, the ECQ and parliament make the rules for eligibility for public office. Not his mates in the front bar of his local.
Pie
On Cowboys pokies. Any chance Lancini’s grubby mitts are involved? He’s decamped south now. Know he’s landed a GIICA board sinecure but he’d be always on the look out for a opportunity from old mates.
As for Div 1, had a chat to Pugh who so far seems the best of the pack. Hobson couldn’t even be bothered returning correspondence. Was unaware of Clare & Blacklock, will reach out to Blacklock but don’t think I’ll bother with Clare. Motorised activities & are the problem out here.
See comment from One Legged Tap Dancer, Dave.
If they vote Michael Pugh in, the people of Division 1 are rewarding a criminal — a man who allegedly carried out home invasions and collected drug money with a knife if people didn’t pay.
Ms Hobson isn’t good enough, especially when her dad is a developer. She won’t be able to vote on planning matters.
Steve Clare —a nut job. Please don’t vote for him.
And the last one, I’m not sure of his name. He seems to be too quiet, and I don’t see anything from him in Division 1.
Shayne Blacklock is the name your looking for, and he seems quite a reasonable candidate. He has the real history and connection to the division, and doesn’t appear to have any ambitions beyond representing his area on council. Intelligent and well educated, too apparently, having been a school teacher before going into private business. That didn’t turn out to be a resounding success, but seems more a victim of the economic times than any dodgy practices … to the best of The ‘Pie’s knowledge, he’s never tried to sell magic watches.
Blacklock seems to be a low key white bread candidate in a field of fringe dwelling fancy dress twits. Should be in with a chance unless it turns out he has questionable recreational activities involving small furry animals.
On Michael, yes get it. Convicted and slapped with a lettuce leaf. However precedent has been set here with reformed scumbags, Coutts-Trotter anyone. Heroin mule and equal in scumbag status in my eyes to what Pugh did. Now C-T didn’t stand for office but a quick check tells me even with drug convictions you can’t work in admin for the Dept of Ed, so why was he waivered? Someone should ask Tanya maybe…
As for Hobson, she should declare her association to daddy. I found it nowhere on here page. Just vague statements about family apparently being longtime leaders or something, yup never heard of the family and I’ve been here close to 30 years. Her theatrics last week put me off before I even knew of her family ties. This town has had enough of vested interests IMO. Leave it at that.
As for Clare agree, last thing we need is another petrol boofhead or wanna be crusty demon out here. I love my V8’s and have an open R class licence but last 2 years has become insufferable. Why we are looking around at listings which regrettably are slim at the moment, overpriced IMO and plentiful in areas with similar problems we have.
Both my children went to St Anthony’s so Shayne is off to a flying start. Give him a look this week.
A couple of points on the Cowboys Logan clip joint:
– The CEO wouldn’t dare take this action without the approval of Chairman Ramsay, and his confidant Lancini
– Lancini owns the site
– The Cowboys are owned by the North Queensland community so surely the board should be seeking public approval for such a contentious project so far from the supporter base
– I’m reliably informed that the Cowboys have only approximately 50 members in the Logan area, many of whom would have been North Queenslanders who moved south for one reason or another-
– The Cowboys board boasts some of the best business brains in the north, and money is well managed so the club is hardly struggling to survive (apart from on the footy field)
If Lancini owns the site, then there’s jiggery pokery afoot, Lozza wouldn’t miss an opportunity like this. Puts a whole new complexion on the deal. And he sure ain’t someone who would lose sleep over the pokies as a social issue, not if the dough was to finance the purchase or lease of his land.
On the last point, and talking round figures only, the club made just over $9m profit from revenue, grants and other income streams of just over $90m. The club is still having to pay News Ltd a motza owed from the creation days of the club.
Think you’ll find the Cowboys owe News Limited a piddling amount at this late stage (the debt is due to be fully paid off in 2028).
The Cowboys would have no trouble finding the drop in the money bucket needed to settle the loan now, so who knows why they’re not doing it.
one thing’s for sure, it aion’t for rugby league.
And now we know Lozza Lancini apparently owns the proposed sitye for the pokie palance, the avarice falls into place. No doubt he’ll get a hand with this project from his mate, old home town pal Kid Crisafulli
The Government stopped tobacco advertising and it is common knowledge that lung cancer costs the community many lives. They allow gambling advertising, and the stats show that gambling costs the community financially more than lung cancer deaths. I don’t understand, beyond the money the Government makes allowing gambling advertising, why they allow it to:continue. We do, after all, live in a nanny state. And that goes for all of Australia.
There seems to be something deeply wrong with the political analysis relating to the risks of outright banning of gambling advertising … and The ‘Pie means a blanket ban on ALL gambling adverts at ALL times.
Here are some questions and answers.
Is there a call to ban gambling itself?
Absolutely not. No matter what extreme moral motive for such a move, it would be a restriction of a freedom we have a right to, and would create a dangerous black market which, rather than raising taxes, would cost the community in policing costs. No one is suggesting banning gambling itself, if for no other reason that forgotten one of the political commandments is never create laws that you can’t enforce. cf social media age bans … what a joke.
Would there be a loss in taxation?
No. Anybody who wants to have a punt in any of its forms has always been able to do so, and a lack of advertising wouldn’t make one bit of difference. It would protect the slack jawed gullible and impressionable young from some of the more ludicrous betting combinations, come-ons and deceitful promises of ‘relaxation and fun’. (FFFS!)
Would operators profits be affected?
Hardly at all, the river of tainted gold would be barely stemmed, but if there’s a bit of a dip, they can afford it, just one less spinnaker for the yacht or Lambo in the garage.
Would anyone lose their job?
No, of course not, nothing would change.
Would the media in all forms lose a valuable source of income?
Yes … but sio what? The source is valuable to them but not to the taxpayer who has to pick up an increased tab of care and welfare because of the (legal) social irresponsibility. (Cry me a river while I reach for my tiniest violin.)
And BTW, that advertising ban should immmediately extend to the hypocrisy of players uniforms, slogans that are clearly read as some protesting lunkhead is led from the field for a medical check, made mandatory because the game cares so much about the well being of its players. What a shame that the game’s governing body doesn’t care as much about the well being of its fans. Especially the young ones.
Why make $9m when you can almost double your profits by building a Brisbane club….err pokie palace. As for governance and organisational direction, a Board usually comes up with the strategy and the CEO implements it or makes it happen. In this particular case, the board would be absolutely enthusiastic about building the pokie palace. Most likely an idea that they have been sitting on for some time, well before the new CEO commenced in April this year. A lot of research, data analysis, and consulting has taken place to get things to this point. The new CEO would be stiff with excitement as an extra potential $7m in profits would nicely pad out his annual bonus. Yummy $$$$
It is not going to be built in the lower socio economic area in Logan. The average dwelling in the area is $900,000 plus. From the development to the lower socio economic areas is 9-10 kilometres and there is little public transport.
Oh, that’s OK then. Silly old’Pie.
What the fuck is your stake in all this, your comments are more or less based on some sort of coherent argument, but the above is just floundering fairyfloss justification. Do you know many pokie players who live in million dollar homes?
It’s a rigged losers’ market, Kenny. Just to be crystal clear, The ‘Pie isn’t anti-gambling, just anti-pokies, which is nothing more than an organised swindler’s market for losers. Addicted players (a majority without a doubt) haven’t got a chance, no even break for these suckers.
Tap Dancer, you seem to be in the know so what is the address of the proposed Cowboys site in Logan? I’d like to fact-check the ownership.
Good point. The ‘Pie was remiss in not checking with a mate down on the coast who knows how to ferret out these things.
Perhaps the ready acceptance of the ownership – only mentioned in passing in a comment – that Lozza owns the land is the undeniable connection between him, the Cowboys and a big buck.
It is on vacant land next to an existing small shopping centre between Gardiner road and Teys Road Holmview on Logan River road.
Does anyone know for sure if Lozza owns the land? The ‘Pie’s research is inconclusive. Not that it matters, but it does inform us if powers outside Townsville have been barracking for this despicable idea.
“The Cowboys board boasts some of the best business brains in the north” – spare us!
Quid pro quo… I ‘ll leave it at that, been here nearly 30 years seen too much that isn’t fitting of coincidence.
Lozza to paraphrase the Pie seems maybe unfairly on my part at surface view addicted to corporate welfare at the public or ratepayer expense despite being a success early on.
I thought his role in the stadium not many wanted then decamping south was poor form hence my displeasure at him. I freely admit my judgement may be clouded by that too.
Shame I have drank beers in Ingham RSL with probably relatives of his, very hospitable family.
Not Standing For…..obviously has overlooked the fact that the Cowboys are one of the most cashed-up clubs in the NRL.
I detest the way the football side of the club is managed, but you can’t fault the financials. That only comes from prudent financial management.
This Logan pokie palace will be good for the club’s finances, but bad for its reputation as a community club.
Looks like the board is prepared to wear that negativity.
(Email comment from Magpie reader)
Hi Pie
Just for the record, here are two comments to the Courier Mail story about the Cowboys pokie palace in Logan.
“The fact the proposed development is on a Lancini Group property should be viewed as a positive, not a negative. Laurence Lancini has a long and well established standing in the Queensland property development industry, and his involvement should provide greater confidence in the quality and viability of the development.”
And
“Lancini Group own the shopping centre, Lancini was Chair of the Cowboys for a long time. They will make sure it’s a success. Could be a good way to geographically diversify the revenue base to improve the sustainability of the club”
I wonder whether the land purchase/lease costs to the Cowboys represented market value? Could be a nice little earner for Lancini. Ramsay used to work for him, and was anointed to take the chairmanship of the club after he left.
Join the dots
Cheers
Did Lewis Ramsay work for Lancini? When I knew him he was a sales rep at the Astonisher and then went into business with Lochey. Actually a very nice guy.
I think I vomited a little.
Lozza is all about hearts and minds (and not at all about dollars)
You keep calling it a Pokey Palace but 100 poker machines is nothing in comparison to its 235 machines in Townsville. And Pie, my interest in this comes from friends who are very much looking forward to a Community Club opening close to where they live, as there is nothing currently in that area. And they, like many others in Logan, are Cowboys supporters (ex Townsvillians). Yes the two families I speak of live in the new estates surrounding the development which started planning in the State Labor government days.
Given the question under consideration, that has to be the most deeply stupid prevarication imaginable. Somehow, we’ve gone from the serious social harm done by poker machines and unconscionable operators, to you being pleased for ‘your friends’ (yeah, sure mate) who … as some sort of justification … are ‘very much looking forward to a Community Club opening close to where they live, as there is nothing currently in that area’. And are you saying they can’t have a small gathering place of mutual interest without 100 … or any …. poker machines?
KK, your real interest in this, highlighted by your inconsistencies of debate and point blank refusal to talk about the initial issue, forces The ‘Pie to call bullshit on all your irrelevant claims and mindless bloviating.
They are going to be busy in NSW with all those Islamic terrorists and organised, and disorganised criminals, lining up to participate in the gun by back. Yep, there are some deep thinkers in the NSW government.
Ben, The ‘Pie is with you on this, and taking a swan dive into the whimsey pool, the old bird wonders if a new wave of crime will be suddenly in the rise. With gangs going around, raiding and violently stealing weapons from both private and retail arsenals to sell back to the government.
’Pie, the Division 1 rundown was bloody murderous. I genuinely had to stop reading halfway through because I was laughing so hard it set off a coughing fit. Absolute roast master, hahahaha. More please
Banjo, I agree. The best of the lot is Keune. And I would rather drink my own urine rather than vote for her. The entire group are misfits and retards. Might as well vote for Mickey Mouse.
If M M was running, he’d win.
Adults over a certain age have the freedom to make their own choices. That includes whether to gamble or not. You can’t blame the pokie machines, you have to blame the people that feed them. Same with smoking, why blame deaths on cigarettes, you need to blame the person who put the cigarettes in their mouths in the first place.
At the risk of repeating an analagoy from Sunday’s Nest.
“And let’s dispose of that old canard that it’s a free choice if you decide to play poker machines. That is like a paedophile’s defence ‘The kid chose to take my lolly and chose to accept my invitation to get into my car, so it’s the kid’s fault they got hurt, not mine’. Disguised invitations to harm are unacceptable at every level.”
The pokie industry and governments of all stripes have outdone Hollywood’s ‘walking zombie’ franchise … they’ve created the ‘sitting zombie’ franchise that makes lots more money than the pretend one.
N.N.,
You are correct, up to a point but it is a complex matter. Talking about poker machines only.
Years ago at my then workplace we had a training session from a psychologist about the addictivness of poker machines, the way they function and sound to keep you at it and the environment where there is no sense of time passing or day and night.
Yes, an adult has the freedom to put in that first coin and press the button that first time, but for many, their free will is diminished by the very deliberate operation of the poker machine and the environment in which it resides.
There is very powerful psychology used to keep the player (victim) engaged with the machine and to keep coming back. And it is not just the weak minded that can be hooked. The well educated can be just as susceptible.
There are other factors at play, loneliness, boredom, seeking a physically safe place, but I have addressed the main issues above.
Basically, for many, you don’t stand a chance. Poker machines bring no social good and should be banned.
Poker Machines are the same as horse racing and betting except the poker machines have a regulated payback that assures the operator of the machines a guaranteed income, wheras horse racing has no guaranteed outcome and can be fixed by owners, jockeys, track conditions, mob pressure etc. If you ban the pokeys do you also ban the poneys? (I won’t even get into the dish lickers.)
The basic premise of your comment is completely off point, NAW.
First and foremost, the debate started here by The ‘Pie is about banning advertising, not necessarily the activity itself. Besides, pokie advertisements are a minuscule part of gambling advertising. The ‘Pie’s call for banning pokies was an addendum comment, a sort of ‘and while we’re on the subject of gambling’… added thought.
And note, banning a specific gambling activity is nothing new and already exists in Australia. If you don’t believe that, organise and advertise a two-up game in your local park. Or a dwarf throwing contest in your local pub. Two flies crawling up a wall was popular until Mortein came along to put Louie The Fly onto the NDIS.
But since that pokies comment that has has attracted the immediate attention of readers, let’s set you straight on horse racing.
The thoroughbred racing industry in Australia has 75,000 full time employees, with 160,000 part time jobs. These covers farm manager and staff, vets and specialised positions caring for foals and yearlings, before the horses are passed on via a busy specialised transport network to any of the 3,500 licensed trainers and their staff of stablehands, track riders and office admin. The more than 400 race tracks across Australia employs thousands of permanent and casual staff for admin, track maintenance and the race day program itself. There is also the periphery but vital areas like feedstock suppliers (and the not-so-periphery 850 jockeys around the country). All up, the industry – including wagering but not exclusively – contributes $9.5billion to our economy.
But there is another crucial difference between the neddies (and the redhots and dishlickers) and pokies.
Information and choice.
Form guides are just that, not advertising. They offer accurate , truthful information about the overall performance of trainers, jockeys and horses, allowing the punter to make a (hopefully) informed judgement. And on he issue of the industry being rigged, that’s piffle. The days of the notorious ‘boat race’ and Fine Cotton ring-ins are long gone, banished under the relentless high tech video scrutiny of the races themselves, mandatory drug testing, security and regulation. The odds of being found out, and the penalties so high, that jiggery pokery is now at a minimum.
Sure people lose money on the races, but some don’t. There are a surprising number who are believed to make a living out of punting (apart from the bookies) but it’s not all luck, it’s mainly information for the intelligent. And unlike casinos, if you get good at it, you aren’t banned unless caught somehow cheating. MOMA is an interesting story but for another time, or look it up.
The contrast is stark: Pokie rooms have two or three supervisors, and the instruction on poker machines if honesty-in-advertising was applied would be a sign on the machine saying” Insert money, say goodbye to it, and press the button’.
NAW,
Mate, you have missed the point entirely. The poker machine industry has weaponised psychology to harness and harvest the susceptible, of which there are thousands.
There is nothing like that with the neddies.
Not sure about your reading comprehension, or perhaps my wordsmithing was clumsy.
Oh bollocks, I might drop $10 in a pokie once every couple of years. I’ve never had a problem “escaping”, but then I’m a responsible adult, who doesn’t need a government playing nanny.
That’s pretty ambiguous, 2AB. Not sure that you’re suggesting that while you aware that there are people groomed and destroyed by pokies, it doesn’t apply to you because you are ‘a responsible adult’.Just a simple statement of ‘how lucky am I’.
Or are you saying protecting the vulnerable … which, when it comes to pokies, is not some small minority, going on available data … is an overreach by a nanny state government, which should butt out (if it ever did do anything about it) and leave it to anyone over 18 to make the play-or-not-play choice.
If it is the latter, may The ‘Pie suggest that part of being a ‘responsible adult’ in this society is to protect victims of Big Business legalised scams. And again, either way, this debate is about gambling advertising, the ‘ban pokies’ comment is a pie-in-the-sky bit of whimsy by the ‘Pie. Because we are faced with lazy greedy governments addicted to getting money from the public anyway it can beyond taxes.
If your comment meant a policy of every man (woman or OAP) for himself, perhaps you’d be more comfortable migrating to America and joining the Republican Party.
If adults were more responsible, and not constantly molly coddled by leftist governments, then big business wouldn’t have a target.
Remove the warning labels and let Darwin do his job!
You defeat your own argument, mate … the fact is that a majority ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE ADULTS and not likely to be come so in the case of being groomed by these arsesoles. What about the dependents … kids, partners, aging parents … who have no say in the equation but are also victims?
But yeah, think we should have unfettered freedom from government regulation of our rights and benefits … best we hand in our medicare cards, the right to the dole when bad economic decision making puts us out of work, and send back our pension with a ‘thanks but no thanks, I’m a responsible adult’. Have to go now, think I’ll go out and drive on mthe wrong side of the road to prove the point. That’s what reall responsible adults should, eh, bruvver?
Most NRL specialty rounds usually only last the round that it has been slotted for. But this ‘indigenous round’ has now been going for three weeks. With the Cowboys it started with that disastrous game against the Roosters. I think they took it too seriously and went walkabout. Then another game against the Titans and this round 24 against the Eels. Every bloody game had a WtC, enough time to get a rum & coke before the game starts.
I am not against the Cowboys setting up a club anywhere they wish, but I would think they should fast track Cairns, then work towards a Mackay location and use the profits to fund the grass roots in their feeder areas.
At least it would give the out of towners somewhere to cheer on game night if they couldn’t travel.
They are fast tracking Cairns, but say that a poker machine application is not planned, it will be for club social and training purposes.
Magpie, I sort of enquired last week about whatever happened to the decontamination of polluted soils in the North Rail Yards development site. In the Agenda for tomorrow’s TCC Ordinary Meeting there is a Quarterly Performance Report (April – June 2026) covering a number of projects and initiatives including “Execution of funding agreement with Queensland Government to enable progression of decontamination and stabilisation works” at the North Rail Yards – which appears on my reading to have been “100%”. I wonder will one of the councillors have enough curiosity let alone gumption to ask the appropriate council officer to elaborate on why and where exactly such works were needed, what “works” were carried out and how they were funded.
And what happened to the contaminated soil.
Pretty sure, they removed the top layer and stored it down at the Port somewhere for a really long time, but that was a few decades ago. Most of the new buildings concreted over the new top layer.
Ummm, we are talking about the North Rail Yards, which, at the time Mayor Idiot was fooled into buying the site for $20,000 in 2015 (Palaszczuk was fresh out of Harbour Bridges) were deemed to be so contaminated, removal had to happen before development could go ahead. Not sure which site your talking about.
FFS, do I have to spell everything out for you line by line so that you understand?
What part of the problem linking ‘North Rail Yards’ with ‘decades ago’ do you not understand? Got a bit of ringing between the ears, Blue Bells?
How about that, I have an imitator, probably Barry on an alter ego as he has a bit of spare time. I would never say “FFS, do I have to spell everything out for you line by line so that you understand?”, but Barry would.
The majority of the North Yards was sold to development a long time before 2015. The buildings beside the Railway station were built around 2008, then the development worked its way along Flinders Street well passed the Astonisher. The decontamination of the area was going on for a long time before that.
The rail workshops are a whole different story. They are heritage-listed, and that poses a different problem as they can’t flat earth the place and remove the soil. No one wanted to spend money on those buildings, which is why TCC took it on.
First, our own ‘Stable Genius Lite’ Mayor Mullet decided that taking on a site that no one else wanted was good business, because Anna Alphabet knew a sucker when she saw one. Haven’t watched today’s council meeting yet, so don’t know if the tabled reports reveal anything, but it’s been suggested that, thank to stable genius, the ratepayers have been stiffed for well over half a million bucks so far. Stuff like this tends to explain the rate rises that has bunched everyones boxers today.
And yes, that didn’t have your usual tone, BB, but The ‘Pie hasn’t the time to police names beyond what he has already suggested concerning code words.
Re the contaminated soil, in the already developed rail yards nearer the old railway station in the Little Fletcher Street area, contaminated soils were excavated into piles and inoculated with a hydrocarbon-consuming bacteria, left to compost for a while, turned over, left some more and finally returned to the same place they came from, measurably rehabilitated. Not sure if that was possible with the particular ‘pollutants’ in the North Rail Yards and not convinced any councillor will want to know.
I should have gone to SpecSavers. A March 2026 TCC press release quoted Brad Webb saying, “There is a vast amount of contaminated material that must be carefully removed and replaced . . . “. Hello Vantassel Street landfill?
I don’t know 100% exactly where the contaminated soil ended up but I heard it was sent to Brisbane. My half reliable source also said the product was disposed of in compliance with environmental regulations.
We have a history of sending many contaminated things to Brisbane, but soil ain’t one of them.
Finally we got a real “dumpster fire” here in Walker Street. Life imitates art.
Lithium batteries the cause of third waste truck fire in six weeks
Five Cobs went out on the town. Along the way they picked up three Pens. The Cobs took the Pens home for a party but the Pens didn’t want what the Cobs had to offer and called the Cops to stop the Cobs. Will the Cobs end up in the Pen? The one thing we do know is that the Cobs chances of lifting the golden egg are now zero to none!
A Swan song worthy of Al Jolson, black face and all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
With a little touch up
For what its worth my general thoughts are that Michael Pugh is probably the best fit for the job; ive met him briefly and exchanged some SMSs years ago principally regarding getting some tracks cut into the national parks that surround Townsville.
If he has some criminal background i didn’t pick up on that vibe on the few times ive met him. From a personality perspective I didn’t get a whiff of the narcissism and outright stupidity that surrounds the existing “councillors”. So up to you.
On other matters joanne needs to STOP and try and refocus her energy on things closer to home – though on the other hand her shenanigans will definitely bring some colour to proceedings, so I’ve changed my mind , go ahead but stop wasting huge amounts of money on this crap ( she’ll definitely be ringing around to get preferences ). I recommend something outlandish to brighten your campaign.
The other candidates need to try and bring an issue thats important to them into the public eye.
Realistically whoever wins will end up voting for more debt and higher rates, this is a runaway train fuelled by stupidity and mismanaged affairs , plus a broken electorate comprised of 30% of pure idiocy.
Hwsnbn, you recommend, “for what its worth”, that candidates bring an issue thats important to them into the public eye. You then choose as your preferred candidate a person who has not mentioned any “issue” – although you yourself have one you’d like to air. You would like to get some tracks cut into the national parks that surround Townsville. It’s a peculiar path for a political pusher but good luck.
“If he (Pugh) has some criminal background”. Read the papers man. It is not conjecture it is fact that he was convicted for threatening violence while armed with a weapon to collect debts for drug dealers. The correct term for this is “bottom feeding scum” and no amount of running around working up a sweat for his socials changes the fact that he is a convicted violent criminal.
The problem with hindsight is that it generally arrives after the event, which is precisely when you’d expect it, except in circumstances where it doesn’t. Division 1 may yet discover that the shortest distance between two points is considerably longer when nobody agrees where either point is.
Deep.
But yes, wouldn’t be nice if just one candidate talked about the needs of Division One, rather than about cloud cuckooland stuff about drug testing, personal vulnerability, or personal rehabilitation missions. Or wishing to become emperor if he decides to run.
So Joanne Keune is off and running for Division One. And this time around, her credentials are good, her platform is relevant and her fit with genuine community interest is convincing. She will be a strong contender, and even a winner if she during her campaign she stays away from the grand visions, windmill tilting and irrelevancies of other candidates.
Yes , everyone always wants to listen don’t they – until they get into council , then they lay waste to the finances, approve the building of ugly things, bump up the wages bill of council and piss billions up the wall only to appear in the media the very next day with a shit eating grin telling you how great things are ( for them).
Being a politician and bureaucrat in Australia is the least accountable job in the world, in any other country they wouldn’t be trusted to look after goats.
If there are many voters like you, old son, it seems our pollies do look after goats.
Very soon, you will have to be named, because clearly the only solution in your world is to sack the lot, and make you the Tsar of Townsville, (after being awarded the TwoNames Thompson Medal For Unbiased Intellectual Political Thinking).
I’ll see your counter with a wedgewood exhibition magpie. Sprinkle some parking meters on it and put rates up 7%.
Its not just councils, its state and federal.
Its an idiocy crisis, no longer able to make reasonable decisions. Apart from a wholly manufactured housing crisis we are paying for a 500 billion submarine programme ( once you factor in waste disposal and a crap load of additions and wastage)
Not Named,
You have expressed your perceved grievance against politicians and governments in Australia.
Right Bozo, now clearly tell us what model of democratic government do you espouse, and the mechanisms by which candidates they are vetted, and the electoral process by which they are elected.
If, Not Named, you cannot give us this, you are an ignorant, disaffected, belligerent gobb!
I look forward to your manifesto on government and governance for Australia into the future.
Rotten
Its obvious now that the “democratic” system has stopped working. A democracy can only work with informed and engaged citizens, once appox 30% – 35% of the voting electorate are no longer functional its a case of getting the politicians you deserve, the other 60% ish of the population suffers. Democracy is about voting money, money and privilege to your tribal / racial/ Ideological group.
“Democracy” is a numbers game, once the broken voting electorate gets to that magical percentage we invariably get the worse governments and worst if not criminal politicians – nothing can restrain them, the bureaucracy in Australia hates the pre 1980s population so runs amok.
If you haven’t worked it out yet, there is no answer for as long as stupid people vote and stupid people are voted in; the rest is purely commentary.
Mate, if you’re not Guy, you should catch up with each other. Get a hotel room, maybe.
Joanne is shot through the mellancamp, she clearly demonstrated her loopy aspirations when running for mayor.
Having said that, if she keeps the Orange focus in her campaign colours, she may just attract more voters, just not the ones that she is after…
An ambiguous comment in more ways than one.
Keune, who is somewhere in her mid-to-late 50s, hardly deserves a sneery ‘mellancamp’ reference, suggesting she is too old. For what? Politics? Whatever you do, don’t tell Pauline One Notion (72) Anthony Anal (63) or Angus Water Rorter Taylor (59).
The Magpie sincerely trusts that your ‘mellancamp’ comment referred to that ageist version of slang, and not the almost certainly mythical scatalogical alternative version.
Ms Keune’s adherence to orange is probably no accident, as a well educated person, she would be aware that psychologists believe orange signals vitality, enthusiasm, creativity, and high visibility – which, rightly or wrongly, pleasingly or irritatingly, Ms Keune’s campaigning style abundantly displays.
For selfish reasons, The ‘Pie would be delighted if she got up … he’d never be short of material for this weekly missive.
Of course. the traditional positive values assigned to ‘orange’ have been spectacularly undermined by the Orange Abomination in the White House. Not that this applies to Ms Keune.
A comprehensive announcement. A bit too long, but contains the right messages. A much improved overview of who she is and what she represents. With a decent campaign strategy she will likely be in the box seat. The rest of the wannabe councillors competing with her are duds. A kind of wish that the mentally retarded narcisist Thompson was running in this race, it would be great to watch him get whipped by the Keune.
Figuratively or literally, from this bird’s POV.
July 28 she wrote a letter to the editor in the Astonisher, complaining about postal voting and its difficulties.
When she listed the suburbs in division 1, she included Cungulla, Granite Vale, Gairloch, Helens Hill, Julago – all outside the electorate, and others that were in it. In her rant, she mentioned only 2 PO in the district Rollingstone and Mutarnee.
Meanwhile she omitted Deeragun and Jensen, two of the most populated suburbs and one has a busy PO.
How does someone with a law degree not fact check?
If she makes a simple blunder like that, what else will she do?
Lets hope whoever gets elected knows the suburbs they are supposed to represent.
She is a strong no for me.
A very big congratulations to our worst PM ever, Albanese, and the fake doctor grim Jim Chalmers, for the ensuring that our national debt reached $1 trillion this week. Great work gang, please keep spending our money on the climate change rort, so-called green energy infrastructure, dud subs, pacific nations sports teams and Trumps war in Iran. And let’s not forget that you’ve destroyed investors by fucking with the CGT.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-20/asx-markets-business-news-live-updates-thursday-20-august/107056572
My prediction is that after the next federal election GST will be bumped up to 15% and the government will get its hands all over our $3 trillion superannuation kitty. Fucking assholes.
Hi Pie, yes it’s me. I forgot to put my code word at the top of my last post. I noticed someone was imitating Ducks Nuts the other day so I thought I would go back to using a code word. Cheers old mate.
Good idea, Mopsy, saves a lot of angst.
PR, this prediction about the result of the next federal election seems to suggest that you expect Albanese and Labor to be re-elected. Do you think the Australian electorate is that stupid or is it more likely that someone else, perhaps from a different political party, takes the cake for the worst ever PM?
Errr, mate, really? One of the main reasons Albo is in the Lodge is because of the indisputably worst PM ever, ScoMo.
Bob, the Liberals are a joke under the leadership of the cardboard cutout Taylor. Me Potato Head caused much damage and they won’t recover for years. They don’t stand a chance in hell next election. ON are going to pick up a lot of seats, but not enough for Hanson to receive the keys to the Lodge. Hence I reckon team Albo will sadly win the next election.
So PR, how will you vote?
Unfortunately, I guarantee Labor will get in, by a tiny margin with greens preferences. Which is going to be even worse for everyone, because Labor will then have to do more deals with the insufferable illogical Greens. A lot more people will shift away from voting for Labor and LNP and into minor fringe type parties.
BS, lots of unsupported opinions about what other voters will do but nothing about you. How do you intend to bring about this close Labor victory and how many seats will be won ON, Liberal and National?
Rolly
$1Trillion pales into comparison to the UK and the US national debt.
Albo isn’t raising GST just yet.
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1EEJRwduub/
What happened to the “good old days” when a footy player could sniff cocaine off a strippers tits and not get sanctioned?
“Bring back the sniff!”
NAW: It’s because today’s youth can neither spell, nor pronounce words of more than two syllables; such as enigmatic or tittyfalairious.
I digress as I’m over in Vietnam remembering the same era and yesterdays’ involvement at Long Tan, 50 “bloody” years ago!!!!!!
So we have Hobson -Labor, Keune – Labor, Pugh – Katter, Clare – One Nation and Blacklock in the Teachers Union / Labor…. I’m so pleased I do t live in division 1, it’s a nightmare cast.
Yes, maybe, but let’s not get too dramatic and shred the nightie … it’s just a council by-election on which nothing at all pivots. Unlike some previous visits to the polls (or in this case, the post box).
A conga line of wannabe’s and fucktards. Very depressing.
Div 1 – 5 candidates and only 1 lives in the division.