And although Slick Nick nominated her, this was no captain’s pick, it was an obvious choice all round.
… what the hell is council’s resident Dad Joke specialist Brady Ellis up to …
The ‘Pie has an ‘event attraction’ theory, which he explains in an imagined conversation between TEL and The Astonisher.
Good old News Ltd, always good for a few laughs and head scratches ..
Two Labor stalwarts remembered … one dead, one alive.
And a few laughs along the way, including a great spoof on Trump’s bimbo press secretary.
This is the last blog for the 2025, The ‘Pie will be taking a break with some vague plans for a site rebuild in 2026. We’ll see how that stacks up, but in the meantime, a special thanks to those of you who have materially supported the Nest throughout the year; without you, we probably would not have been here. And to all readers, whether you love him or love to hate him, The Magpie wishes the merriest of Christmases and a more uplifted New Year than those past. BUT a big heads up … we’re closing in on the annual Silly Season when people are distracted and governments find it the ideal time to announce controversial decisions. So keep an eye out, because comments will continue to be published over the holiday period.
A Good Team At The Top … That’s The Long And The Short Of It.
And the future will hold plenty more japes just like that. there’ll be plenty more japes like that as we move on. There was already this exchange in comment.
| Blue Bells |
Submitted on 2025/12/12 at 5:37 pm | In reply to The Magpie.
I hope Slick keeps a step in the car when they have photo opportunities |
| The Magpie |
Submitted on 2025/12/12 at 9:37 pm | In reply to Blue Bells.
He’s already asked Tom Cruise if he can have one of his old ones.
Reminds the ‘Pie of the true story the movie directors who used to have a trench dug for leading ladies playing romantic outdoor scenes with Alan Ladd. |
The Magpie’s only reservation with all this is that with the Thompson affair, Suzy has shown she does. not suffer fools gladly (she read the no confidence letter to the media) and is happy to shirt-front anyone she thinks is being devious or stupid. It has been widely felt for some time that Nick Dametto isn’t all that bright, and has some regrettable social attitudes, so let’s hope it doesn’t lead to any tension at the top.
But that said, perhaps it’s time for us all to take a breath, and give all our councillors some space to fully morph into the team we need to lead Townsville forward.
You Can Depend On The Bully Not To Be Too Nosey
There’s something serious amiss with this story, and with the reporter.
While we’re all aware of Lighton Smith’s aversion to questions, this is pretty unforgivable. When someone stands down from a position of community significance, surely the very first thing that you ask is ‘Why?’ All the readers of this Bulletin story almost certainly did, but reporter Goofy didn’t. Even if Greaney had scuttled off without a word (she she apparently did) you’d imagine a reporter would say they ‘reached out” (ugh!! stupid phrase) to her but didn’t respond.
But Here’s An Even More Mysterious Question Mark
This is just fucking weird.
Putting aside the pathetically silly headline, the unattributed story quotes the only two people mentioned, Port Authority executive Drew Penny and the ship’s passenger spokeswoman Jessica Hoppe. Which is fine. But the accompanying picture features neither, but instead Port cruise coordinator Monica Cazzulino, Townsville Enterprise waste of space Lisa Woolfe … and Clr Brady Ellis.
WTF! WT actual F?? OK two out of the three can be explained away, but Brady fucking Ellis? What possible reason is there for him to be at the Port, let alone in this pic? Is he using the Mullet Method of getting moist and excited when a camera is around? Someone in comments suggested that he will make a run for mayor in 2028. Good luck with that, boyo.
Simply weird.
But then there was a truly rude public moment for the paper on this small story.
Thaty would be councillor Vera Dirou doing the honours in the photogrph, and the story does name her. But have a look at the caption.
Now that is just simply rude, unprecedented and unprofessional … wouldn’t have happene if it was the mayor, his deputy, or for that matter, anyone else. it merits a apologetic call from the editor, at the very least, and a kick in the coit for whomsoever was responsible..
But let’s stay with the paper a bit longer.
What A Load Of Fooey!!
The beady avian eye caught this low level tripe in the Astonisher during the week (who’s The ‘Pie kidding, it could hardly be missed, front page pointer page 5 for this nonsense. )
In a nutshell, the band Foo Fighters have announced a one-off return to Australia, for a concert in Tasmania (weird choice, but we’re talking rock bands here). And suddenly, the above story turned up in The Astonisher on Tuesday. Reading through this hyperventilating codswallop (the things the ‘Pie does for you folks), he noted the local fan club spokesman Michael Chamberlain (no relation) reckons a national tour may follow. And The ‘Pie thinks he well may be right. But not for his naive reasons.
Given that we were graced with an iditorial on something that isn’t news …
… here’s what The ‘Pie reckons may have happened, spelled out in an imagined but highly likely phone conversation between ….
Bulletin Editor Jill Poulson
…. and …
CC: Hey, Jilly, have I got a front page for you!! I’ve just snared the Foo Fighters for a Townsville gig at stadium. They used their ‘one-off’ Tasmanian (eye roll) gig to see if a wider tour was worth it. When I got wind of it, I chucked more than $100k to the promoters to include Townsville …. and they agreed!!! (Yippee, clap, hands, skip). But they won’t be announcing it just straight away, so nothing much for the paper yet.
JP: Your kidding, sweetie, but hey, great get, Chels, I’ll get on it right away.
CC: But Christ, Jilly, don’t break the embargo, that might make them have a rethink.
JP: Oh, Chels, you really are a bit new to this game, aren’t you? Let me tell you how it works.
CC Huh?
JP: I’ll get our troops to dig up and organise some local loser to create an online Foo fan club, give them a big spread about how Townsville is ready for a Foo concert, how we deserve it and the usual claptrap, and we’ll then push them to start a petition to get the band here. I’ll rev ‘em up with a mindless editorial and we’ll use that to run one of our famous polls in the Bulletin with a 95% support result.
CC: But the Foos already coming, I’ve sent the cash.
JP: No worries, we’ll run a few more stories about momentum building, probably can get our new ninny of a mayor involved, (he’s not too bright, apparently) , maybe Crisafulli too with a regional Queensland booster statement. Then, when the tour is announced, we can go big … front page, that is, if there isn’t some kid dying of an obscure disease on that day. We’ll lay it on thick, you can’t believe how the locals fall for this bullshit about using the power of the press blarty dah and so … a sensational win for the little people. And how Townsville again proves it is the events capital of the north etc etc. Big mention of TEL and all the work you did on this, Chels, luv. Lots of quotes from you and no doubt Claudia will want to stick her bib in, too.
CC: But you won’t mention the dough to the promoter, will you? There’s always some bastard, like that bloody Magpie twit, who thinks we have to tell the public what we’re doing with their money.
JP: Course not. By the by, how much was it?
CC: (giggling) I’ll tell you if you tell me the paper’s real circulation figures.
JP: (pause) See you sometime for lunch, thanks for the call.
But even if that is might not be true but the Foofies still come to town, the bit about money to the promoters will definitely be right.
Bread and circuses ain’t cheap.
Why The Political Posturing Of The Social Media Age Ban Won’t Work
This is gesture politics at its most cynical.
Remember the old saying that 70 is the new 60, now up-dated to 80 is the new 65, a reflection of better informed health outcomes as a new ageing generation of oldies starts coming through. While there’s increasing truth in those words, the real question is why aren’t we looking at the other end of the spectrum Why aren’t we looking objectively at the reverse happening at the other end of the life span? And applying it to the new reality.
And that new reality, thanks almost entirely to social media over the past two decades, is that 12 is the new 16, and 14 is the 18, maybe 20. It may be argued that that is a doubtful benefits of social media, but it is fact. That much of the information filtering through young minds may be false, insidious or just downright dangerous, but one thing is constant – the little buggers, brought up with it, know how to use it. And you can bet the current adolescent generation sure know how to use it better than the generation in Canberra making unenforceable laws kicking them of various platforms until they’re 16.
Another saying was from a wit who said ‘time is just God’s way of ensuring everything doesn’t happen all at once’. Then God didn’t envision the tsunami of information in which social media swamps people,. It’s instant everything, all at once, and while more mature people may work out defences and processes, that’s not how many young minds work. And it cannot be denied that social media is an addition, just as damaging in a way as online gambling. No wonder some overwhelmed youngsters top themselves.
Already there are huge breaches in the dam wall that’s being put up against the sea of information out there, with stories flooding in of youngsters laughing at how easy it is to get around. And the technology and clunky verification process apparently works mainly as a deterrent rather than an effective blocking. And there’s nothing more dangerous or as ruthlessly efficient as a bored, mildly tech savvy youngster. Already, they can pretty simply cheat the system in a number of innovation ways, with the irony that almost all the platforms that are ‘banned’ have for weeks sharing ‘work around’ hacks.
But in pointing this out, The Magpie is not endorsing kids smartness, but more criticising a legacy seeking Prime Minister’s who has forgotten the golden rule … never create laws that you can’t enforce. Australia waving a big stick at big tech is a Canute-like exercise at best, and inevitably a ruinously expensive one. So taxpayers, brace yourselves. Albanese wants a legacy that puts him beside the past global leads of Australia, notably national compulsory wearing of seat belts (1972) and plain packaging for cigarettes (2012). But both those measures were easily enforceable. Use of social media, usually in a private space, offers no such possibility, which is why the government has put the onus on tech companies. Age bans have always been notorious for attracting workarounds, especially booze and the aforementioned cigarettes (when they were affordable with pocket money). And consenting teen sex for that matter. Whether this ban will hold up in our courts is anybody’s guess , and one imagines it will never work in the US, although some states have limited laws in this regard that are already that are being challenged.
One positive upside as The ‘Pie sees it s a greater awareness and discussion within families on handling the ban. And it’s not a cynical joke that the ban may bring about some old style family togetherness … if the parents can get their noses out their own phones and devices long enough to enjoy their kids more.
You Might Have To Trust The ‘Pie On The Visual Here
An eagled-eyed reader sent in this photo, taken at Richo’s recent funeral. Resolution is the best The ‘Pie could do.
The white-haired bloke looking towards the camera is Shane Hill, and partly obscured next to him is wife, Jenny, our own beloved ex- Mayor Mullet. What The ‘Pie’s sharp-eyed mate wondered was just how close was Jenny Hill’s relationship with the late (and as far as The ‘Pie is concerned, unlamented) Richardson., one of the great political crooks of our time. For someone who never rose above a provincial mayoralty to be seated in the second row of a political and celebrity-studded affair is worthy of contemplation.
Has The Mullet been rehabilitated in the eyes of the Labor hierarchy, and finally get her desperately yearned for spot on Labor’s senate ticket? Or was it just an old mate’s act?
Stayed tuned.
The Best Cartoon Of The Week Goes To Harry Bruce In The Bulletin
Cartoonist Harry Bruce
Harry Bruce, the paper’s cartoonist, amazes with his unfailing output … in fact The ‘Pie cannot remember a single day when a Harry ‘toon did not appear as required on the editorial page, often making more sense of the written silliness of recent iditors. Harry does work on a regular basis for other publications, Cairns, Mackay et al, buggered if if I know how he does it. Given this pressure, his humour is sometimes hit and miss but when he gets a bullseye, it’s a humdinger. This week, he was undoubtedly the very best in the entire country on a national story … no words can match Harry’s thousand word picture on Barnaby’s defection to One Notion.
Not another word need be said. A bewdy, Harry.
The Astonisher also can claim one of the intentionally funny comments of the week, too, and not unsurprisingly, it came from a reader in the letters column.
Given that everything else that moves or stands still carries advertising these days, why not? Worthy idea, Mr Worth.
And it’s always good to take a leak for a laugh in The Australian.
And what better way to enjoy a few laughs that a round-up of The Shovel’s take on the week’s news.
As always nowadays, not sure that last one’s a joke.
But that neatly brings us to this week’s visit to …
AMERIKA
A recent poll in the US indicated that 7th among the top ten most loathed people was Trump’s air head, hair flicking bimbo press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Always sporting a crucifix necklaces, (it is a wonder the Pope hasn’t excommunicated her) this deeply offensive woman/child daily parrots the crass immoral effluvium produced from the bowels of the Orange Abomination. A practising Catholic, Leavitt usually leads team prayers before she steps forward to endorse and promote sin after sin. Now, a Canadian TV show has hilariously lampooned this passive/aggressive trollop.
Elsewhere, Trump’s Christmas wish list and playing Santa were on the cartoonists’ agenda. The first one’s a rip snorter.
And Finally, The Fashionable Lunacy Of Our Times
…………..
That’s all for 2025, folks. Thanks for hanging around, giving us the heads up on stories, a great array of comments and of course, a special thanks to those who have financially supported the blog throughout the year, without you, there’d be no Nest. Plan to be back sometime early-ish in the New Year. In the meantime, sincere best wishes for a safe and happy holiday period. Malcolm Magpie
I see that Slick Nick and his Developer mates have consulted their late 1980’s record collection for inspiration and found Yazz. The new slogan being “The Only Way is Up” for the city.
This all sounds all very upbeat and progressive until you realise Crisafulli is removing restrictions on Developer donations to politicians.
And that building more high rise accommodation solutions in the city won’t solve some of the fundamental problems of why people don’t go in there or don’t want to go in there, in the first place. The main one being there’s no fucking parking. And that jamming another 4000 people in there will only exacerbate that issue.
But as long as the developers get to make money, and the politicians get donations, who are we to complain.
It was a weird story, all in all. While The ‘Pie has long advocated more residential accomodation in the CBD area – perhaps students from a newly formed uni campus – building up is a ‘well, duh’ option which they treat as some great discovery. ‘We must build up, not out’ was one of the more nonsensical statements – where’s the option to ‘build out’?
But it is good that the paper is running positive stories that aren’t total bullshit. Like water parks that are never likely to happen … at least not on the designated site. But then, you never know, this is Townsville, Jake.
And while we’re on the subject, driving past the other day, The ‘Pie noted new for sale notices on the old Rail Yards South, which have remained an exploited scar next to the CBD for years. Anyone know what’s going on? Jatz, you heard anything?
I know its asking a little too much from the media release copy pasters at the Townsville Bulletin, but perhaps they could just once or twice a week pretend to be journalists and ask hard and pertinent questions.
We live in hope (not holding my breath or anything).
Morning Malcolm,
Thankyou for allowing Moggie to be part of Nest and sharing some of the hot topics on Maggie Island.
Best wishes to you, its been a very busy year, time now for you to be on the golf course, enjoy the holiday season with your family and friends.
Interesting in both the Bully & ABC articles regarding Greaney’s decision to step down from the deputy mayor position, neither bothered to ask her why?
Greaney could of also tried to make amends to her consituents and state, ‘she now wanted to focus her full attention on Division 3′, but she didn’t. Nor did she bother to turn up at the recent MIRRA meeting, where council was expected to provide more details on works beginning on the reconstruction of the Sooning St bridge, with the arrival of materials and equipment on the island.
Foodtrucks was a no show. One hopes after her holiday break, she appears to be a bit more interested in her division, only time will tell…
As for the Hill’s attending Richardson funeral, they often to spend holidays with the late senator and his family, great friends for many years.
It’s now time for a pineapple daiquiri and drop the crab pot in at Cockle Bay.
See you in 2026.
Thanks for the wishes, Moggie, right back atcha.
Small point: isn’t it interesting red tape apparently took almost a year for just designs for Sooning Street to come through … nd now they’re going to start building at the start of the wet season?
Malcolm,
Lots of red tape apparently, in the original design from council they forgot to include ‘fish ladders’ – yes that’s right – fish ladders for a creek and its delta which is most of the year dry. Approval could not be given until they were included. The greeens on the island have a lot to answer for…
Hmmm … was curious about this and this is what turned up when The ‘Pie asked if all fish can use fish ladders.
No, not all fish can use fish ladders; effectiveness varies greatly by species, with ladders often designed for stronger, adult, Northern Hemisphere jumpers like salmon, failing many native or weaker Australian species, juveniles, and invertebrates, requiring specialised or different fish passage designs for true connectivity. Different fish have different swimming abilities and behaviours, and a ladder built for one type might be a barrier for others, including carp that need removal.
Another extremist green measure, which if as you say was the reason for the lengthy delay, is an anti-social extreme even for the most rabid Greeny (but I repeat my myself).
This is a good examples of the perils of using AI as a crutch for lack of critical thinking skills. The output of the machine is only as good as the question asked, and the poor old Pie didn’t even know the right question to ask.
Doubt The ‘Pie will be taking on board any thoughts from you about critical thinking skills … you’re more into unexplained criticism. Care to enlighten us what you consider the right question might have been? In your eagerness for a patronising cheap shot, your own critical thinking facility failed to cognite that The ‘Pie’s comment was in fact inviting intelligent response and information. Which you have been markedly deficient in over time.
Merry Christmas.
Shades of the senseless cassowary crossings up at Mission Beach.
Maggie Moggie must live in a bubble if she thinks Gustav Creek and its delta (WTF?) “is most of the year dry”. That creek is actually an estuary so that, rain or shine, tides higher than a certain level penetrate way upstream taking marine plant and animal species with them – hence the mangroves. The highest king tides, coming up in the next couple of months, reach the Barton Street bridge about half a kilometre upstream of Sooning Street – as observational residents who live along the banks will attest. Rather than turning your curiosity to the internet, why not ask the local state and federal members whose governments are providing all the money (and making the ‘fish ladder’ demands) to account for themselves. MM must know someone with the facts?
“Most of the year” but not “all of the year”
Mate – when that creek is running we need more than bloody ladders. It is either dry as a nuns nasty or running like piss from an elephant. There is no option 3.
Pie, you will find that most major Govt. organisations have major projects with timing like that. Projects are scoped leading into the budget, then it is approved. The engineers mull it over and produce a plan a few months later, then environmental add a few clauses, then managers sign off, just in time for Santa Claus – Merry Christmas ratepayers. By the time the equipment is ordered and lands, and the slaves are back from holidays, they get to slop in the mud in the middle of Summer which needs variance because they didn’t factor in the wet season and the heat injuries the workers suffered which slows the project. Next budget is project overruns.
It’s the casual pace, the lack of any urgency or consideration for local users, that is the height of arrogance. You can bet if that bridge was in Ingham, it would have been up and running again in weeks. We shouldn’t accept these red tape excuses.
Since mid-January, even before the second flood completed the demolition of the Sooning Street bridge, a few Maggie Island locals have been badgering their divisional councillor about her lack of action, her arrogance, her fashion choices, her demeanour, her failure to explain to them, in person, why she hasn’t appeared at their MIRRA meeting (even if they didn’t attend themselves), why she didn’t show up at the special council meeting (to appoint a new Deputy Mayor – the irony of it) and now, why she hasn’t shirt-fronted the state and federal governments about the design of the fish ladder. Oh, and her failure as Acting Mayor, a role which everyone has now accepted can’t reasonably be performed without numerous professional assistants, a competent deputy, a compliant state government and some local members willing to explain why their governments are so slack with their own explanations. Cr Greaney is not Troy Thompson. Can we cut the woman some slack please.
Yes, why not cut her some slack … her dressmaker always has.
(Yeah, sorry, cheap shot, but couldn’t resist.)
BTW, Ingham is in the federal seat of Kennedy represented by Bob Katter, whereas Sooning Street, Nelly Bay is in the federal seat of Herbert represented by Phillip Thompson. Although neither is ‘in government’ one might be more effective than the other. Since the money for the bridge reconstruction is provided through Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA), our Mr Thompson should be all over the money side of the equation. Senior TCC infrastructure people are now saying the bridge job will cost way more than the $7.4 million allocated earlier in the year, long before the plans, including the fish ladder or passage, were finalised. Perhaps the Member for Herbert can show his face and enlighten us about who will pick up the total final tab for the Sooning Street bridge and reassure us that a promise to fund the reconstruction won’t end up in weasel words that just mean ratepayers now have to share the costs.
Here’s a better idea, Bob. Why don’t you email him the question, and share his answer with us all when he replies?
It’s Xmas. Give the poor bloke a break.
No it’s not and you’re that the one that suggested he show his face. So hop to it.
Mr Thompson is too busy posting about his recent marriage separation and has no time for matters of politics.
I do hope his wife is ok.
Gosh, no sleep for The ‘Pie tonight, then.
Maybe no questions could be asked because her holidays kicked off after this media release?
https://www.townsville.qld.gov.au/about-council/news-and-publications/media-releases/2025/december/a-statement-regarding-townsville-deputy-mayor-position
Maybe, but when someone has been a high profile reasonsible position in the community – acting mayor and deputy mayor – suely that community could expect some voluntary explanation from the person herself.
Leavitt lampoon link did not work for me. And Merry Christmas
Worth googling it yourself for a laugh, plenty of links.
That’s not Karoline Leavitt in that photo.
Whoops. Thanks for the heads up, that was Kayleigh McEnany, a Trump press secretary from his first term. Suitably amended. Thanks.
Happy Yuletide season you self appointed judge, jury and executioner, Magpie! ????
You find other people’s opinion offensive if they don’t align with yours, Grinchy?
Merry Christmas Pie & A Happy New Year.
Looking forward to 2026 with our new Council Chamber.
Just one question for Ducks Nuts. Who did you vote for Mayor?
Alahazbin, I couldn’t care less who you voted for in the Mayoral election. Our democratic system allows you to vote for whoever you choose in a secret ballot. Even if I think your choice is fundamentally misguided, you still have the freedom to make it. And you’re free to make that choice again in future elections.
But if your main concern heading into the end of 2025 and the Christmas season (which I assume you celebrate) is who I voted for rather than goodwill toward your fellow citizens, that’s genuinely sad.
You’ve been drinking the kool aid again haven’t you.
These wonderful councillors have continued the borrowing, have shunned any light on the finances of the council and guess what? Next June the rates and taxes all go up again – for no other purpose than to destroy those that pay them from their own pocket that can’t write it off as a business expense.
Your seasonal joy is infectious. Enjoy the season as best you can, me old mutt.
Guy, merry Xmas. I’ve bought you a new tinfoil hat. Have a great festive season while avoiding the 5G network and chemtrails. If you have internet access in your bunker, please keep away from all conspiracy theory websites.
The cruise ship pic must have taken place during office hours.
According to residents of Alligator Creek, “Dad Jokes” is only available for meetings 9-5 Monday to Friday.
How dare they want to discuss serious drainage concerns, that could quite easily lead to flooding of their homes, with the councillor for their division at a time they can actually attend?
Well, not sure that’s either accurate or fair. A councillor isn’t on 24-hour call at the convenience of residents who want to raise an issue. Surely representations to his, or any councillor’s office, can make a suitable out-of-hours time if the issue demands it (like evenings if there is a bat problem). Otherwise, why should a councillor’s job … and that’s what it is, a job … have different amenity rules to everybody else? They have families, too, and are entitled to a reasonable work schedule.
Yes, this is weak. If you can’t attend in business hours, write a letter or email. And if an issue is as serious as your hypothetical, then make some time in your day to meet with your councillor.
Malcolm, have a great Xmas break and enjoy whatever activities you get involved in. Thank you for your contributions into community matters over the past 12 months and thank you for an undiluted and honest blog that highlights both the good and bad aspects of Townsville. A toast to 2026.
Thanks, Mopsy, but it’s just a conversation starter, the real value is the readers comments … and new tips, for which The ‘Pie is grateful
Will be looking at ways to tighten up the Nest itself, The ‘Pie is making too many errors still (which are happily corrected with thanks when pointed out). Bad look when criticising others, although as a one man band and not a commercial outfit making money, there is a difference in emphasis.
Merry Christmas and HNY.
Pie, I can’t see anything on RP Data re the railway yards currently up for sale.
Noted that it sold November 21 for $18.150 M to OLD LAUNCESTON SEAPORT PTY LTD.
Interestingly, the UCV (unimproved capital Value) used by local councils and some other government departments for rateable valuation had it at $3.4 M in 2022.
That increased to $8.7 M in 2025 !!!
Going on memory only , doesn’t Chris Morris have an interest in that company?
And drove past this afternoon again, but was in traffic so could only get a glance but think the advertising signs hung on the fence may be for a different, non-real estate matter altogether.But the signs look a bit unkempt and old.
Correct Pie, Chris Morris does have an interest in the old south railyards.
A check on the Colliers Townsville website has this site listed for sale and this has been the case since around February this year if memory serves me right. Address for site is Perkins Street if anyone wants to check out the listing. Couldn’t get the website link for the specific property to paste here.
Crits, I see that it was EOI ending in March this year. Interesting that there doesn’t appear a big push to move it on since then.
Be interesting to see what the new year brings. It’s definitely a hard road for developers in NQ/FNQ trying to borrow with financiers making it pretty hard with a high level of unconditional pre-sales needing to be in place before funding is forthcoming.
Yes, indications are that Morris purchased the site in a JV with a Tasmanian developer hence the company name of the owners. Morris is getting on in years now and probable doesn’t want to go down the full development road. The costs and commitment level for the coming years would be huge so it may well be being on-sold given its worth more dollars.
Be an interesting test for the new council if a development company has a crack at the site and enters into negotiations with them seeking relief and flexibility with council guidelines to ensure a success for all parties, Townsville public included.
What’s the betting Albo will get the family travel perks tightened, and then later, the pollies base salary will need to increase to compensate?
He doesn’t decide the pay rate.
Nice to see Nick choose big Suze for his deputy doo dah. These two will make a great team.
Bye bye Troy, have fun with your new income stream of delivering pamphlets around the community, pushing trolley’s at Woolies and renting out your cheaply built studio at mums house ha ha you fuckwit.
Merry Christmas Pie. Thanks for your efforts for the year, it is appreciated.
One question that needs to be answered, will Batwoman solve the Bat problems?
Re the Sooning Street bridge holdups in construction. Just be glad that there are no known Indigenous Cultural site issues. Noahs Creek bridge at Cape Tribulation has stood for decades and funding has been secured for it’s replacement immediately adjacent to the existing structure. Plans being drawn up of new bridge but hold up, there’s some Indigenous Cultural site issues and the delay caused is now measured by years.
Yep, the “religion of peace” is performing as usual!!!!
Yep, and idiot nations like Europe and Australia are letting these violence loving grubs in by the thousands each day. Look at what has become of places like France, London, Germany and Sydney and Melbourne. Perhaps Trump isn’t so stupid after all?
You’d like to see someone like Trump in charge of Australia?
Fuck off to America with your tar em all with the same brush bigotry.
And yet Australians from immigrant backgrounds risked their lives to save people. Not all heroes wear capes, some wear greengrocers aprons.
Noted he has an middle eastern name. Ton of guts.
Shame he didn’t pull the trigger when he had the chance – gunman went straight back to the bridge, picked up the spare gun they brought with him and resumed firing at innocents.
Thought the same thing.
BTW where the bloody hell have you been, Grumps, haven’t heard from you in ages?
The Townsville Bulletin editor appears to be treading down a dangerous path with her treatment of reader comments on the paper’s website.
It appears she is not allowing reader comments on select stories, usually about local council/councilors.
This morning we’re allowed to comment on a controversial move to introduce a “user pays” fee for visiting Cape York, and a “hit-and-run attack that left a woman fighting for life, and a driver charged with eight counts of attempted murder”.
But we’re not allowed to comment on “Concerns around delivering a budget surplus and costing ratepayers big money” arising from the approval of mayor Nick Dametto’s three advisers.
Why?
Hope this is not a forerunner to the reintroduction of expensive, ratepayer funded full page council ads in the Harvey Norman Bulletin.
The change in the order of comments is also curious.
They used to appear in (common sense) chronological order, allowing readers who have already viewed comments to later check out just the new ones.
But that all changed recently when comments started being rearranged so that often ones that were made 2 days ago are on top of others made just a few minutes ago.
Could it be a not-so-subtle attempt at censorship?
Bob,
Greaney is about as popular with island residents as dengue fever. A few weeks ago you made the comment – ‘that Greaney wasn’t going anywhere and would be a dutiful deputy mayor to Slick Nick’. Wrong again as you often are.
Re your comments Gustav Creek: When the Barton St bridge was rebuilt after it was destroyed the Night of Noah – there were no fish ladders in the design, nor were they any fish ladders in the design of the Elena St culvert which was recently rebuilt. Come over to the island now and drop a line off either bridge and see what it hits, it won’t be water. Locals who have lived on the creek close to the Sooning St bridge for over 50 years are saying ‘WTF, fish ladders, not needed’.
Just bureaucratic red tape instigated by blow in activist greens, which appears to be their hobby.
‘Merry Christmas Bob’, or do you consider that to be politically incorrect?
MM, That is complete bullshit. I never wrote any such thing, here or anywhere else. Are you OK?
You must have picked up your ignorant notions about ‘blow-in activist greens’ during the same dream sequence, unless they have unearthed some in the state government which published this explanation:
“Fishway Design: The new design specifically includes a fishway (or fish passage) to facilitate fish movement in Gustav Creek, an important environmental consideration. This design has been developed in consultation with the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) and the State Assessment and Referral Agency (SARA) to meet environmental guidelines.”
I don’t know anything about the designs of the Barton Street and Elena Street bridges but my guess is that both are beyond the limit of salt water tidal incursion so different ‘environmental guidelines’ apply. And your long term experts who live near the Sooning Street bridge site might like to explain why that old 1960s structure had a ‘low-flow’ duct incorporated in its design. There might have been a reason but I doubt it had anything to do with greenies.
Bob,
you wrote ‘The highest king tides, coming up in the next couple of months, reach the Barton Street bridge about half a kilometre upstream of Sooning Street – as observational residents who live along the banks will attest’
Now your saying ‘I don’t know anything about the designs of the Barton Street and Elena Street bridges but my guess is that both are beyond the limit of salt water tidal incursion so different ‘environmental guidelines’ apply.’
So what is Bob?
And yes ‘those observant residents who live along the banks will attest’ there is no need for fish ladders.
MM, you make stuff up and you get corrected. You bullshit about what people say and you get sprung. There’s no excuse except you haven’t got a clue. Read the TCC full-colour handout from September 2025 which you demanded from Council. It tells you about the State Assessment and Referral Agency and the Department of Primary Industries – the bodies that instruct TCC about various issues around the Sooning Street bridge job including the ‘fish passage’. That is the source of the holdup. Don’t believe it? Tough shit. Take it up with your local member because it is out of the Council’s hands.
(Sigh). Got a link to the brochure?
Sounds like you might work for Council, Bob?
Bob,
you referring to this https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#search/city+projects/FMfcgzQcpdfPtlQGtRBJCMMTtGWqrZsv
As for the instigation of fishways for the bridge – this came about because of the Nelly Bay Harbour Development way back when, and the demands of a blow in activists from Canberra – one who decided to stay around, these days she known for her stunts of chaining herself to fences and has had multiple appearances in court.
What you seem to be unable to grasp is at the residents meeting earlier in the year council stated they anticipated the new bridge would be completed by the end of the year. When the fact is a formal development still had not be submitted – due to fish ways designs incomplete.
Here is a statement from Adam Baillie,
Dated 5th Sept.
As discussed, please find below a statement from Adam Baillie MP, based on the latest advice from the Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning.
Quotes attributable to Mr Baillie
I understand there is a lot of frustration around the delay in rebuilding this bridge.
I will continue to advocate for Council, as the project managers, to keep the community up to date with progress.
**
Quotes attributable to Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning:
No application for the reconstruction of the Sooning St Bridge has been received from Townsville City Council.
In partnership with Council, the Queensland Government is currently assessing the required application for demolition works of the existing bridge.
Once the reconstruction application has been received, the application will be prioritised to support accelerated works.
Background:
The State Assessment and Referral Agency (SARA) has had several pre-lodgement meetings with the Townsville City Council (the Council) for removal of the damaged bridge and construction of a new bridge and fishway.
Emergency works have already been undertaken because of the December 2024 floods which irreparably damaged the existing bridge.
On 29 April 2025, AECOM (on behalf of the Council) lodged a development application with the Council as the assessment manager and properly referred the application to SARA on 17 July 2025 for works to remove the damaged bridge.
SARA is currently finalising conditions for the bridge demolition and coordinating with AECOM. AECOM and the Council have requested further discussion with the Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI) before the SARA decision is issued and has paused the assessment.
SARA is working to issue its response to the Council by 23 September 2025.
The new bridge requires a development application to be lodged with the Council as assessment manager for operational works for prescribed tidal works. Timing and lodgement of a development application for the construction of the new bridge and fishway is a matter for AECOM (on behalf of the Council).
The new bridge and fishway rebuild is at the design stage, with SARA having provided advice to the Council on the design of the new bridge and fishway.
While a development application for the construction of the replacement bridge is yet to be referred to SARA, it has already reviewed initial plans for the replacement bridge during pre-lodgement discussions with AECOM and the Council.
SARA does not anticipate a need for any further pre-lodgement meetings regarding the development application for the new bridge and fishway.
MIRRA 8th Feb
Adam Baillie
Sooning St bridge – probably not one or two years to fix, closer to six months depending on material being available – Federal Government also on side to assist
MIRRA 1st March
Matt Richardson
Sooning St bridge over Gustav creek. Federal and State funding has been achieved for repair. Now getting approvals – either box culvert (quickest) or a bridge. No end date available at this stage. MIRRA to be advised.
MIRRA June 2025
Matt Richardson
Sooning St bridge: when final environmental plans are accepted by State govt a timeline will be available. Fishway plans are the hold-up – should be approved 2 – 3 weeks. It will be a 38 metre, 2 span bridge. with a new pedestrian pathway on the school side of the bridge.
I also have full voice recording of all MIRRA meetings this year, however I have no intention of of spending hours just to appease you Bob. I happen to live in quiet close proximity to Gustav Creek and have done for well over 30years, with my new beaut electic rod and reel I could throw a line from my balcony into the creek – no point through – there’s no water, let alone fish.
Merry Christmas, anyway.
https://www.townsville.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0033/286557/Magnetic-Island-Community-Update-September-2025.pdf
“As for the instigation of fishways for the bridge – this came about because of the Nelly Bay Harbour Development way back when, and the demands of a blow in activists from Canberra.”
More concocted bullshit. The original 1960s bridge had a ‘fishway’ of sorts – referred to as a ‘low-flow’ pipe or duct. Nelly Bay harbour came 20-30 years later. If you really want to understand the ‘fishway’ in the new design (you obviously don’t but, what the heck), ask the DPI. Or put your fishing rod down and speed dial your mate the local member.
Was this Bulletin editor Jill Poulson yesterday afternoon?
Shooting? What Shooting? I didn’t see any shooting.
News Ltd must seriously be waiting fo Gerry Harvey to quit advertising with them so they can ditch print publishing altogether.
The context: One of the most horrific, historic events in Australian history, with global implications, happened in Sydney yesterday afternoon, beginning just after 4 o’clock, Queensland time. 16 dead, more than forty wounded or injured, one gunman dead, a second caught on camera being tackled and disarmed by a courageous bystander. Today’s Courier Mail, using all information that was available at deadline, had a simple, classic front page story, and extensive coverage on the leading inside pages.
There have always been certain events across the nation (cf Port Arthur, Whitlam’s sacking) and around the world (cf JFK’s assassination, 9/11, the Queen’s death) where provincial newspapers drop everything to rejig front pages and ditch holdable stories inside to make room for breaking stories that will reflect a moment in history … because papers have always been a proud to have been there to record historic moments. In fact, that is their job. Of course, nowadays, technology makes news instant … and that same technology makes it possible for the fading but expensive printed papers to be quickly altered to record such moments.
But not at the cut-price, penny-pinching News Ltd regionals up this way, the Townsville Bulletin, the Cairns Post and Mackay Mercury. None of these publications could be bothered on a Sunday to get of their complacent arses and make the same effort as the Courier. Alerted at just after 4 in the afternoon is ample time to splash history across fronts pages anywhere.
But here’s what you got when you either bought, or opened up your online ‘read today’s paper as printed’ online News Ltd issues this morning (the Mercury getting the biggest embarrassing blush).
Certainly there was acres of coverage across all their online sites, but what responsible editor wouldn’t just up sticks from the BBQ and glass f chardy, race to the office and lead his or her team to ensure that their paper was part of history. They would be eager to do so, and be ashamed if they didn’t.
But apparently that attitude is no longer encouraged when the tentacles of avaricious, penny pinching central corporation lull lazy editors into the attitude ‘oh, well, the Courier will have that covered.’
This disgraceful professional torpor starkly reminds us of the what a cynical presence the Townsville Bulletin is in this community.
The problem with the Townsville Bulletin, at least, is that at the Townsville print site it now plays second fiddle to other News Ltd publications, like the Courier Mail and The Australian, which are printed last to cover the latest news.
I’ve heard that if anything happens after 3.30pm, it’s left till the following day’s TB print edition. Happy to be corrected if I’m wrong, but that info comes from a reliable source.
Back in the days when the paper was selling 42,000 copies on Saturdays and 28,000 average Monday to Friday, we used to “hold the press” to cover State Of Origin games and other important events.
If the Pope had died at 11.30pm it would have been in the paper next morning.
Just another example of the demise of a once great newspaper.
Hey Doug, you and the Magpie know how these things work. What would it take on the first Sunday evening of the school holidays when literally everyone has gone home (to the BBQ, the bottle or the bed), to get someone to change the front page on the Monday edition of the Townsville Bulletin? Could it be done from Brisbane? Would someone, a journo, an editor, THE editor have to arrive at the physical office to write the story and issue instructions? What if no one is available, in town, sober, child free and actually up for the task? Would News Ltd pay a premium or would they just let it go through to the keeper? I can guess.
There is always staff on a Sunday … or at least there always was. You can’t write a Monday paper on Friday or Saturday. Why shouldn’t it be done by the editor and staff pulled in if necessary to do layout only because all the Bondi news would be from external sources. But it always was that when a big story broke, you wanted to be part of the action. The ‘Pie was on a day off from SBS when 9/11 happened, but went in unasked anyway, it was all hands on deck … and we were all there willingly.
Back in less PC days, in capital cities and regionals, journos were often pulled out the local watering hole to cover late breaking stories … and believe it or not, some of the best writing came out of those call backs.
Havn’t been involved for a few years, but the print order used to be- 1st Australian, 2nd Courier, 3rd Mackay Mercury, 4th cairns Post, last Townsville Bulletin. This was so the Australian and Courier could go South and North with the respective local papers. The Bulletin was ready to go to the (Brisbane based) distributor by 1AM or thereabouts. My point is that if the Courier could do it, why couldn’t the regionals?
Good read again Pie, thank you for keeping us up to date with information. The Bulletin writers and editor could learn something from you, it is getting worse, what with spelling errors blatantly missed, it is ridiculous to think this is our only print in Townsville. Townsville Council will definitely get all it needs, with Dametto and Crisafulli working hand in hand, as long as Nick does as he is told. I wonder if Molachino would be interested in an advisor role, or if Crisafulli has recommended others to him. Lots of questions on who they are, and it should be public knowledge.
There’d be way too much heat if the hop-scotching Frothy was tapped for an advisory role. With his council experience, he would no doubt make a valuable contribution, but there would be … as they say in cruier circles than the Nest – howls from arsesole to breakfast time from the politically dissatisfied.
Nick would be employing his mate, benefiting from someone who knows it all, and has gotten Suzy onside too. He wouldn’t need to push the political angle, as the role is reporting to the CEO, it’ll earn him $200k, and he would have his hands on the control stick, let’s face it, Nick would benefit greatly, and the duo could be a real force now he’s shed the ALP flag. I can only see a win, win model, he could potentially run for Division 4 at the next election over sleepy Price, and he would more than likely get a deputy opportunity under Nick.
Are you indigenous Steve? If not, you might be had up for cultural appropriation, because that is pure Dreamtime stuff.
Just watched Albanese’s media speech at 1pm. This guy and his sheep are fucking wankers. It was more like a fucking election speech than one after a massacre. We’ll do this for the Jewish community now; cheap funerals, funding for loss of business, blah blah fucking blah. No mention at all about the fuckups over the last 2-3 years or a ‘thank you’ for taking the focus of that cheating trough pig, Anika Wells or the Burke ISIS bride issue. Just fuck off Albo, go and wash the blood off your hands.
What would you like done Kenny?
WMD 2.0?
Been watching Sky After Dark have we?
Someone was asking about bats. Here is a media release from DESI, here is link https://www.qld.gov.au/environment/plants-animals/animals/living-with/bats/flying-foxes/managing-impacts-of-flying-foxes/flying-fox-roost-management-local-government-grants-program
Local governments share in $250,000 to manage flying-fox roosts across Queensland
15 December 2025
TCC received $80k
That’s more than enough to fix the bat’s problem. $10,000.00 should buy enough 12gauge ammunition to help the bats reduce their impact!
Umm, probably not the best time to be talking the illegal use of firearms, mate. For any purpose.
Fuck the bats and fuck DESI. They protect the bats over the rights of people who have to endure the animals piss and shit everywhere. It’s a disgrace. Anyway, I have several laser lights and I shine them at the bats and they get disturbed and freak out with some moving on. It’s not a DESI approved dispersal method but who gives a shit.
CC, Over at the Palmeteum council used red & blue lights aimed up into the trees. This seemed to have moved the bats on. I often wonder why they never used that method at Dan Gleeson Gardens. The biggest stench at the Palmetum is from the Ibis’s.
As one council worker said to me “It’s a smell that you can’t get used to”. Worse than the bats.
A few well placed carpet snakes usually works at a fraction of the cost
CUT THE BULLSHIT, BIBI.
The selective scumbaggery of Benjamin Netanyahu
Having a genocidal war criminal, let alone a likely corrupt political leader in his own country, implying Australia’s Prime Minister is responsible for the Bondi attack is more than a bit rich, coming as it does from an egregious individual who must shoulder more of that blame himself. But Netanyahu will never acknowledge his own role that flowed through to Bondi, instead he seeks to shelter behind the lowest act of political opportunism and selective morality imaginable.
Let’s recap briefly: The heinous Hamas murders and kidnapping of Oct 7 demanded a strong and unequivocal Israeli response, swift in happening and strategically targeted. And so it was, and was largely condoned and applauded around the ‘civilised’ parts of the globe. It was more than justified by accepted international norms, and initially, the tough IDF actions was seen as unfortunate but necessary.
But then Netanyahu, desperate to deflect from his own internal corruption trials, was consumed with building a tough war time leader image. Urged on by the ultra-extreme right Zionists in his cabinet, (and by Trump) he pushed things over the edge into genocide. At first he used the excuse that Gazans were deliberately gathering in buildings above Hamas tunnels as a shield, never mind that those buildings were often hospitals crammed with mostly women and children, wounded and maimed by the IDF. This pretence was soon put aside to be replaced with indiscriminate bombing of civilians anywhere and everywhere through a twisted ‘they’re all good for it’ policy of association. And that couldn’t be justified even in today’s world of skewed moral values.
But then, Netanyahu employed starvation as a weapon, which just about every other half-way civilised country eschews as a weapon of war and is outlawed by the Geneva Convention. And in no way could it be argued as a legitimate tactic.
The endless daily images were sickening, and as the toll of dead innocents headed through 40,000 to as high as 60,000 (no one know for sure) sentiment went from approval of justified retaliation to one of revulsion and condemnation.
But all diplomatic protests … and the bumbling self-interested and inconsistent maunderings of Trump … were ignored, just dismissed with an airy wave of the hand … or should that be a Aryan wave of the hand.
And it was all that, Mr Netanyahu, more than any world leader let alone Anthony Albanese, that put Jewish communities around the globe in real danger, and that is where they remain, at the mercy of lone wolves or organised terror cells. And put the fight against antisemitism back a generation.
All because you need this war to stay in office and out of jail.
Israel has every right to defend itself, and to exist … but as a nation, it does not have the right to break every civilised convention of conflict and the expect its largely illegal and inhumane actions won’t encourage mindless antisemitism.
So don’t you start moralising falsely about others without acknowledging that your own egregious, inhumane behaviour has paved the road back to old mythical tropes about Judaism. That road leads to Bondi.
Well said Magpie.
Peter Honeycombe calling Townsville a hovel in today’s paper is rich coming from someone who turned a carpark into Metro Quays and was fined for multiple fire safety breaches including failure to maintain fire safety installations, ignoring rectification notices, and not meeting fire safety regulations. That building also had roof structure issues and mould-filled walls that needed replacing because they weren’t properly cleaned and sealed during construction.
Then there’s Highpoint with its building defects and flooding issues and Urban Quarter with fire safety violations, only one elevator, and maintenance neglect. His other projects are brought with issues, constant disputes with subcontractors and his failure to pay.
While not doubting what you say, can you give us the source of your information and some links, please?A damning statement like that really does need some verification.
Metro Quays Fire Safety
https://safe-group.com.au/consequences-of-fire-safety-non-compliance-in-qld/
Metro Quays Roof Issues
https://www.queenslandjudgments.com.au/caselaw/qcata/2023/20
Paddington Project and unpaid contractors is also linked to Walton’s class action. However Honeycombe shut down the site and refused to let subcontractors access their gear.
Thank you.
Add Waterview Terraces in Belgian Gardens to the list of dodgy Honeycomb developments. The first lot of decent rain after they were finished and a whole swag of unit residents had a much, much closer view of the water than expected. Not enough render and external paint had been watered down too much. (Ex Body Corp)
Very true, I had forgotten.
Before Highpoint was opened it was given a clean with fire hoses and the storage rooms filled with water.
The air-conditioners were imported and not suitable for North Queensland.
And the guttering on the road was conveniently placed on the high side.
Spot the serious newspaper from today’s line-up.
Again we ask seriously, what the fuck is going on down at the Bulletin. A small front page pointer but important enough for a three page spread –on pages 11 to 13!! And an editorial of platitudes and cliches.
At least the Cairns Post included a more prominent front page pointer to the Bondi story, but it too decided the re-opening of a surf club is what readers were clamouring for..
But even putting aside what appears to a disconnect from from readers interest, what in God’s name was Jill Poulsen thinking in choosing the alternative story. Good luck to mum and bub, but WHO GIVES A FUCK ABOUT A STORY LIKE THIS ANY TIME. Not even remotely of local interest, and certainly not front page material … at any time. The obsession with mawkishness is getting beyond a joke.
It has always been the Bulletin’s practice to have ‘focus groups’ to hear what interests readers most, so the editor knows how best to shape policy for sales. It would be enlightening, not to mention alarming, to find out how they select their focus groups … the morbid fascination with one-off rare diseases, usually involving young people and babies, and mercy dash/miracle birth et al makes one wonder if the TUH secure unit provides such groups.
I can’t disagree with what you’ve written because I’ve been saying the same thing since the Gazan slaughter began.
The hideous irony is that when the Claytons ceasefire came into effect, the Hamas thugs, not satisfied with the catastrophic loss of Gazan lives, organised firing squads to kill more people in the streets.
As that old song “Reuben James” said, inter alia: “The worst of men must fight and the best of men must die. “
Regarding the Townsville Bulletin’s failure to cover the Bondi massacre within an acceptable timeframe, because of the way News Limited treats its Townsville masthead, it probably would have been impossible to have the story on the front page.
The story was obviously national, not local, so the Courier Mail version could easily have replaced the original Townsville Bulletin front page. The Bully reprints Courier Mail/Sunday Mail stories on a regular basis.
The problem is that the Bully is now printed so early, it’s impossible to change anything that happens after the current press deadline, which I understand is around 3.30pm. As stated previously, I’m happy to be corrected on that, but to date there has been no denial from the TB editor.
In the case of the Bondi massacre, I suspect the TB was already printed, or past the point of no return.
The term “Hold the Press” is obviously redundant.
You’re almost certainly right as far as Monday’s paper is concerned, but there can be no other reason than poor judgement for today’s fronter.
Totally agree.
I’m no expert, but if the goal is to get people to buy a newspaper, then doesn’t it make sense to put original local content on the front instead of a “yesterday’s news tomorrow” story, even about a national tragedy?
Journalists have always tried to judge what the readership most wants and is entitled to know about. But while your point is valid up to a certain point, do you really think that a pregnant aboriginal woman from the NT being flown to Townsville to give an uneventful birth is ‘local’ news?
Well, the story seems like an attempt to promote the good work of the transport team, the family being a human interest angle. The story was probably written for syndication so didn’t play up the Townsville connection as much as it could?
All perhaps so (bit of a flimsy argument) but the ‘Pie’s main criticism was that by the established norms of journalism, it was NOT a suitable subject for a front page.
My own view is that Sunday’s Bondi devastation will be the end for Albo and Co and Labor as governing Australia. It isn’t just a nail in their coffin it’s the grim reaper standing there saying times up !
The Australian public are already pissed off with them in general and may forgive some questionable polices but they will not forgive or forget our smaller version, although just as devastating, of September 11 in America.
The blame and finger pointing at Albo and Co will only get worse as families and the public commence the horrific task of burying and say final goodbyes to their love ones who became victims on Sunday.
The only thing in Albos favor is the opposition is hated more.
I cannot in my wildest nightmares imagine Sussan Ley as PM.
Absolutely 100% agree Pie ! One can only hope that the Bondi tragedy spurns the backroom team for the Coalition into actually formulating a plan to take office. This would have to include moving Ley out who is basically in a caretaker role, picking a leader with some credentials and putting it all into action.
At no point since the election have the Australian public been pissed off with them in general. They’ve been riding high in the polls.
What happens following Bondi remains to be seen but the starting point of the analysis doesn’t give me much confidence that you have any idea. You’re living in a bubble.
You may be right Jazza, BUT what superior choices are available to us? There is not ONE candidate in any of the current parliamentarians (read gravy train passengers) who has neither the intellect, nor charisma to lead us out of this crassness excuse for a parliament.
They are without exception all piss and wind, spineless and so distant from the requirements to fulfill their duties. They all fall over themselves to please the minorities, freaks and weirdo’s rather than building a robust nation.
Given recent entitlement rorts, should we start calling it the ‘gravy plane’?
Wish it was the Gravy Rocket, a one way orbit until they disappear up their own fundament!
The LNP need to ramp things up. Overthrow Ley and put in Andrew Hastie as opposition leader, someone who can actually land blows. Albo the communist and his fucking imported ISIS brides and the other half a million annual imports needs to be stopped. Albo’s stand on renewals is also driving our country into extinction. Albo and his team of sycophants have fucked our country. They’ve allowed in terrorists, driven us into record debt, and put the interests of their expense rorts as a priority over everything else. The LNP have two years of hard work ahead of them if they want to govern again federally.
Off with their fucking heads.
In two years time, Prime Minister Hanson will sort it all out.
S.B. Also note that each male can have 4 wives and hence a minimum will be perpetually pregnant.
Simple arithmetic and also observe the multiplication of native “decedents” all across Europe.
Sweden is a good example with a humorous issue that as the imported rag-heads can’t eat until sunset during the Haj:
There is no sunset at that time of year in Sweden!!! A real test of faith!! Allah Akbar
A bit hysterical there, sponge. Immigration, debt and rorts are about the same as they would be with the coalition in power. And the elder Bondi shooter was let in under John Howard.
Achilles are you describing Mormons? I believe they are Christians
“Also note that each male can have 4 wives and hence a minimum will be perpetually pregnant.”
Don’t encourage him, Ducky, The ‘Pie is busy enough as it is.
Haha sorry Magpie…
Polling in early December showed One Nation at historic highs but they aren’t a major party in the house. And Labor clearly leading 2 party preferred.
The next poll will show if you are correct regarding a swing.
But Ley, Hastie and the ever repugnant Price have all come out with divisive statements while Albo has kept his his usual calls for unity and his quiet leadership style.
I don’t think Australia is ready for Hansen as a PM (not that she can be, she’s a senator) and the coalition is currently a dead duck. They need to work hard to be relevant in the next election.
The major threat to the major parties will emerge if there is a more balanced and nuanced policy shift by One Nation, even a breakaway party, a whole raft of sensibly-speaking candidates joining, and an articulate new leader put in place to persuade rather than harangue the electorate. The core platform will still be immigration, but it needs to shed the buffoonish excesses of Hanson. And get a smart economist on board so it can talk sense about ALL the issues facing Australia.
So one guesses we are safe from that for a while.
One Nation is a protest party. If they start trying to develop real solutions to problems instead of populist thought bubbles they’ll lose the support of their disgruntled voters. Look at the Trumpist Republican Party in the United States. Elected on a protest vote, can’t govern.
The Greens are also a protest party, but they are a one-trick-pony and look how they’ve grown to be a massive brake on sensible progress. One Nation could morph into a wider stream of issues, on a base of the obdurate stance of the major players.
BTW this is not a recommendation … it is positing a possibility.
Below is an email sent to Phillip Thompson yesterday. While not a State matter I have also sent a copy to Natalie Marr just for info. I have been blunt and forthright but this time, at least, I have not used profane language.
Regards,
Ben
Date: 15/12/25 4:28 pm (GMT+10:00)
To: email hidden; JavaScript is required
Subject: Bondi Shooting Tragedy Aftermath – Firearms
Hello Phillip,
The shooting at Bondi is a monumental tragedy and an abomination. My sympathies are with Israel and the Jewish people.
Having listened to the PM today it seems to me that he is going to address ‘gun reform’, and so he should. Not bastardize every law abiding firearms owner as I suspect will, with encouragement from the Greens and other ignorant feel good activists, but to address how a couple of murderous Muslims could obtain a firearms licence, acquire firearms, and train with said firearms when in 2019 said murderous Muslims were investigated for their links to an ISIS terror cell.
It takes time to obtain a firearms licence, lawfully obtain firearms and aquire the skill to shoot people over and over again. This massacre took time to plan and resource. The question for the PM is, who were the motivators and handlers for these two murderous Muslims and their enablers?
Beyond doubt the Australian security services have proved the Iranian government was the motivating and enabling force behind antisemitic violence in Australia earlier this year. Perhaps the PM might continue to look at the clandestine activities of hostile foreign governments in Australia rather than bastardize fit and proper law abiding firearms owners.
Sincerely,
You are naive Ben. The government was waiting for something like this to happen so they could strip gun rights from normal sane people. It’s a government priority to take as much say, rights, and power out of everyday people’s hands. Gutless cunts.
Your sympathies are with Israel???
Australian permanent residents attack Australian citizens in Australia.
Ben: “My sympathies are with Israel”
Well, he’s not lying!
Also highly unlikely that Iran was involved, why would a foreign government need to influence anyone, the Islamic State is enough explanation there.
It’s especially unlikely that Iran was involved because Iran and Islamic State are deadly enemies. This is what you get when an Islamophobe like Ben tries to do geopolitical analysis.
The guy that took hostages in the chocolate shop was from Iran. The Iranian police warned the Australian government that this was a highly dangerous individual and should treat him accordingly – this advice was ignored.
Why are your sympathy with Israel and the Israeli people?
What a stupid statement.
The appropriate statement would be
“My sympathys are with those affected by this tragedy and the Jewish people”
Jewish people are more than Israel. Israel the most dangerous place on earth for Jewish people because of the actions of Bibi the genocidal maniac and his government.
You should stop watching Sky News you silly old fool.
It should be remembered that there a large proportion of the diaspora strongly disapprove not just of Netanyahu’s actions but of the decades of far right wing Zionist influence in Israel. Even before this, there were outcry=ies against the provoking settler expansion into muslim areas which continues today. These jews have voted with their feet, refusing the open invitation made to all in Judaism to migrate to Israel.
And it must bear repeating here, that opposing and criticising Israel IN NOT antisemitic, no one nation can excuse itself from world moral judgement.
Look how all governments turn the focus on gun laws and away from the problem, immigration?
They’ll try, but this time, they will do so at their own peril. And it not immigration per se, as some of the more rabid d eadheads will argue, it is simply the level and the screening of immigrants that need radical – if that word can be used in a positive sense – change.
Screening of potential immigrants could get interesting:
“Bob Katter wants migrants to prove they come from Christian democracies in the wake of the Bondi terror attacks.”
So no more migrants from Israel then?
Well, that America out and Britain out.
The problem is in no way immigration. Just because it’s your monomaniacal obsession doesn’t mean that everything you see in the news is somehow caused by it. That kind of thinking will drive you into the arms of the fringe dwelling loonies.
The real problem in the blanket term ‘immigration’. The real problem is THE LEVEL of immigration, into a country facing a housing crisis among other social ills. Australia cannot survive with immigration, but along with critical numbers, tough love rules should exist about potential Australian citizen ability to contribute, including job skills.
The level of immigration didn’t cause the attack. The father had been here since 1998, the son was born here. The question is how were they radicalized.
Read The ‘Pie’s relevant comment again, and then address the issue therein. FFS can’t you read, there was never any suggestion that immigration per se caused Bondi, it was a cautionary comment about people seizing on the event to link it to immigration in an overall way. Yes, radicalisation is an urgent issue, but it is a seperate matter than cannoyt and must not be conflated with immigration generally.
The Astonisher must be light on for Journos. They didn’t get a story on the accident North of Townsville that closed the Bruce highway for half of yesterday. FFS it is supposed to be a NEWS paper and that is important local news.
You were saying?
https://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-townsville/rollingstone-bruce-highway-closed-after-truck-crash-at-clemant/news-story/927dad429509e2859396ee6cebfca7a5
It wasn’t in the PAPER that I get. Do I have to go on line and log in to see your NEWS PAPER stories now that aren’t put in the NEWS PAPER? I get better updates on Facebook where I don’t have to subscribe.
Im thinking Albanese is coming across as detatched, defensive and struggling to show leadership. True leadership would be for an immediate focus on the injured, dead and their families and show some sense of grief and connection with those who were on the beach on Sunday. I dont see the PM meeting the familes or injured (while he may have done privately) he needs to be seen to lead the nation in grief and show some humanity. Meet the community leaders and fucking listen to them. From some of the comments Ive seen online this horror has driven further division anti-islamic sentiment and hatred. Leadership is sorely lacking and it will be a test for our PM, a test he appears to be currently failing. Division and hatred seems to have increased since Sunday’s attack which is surely to the satisfaction of the twisted and radacalised on both sides. So what happens next? …attacks on Friday worship at Mosques? I keep hoping to see Albanese stepping down from his podium and getting on the ground meeting the injured and bereaved and leading the country in unified grief. Extraordinary leadership is needed at times like this to unite the country and Im just not seeing it from the PM.
The Albanese government has lost control of the country. They are too busy giving our tax money away to the corporates and to Ukraine. Totally distracted. Meanwhile they fuel the housing crisis by allowing 500,000 immigrants into the country each year. Australia is bowing under the weight of religious fanatics taking up residence in our once great nation. Albanese, Wong, Burke and Co are single-handedly fucking our country to pieces. Vote for the Indpendents
Oh Toto, it seems your brain got blown away with the big wind when you landed in Oz.
Net migration is around 340,000 (not 500,000), including temporary visa holders like students. Ukraine aid is about 0.2% of the federal budget. The inflammatory language about ‘religious fanatics’ is xenophobic fearmongering, not fact.
Go have a drink of water and a good lie down.
DN, you are only partially correct, The total immigration foul-up was after 3 years of closed doors due to Covid; all of the approvals granted during that period were allowed en-masse to board the next flight.
Sheer gov/t incompetence by both immigration ministers Labor (Tony Burke) and Coalition (Scomo and Dutton).
Fair point about the post-COVID backlog – both parties mishandled that surge. But it was a one-off spike, not ongoing policy. Current numbers are much lower (185,000 permanent places).
The ‘religious fanatics’ rhetoric is still xenophobic garbage and only 0.2% of the federal budget is sent to Ukraine as aid.
Ducks,
Have you gone all woke and limp.
What happened to the Bex and a cup of tea before the good lie down?
Let me quess. You are a youngster who does not remember black and white TV or pounds, shillings and pence?
Toto is a dog. Dogs have water not bex.
Pie, just saw this come through, seems the ex-mayor has got off again, are these people in parliament that useless? Gets off with a slap with the CCC, and now the Ethics committee does bugger all. https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/Work-of-the-Assembly/Tabled-Papers/docs/5825T2024/5825t2024.pdf
Well look at the type of people who populate this, and most other Labor Gov.nt dpt s. OOOOOH! It’s Chrissie luvvies
We don’t have a Labor government.
The tragic events of the Bondi shooting may just be the catalyst for Josh Frydenberg to re-enter politics. Today in his emotional speech he stepped up and spoke like a leader of the country should be humiliated Albo, his govt, along with state leaders and rightly so. He would be a good party leader and also a good prime minister for our country.
Meanwhile at the ABC Lara Tingle claimed the Bondi attack has ‘nothing to do with religion’ – FFS, what planet is this woman on?
You’re sort of right MM, Josh is a really decent bloke; BUT has the same flaw as Kim Beazley did/does, he lacks the “killer instinct” as Sir Humpie would express it!
I may have to retract that previous comment, after watching Josh diplomatically tell the useless self righteous ABC’s Caroline Ferguson, where to get off!
Her name’s Sarah, usually one of the few real deep dive interviewers in the Australian media. But yes, she really pulled the wrong rein at the end of an impassioned interview with Josh F, who was articulate in his outrage both at the Bondi carnage and his opinion that Albanese should be held to account for it happening. Her closing question was a fairly unforgivable misjudgement strangely stupid one in the circumstances when she asked if all this wide media exposure for his views, was he using the attack to get momentum for a return to federal politics. It was arguably one of the most offensive questions, especially to a Jew, and JF wasn’ posturing when he rightly said he was ‘deeply offended’ by the question. Sometimes, circumstances demand that journalists have to offend people being interviewed to get them to publicly admit private motives on any given issue, but this question was stupid. What on earth did Fergusen expect the man to say? It was an unanswerable and … yes … highly offensive and inappropriate question.
The moment he heard it, The ‘Pie immediately reckoned it would get an apology. It didn’t, Fergusen muttered some imagined justification … but I’ll bet there will be more heard about this moment, there are already righteous howls of indignation across the country. And it’s odds on that the Jewish lobby’s official media outlet The Australian will enjoy a bit of its regular ABC bashing.
Sadly on this occasion, if no apology is forthcoming, it will be justified.
Yeah, I mean he clearly is using the attack to get momentum for a return to politics, but you can’t ask that directly and expect a direct answer. Better to nail him on the substance (or lack thereof) of his tirade against Albanese.
Magpie, Ferguson is a journalist, not a politician. Frydenberg’s spray about Albanese on the news, from the Bondi site, is forgivable in the circumstances given he is a well known Jewish public and private figure. However, turning up hours later on 7.30, an undisguised political current affairs program, Frydenberg was no longer that private guy in a state of shock and bereavement. He was in full political mode striking a blow for his political cause.
I thought it was a mistake to have him on 7.30 at all. And his mistake to think he could control the narrative. Ferguson was following the same script you used the day before in your spray about Zionism and Netanyahu. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with telling it like it is. Someone has to do it. It won’t be The Australian.
Politics is a significant component of 7.30, but it is much broader than that – if you noticed the extended coverage during the week to the Bondi shooting. Unless you’re pigeon-holing mass murder as ‘political’. As a well known Jewish public and private figure, and leader in his community, it would be extraordinary if he did NOT appear on 7.30. And the undeniable offensive sub-text of Fergusen’s question was whether he was exploiting the murder of 15 people in a terror attack to engineer a return to politics. In fact, it was the way the question was phrased that was the problem – far more circumspect to have asked something like ‘have these events and your perceptions of government failings now spurred you to re-enter politics so you can put your policies and concerns forward?’ Fergusen’s question was loaded with unmistakable sub-text of using tragedy to further personal political ambitions.
Perhaps putting Fergusen’s question in simpler terms: too soon, and wrong time, wrong place.
And as for your thoughtless statement ‘ ….turning up hours later on 7.30, an undisguised political current affairs program, Frydenberg was no longer that private guy in a state of shock and bereavement’ shows your true political colours and motives for your comment. Because, Bob, thinking anyone, let alone a prominent member of the Jewish community could shuck off genuine ‘shock and bereavement’ in a matter of hours, like changing into a clean shirt, is an egregious misjudgement by you in pushing what is clearly your own political agenda. Ordinary, decent Australians of any model or make will not get over their shock and bereavement for years, probably the rest of their lives.
As a person who has walked over that very bridge more than a hundred times for care-free enjoyment of Australian summers past, The Magpie’s sadness and personal outrage for the event and for his country, Australia, will be with him to the last breath.
Frydenberg would be good for the coalition, if they could remove Ley, put Hastie in, they would be a lot closer than they need to be. To form government they may need to do a deal with One Nation if things keep going the way they are. Either way, guns is not the issue, and the ALP have just dropped in the polls because of these events.
Fuck Frydenberg and his skull cap. He was Morrisons offsider and contributed to many of the issues that are coming home to roost today. Leave the little grub in the banking world where he belongs. I read elsewhere and agree that Andrew Hastie would make a worthy PM and would be a good replacement for the lame Ley.
Pretty gross to politicize a tragedy for his career. The opposition as a whole has been appallingly keen to politicize the event, from Sussan Ley desperate to hold her position to Andrew Hastie looking to take it from her. Not to mention the crypt load of former Liberal PMs they’ve unearthed to put their two cents in.
Yep. That other drain on the taxpayer purse, Howard, couldn’t help himself but pop into the limelight. Seriously I wish the lot of them, the old has-been and the new ideologists would just piss off. Our politicians do more harm than the goat rooters do.
The opposition have nothing else left to grasp onto and this offers the ideal mix of fear mongering outrage that brings their supporters together. Hastie loves this kind of hate on brown people and Ley does like a good rally for Israel.
Howard should have been left in his retirement home and Frydenberg should stay in his counting house counting all his money. His handling of job keeper payments during the pandemic was nothing short of incompetent.
The Iraq war directly led to the establishment of ISIS so if any Prime Minister is responsible for the Bondi attacks it’s Howard.
The correct statement about ISIS is that:
The invasion of Iraq in 2003, by a US led coalition was instigated by the Bush Administration under the pretence of WMD (which turned out to not exist) in response to 9/11 created an environment where extremist groups could develop.
Al Qeada was founded in response to the invasion. And the invasion created a vacuum in which al Qaeda could grow unchecked. It wasnt until 2011 that they became ISIS.
As much as I dislike Howard, he’s not to blame for ISIS or the Bondi attacks. He was just stupid enough to buy into the WMD bullshit being spruiked by Cheney, Rumsfeld and Powell at the time.
Your summary isn’t necessarily incompatible with what OED said.
Bullshit, well named btw. So it’s ok for Anal, Burke, Wong et al to brush antisemitism aside since Oct 7 invasion and recognise the Palestinian state.
They don’t brush it aside, they were clearly treading a very conservative middle ground between two competing sides these last years
Well Bullshit! That’s the first time I’ve ever heard that word used to describe that lot of turds
I know, used in another context, but still, they couldn’t control a piss up in a brothel.
Immigration is a positive force and, when done well, enriches Australian society economically, culturally, and socially.
However, it works best only when settings are right.
Immigration must be aligned with infrastructure capacity, so housing, transport, health, and services are not pushed beyond their limits.
It should prioritise people who are law-abiding, who respect freedom, democracy, and the rule of law, and who genuinely wish to contribute to Australian society and help advance the country.
It should focus on skills that are genuinely in shortage and not readily available within the local workforce.
It should follow a clear, fair, and lawful process, with visas and residency granted through the proper channels.
Australia should be selecting the best candidates—people with skills, character, and a desire to build a future here. Too often, highly capable young people are forced to leave when temporary travel visas expire, while the system fails to consistently prioritise quality, contribution, and long-term benefit.
We don’t need Somalian’s with machete or muslim Uber drivers.
I’ve got the perfect immigrant for you, a law abiding university graduate and family man from India …
Probably didn’t need theives, murderers, rebels, pickpockets, highway robbers, or prostitutes from London but that’s how we started so let’s stop being so fucking precious about who gets let in.
Ducky, you’re rapidly losing your status as a respected commenter with codswallop like that. Those that came here a couple hundreds years ago, A: didn’t have much say in it, andmany weren’t guilty of anything serious (a loaf of bread, cheeking the magistrate) and B: there was no government of locals to block, screen or otherwise control the influx. Your comment could be seen as drollery, let’s be generous and take it as such, but also let’s start being REALLY PRECIOUS about who we let in.
This comment about first nations people is from some wanker pretending to be Duck’s Nuts. Yes I know the solution but I cant be arsed.
FFS, it’s pretty simple. You send in a comment saying My ID password is – and name whatever word you want. The ‘Pie will then delete that comment and you’re good to go. Sent in your comments headed with that word, the ‘Pie then deletes the word and publishes the comment. A better way is to send an email, but seems quite a few think The ‘Pie will do something heinous knowing who’s who, and go weak at the knees in dread. Like The ‘Pie has the time and inclination to fuck around.
Fuck off fake Ducks Nuts
No more Anatidae testicles please.
Probably two names, Townsville’s biggest fiction story. Everyone ignores his comments now, so at least this way he remains relevant and probably the only way he can get conversation.
(Please note separate comment: The ‘Pie does not believe that comment came from gthe regular commenter named Duck’s Nuts.)
Ducky’s diatribe is vitriolic vomit.
What a pathetic hater .. and to think this nest is or has become his pulpit
Ducky can only be demented .. i wonder what this nutters version of a tin foil hat is .. perhaps a hard hat emblazoned with cfmeu badges
The Magpie is willing to believe that the name Ducks Nuts has been hijacked … DN is a long time commenter with well argued views and often good information but the tone and wild rhetoric recently suggests a dramatic change.nn
Nutty Ducks, those you named, were still incarcerated, under supervision of guards. Their time was served as hard labour. Some penal colonies were on islands where they couldn’t escape or cause problems for the general population.
It will be interesting to see the mix of charges against the shooter. Whether they are exclusively CTH code or State charges or mixed. And in which court.
The anti terror laws are said to operate concurrently. The enforcement of laws exclusively dealing with Nazis at both state and federal level in any prosecution would have to stick too and not be a target for appeal on jurisdiction. That is, CTH or state law, or court exclusively.
Albo and his team of trough swillers will be using the Bondi attack as a distraction from other homegrown issues such as inflation, cost of living expenses, a lack of affordable housing and of course the travel rorts. We don’t want to let the travel entitlements issues slip by. It’s the right of every Australian to demand that these ‘rules’ be changed immediately. Taxpayers paying for politicians families to travel business class to holiday destinations doesn’t pass the pub test. Never has, never will. These greedy grubs have no moral conscience when it comes to pilfering every cent they can out of the taxpayer kitty. We need a French Revolution. How much is enough?? Pensioners can’t afford a bottle of tomato sauce or put $10 fuel in their car, yet these elected parasites rape, pillage and plunder every dime they can – free holiday travel perks, comcars, overnight allowances, offices, higher superannuation than any other industry, credit cards, corporate tickets and so on. The deepest trough out of any paid industry. It’s disgusting and needs to end.
The Australian government has banned the Nazi salute, are tightening gun laws to be even tighter, yet do nothing about the region of hate, Islam. Weak and gutless politicians.
The shoukd ban haters like you.
One of the better and well researched commentaries on the discourse unfolding in response to the Bondi tragedy has come from Jordan Shanks. You might have heard of him as friendlyjordies.
https://youtu.be/2z0gjjea0mQ?
Yes, not always a fan of this guy but this is both factual well supported and the opinions are well reasoned. Good find.
And while he makes a strong case against Frydenberg’s he Magpie still using the death, dismay and outrage to ‘kick start a dead political career’, The ‘Pie still believes Fergusen’s question along those lines was appalling timing and made her, not him, sound crass.
DN, “The left don’t debate, they demon”. Typical example with that diatribe.
A bit hypocritical when you’re doing what you accuse Shanks of! His video was well argued.
Saying Sarah Ferguson isn’t a politician is stating the bleeding obvious. However, she is married to Tony Jones, the outrageously far left former moderator (?) of the ABC’s Q&A.
While the ‘Pie may venerate her because she can ask questions, she is so gentle with the left as she is openly hostile to anyone on the other side.
And she still reminds me of a strict school mistress from the 1950s. I keep expecting her to snap, “Sit up straight. Pay attention. “
‘Venerate’?
You really are a silly drongo sometimes, Jeff.
And by the way, sport,check with Tony Burke to see if he thinks she was soft with him in the interview following Frydenberg.
I argue that she let him land softly on her last question to him which he answered broadly and did not address what the thrust of the question really was .. she didnt respond ,, just finished her interview with Bourke having the last broad brush word
Even after insulting JF the way she did she still had a smart arse comment to get in the last word as is her way with non labour pollies .. i tuned in tonight to see if she would offer JF an apology .. but of course not
I have a strong view that she has a long standing left leaning bias and constructs her interviews accordingly at the tax payers expense
If Jeff says someone is far left that mean they’re a scrupulously neutral centrist
Labels are so boring.
??
Because you’re on the far right fringe, Jeff
You shouldn’t make assumptions, Bobby. I characterise far right a as Hitler, Mussolini and to a much lesser degree, the Tony Abbott/Peta Credlin coalition. So, your accusation, based on no evidence is dismissed.
If you believe the likes of Tony Jones and Sarah Ferguson are equally biassed (Left/Right), you are either unbelievably naive, or stupid. Your choice.
Appreciate you sending in that clip Ben, but it isn’t published because – as you say -‘purports’ about the author. And even just on the suspicion of biased disinformation, it doesn’t get a run because it really doesn’t enlighten us about the situation, anyway.
Understand.
As much as I can see the vision of business leaders to Townsville, these buildings are going to take a long time, not an ounce of real interest in the Hive, and look when that was promoted. https://www.developmentready.com.au/properties/10-15-the-strand-townsville-city-qld-4810-181477
I had a look at the proposal the other day, an approval for the Criterion to be demolished, the old building on the corner is heritage listed, so it’ll come with enormous upkeep, and then there is a rental at the back., and a huge parcel of land. Opposite is the old Townsville Lawn Bowls club, it would be great to see all this integrated, maybe an overpass. If this one goes ahead, it will pull everyone away from the city heart too. It would be a great project, but it’s for the Billionaires, maybe a 3 or 4 level undercover car park too. Plenty of potential, but who takes it on?
The white shoe shysters on the Goldie are lining up … oh, wait, one’s already had a go. Not that you’d know of his complete collapse from his prime promoter, the gotmless Leighton Smith and the Buklkletin … they didn’t even report his departure from the Hive and several other local projects.
It is a great project for someone to take on, maybe someone like Harry Triguboff, a Meriton type scenario, that company has done some enormous projects on the eastern seaboard, and the Hive in his wheelhouse. If TEL and the Chamber of Commerce are serious about being advocates, they should be going to the big guns, get the investment into Townsville, the valuations are finally where investors want them to be. We don’t need slick operators, we have a slick Nick for that, we need the developers who can deliver projects, that will push the councils sore points to get things moving.
“Investment” into townsville
Aka badly planned housing estates that eradicate anything nice that was there or tower blocks
Hey, don’t fuss, mate, Townsville Enterprise and the Astonisher know the importance of an attractive environment. But not sure how they’re going to manage moving the North Rail Yards down to The Strand. But there very socially aware, including three token black tenants in their visualisation … umm, maybe they’re just window cleaners and a pool cleaner.
No wukkas magpie, the water you see is the sewerage settling pond being proposed to diversify the usage of the site.
A contract was signed six weeks later with Centurion Global founding director Mark Tonge for the entire Hive site.
“The purchasers (Centurion Global) weren’t able to obtain self-finance for the transactions, so the contract came to an end … in October last year,” Mr Castorina said on Monday.
After a mortgagee in possession sale of his blocks at Magnetic View Estate and a notice of winding up application last year, Mr Tonge decided against proceeding with the Hive sale – according to an agent familiar with the transaction.
https://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/business/townsville-business/expressions-of-interest-sought-for-masterplanned-hive-site-in-townsvilles-cbd/news-story/2e16289ad0a61cf31a69bfec894c9652
Tactfully, Lighton, you don’t mention the unequal acres of gullible, non-investgative hype you gave this charlatan and he’s ridiculous claims for the Hive site, or the impossible bullshit (make that deliberate, direct lies) pumped out by you, Tonge and his real estate spiv Giovanni Spinella about the Magnetic Views disaster at Pallarenda.
So a minor mention in a story almost 6 months after the fact doesn’t go near covering your ever expanding arse, you lazy flaphead.
Tactfully Malcolm, you won’t find one story with my byline about Magnetic Views so do some research before spouting off without the evidence.
Suddenly so sensitive about being Tonge’s stenographer that you didn’t include a by-line on the MV media release. You usually do, and add ‘Exclusive’.
You’re a joke, Lighton.
Merry Christmas.
More news on our former Mayor https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/dec/18/former-townsville-mayor-troy-thompson-epilepsy-claim-electromagnetic-pulse-bracelet-ntwnfb?fbclid=IwY2xjawOxbxFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeq4NzTaCkg9ixnYk1Roc9oB7SWtW-1zLXYbCubA9kl_ThSVqdHLkINOodmUE_aem_wsdyf65RQGU4P1nxCOXGKw
This finding reveals the depths of Thompson’s and Michelle Blyth’s scam culture. They are both social cancers.
Couldn’t agree more. Michelle is a shonk and a shyster just like bee beau, Troy. Working together to pull off a con job. They really do suit each other, they are the Peter Fosters of Townsville. Let’s hope that these two stains just fuck off to a new city.
With a touch of Amanda Power for good measure.
Heh heh, maybe this is the malignant growth attached to him.
What a pair of frauds. These latest revelations expose both Troy and Michelle as being contemptible grubs. If either of these two idiots pick up paid jobs in Townsville I would lock up petty cash and password protect any financial documentation as serial con artists are always looking for a new fiddle, a weakness in the system that they can profit from. Scum.
All the shotguns and shells that are surrendered, confiscated or bought back should be highjacked by the feds from the states and territories and be given to Ukraine to fight drones.
It’s not only soldiers but civilian people doing humanitarian supply and evacuation runs that have to fight them.
I’m sure there would have been military flights going that way anyway with space or some civilian operator could be convinced to fly them to Poland.
Joe Carey has just resigned from the board of TEL. Good. This is the issue, he has been in that role for 15 fucking years, since 2011. The business world has changed since 2011 FFS. 3 to 5 years should be the maximum time that you spend on the board. Gill has also been there for over 10 years. Boards and CEO’s need to be regularly flushed through. You need new blood and fresh ideas. TEL needs updating and the legacy dross needs to be removed.
So the limp wristed Albanese touts a national gun buy back. News to dickhead – mate, it’s not sports shooters or fucking farmers that are the problem. The ISIS goat rooters will find a way to acquire weaponry illegally and carry out their mass killings….again.
Put a hold on immigration numbers, don’t allow Islam affiliated people into the country. We are being overrun by this violent race of violence loving extremists.
Gunny, I understand you believe this.
However, the data tells a different story. While this individual act is horrific and unforgivable, Australia experiences more minor gun incidents that result in deaths than make headlines. The perpetrators behind these incidents are typically rural men aged 24-34, using unregistered or illegal firearms. The catalyst for these incidents is usually a domestic dispute or a failed relationship.
Obviously our gun laws stop mass mass shootings on a scale like what is seen in the USA but better control is still required.
Reckon we’d all like to see a link that backs up that rather unbelievable claim involving ‘rural men’ … whatever that entails.
Frankly, until he does, the ‘Pie will very much doubt that claim.
The average firearm owner has 4-5 guns
In most states and territories there is no limit to how many guns a person can own
Some individuals have over 250 guns
Our gun death rate is 12 times lower than the US rate of about 10.6 per 100,000 people.
Rates of self-harm with firearms are higher for older people, men, and residents in outer regional and rural/remote areas (Negin, 2021)
Rates of firearm-related hospitalisation and deaths are around four and six times higher, respectively, for residents of remote and very remote areas when compared with residents of major cities.
Firearms remain the third most common cause of domestic family deaths.
https://www.gunsafetyalliance.org.au/the-stats/
https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/injury/firearm-injuries-deaths/summary
Thanks, that backs up what you’ve said.
But here’s the thing …Australia could be a world leader in this area in a far more constructive way – by banning all firearms in urban, suburban, cities generally and large residential areas.
All of them. No exceptions.
Only all rural ownership should be allowed to continue, and be tightly regulated. Simple, unequivocal laws could enforce this … let’s start with caught with a firearm in a prohibited area (i.e. a city), 5 years mandatory, and go up from there, 7 for a concealed hand-gun, 10 years for a military-style weapon, and so on. Only those on rural or remote properties who have always classed weapons as working tools, should be allowed to keep them. So should professional shooters, employed to control wildlife.
Make weapons again the socially taboo issue they used to be in urban areas of Australia.
The reasoning behind this is also pretty straightforward.
First, what possible legal reason can someone have to own even one, let alone multiple, weapons in a non-rural area? Unlike Americans’ cynically twisted interpretation of their Constitutional right ‘to bear arms’, no such specific guarantee exists in Australia, and as far as The ‘Pie can research, never has.
Proponents falsely argue vaguely about ‘freedom’ and so on, but freedom of and to do what? Guns are primarily made for one purpose only, to kill or wound another living creature. Range shooting is a hobby, and is about as socially attractive as dwarf throwing, but can be easily accommodated … shooters can purchase and own weapons, but they must be stored at the skeet or target range in a special secure facility, regularly monitored by authorities.
So again, what possible reason can a person in a densely populated area have to own a firearm? Let alone multiple numbers of them. Seeking a bit of reflected tough glamour from an American dominated media fantasy is not any sort of reason. It is a dangerous fantasy.
When was the last time you heard of a owner of a legally held weapon who used it to justifiably kill or maim someone who was threatening them (we’re talking ordinary citizens here, not law enforcement)? The last one The ‘Pie can remember was around 20 or so years ago when a Gold Coast bloke shot dead an intruder climbing over the high stone wall front fence of his home …. after lengthy and expensive court action, he was exonerated but the case was not considered a precedent because of its particular circumstances. If there is any such wider record, it would rare indeed,(certainly not data on which to base a ‘freedom’ law) because current laws across most or all states do two things: storage arrangements, including the separation of ammunition from a locked away, broken down weapon, make it’s use in sudden home defence pretty unlikely, and secondly, the laws are such that in the majority of cases, the person defending their home, family and/or property with a firearm that wounds or kills an intruder are themselves charged, usually with ‘unreasonable force’.
Anecdotal evidence here in Townsville suggests car thieves and house breakers hardly ever carry firearms, a circumstances that seems to be more favoured by home invaders, a particular crime which more often than not connected to drugs. Such a blanket ban on weapon ownership would effectively give authorities the powers they need to make a real difference to the proliferation of deadly weapons across the country. Think bikie gangs.
And anticipating the howls of outrage from certain enthusiasts (hi, Gunny), The ‘Pie makes mentions of that most unsportsman-like of groups, the sporting shooters (Hey, look at that, I faced down an unarmed pig and didn’t get a scratch … high five me! And gimmee a beer.), The ‘Pie suggests the general populace isn’t going oppose laws that displease people who like to go into the bush and kill things that are minding their own business.
But anyway, what the hell, let the pile-on begin.
Yep. There’s a current pile on occurring on social media led by those who claim the support the bush. If you check their voting records in Parliament you’ll find thst in practice they rarely do.
There’s no need for gun ownership in the city and there’s no need for Farmer John to own five or more weapons. At most he’ll need a 22, a rifle and a shotgun. Certainly not a full armoury.
Your description of pig hunters is spot on. From what I’ve they’d rather let their dog do the work and they come in for a glory shot and a photo. This isn’t sport.
Pest controllers live in civilisation and need guns for their occupation. Recreational shooters who have permission from many farmers on multiple properties live in civilisation and go out to help eradicate feral animals. Feral animals, in particular pigs have bred to levels not seen before. They are causing mass destruction across the nation with the ability to carry diseases that could destroy the agriculture sector. The main control is firearms. Remove the main control and you have to come up with a replacement, because the problem grows 10-fold every year.
Guns stored in a lot of homes are safer than mass storage in one location which would be easy access for the criminals. Gun clubs are unmanned and often targeted with brake and enter. They are usually out of town in isolated areas, hidden from the road.
Guns are tools, and each one serves a different purpose. They should be used for humane despatch. A 22 is only somewhat accurate for 50m on small game like cats and rabbits. If the target is deer, pigs, dogs, foxes, horses, goats, buffalo, camels etc. then you have to scale up the armoury. Hence farmers have many different firearms. A shotgun is good for ducks and clay targets.
Competitive shooting is a popular hobby. It does not discriminate against age, sex, disabilities etc. Like any club, members benefit from social interactions with like-minded enthusiasts. On any competition shoot, there can be many disciplines that require multiple firearms of different classes.
That’s just so plain silly and partisan it’s not even worth rebutting, but then, The ‘Pie rarely does to IA chat comments.
Pie, I am flattered that you think I am a machine.
Maybe, but the machines ain’t happy … very pissed off.
If they have to acquire weapons illegally that makes them more detectable in some ways because it brings more people into the conspiracy.
Also a Muslim-affiliated person was one of the heroes of the event. He’s done more for the country than you ever have.
Don’t tell Gunny that. He has an imaginary military career. He once saw an APC and thinks Apocalypse Now is a Christmas movie.
Have you forgotten the amount of shootings by the underworld whom skew toward bikie gangs which have now grown in massive numbers of middle eastern members? Of course none of these will partake in any ‘buy back scheme’. Very similar to the knife and machete wielding grubs with the Victorian machete bins.
If guns are too hard to come by, they will use other means like IED’s which were also found on site.
Terrorists will always find a way and changing laws won’t stop them.
But that shouldn’t stop us changing the laws to reflect societies rejection of their actions. And IED components are not all that easy to come by either.
and yet the terrorists had 2 on site.
Oh fuck off. Fuck off a bit further and keep going.
Has anybody seen any higher quality candidates even look remotely interested? And now we’ve got Slick Nick who genuinely think hes a celebrity and appears to gave a camera crew in tow at all times.
Queensland mayors and councillors will be given a pay rise of between 3.25 and 4.5 per cent.
The remuneration commission said the decision took into account financial sustainability, pay disparities for smaller councils and the need to attract high-quality candidates.
Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding and Townsville Mayor Nick Dametto will also see their recommended salaries climb from $230,836 to $238,338.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Local Government Department said the pay increases proposed by the commission would be automatically applied.
“However, if a council chooses to set a lesser amount, it must pass a resolution to that effect before 1 July 2026,” the spokesperson said.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-20/qld-mayors-councillors-pay-rise-local-government/106165038?
So with the new mayor now in place is Twonames fuckwit still being paid by the public ?
Nope. That stopped when he resigned … after a year of ripping of the ratepayers and taxpayers for a quarter of a mill.
Is it still possible that he will have to pay back any monies provided to defend him?
Cricket update: Even though Tongue finally licked Head, it’s still better than a dud Root
(sigh).
Yes Gunny, the latest outrage in Bondi with 15 dead innocents proves that Muslims are universally evil incarnate.
This tragedy builds on the achievements of the even more efficient ISIS affiliate Martin al Bryant who killed 35 at Port Arthur, and Brenton (Mohommed) Tarrant with his horrendous haul of 51 infidels hiding in the two Christchurch mosques. Not to mention the more recent minor achievements of Imam Dezi Freeman, (apparently illegally immigrated from Gaza) in rural Victoria who underperformed with a measly two white police person haul.
If only the government had heeded the warning signs when the marauding Mohommedan mobs rioted at Cronulla, and had rounded up and deported all the Ragheads when they had the opportunity. After all they are easy to find, bowing and scraping at their mosques every morning before going to work.
P,
Imagine if the Islamic State inspired shooters, instead of using firearms as weapons used cars as weapons, driving through the crowd.
Right now there would be a mass car buyback scheme.
Dear Magpie,
Thank you again for this year’s great blogs and entertaining comments. Enjoy the Christmas break.
Be merry.
And charge forward into 2026.
Thanks, merry Christmas a have a great New Year.
On this Canadian CBC The National story about Canada’s Nazis, you will see they use Canada’s old red ensign for the same reasons Australian far right does https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/second-sons-leaders-livestreams-9.7022853
Our country needs Pauline Hanson more than ever. Australia needs to become Australian again. Tighten up immigration, kick out those who are trying to turn our nation into an Islamic state, and put in some politicians who balls.
This country has never needed the shallow ignorance of Hanson, but her position is testament to the timid contortions of the major parties to accommodate her small but influential voting block, and their refusal early on to acknowledge the damage government policies have wreaked on Australian society in chasing power for powers sake.
This article was in the on the scientific Nautilus site.
The article didn’t state the obvious: they wake up to tell the surgeon he’s doing it all wrong, and anyway, did he scrub up properly?
I’d find that hard to believe, in modern hospitals patients going under the knife wear a module on their head that looks for electrical activity – it knows when you are becoming conscious.
Sounds like a handy device for you, Guy, when sitting down to dash off a comment or two. But maybe it would flatline immediately.
The BIS module monitors electrical activity in the brain looking for tell take activity that points to the patient becoming conscious. When activity is detected the nurse ups the anaesthetic to take the patient down again.
If people are waking up in surgery this points to bad practice than anything else.
Here’s a good read for those interested in our local history, particularly our large legal fraternity. The author, a magistrate, is also a published novelist.
https://hearsay.org.au/townsville-courts-of-law-celebrating-fifty-years/?fbclid=IwdGRjcAOvoLFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA8xNzM4NDc2NDI2NzAzNzAAAR6e7-cZ39l0y0pIzMc4875MR2wQhUX8oz8R4gTaOUQeHgERegP5uNWwHW3BZQ_aem_2vXRghPQi8iRfMKsOXvz4A
WOW!
Thanks for the heads up, Magpie. That was a very interesting read.
Shame Bulletin. This is simply sick … in the traditional meaning of the word.
A pathetically abominable grasp for click bait … that ‘dying wish’ …. right at the very end of a long article, is a quote from someone emphasising their point of view in the future, a variation of ‘until my dying day’…. and they are not by any account on their death bed or have been advised of an imminent meeting with their maker.
And even then, the quote doesn’t come from any of the people pictured, but guess what? You have to click on the story to find out whose about to die.
Sleazy, sleazy, sleazy.
A whinge about a online headline is all you have to say about a 8000 word, 7 day campaign, huh?
Leighton, there was nothing wrong about a positive well meaning, dreamtime gabfest, albeit to benefit the paper’s bottom line, nice to see the paper trying for a positive stance. But apart from a couple of ‘good idea’ mentions (The Magpie has been saying here for some years now that ‘building up’ and population were the main answers to the CBD woes – perhaps you even got the idea from this site, eh?), The Nest isn’t here as a cheerleader and to be co-opted into a thought bubble click bait campaign which has been unbalanced in it’s analyse by the reporter (whoever that was).
But while you’re here, you don’t have a comment on that sick, misleading click bait headline? Or was it Ok? By your standards?
A while ago, The ‘Pie posted an opinion that the modern usage of the word Islamophobia was deliberately coined to attack free speech. and cow people into refraining from legitimate cultural questions about that religion. It is the ‘phobia’ part – and extreme or irrational fear of something – that is a slur now used indiscriminately to dismiss legitimate even academic inquiries into certain aspects of the authoritarian religion and culture.
The ’Pie argued that although he is offended by the hijab in our open-faced Australia and its misogynistic overtones justified by relgion, that comes nowhere near a phobia … but there were still those who chose that as their argument to his comment.
Needless to say, this past week, Islamophobia is being thrown up as a defence against a lot of the legitimate questions now being asked about immigration following Bondi. Certainly, some of the publicly expressed views are indeed extreme and irrational, but that is far from the many intelligent, politically and socially reasonable questions being asked. But those reasonable questions are also slapped with the insulting Islamophobia tag.
It is for this view that The ‘Pie read with interest a very elegantly expressed sentiment of the offending word in letter to the editor this week. From Robert Walkley, a person whose views The ‘Pie has not always agreed with, the letter is worth reproducing.
Sometimes a spade is a spade and Islamophobia is Islamophobia.
Deep.
Not very. He only has a small spade.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.nationalsecurity.gov.au/what-australia-is-doing/terrorist-organisations/listed-terrorist-organisations&ved=2ahUKEwjY6ZaUks6RAxUgdvUHHYBOI2kQFnoECCIQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3Qe-QKdeDkcvMl8Tmwr2Mf
Islamophobia? We in Australia, and around the world have good cause to be cautious about lslam, muslums. It is not Islamophobia, it is being cautious. The link above is to the Australian Government National Security site. Check out the number of Islamic terrorist organisations, the Religion of Peace, (bullshit).
When facts, like the info in the link above, become too much for the activists and their sympathisers they become loud and shrill accusing all, not of their view, of being ‘ists’ or ‘phobes’.
Remember, at the start of this year the ASIO chief, in a rare public appearance at the National Press Club, named antisemitism as the greatest terrorists threat Australia faced. I expect he advised the Government privately as well, that includes one A. Albanese. Nothing was done, as verified by the Jewish community this week.
And here we are.
Today, now is a time to reflect. Yep, those who should have a bloody good look in the reflecting mirror is the Islamic community, the National Socialist Movement (Nazies), and Sovereign Citizens, as recently they have had a willingness to kill police, and A. Albanese and his government having not acted on ASIO intelligence.
Ordinary good Australian folk, while rightfully experiencing sadness and grief for this week and deaths of the innocence, have no guilt to bear.
And here we are.
The ‘Pie agrees with the last bit, not buying into any guilt trip about this, just pissed off it happened and indignant for my country.
Aah, RELIGION. The opiate of the masses, and the cause of more misery and death than any pandemic!
This letter is a kind of clickbait. It sets up a straw man argument – ‘for years now we’ve been told that attacks on Jews aren’t really about hatred of Jews but just anti-Zionism’, then sets about proving that argument to be false. But I can’t think of a mainstream Australian media outlet that has ever seriously allowed an appearance of that line of argument, let alone a debate. I’m hard pressed to find the word Zionism used at all, especially in relation to what is happening in Israel, the US and Europe. Even speaking about Zionism is close to being banned – watch this space.
For information and background.
https://www.google.com/search?q=anti-zionism+in+australia&oq=anti-zionism+in+australia&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTILCAEQABgWGB4YxwMyCwgCEAAYFhgeGMcDMgsIAxAAGBYYHhjHAzILCAQQABgWGB4YxwMyCwgFEAAYFhgeGMcDMg0IBhAAGAoYFhgeGMcDMgsIBxAAGBYYHhjHA9IBCTkwNzZqMGoxNagCCLACAfEForO-hSnYrObxBaKzvoUp2Kzm&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
And John Menadue is always a thoughtful read on this ubject.
https://johnmenadue.com/post/2024/10/the-australian-newspaper-takes-disinformation-and-morality-to-new-lows/
Walkey makes a valid point about antisemitism, but undermines himself with inconsistent logic about Islamophobia.
The core argument is sound. Antisemitism is real. We know this from history. But the Islamophobia comparison flips the logic. According to Walkey being alert to patterns of Islamist violence is “common sense,” not prejudice.
You can’t have it both ways. If we shouldn’t collectively blame all Jews for Israeli government actions, then it’s equally wrong to treat all Muslims as potential threats because of Islamist extremism.
And yes, when people attack Jews who have nothing to do with Israeli policy and claim it’s ‘anti-Zionism,’ that’s false. That’s just antisemitism hiding behind a mask. But targeting people based on their identity rather than their individual actions is pure prejudice.
When have you witnessed Judaism and its faithful?
1. flying planes into buildings and killing 3000 people, then celebrating ‘a victory’?
2. Rabbi’s exhorting congregations to terrorist violence all in the defence of the appointed role of Judaism as the one true faith?
3. March through the streets of foreign cities to which they have just migrated, demanding death to all infidels (i.e all non-Jews)?
4. Taking hostage and murdering a many members of a nation’s sporting team at an Olympic Games in an uninvolved country.?
5. Burning mosques simply because they are a different faith.?
If I witnessed such things, I would certainly be anti-semitic and proud of it. But I haven’t … and neither have you.
All these actions are tacitly condoned by Islam, an intolerant medieval dogma which preaches peace but practices violence, that brooks no real coexistence, biding time, with the ultimate declared goal of an Islamic planet. So it is not a muslim v jew fight … it is a Muslim v all of us fight. Palestine is just a convenient rallying cause, a legitimate human goal that has been put beyond reach by global terrorism. It is the religion we should be wary of, and unfortunately, that means be wary of all its actions.
Magpie, I think it is a mistake to create a circumstance where rogue Islamist ideology is compared to ‘Judaism’ and ‘Jews’ therefore can be made to feel responsible for the actions of the government of Israel. It may be a fact that members of the IDF who, for example, remotely fly explosive drones to deliberately kill individual children, are Jewish. But equally they might coincidentally be indoctrinated Zionists who believe it is their God-given right, even responsibility, to cleanse what they sincerely believe is the Promised Land, of Arabs. Jewish people, no matter where they live, are not responsible for that behaviour. But someone is. These are not lone wolves. Just as most of the world denounces the actions of ISIS for its acts of extermination of so-called infidels, so that same world has expressed its revulsion at similar acts of extermination, if not actual genocide, carried out in Gaza. Those acts are not carried out BECAUSE the perps are Jews. They are carried out because the perpetrators and their government and their high-powered supporters around the world are Zionists. It is possible to differentiate. Why don’t we differentiate? Why are we in denial? Zionism is not an exclusively Jewish thing. There are more Christian Zionists in the US, including self-declared President Biden, than there are Jewish people in the entire world. Why can’t we call out Zionism for what it is – an ideology that has gone rogue? It is not Judaism, it is not even a religion. It is an ideology that has become as merciless and barbaric as Islamic State. And it’s armed to the teeth with nukes.
OK, choose your own terminology, but we all know where the guilt should lie on both sides.
You should look into the nation of Israel before you defend the Jewish religion from charges of genocidal terroristic violence
The nation of Israel is NOT a amorphous global religion, and Jews are NOT automatically Israeli citizens who can vote for the government.
The ‘Pie gets tired of stating the obvious, but being against Israel’s genocidal action, or the deeply arrogant and cruel provocation of settler invasions, or even being against Israel full stop DOES NOT NECESSARILY EQUATE to antisemitism. And plenty of Jewish group around the world aren’t keen on Israel, either, and never have been.
Yes but Israel is full of religious leaders spewing genocidal terroristic hate, so the entire religion worldwide is as suspect as you say Islam is.
Half true … extremist Jewish religious leaders may preach as you say, but not no a global conquering scenario like Islam … their immediate concern is their own immediate safety from neighbouring Islamic states, some of whom sponsor terrorist groups. And while you may discover that certain rabbis and activist hotheads in Australia, America and Britain et al have made hate rants, they have not been against the nation in which they live, it has been against those countries thatvthreaten Israel and the Judaism. So cf some of the mad mullahs around the world.
But while we’re here again on this topic, let The ‘Pie remind you of the worst error Albanese made …. as I said shortly after Oct 7 … why did the government feel they HAD TO choose a side and join the call the a Palestinian state. We were already on record that we wholly support a two state solution, but did we have to thrust ourselves into the maelstrom by choosing such an inflammatory time to paint a provocative target on our backs. Quite rightly condemn the slaughter and genocide in Gaza … AND LEAVE IT AT THAT. Which is undoubtedly what the majority of Australians would want.
As The ‘Pie said at that time, that was a clear partisan move which Albanese and Labor figured as a big vote winner – they figured the Liberal Coalition had the big Jewish money tied up, and for unforgivably cynical reasons, took the first step on the road to Bondi.
On the other side of that coin, the Murdoch media, unrelenting led by the Australian, have been totally captured by the local Jewish Lobby, were uncompromising in their bias. You couldm almost read the wincing as they were forced to try to defend the Gaza carnage.
AI says
No, Jews are not automatically Israeli citizens, but Israel’s Law of Return grants every Jew the right to immigrate (make Aliyah) to Israel and, after a bureaucratic process, become an Israeli citizen. This right extends to Jews by birth, those with at least one Jewish grandparent, and spouses of Jews, allowing them to gain citizenship, while non-Jewish residents at Israel’s founding or through naturalization can also become citizens through separate processes.
Ridiculous to bring up recognition of a Palestinian state. That had nothing to do with Bondi – we’re one among many countries that recognize Palestine. It was simply the right thing to do. Conflating Bondi with Palestine is just further evidence of your complete ignorance about Islam.
… and your disconnect with the real world.
Now some stats because Im sick of all the what about ism
The Crossroads23 survey of Australian Jews found that 90% agree it’s important that the Australian Jewish community maintains close ties with Israel, 88% feel a high level of personal connectedness with Israel, and 86% agree that the existence of Israel is essential for the future of the Jewish people (The Jewish Independent) .
When asked about Zionism specifically (without a clear definition provided), over 70% of Australian Jews surveyed said they consider themselves Zionists (Pearls and Irritations) .The lack of a clear definition for “Zionism” in the survey question also makes interpretation challenging.
80% of U.S. Jews say caring about Israel is an essential or important part of what being Jewish means to them (Pew Research Center)
A poll by the Jewish Majority organization found that 70% of American Jews regard anti-Zionism as antisemitic by definition (JNS.org) .
Most Muslims say that suicide bombings and other forms of violence against civilians in the name of Islam are rarely or never justified, including 92% in Indonesia and 91% in Iraq. In the United States, 86% of Muslims say such tactics are rarely or never justified (Pew Research Center) .
However, in a few countries, a quarter or more of Muslims say these acts of violence are at least sometimes justified, including 40% in the Palestinian territories, 39% in Afghanistan, 29% in Egypt and 26% in Bangladesh (Pew Research Center) .
Regarding ISIS specifically, surveys in Arab countries show support in the low single digits, just 2 to 5 percent in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Palestine (The Washington Institute) . However, in sub-Saharan Africa, support for ISIS or al-Qaeda affiliates is somewhat greater, in the high teens or low twenty-percent range among Muslims in Nigeria, Senegal, and Burkina Faso, with at least 20 percent of Muslims in Nigeria voicing some sympathy for Boko Haram (The Washington Institute) .
Research shows that the vast majority of Muslims do not support extremist violence, and that their primary concerns are jobs, the quality of governance, security, and the same practical values shared by non-Muslims (Center for Strategic and International Studies) .
A 2019 national survey of 1,034 Muslim Australian citizens and permanent residents found that 88.1% were concerned or very concerned about terrorism by Muslim extremists (MDPI) . Notably, Muslim Australians expressed even higher concern about terrorism by right-wing extremists (93.1%) (MDPI) .
Research examining 198 Australian Muslims found that the greater the sense of belonging and religiosity, the greater the rejection of violent dispositions against the West and its allies. The inverse suggests that a sense of non-belonging is associated with increased support for radicalization (ResearchGate) .
Well said Magpie! That statement pretty well sums up the thoughts of all of us in our later years who have lived blissfully free in the best country in the World! UNTIL NOW!! I have no argument with so called First Australians, after all they were here first, it’s just the mishandling of them by successive Governments I have a problem with! When the ‘White Australia’ policy lapsed and we moved into ‘Multi culturalism’ and Pauline captivated our thoughts, we hoped perhaps it would not be that bad, but with the immense importation of people who NEVER plan to assimilate, get a job and be Australian, but who will still prosper on the incredible hand outs given mainly by left leaning Governments, the writing is clearly on the wall! I’d just like it to be the way it was, but I fear we’ve gone past the point of no return!
Unfortunately magpie , terrorism is the natural consequence of multiculturalism. When you bring the people of the world to your country they will often bring their problems with them. As time goes by the different groups coalesce into different suburbs with their own interests paramount. I’m afraid its something we are going to have to live with electoral margins are with the minorities. Just the way it is now.
Its not all bad though, increased taxes , increased rates, increased rents, increased mortgages, increased inflation are also consequences of immigration. People will just have to get used to their lives getting worse ,if they had a problem with it they’d try voting against it !
The CEO role has been advertised for the Townsville Chamber of Commerce position. Heidi announced in recent weeks that she was leaving. This is the group that I would like to see get a bunch of TCC money and really get involved in more advocacy work, rather than the have the limp TEL doing it. Hopefully we can get a decent CEO again, Heidi was pretty good.
Rollmop, I’m not familiar with the constitution of the Townsville Chamber of Commerce but I would be a bit surprised if they were in the business of getting “a bunch of TCC money and really getting involved in more advocacy work”. Especially since TEL was set up by TCC (when Tony Mooney was mayor) specifically to take TCC money for that purpose.
Yes, while greater involvement in the future direction of Townsville, the Chamber is not in a position to do any such thing … especially since it is supported by a membership of vested interests.
An overhaul and new rules of accountability for TEL is the only way forward. Either that, or take all its functions back into council. Which might prove unweildy.
Ok, the Islam thing has been done to bits. Can we move on to another topic please.
You can always skip the stuff you don’t like, just as those interested in ‘the Islam thing’ can skip the stuff you like.
I see Clare Armstrong has finally ditched Newsltd and has defected to the ABC. She has been reporting on ABC24 today. She started at the bully.
Reply to Ducks Nuts statistics
Put your stats another way:
– almost 1 in 10 Indonesian and Iraqi muslims believe that murder of civilians in the name of Islam is justified.
– more than 1 in 7 American muslims believe the same thing.
– 12% of Australian muslims are not concerned about Islamic terrorism (maybe they celebrate it?)
– for (insert name of preferred deity) sake, don’t be a non-Muslim in sub-Saharan Africa.
Put that way, it is a bit hard to claim Islam is a religion of peace…
I will leave it to you to find the obscure instances of other religions that (infrequently) compare. I am well aware that even Buddhist’s can be stroppy arseholes occasionally, but Buddhism isn’t built on that premise. As for the bloody Catholics, even the Irish have stopped killing each other over who has the best invisible friend.
Ok, let’s play your game:
Almost 1 in 3 white evangelical Protestants (31%) believe violence may be needed to “save the country”
More than 1 in 5 American adults (23%) now believe “true American patriots may have to resort to violence to save the country”
38% of Christian nationalism Adherents and 28% of Christian nationalism Sympathizers
(so 66% of Christian Nationalists if we use your logic here) agree patriots may have to resort to violence.
17.7% of white Americans who regularly attend religious services fall into the top quartile for justification of violence, Christian nationalist beliefs, perceived victimhood, white identity, and support for QAnon.
50% of Christian nationalism Adherents and 32% of Sympathizers (again 82% of Christian Nationalists using your logic) endorse QAnon conspiracy theories
For Australians:
In December 2022, a fundamentalist Christian terror attack killed six people in Wieambilla, Queensland, with premillennialism cited as the terrorists’ motivation
The 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks that killed 51 people were perpetrated by an Australian Christian terrorist, Brenton Tarrant, who described himself as an “Ethno-nationalist”
There are approx 2.6 billion Christians. We should be fucking petrified of them. They are insane.
Love Stats. There’s so many options to base your bullshit on….YAWN
You’re exactly right Kenny. Stats are bullshit when you cherry-pick them. And context is important.
In reality over 90% of both groups reject violence. The minorities who don’t are concentrated in war zones, failed states, and poverty. Take those out and religion matters way less than governance and economics. The causes of violence can be traced to what’s happening in people’s lives, not their holy books.
Happy Birthday to the world’s most celebrated Jew. From your committed Zionist. Grumpy.
Good on you, Grumpy. So, about this Zionism thing, are you in the Christian Restorationist category?
“Long before Theodor Herzl (considered the father of modern political Zionism) published Der Judenstaat in 1896, various Christian thinkers and movements, particularly English Puritans and German Pietists, promoted the idea of a Jewish return to the ancient Land of Israel. This belief, known as Christian Restorationism, was rooted in biblical prophecy and eschatology (beliefs about the end times), which held that the Jewish people would return to their land as a prerequisite for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.” Which led to:
“Although Zionism is often presented as a Jewish political movement, the reality is that most Zionists worldwide are Christians, many of whom harbor deeply anti-Semitic beliefs. The earliest proponents of Zionism were not Jews but Christian antisemites.”
Or are you more in the kumbaya establishment of a benign, peaceful homeland for the Jewish people?
There is another option of course:
“A core Zionist belief is the right of the Jewish people to the entire Land of Israel (often referred to by the biblical names Judea and Samaria), which includes the West Bank, Gaza, and potentially parts of neighboring countries.”
So where do you stand?
The latter. What you going to do about it, Bob? Send me some more quotes?
By “the latter” I presume you mean ‘the last’. Sadly, those who advocate for Israeli domination of the greater Israel region including the dispersal of the Arab populations of Gaza and the West Bank are contributing to insecurity of Jewish people around the world. Apparently, inside Israel, that insecurity verges on paranoia:
“Israel is facing accelerating emigration, powered by anti-democratic reforms, the October 7 attack and the Gaza War, and resulting economic pressures.
A new Knesset report shows the number of Israelis moving abroad has more than doubled since 2023. The emigration wave is not balanced by immigration, which has declined over the past decade.
Between early 2022 and mid-2024, more than 125,000 citizens left Israel — the largest loss of human capital in such a short period. The trend is believed to have continued through 2025 as the Gaza conflict dragged on.
Knesset Immigration Committee chair MK Gilad Kariv warned that “this is no longer a trend — it’s a tsunami. Many Israelis are choosing to build their future outside the State of Israel, and fewer and fewer are returning.”
He called the phenomenon “a real strategic threat” to the resilience of Israeli society, accusing the government of prioritising policies that “trample on Zionist values and the future of Israeli society.”
Interesting info.
And your whole comments supports The ‘Pie’s recent (much maligned) view that Netanyahu’s prosecution of the genocidal war in Gaza has greatly contributed to the insecurity and danger to Jewish communities around the world. And for the benefit of those who foam at the mouth at that suggestion, The ‘Pie will again state his mantra from the outset: ‘being opposed to the extent of Israel’s murder of civilians, mostly women and children, in Gaza, IS NOT anti-semitic’. It is the clear disapproval of the actions of a sovereign state, who retaliation as an excuse for wholesale murder.
Nor is that view some tacit approval of the barbaric and unforgivable actions of Hamas, that demanded a strong response, but not genocide. It is in fact a view that is … or was … held by many Jews, as ell as anyone with a shred of decency left in this upside down moral world.
Oh Magpie… according to Tony Abbott in his blog you shouldn’t go putting things in context. Tuck your “leftist instincts” back in where people can’t see them.
Bob – same thing is happening in the UK. Wonder where they are all going? New York?
Here is an interesting article. In summary, the terrorists used 5 IEDs that failed to detonate before they started shooting. The Police have had an interim suppression order on the facts, but that has been revoked and now redacted,
The rushed terrorism laws in front of NSW politicians have not raised any controls to stop this happening again or do anything about terrorism. The law changes are focussed on gun control, which is irrelevant to terrorists and criminals. There has been no consultation with anyone at any level, and the bill refers to regulations that have not yet been created. The bill will most likely pass and legislation enacted before the Police have completed their report.
The terrorist father took 3 years to get a firearms licence, during which time his son was on the ASIO watch list and living at home. The father did not meet the fit and proper person test and the current laws were adequate, but not followed.
It is worthy of a Royal Commission, but since Labor are in Federal and NSW State, they will not let that happen.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-22/nsw-sydney-bondi-terror-attack-naveed-akram-court-police-facts/106170286
Scary stuff. Yes, nothing less than a RC is urgently required.
But the rush to change laws in NSW is nothing more than political posturing, and as is always the way with these things, likely to to result in bad law.
The new legislation will shut down that serial demonstration pest, Josh Lees who has applied for 51 permits in the last year. The NSW legislation will permit the Police Commissioner to apply a 14 day ban on street demonstrations with an option to extend it out to three months.
Naturally, Lees is squealing like the fat piglet he is and has submitted a constitutional challenge.
Whatever happened to the principle “I disagree with what you say but will defend to the death your right to say it”?
Now it’s “I disagree with what you say and will use spurious rationales to shut you down”!
When freedom of speech is removed, we become a dictatorship.
There have always been limits on ‘free speech’, and social media is the latest medium to shift the goal posts. Disinformation, rage farming and radicalisation have made modification necessary, and the wider public safety and amenity of life now means mass protest marches – which we have seen so easily hijacked – are included in those modifications.
And let’s be real, do you really think the average Australian anywhere – except those with nefarious vested interests – give a flying fuck about rabble rousers not be allowed to take over our streets in the name of conflicts irrelevant to us as a nation? These are not protests of a social nature with a direct impact on the community, like, say anti or pro abortion marches, right-to-day rallies, angry farmers being put upon by governments, or union sponsored marches on pay and condition disputes.
The NSW ban should be adopted everywhere with laws singling out clear definitions, defining the difference between domestic issues that directly affect the community, and those those proscribed matters that do not directly affect the population.
But foreign conflicts aren’t irrelevant to us as a nation. We have a national interest in human rights and the rule of law being upheld internationally in the face of authoritarianism.
Anyway protests aren’t banned, they would just have to have a short break after terrorist incidents.
It’s silly to suggest that Labor being in power in NSW or Federally is an issue with calling a royal commission. The father arrived under a Coalition government, the son was investigated under a Coalition government, the father got a gun license under a Liberal premier. Nothing in a royal commission would embarrass the Labor party in any way. (Also NSW is calling a state one).
The NSW RC does not have enough power to enforce ASIO to release information like a federal RC could. In the last 3 years there has been a noted increase in antisemitism which has been somewhat ignored politically. The Jewish community has repeatedly called for help but not been taken seriously enough. This problem is not limited to NSW, but the incident happened there. A NSW RC is a start but ignores the same problems in other states.
Antisemitism has hardly been ignored, and even if ASIO decided (for some unknown reason) not to cooperate with the NSW royal commission, they’re getting their own federal investigation.
Here’s one for you Bob, the latest TCC projects update for Magnetic Island issue 6. You can sit back over the holidays and catch up with all the projects on Maggie.
It is the news letter you claim I demanded council provide to the residents, of the island. Well I’ll take that as an achievement in 2025 for the community I live in.
Could be an incentive for yourself and others to lobby council for a newsletter detailing TCC project works in the Divisions they reside in? This would take numerous emails to your Division councillor, also form a residents association like MIRRA, which is run purely by volunteers which has earned the respect of local, state and federal politicians. Over to you Bob…
https://mailchi.mp/council.townsville.qld.gov.au/magnetic-island-project-updates-issue-6-jan?e=e308f1da45
Oh and by the way your claim that the Sooning St culverts ‘low flow pipe’ installed in the 1960’s, is a fishway/ fish ladder is incorrect. Have a look back over the NBH development, the EIS and the works which involved the Sooning St Bridge by Curtain Bros, or do you believe that is more concocted bullshit?
How about a link?
How about you go look Bob, you seem to know all about the Sooning St Bridge?
FFS MM, you say my explanation about a fishway/ fish ladder is incorrect. Apparently there is some alternative explanation, from nearly 40 years ago, in some publication about the Nelly Bay Harbour development – according to you. But you can’t provide a reference and we know here that you make stuff up, as I have pointed out before. You can’t be trusted to have your facts straight. The state government has mandated some sort of fish ‘arrangement’ to maintain the tidal connection in Gustav Creek – because there used to be one before. Whether they know what they are doing is a moot point.
Bob,
who the fuck do you think you are?
From what I have seen in the past few months since you decided the Nest would be your own personal soap box, AI and quotes extracted from other peoples work, you are all over the show.
You are very good at telling other people what they should be doing with their time ie: questions to pollies and councillors, you are Fig Jam.
You haven’t been able to produce any evidence of the ‘low flow pipe’ you claim is a fishway/ fish ladder, ( which its not) that was installed when the Sooning St bridge was built. But you know all about it, along with every other topic.
No mention that the bridge height was raised in 1970’s, let alone any works carried out in the creek and on and around the bridge for the NBH development.
Suggest you have a look at the NBH EIS Sinclair Knight Merz copies are available through the National Library and for some more light reading contact the Department Of State Development.
Get you head out of your own arse and do some research.
That should keep you busy for a while and away the comments section of the Nest.
MM, you haven’t seen anything. You can’t. You try to remember something you thought you knew once but now can’t recall. You make up stories. The ‘low flow’ pipe or duct or passage under the 1960s bridge will, apparently, be re-instated under the new bridge so as to facilitate tidal inflows up the estuary all year round, regardless of fresh water flows. What’s the big deal?
Just share your sources MM, this back and forth is tedious.
Local news took another hit last week, and for once it wasn’t down to the Townsville Bulletin.
When signing off last Friday, Seven Townsville presenter Joanne Desmond announced that the 6pm local news segment would be “taking a break” over the Christmas-New Year period.
Do they expect no news to be made during that time?
Seven Townsville news has been a joke for some time, with stories from anywhere in regional Queensland making the cut, and some local stories not covered at all.
Makes you wonder how long it will be before the Townsville news service disappears altogether.
Yes, it’s sad. When I was in Darwin in the mid ’80s, the ABC and Channel 9 were our only TV broadcasters. On weekends and public holidays, we only received news and weather from Sydney. And no internet in those days.
Singapore was the nearest capital city.
I remember one summer trying to set up a new VCR for the two channels. Both of them were broadcasting precisely the same cricket match. I waited and prayed for ads. Ahh, good times. Not.
Malcolm,
the ABC have come out defending Ferguson & Tingle https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/dec/23/laura-tingle-sarah-ferguson-abc-defends-bondi-shooting-coverage-criticism-ntwnf
Good to see them standing up to a Murdoch beat up for a change
MM, they’ve always protected the two far left females. During the bushfires inn Vic, a few years back, according to Wikipedia, Tingle had been ranting about Morrison. Someone suggested to her she should be more even-handed. The charming lady responded, “Go lucky yourself”.
Bloody spellchecker. She said “Go fuck yourself.”
Like the mistake better.
They published my submission to the Inquiry into the Qld local government changes without redaction or censorship. Click on the submission link. It’s number 40 https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/Work-of-Committees/Committees/Committee-Details?cid=267&id=6557
I argue how I think the councillor complaints and conduct tribunal system is arguably invalid because it can’t exercise judicial power. I provide the constitutional law and quotes.
I show how the Townsville postal vote was bad in law and on the numbers and how Dametto actually got a shitty percentage as a result which is why he was sworn before the close of counting to reduce the appeal days.
I argue the complaints and conduct tribunal system must be replaced with free standing criminal integrity laws that go to court instead .
Seasons greetings and all the best Malcolm. Another great year of keep these bastards honest, and us the great unwashed informed and entertained.
Enjoy your down time Magpie, and I for one will be looking forward to your return and another year for the Nest.
Bob and MM
Get a room!
Agreed. Lame, boring endless dribble about bridges, fish ladders and religion. Yawn yawn yawn.
In response to Bob’s not so intricate knowledge of Gustav Creek. My connection with Gustav Creek started when visiting and Tom Sawyer style fishing from the timber walkway that was across the creek in the late 1950’s. There was never any “Low Flow Culvert” under the new bridge of the 1960’s that you insist and the Low Flow Culvert that still exists today, under the demolished bridge, (Not a fish ladder) is actually there to drain the sand pit that was constructed on the upstream side of the bridge by Curtain Brothers during the harbour (2000 2004) development, complete with a flood gate to stop the sand/fish from the pit flowing into the harbour. Tides above 3M flowed in and out thru the now demolished 18 bridge culverts and was the NATURAL Fish Ladder allowing visitation up the creek by all sorts of different species. The tide is the Fish Ladder and the Mangroves they want to protect didn’t grow there naturally, they grew there as a consequence of the 1960’s bridge construction. I would like to meet you Bob ….. the bloke who calls ladies “Can’ts” and show you some Historical documents. But Bob ….. I wonder at my sanity now trying to put any truth in you as being superfluous. to the point. Is the real point that you a Labour party paid unconciable shit stirring character assassin trying to sway opinion whatever the cost. I really shouldn’t enter into your game Bob but can’t have you going around calling “anyone” Can’ts. How low can a person fall Bob? Are you going to change your psuedonom now that I have shown “Bob” to be the lowest form of humanity and a liar who can’t be trusted to anything? Where did Jenny Kennett go? Sincerely Mike Schmidt Gustav Creek since 1963.
“ allowing visitation up the creek by all sorts of different species.”
Sounds like a fish ladder might be useful after all. Glad to see this crap put to rest.
Bob, ‘crap put to rest’? Mate, crap is your middle name. Merry Christmas.
Not me, again. While imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, I’ll resort to a password.
Good idea.
Jeff, perhaps you can choose ‘numb nut’ or ‘dipstick’ as your code word?
Seems the time of peace and love is finished for the year.
Those would be too easy to guess.
Whoa! Well said Michael Schmidt.
Good morning fart blossoms. Hope you’re all having a wonderful Xmas. Hope you are in good health Mr Weatherup and I look forward to your blog continuing into 2026 (even though that fuckwit Troy Thompson tried to get someone to crash your website).
Agree, Michael Schmidt, Nelly Bay since 1963. Well said
Nah, fuck Nelly Bay. It’s overrated and there aren’t a lot of rate paying residents living there when compared to other suburbs, so why spend money on the location?
https://theshovel.com.au/2025/12/22/english-parents-time-to-tell-kids-that-bazball-isnt-real/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=santa_denied_entry_to_us_after_posting_on_social_media_that_trump_is_a_f_wit&utm_term=2025-12-26
After the first Test, there was heated debate in the Australian dressing rooms that for the second test, they should wear covid-style masks, because there were indications that Bazball was contagious. The idea was voted down, on the grounds no one wanted to give the Poms an excuse to make Ned Kelly jokes.
Well, new mayor Slick Nick Dametto is either a quick learner or he’s got some savvy PR people behind him.
After this early pic of the new top team …
…. he was advised that whenever Suzy was around as the same time as a photographer , find the nearest bench seat. Or in other words, when Suzy steps up, he sits down.
I am looking at Nick’s hands in the photo.
Does he have a fingernail condition, of which there are a few, that would make him self concious of his fingernails?
Not being a smartarse as I live with it. Psoriasis.
Doubt it … remember he is a body builder type and bunched fists probably signify an nervous outlook, which is common among those who have to deal with Katter Snr face-to-face.
Anyway, your comment explains why you’re such a cranky bastard.
DEFINITION OF OPTIMISM:
Buying day 4 and 5 tickets for the fifth Test.
Scalpers already discounting Day 3 tickets.
As we ponder what lies ahead for Townsville in the coming year, many a predicted disaster or triumph is there to unfold, or maybe not, but here’s two you can take to the bank, and they’re linked.
1. Astonisher iditor Jill Poulsen will continue to make herself look goofy and uninformed, and 2. if your hoping for the paper to get behind the long-overdue bringing to account of Townsville Enterprise … forget it.
Exhibit 1:
Last Tuesday’s Bulletin iditorial …
…. Which opened with this jaw-dropping bellylaugh.
Yeah, that would get Bowen et al on the run.
This bit of utter iditorial silliness told us two things …. crediting TEL’s claims of ANY input into a politically charged national issue calls into question the iditor’s judgement, and it also means that the Bulletin mindset (possibly persuaded by the new mayor) is that TEL is just fine as it is … unaccountable and way overdue for council attention regarding ratepayers’ annual support for these shonks.
But it gets worse for Poulson, whose credibility is going down faster than Les Walker in a late night bar. It took a reader to do some of the research she should have considered that would’ve stopped her making a fool of herself. This from Saturday’s paper.
The Mayor and the paper are likely to ignore anything Holliday says, despite him being correct.
TEL has absolutely zero influence over east coast gas prices or policies. They are once again riding on other peoples coattails and trying to act influential and informed. Do people honestly think that Claudia Bumme-no more Smith and Gill the dill could actually influence someone like Santos or the department of PMC? Ha! That’s laughable. East coast gas prices and a lack of supply is a legacy issue that can only be solved by the high rankers in federal government. Part of Australia’s high inflation is due to energy/gas prices and it would appear that the limp Albanese government is finally going to act. For TEL to even put out a cursory statement regarding gas issues is a complete joke. Anybody can do that. These fuckwits need to stick within their own wheelhouse, whatever that may be. Let me know when you work it out. For the time being these idiots are only good for celebrating Zonta and LGBQTI activities around the lunchroom table. A complete waste of ratepayer money.
Jill Paulson is an idiot. Most people in the industry know that and they don’t like her. She is also spineless and sucks up to the paying advertisers. She couldn’t deliver a readable newspaper if her life depended on it. Half-arsed articles designed to titilate, inaccurate material and “late” news where current issues are printed 3 days late. Her focus will always be on printing Harvey Norman ads.
And you still love the girl
Will Dametto be putting on the hi-vis and heading up the disaster response team if the weather floods us? I reckon Nick and Suze would both do a good job as part of the disaster management group.
I also saw Phil Thompson backing a ruckus about the insurance companies pillaging and raping FNQ on insurance prices. They are grubs and deserve to be called out.
Some places are just becoming uninsurable, we should be planning for orderly depopulation.
St Nick, if you read the paper a bit more carefully you would see that the local member is actually ripping into the federal government and the Cyclone Reinsurance Pool about their failure to address the rising cost of home and business insurance. Which is an interesting distraction from the fact that Phillip Thompson, Member for Herbert, was one of the campaigners for and designers of the Pool, who made certain he was mentioned in despatches at its launch:
“The Australian Government legislated for a reinsurance pool for cyclones and related flood damage called the Cyclone Reinsurance Pool (cyclone pool). The cyclone pool is designed to make property insurance more affordable for households and small businesses by reducing the cost of reinsurance, a significant cost component of these policies.”
“The cyclone reinsurance pool was announced at a media doorstop in Cairns, far north Queensland, on 4 May 2021, by The Hon. Scott Morrison MP, Prime Minister; The Hon. Michael Sukkar MP, Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Housing, Minister for Homelessness, Social and Community Housing; The Hon. Warren Entsch MP, Member for Leichhardt; and Mr. Phillip Thompson OAM, MP, Member for Herbert.
That seems like some desperate attempt to score some points against Thompson (for whatever zealous reason). But surely what the member for Herbert is doing is criticising the current (Labor) government for its application of the Pool designed by their predecessors.
sometime – make that most – of the time, you try just too hard, Bob.
Bob, That’s what happens when you get a hapless labor government elected. Northerner Australia Infrastructure Scheme is another project you never hear of. Just people sitting on the board sucking all the money out.
Alahazbin, I believe you mean NAIF. The Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility. It has a website https://www.naif.gov.au/ and here’s the December newsletter where you can read that the fund has been extended for a further 10, yes ten, years. And what they’ve supported 32 projects and deployed capital of $2.8 billion, of which $548.6 million occurred in the financial year to 30 June 2025.
https://us20.campaign-archive.com/?u=250ec27be2cdfe3fbfdfef15e&id=8792895f24
Jill Poulsen obviously has never heard of “breaking news”.
This preview to the Boxing Day Test has been the lead sports story on the paper’s website for six days:
“AUSTRALIA CALL ON NEW FACES TODD MURPHY AND JHYE RICHARDSON IN BOXING DAY TEST SQUAD
With Nathan Lyon injured, and Pat Cummins rested, Australia called on new blood to keep their quest of a whitewash on track. But Cameron Green is suddenly in serious danger of losing his spot.
Daniel Cherny
December 23, 2025 – 1:55PM”
Yesterday I made a comment under the story, pointing out that the Test had finished and suggesting they replace it with a review of the game.
The comment was deleted, but the preview remains.
Pathetic.
Best guess, Doug, is that you joined The Magpie on Poulsen’s shit list long ago.
Jill Poultice is a vindictive cow. Hopefully, like many other two-bit iditors, reporters, and local news producing muppets, she will be gone soon. Moved on to another location in a far flung region away from the big cities.
This may come as a surprise to you … and to Ms Poulsen for that matter … but she far from the worst we’ve endured in the past two decades. Jill seems to have the heart in the right place, but lacks the all-round bandwidth to monitor both the job and the community.
On the TSV disaster Fbook page, have a look at the videos. It seems the towering batwoman has given Dametto a complex.
The Auslan lady has been positioned so as to not look taller than Dametto. How’s the song go…you’re so vain…I bet you think this song is about you…
Link? Let’s make easy to see what you’re talking about.
I also noticed that, and he walks like one of them Thunderbirds puppets.
http://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1442818141182107&id=1442818141182107
He stood in the same stance throughout the entire “performance” can’t see why you made that “attribution”!
Can editor Poulsen please explain why readers are no longer allowed to comment on council stories.
Hope this isn’t a forerunner to the reappearance of those expensive full-page council ads in her paper.
You know, the ones we ratepayers are slugged for.
You’d think that local council stories would be EXACTLY the stories on which ratepayers and the public generally should be allowed to comment. But it comes back to the Murdoch credo of editors and sales executives be players rather than observers.It is the modern perversion of many media entities, not just The Pickled Walnut.
The paper protects TCC from negative comments as they are protecting their revenue source. Money before truth. It’s been that way for a long time. Who wants to bag out their main client who is also a major source of revenue? Crooks.
Parasite Thompson has had his legal case against McCabe and Sewell for discrimination thrown out. The dipshit has appealed. Poor Troy, just can’t get a break can he ha ha. First, the voters tell him a resounding no thanks. Now, his $1m litigation for description gets turfed out. Don’t you love it when justice and karma are finally served.
It’s been in the print media however it is blocked behind paywalls.
Happy New Year everyone.
I’m currently O/S and 2 hrs behind Oz time, I’m bloody embarrassed by the crass, amateur music and lousy choreography of the alleged entertainers.
Unsure if the ABC are the instigators, if they are then its no surprise as their loony lefty freaks/weirdo’s of so called program managers, grace us with the lowest levels of everything.
Hosts Charlie Pickering and Zan Rowe are bloody eternal resurrected Zombies.
One female “entertainer” looks and behaves as Jacinta Nampijinpa Price’s double.
Happy New Year everyone, especially His Pieness.
Asawa
Supplementary other commentators.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/tuned-into-2002-aussies-react-to-underwhelming-abc-nye/news-story/286f75b40e5603904df36ead24daed17
Well, it’s 2026 and some things won’t be changing in a hurry under the Albanese government;
1. Albo is more concerned about the citizens of Ukraine than he is with Australians within Australia.
2. Albo is more concerned about kowtowing to Israel than he is for helping Australians in Australia.
3. Albo is more concerned about giving almost $400b to the puppet masters in the US for outdated subs than he is for providing rent, mortgage and pensioner relief during a cost of living crisis.
4. Albo is more concerned about bringing in 1500 immigrants a day than he is about Australians born and raised in this once great country.
5. Albo is more concerned about politicians financial entitlements than caring about due diligence and appropriate fiscal management concerning the misuse of taxpayer money.
Happy fucking new year!
Your unquenchable cheeriness is your most endearing feature, Perceival.
Kowtowing to Israel is a new one.
Yeah, with you there, The ‘Pie thought the opposite: because he wouldn’t kow tow to Israel was where the division started, and The Australian … now fully under the sway of the powerful Jewish lobby … has gone berserk on the PM for not endorsing genocide, as Rupert clearly does.
All this rain, Wulguru is about to have shit overflowing into houses and backyards. Thank you Jenny and Prins for doing fuck all for so many years.
” Wulguru is about to . . .”. Update please. Doomscrolling is so 2025.
Wulguru needs a Colonoscopy. Talk about Brownsville- it’s real!
Bob, you ignoramous, read today’s paper mate, the sewerage has overflowed as I predicted/commented previously. Bob, you’re a dickhead.
BTW Poonami, if only you had written that you had read about it in that morning’s Bulletin we would all know your source.
Bob,
For a know it all, you know SFA.
Obviously you don’t have shit bubbling up through your home or in your backyard.
So you now think the sewerage problem is more concocted bullshit?
Tell that to the affected ratepayers, or are you now going to blame Phillip Thompson for the shitty mess?
Rather than look at the failures of council under Team Hill and past Labor state member.
The only shit you seem to know about, flows from your mouth and remains unplugged.
IV, I don’t have to be a know-it-all, I just occasionally read public documents that tell it like it is. Here’s one for you:
https://www.townsville.qld.gov.au/building-planning-and-projects/council-projects/major-projects/wulguru-wastewater-infrastructure-resilience-program
Bob, the $15.7 million in the TCC budget for SSRM project did the monies come from state Government under works for Queensland Projects or from ratepayers monies?
Also another question the $2.2 million and the $400K for 25/26 budget has the monies come from state government or ratepayer funds?
It is so convenient for you have all of these public documents at your fingertips!
IV, we are both spectators. We can only draw conclusions from what we see. The Wulguru sewerage problem appears to be a design issue – the engineers or consultants or whoever created something at the time that is now inadequate. It takes years apparently to line up the funding to make the necessary upgrades. Those upgrades will be designed by the same expert consultants. Spectators have to accept that they know what they are doing.
As a spectator I see that your island bridge reconstruction project has been washed out by what must have been unexpected flooding. Do you think the mayor or divisional councillor should be held responsible for the decision to start work in that creek in mid-December or can you accept that the experts were left to do their work and, like at Wulguru, came up a bit short?
Boy oh boy, Bob, be careful, that fence your sitting on has a lot of splinters.
Slick Nick Dametto came up with a shocker when commenting on the return of the poonami this week.
In a TB story he was quoted:
“When you have significant rainfall just like this, over 200 mls of rain in some areas, we will have sewage backing up,” Mr Dametto said.
“It’s just inevitable.”
Sorry Nick, the problem isn’t inevitable – it needs fixing.
The council’s own website says the Cleveland Bay sewage treatment plant was last upgraded in 2006.
Since then thousands of new homes have been built.
Join the dots, Nick.
Bullseye, Doug. Nick really does need a media savvy person at his elbow. The depth of stupidity in that statement is staggering, and Nick, the degarding and disintegrating sewerage system is now YOUR baby … and its inevitable that YOU are going to have to fix it.
Some serious coin needs to be thrown at the never ending Wulguru shit debacle. Phil Thompson tends to get things done so perhaps he can raise the issue with the federal opposition or the state government? This is an identified safety risk and TCC needs to be empowered to fix this situation with additional funds.
It’s deteriorating towards Third World standards. And the attitude ‘it’s inevitable’ stinks as much as the shit.
Agree entirely. Little Nicky has to either listen to his advisors (if he has any) or think about what he says. FFS, anyone who lives in Townsville is aware of the shit issue in some suburbs.
Ahhh, that old chestnut, third world standards. Have you ever lived in a “third world” country, or region for any period of time, where toilets generally consist of a long drop and little else?
Certainly the situation in Wulguru is sub-optimal for a major regional city in Australia, but I think the “third world” description is not quite accurate.
It seems to be yet another hackneyed phrase used by journalists, nearly as annoying as a story that is described to be “unfolding”. One wonders how it got folded up in the first place?
The ‘Pie always welcomes the opportunity to help the grammatical unfortunate.
unfold
/ʌnˈfəʊld/
verb
gerund or present participle: unfolding
1.
open or spread out from a folded position.
“he unfolded the map and laid it out on the table”
2.
(of events or information) gradually develop or be revealed.
“there was a fascinating scene unfolding before me”
You’ll note the modifier ‘towards’, and in no possible way could it be interpreted that the ‘Pie is suggesting we are a third world country, or anywhere near it (to do so would take a heady mixture of colossal arrogance and ignorance of reality).
Anyway, the situation is totally unacceptable in a wealthy and educated country like Australia. No excuse.
ST – have you ever walked on a beach in Tulagi? A few years ago there were prominent signs between the Honiara airport and town “No Shittum Long Beach” . Today, the area is a 15 km slum. No idea where they shit now. From the look and smell of it they use the Indian method – shit on the street and cover your own eyes for privacy.
Nick doesn’t need just a media savvy adviser, he needs a media savvy person who has received a briefing from a human waste disposal expert (plumber) so that Nick can stop talking shit (see what I did there) ?
As an old licensed plumber and drainer, I can tell Nick straight up that with too much shit going down into an inadequate sized sewerage system including old pump station, that the system will overload and back up as rainwater enters the system and magnifies the issue.
We plumbers know two things: Shit flows down hill and payday is Friday !
(Plumbers side note: #3 – Don’t bite your nails !)
I see little has changed in 2026. People like ‘Bob’ and ‘shit stirrer’ posting stupid crap. Hi hum here we go again.
Ironic, Barry, ironic.
in response to Magpie’s response to Shit Stirrer
Note that word develop – the story/event develops, it doesn’t unfold.
Is English your first language?
The Sewerage system is a tricky one in a place with extremely heavy rainfalls.
The payoff is in between massively oversizing your pipe and balancing network for the occasional (but yearly) heavy rain events, which also comes with increased maintenance and operational costs, or building to whatever national or international engineering standards.
The end of pipe treatment has little to do with sewerage backing up, in high flows, it all(mostly) bypasses the plant anyway. Licenses allow this when flow exceeds the ‘Average Dry Weather Flow’ by x times.
Townsville also struggles with very low grades, i.e. flat as fuck so have to have many pump stations, they are expensive and need a lot of maintenance because fuckwits still flush whatever they want down the toilet.
I am sure there are solutions (large underground balancing tank?, drastically reducing stormwater infiltration into the system, lots of new pipes and a pump station) and I can also see the buck being passed for years for someone to pay for any of it, because it’s just not as sexy as a new Stadium.
Good information but the bottom line is that such reflux is simply not acceptable and must be rectified. On health grounds alone, if for no other of many reasons.
Bob
Asked you a couple of relevant questions regarding re funding for sewerage works, where the funding came from. You have just side stepped answering the question’s and gone onto engineering expertise??
If you don’t know where the funding came from just say so.
As for the Sooning St bridge works, no biggie just a few cubic metres of gravel washed away, from what was the platform for the piles to be bored in.
Although listening to some of the locals you would think all the materials and machinery have been washed away.
It’s a wonder the greens haven’t complained about gravel entering the marine environment.
Starting work in the wet season the creek would always have water in it. The creek has not flooded nor does it look like it will.
The late start to the project was fish ladder designs , the best fish ladder is nature, it’s called the tide.
An aside: the tide is also the best fish trap, practised for millenniums by indigenous groups, mostly up north. Still used today.
IV, trust your judgement; being a spectator I know SFA about anything. That’s why I look for documentary evidence to inform me. You don’t seem to do this. For example, you say that the washout of the construction foundations at the bridge site is “no biggee”. So will replacements be installed in the next few days so that the job can get underway or will the contractor or council reconsider the question of urgency? Who will pay the difference? If you don’t have a clue just say so.
Bob
I didn’t say the wash out of bridge foundations, you did. It was the gravel platform.
Have you been reading the TB again?
Work will begin when they can.
My question to you was where did the money come from for work on the sewerage issue?
The bridge washed out 1 year ago.
The people in affected suburbs of Townsville have had shit bubbling into their homes and backyards for fucking years, that is the difference and no solution in sight. They have every right to be seriously pissed off.
On the point about being pissed off, the whole city has a right to be pissed off, because if there is a serious outbreak of associated illnesses, the consequences flow on to all of Townsville an d the associated health infrastructure.
Bob,
Go to http://www.magneticcommunitynews.com
Website you will see drone photo of washed out gravel
The next story is a letter to the editor showing Gustav Creek in flood in December 2024 then a photo of the damaged bridge in January 2025.
As for cost of project at the October MIRRA meeting TCC Matt Richardson stated he estimated the total cost of the project to be between $15 -18 million? Not sure if he just pulled the estimate out of his backside. Now we will have ask did the estimate include gravel wash out?
As for who pays it will probably be state/council. If you are so concerned attend the next MIRRA meeting and ask him yourself or you could just send him an email.
Some before and afters for those interested to chew on. The first on is the ‘before’ the others more recent.
Looks somewhat there’s been some sort of wash-out, which points towards the folly of trying to anything like this in the wet season.
Magpie, Bob and Island Voice might benefit from a 4 page document from TCC handed out at the last MIRRA meeting on 4/12/25. It hasn’t been mentioned by anyone here or in Magnetic Community News as far as I can see. I can’t find this exact document on the TCC Updates website so I can’t provide a link. The front page titled Gustav Creek, Sooning Street Bridge has a photo of the ruined bridge, a detailed design diagram of the new bridge including a “shared path” pedestrian footbridge on the school side and a schedule for planning approvals. Elsewhere it states under “Early Works” that “piling pad construction” will take place in December 2025. On page 3 under “Key Milestones” there is a Note:
“. . . this program has construction occurring over the wet season and weather may impact the sequence. The alternate is that we de-risk and wait until after the wet season. If we took this approach the bridge build would not be complete until the end of 2026.
Based on this Council has decided to accept the weather risk in order to deliver the bridge and allow Sooning St to reopen in mid 2026.”
On the final page under “Project Costs” it states:
“Fully funded by QRA
Total cost estimate is currently $15-$19m
Price refinement underway at 90% design; final price due at 100% design and at project completion.”
Apart from this, I wonder whether any other observers have looked carefully at the twelve pipes which were laid under the stone/gravel piling pad – one has been washed out but the rest have not moved and remain in situ. If you look at the upstream side of the pad, in particular at the relatively undisturbed central section, there are no protruding pipes. The ends of all the pipes appear to be buried under the compacted stone. There is/was no way for flowing creek water to get into the pipes. Surely not?
C’mon Bob, Mr expert on everything, what would you do about the sewerage issue that just won’t go away?
S-bend, a couple of days ago I provided a link to a TCCplan for the next two years investment in the Wulguru sewerage issue. I can’t fault it. Can you?
On the general reflux issue in the area, The Pie recalls some time ago a commenter said the problems were ocurring at the end of a sewerage ‘corridor’ linked to inter alia Lavarack Barracks, TUH and JCU. Just wondering if there are similar problems in that vicinity, particularly Lavarack, where the DOD might be reluctant to make an issue of it with the local council.
https://www.townsville.qld.gov.au/about-council/news-and-publications/media-releases/2026/january/radial-gates-to-activate-at-ross-dam-upon-reaching-100” />
From the TCC web site, Ross River Dam gates to open .25 of a metre in the next 24 hours to keep the dam at 100% or thereabouts.
How responsible.
Let us not forget in 2019 Jenny bloody Hill’s reckless endangerment of life and property when the dam was allowed to get to a bit over 200% and the Mayor Made Flood that followed.
The need for a responsible, professional council information office to babysit Mayor Dametto grows more urgent with every new issues he and his media foot soldiers tackle. First we had his view that shit reflux in Wulguru during rain was ‘inevitable’ (fucking say what? Like gosh, what can I do I’m only the mayor, shit happens?), then his tacit endorsement and making a joke out of an already bullshit report about a dangerous Flinders Street burn-out hoon, and now, in this release, after parroting some supplied boffin-speak, he adds ‘there is now need to be alarmed’.
Even that bullshit journalism/PR course at JCU will tell you the very last thing anyone should say publicly on any touchy issue is to ‘not be alarmed’ ,. which is just a notch down from ‘there is no need to panic’. …. both phrases GUARANTEED to plant exactly the possibility in the mind where no anxiety previously existed.
Sad to say, this Mayor Inevitable is starting to look like the meathead detractors have claimed from the start of his candidacy and ultimately, his election.
Same as saying ‘calm down’ to wife/girlfriend ! Probably best not to utter these words while they’re both in the same room !
Ah well, the community got the Mayor they wanted.
Ben, I think you will find that being “responsible” has no part in it. No one has to make a decision about opening the floodgates when the dam level reaches 100%. It happens automatically UNLESS the Council decides to override the system and control the gates manually. And this was exactly the situation in the 2019 flood. Back then, when the dam level exceeded 100% one, and eventually all three floodgates opened automatically. Take a look at P.28 of the Review document:
https://www.igem.qld.gov.au/sites/default/files/2019-12/IGEM%20MTRF%20-%20BMT%20hydrology%20report%2012062019.pdf
Robert,
I will type slowly so you can follow.
The dam was allowed to get to 240% capacity. That is a monstrous fuckup by any standard not withstanding the labor mates looking after mates review into the disaster.
Puddleduck and the Mullet labor besties and all that, hey.
Are you still here Robert?
In the week before the disaster the BOM was forecasting heavy rain fall. Heavy constant rain.
Robert, Robert, are you still with me. Concentrate please.
Given the BOM forecast, which in the short term are very accurate prudence and any measure of responsibility would lead to the dam gates……
Robert, are you still here?
dam gates being opened to safely lower the dam level well prior to the deluge.
BUT NO.
The bloody dam gates were opened too late when…
Robert, concentrate now.
the gates were opened too late when inflows to the dam were much greater than releases from the gates.
Gates fully opened to coincide with a high tide, well it is called near criminal incompetence with how many thousands flooded.
I
Robert, still paying attention?
The dam gates can be automated as much as you like.
The failure of the Jenny Hill disastrous committee to act on the warnings from the BOM are criminal.
Still there Robert?
Robert, this is not all hind sight.
Robert, were you here in 2019?
Members of the community,, including me, Robert, were calling for the dam gates to be opened for early release, as was a topic in the Magpie Comments at the time.
So, to conclude, Robert, the mates looking after mates inquiry gave Jenny bloody Hill and her disastrous committee a very well done.
So Robert, the BOM forecast ignored, no pre-emptive release of water, oh-fuck dam inflows greater than can be released with gates fully open, dam gets to a bit over 200% capacity (a bit dangerous don’t you think Robert?) and thousands of homes needlessly flooded.
And so Robert, at dam capicity of 240% what part of Townsville would not be drowned (that’s dead people) if the dam failed?
Ben, your memory is letting you down. At the start of the 2019 ‘event’ the dam was at about 60%. But don’t rely on my memory. Check the facts in the source material provided by BOM, TCC, SunWater and the state government. It’s all in the Review document.
It was established that a pre-release at a rate which would not cause early flooding, would have had minimal impact on the final result. The dam rose to 240% because that is what it was designed to do. Have a look at the report – the inflow in to the back of the dam on the Sunday that the gates lifted was significantly more than had been forecast. The gates were operated as per the approved EAP.
Gates auto open at 100% to release water. They did this in 2019 also. Its automatic.
Its also part of the dam safety operations.
Please read the reports from the 2019 flood and the dam safety operational manual. It’s all available online.
Ducks Nuts, the expert on everything. Where did you copy and paste that information from grand master?
Did someone steal your lollipop?
This is no “auto” open. The dam operator opens it via the SCADA system.
The original protocol for flood control was to open the gates AHEAD of time based on the water level rising by a certain % by a set time. These protocols were put together based on hydrological studies.
So the changed protocols were not based on hydrological studies?
As usual there is no basis for Guy’s comment. The gates can be operated in auto or in manual – either way it is as per the tables in the EAP. I was involved with the installation of the gates – whilst the gate opening levels may have been tweaked, the EAP today implements exactly the same philosophy as the day the gates were installed. The reason for the auto mode is so that gate openings happen exactly when required. If a gate is not opened on time the water will overtop the gate (there is minimal freeboard), which will probably then fail. This is why all of the stories about delayed gate openings in 2019 are rubbish – the gates were opened as per the EAP or slightly in advance of the EAP when it was sure to result in a better outcome.
I was astonished when the major rain we had years ago had been going on for 3 /4 days – the gates by the flood management policy that was posted up next to the computers was clearly ignored.
Ok
The way a dam is run is that the weather forecast is looked at. Prospective heavy rain should have immediately raised a significant red flag
The second red flag would have been the water level rise. When RRD foolishly had real time data of the water level someone called me up by the time we finish half an hour later the dam level had risen 1% , this massive rise in a short time would have been causing the alarm to go off.
Under flood mitigation protocols the gates should have immediately been opened. They weren’t.
Anyway , its all swept under the rug now. Its unlikely anything was learnt, though curiously – Sunwater was booted out of managing RRD after this incident.
Guy, you reckon “Under flood mitigation protocols the gates should have immediately been opened. They weren’t.”
Exactly what “protocols” are you referring to? You seem to have a set of standards that only you know about. These are not the standards governing the operation of the Ross River dam. Like a Grade 9 teacher I’m asking, “Show us your working”.
Bob
I worked there , thats how I know
Does that help your understanding ?
Guy, you are starting to sound like the Donald Trump referenced in today’s Guardian:
“In a new interview with the New York Times, Trump said the only constraint to his power as president of the US is “my own morality, my own mind”.
You don’t need ‘protocols'; you were there, you say – leaning on a shovel, flipping a clipboard or operating a stop/go sign perhaps. Meanwhile, 45 years later, the named people who are held accountable did have an actual protocol and they stuck to it:
Introduction to Review linked earlier, P.3
“Water levels in the Ross River Dam rose from 36.95m AHD (65% of full supply volume) at the start of the event to the full supply level of 38.55m AHD by 12:35pm on Wednesday 30 January 2019. Once full supply level had been reached, the dam gates started to open in automatic mode as per the operational rules for the dam.”
OK,last comment on this thread … getting nowhere and getting tedious.
Spoke to an island friend. The Sooning bridge project is fine. Some ground cover washed away but no engineering issues or major infrastructure problems. All is well and being monitored.
So because your friend is on the island, how does your ‘friend’ know this? ‘Island resident’ is not a qualification for anything, one way or the other.
Honestly, the dumb attempts at bullshit some of you folks make makes The ‘Pie ashamed that you read this blog.
Regarding the Cloncurry airport runway falling apart due to some Jetblast, Crisafulli and Katter’s have been singing the praises of the Cloncurry shire council. Why? The runway was already fucked and had reached ‘end of life’ yet they kept using it and kept deferring its replacement. This always an accident waiting to happen. The council don’t deserve any praise.
LATEST:
SHITHEAD INVADES SHIT HOLE.
It’s all about oil and nothing else.
Now let’s seem the Orange Abomination do the next one on his ‘peace list’, Iran.
That Nobel peace Prize is all sewn up, eh, Donny?
The orange eejit had a presser today and threatened:
Venezuela (again – if things don’t go his way)
Cuba
Mexico
Colombia
Iran
And…Greenland (they’ve got 20 days apparently)
FIFA Peace Prize in action.
And while the Europeans are distracted on how to militarily defend Greenland from the Yanks (the leaders of the free world) Putin is free to occupy the Baltic States unhindered, and China launches against Taiwan.
That will be the end of NATO, the 5 Eyes Agreement, and AUKUS to name a few.
Australia is about to find out that our part of the globe will be a lonely place and our defence is up to us, and us alone.
Good on Trump. Venezuela is a real shithole run by corrupt narco so-called President. They send millions of dollars worth of coke to the USA and they send hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants to the USA each year. So fuck em, I agree with Trump. Take their oil and minerals and use it as payment to cover the costs they impose on the USA. Go get em Donald. Next….
The United States spent decades building an elaborate rules-based international order which de facto cemented its permanent status as the dominant global power, and now is just blowing it all up for literally no reason.
It was the generation who went through WW2 who built it the modern world order, imperfect as it may have been. Their children and grandchildren don’t appreciate it.
People panicking over rainfall and a dam opening, getting all emotional. The Mayor speaking doomsday language. This is fucking Townsville and FNQ, we are used to heavy rain and floods. Just calm down people.
Getting all emotional? You are obviously not talking from the high moral ground, just the literal high ground… and never have had the trauma of being flooded out. Silly thoughtless chest-beating comment … and BTW, ‘calm down’ comes in third on the Don’t-Say list, just behind ‘don’t panic’ and ‘don’t be alarmed’.
Pie, there is another sort of Don’t Say It list, for example when asked the question you answer honestly (the wrong thing to do), “Yes Dear, your bum does look really big in that dress.”
There are similar Don’t Say It when she askes about her cooking, driving, snoring, etc. You get the idea.
Perhaps you need a towel?
Happy wife, happy life.
They wrote a song about that, didn’t they? The Impossible Dream.
While a towel is useful at this time of day I will settle for a pan galactic gargle blaster.
no more than two
The dam is no longer used as flood mitigation ( its original purpose), this is why townsville will flood. If people are fine with shit bubbling up out of their toilet they will be fine with flooding. Its what happens when you don’t give a shit about yourself, don’t give a shit about other people and might be profiting from the situation ( even less reason to care)
Is there anything in Australia the orange dictator would lust after? As a bonus, he could take his good buddy, Albo back to the great US of A to face Trump(ed) up charges.
Not that that I’m saying Maduro doesn’t deserve what’s coming at him.
With the shopping list he’s drawn up, it looks as though he wants to turn his country into a colonising nation and that’s something that was always against the American ethos.
Rare earths.
Just you wait, just you wait…
Considering how unhinged he is, he’ll claim Venezuela is really Poland an occupied German territory (a few Nazi’s buggered off down there after WW2).
Then he’ll have a vision of God moving over to one side, and God will mortgage heaven and build a Trump Tower only to be occupied by adoring Trump devotees (formally called angels).
Adolf must be smiling in his toaster!!!!!!!!
Sieg Vile
In his invasive mode, Trump must’ve been somewhat inspired by his pal, Vlad the Putin, if he can do it in Ukraine and the gutless western world stands by and allows it, why can’t I do and get my hznds on that huge oil supply. And if the world does nothing about the move on Venezuela, you can be sure Cuba is a definite ‘next’.
I reckon the redhead drongo will “annex” Greenland sooner rather than later; like all bullies he will avoid anyone who may fight back. But you’re right once he’s secured Sudaten-Greenland, he’ll follow course and Cuba will be next.
What do you mean America was not a colonizing nation? Try reading a history book.
America as we know it was started by Elizabeth the 1st under the British Empire , a term coined by John Dee , Elizabeth the 1sts spy master ( its where we get to OO7 symbol – the left hand shielding a pair of eyes).
Walter Raleigh under Elizabeth ( at the behest of John dee) started the colonising of the east coast ( with serious difficulties). It was under Elizabeth that corporations as we know them first started, the east India company. Corporations were formed around the same as the intelligence services both with the same goal of overthrowing the catholic Church in Britain. Henry the 8th laid the seeds of corporations and the intelligence services, his daughter solidified its influence ( the gunpowder plot was undoubtedly a false flag operation , the security services developed under Henry and Elizabeth spent the next few years undermining James 1st catholic and killing his heir. Leaving the way open for a less character of James 2nd).
I’ve just noticed.
America is colonising America.
Nice little mention of Townsville in the latest Lamb ad. Makes you wonder if the ad exec used to live here.
https://youtu.be/U2uvy_5VMlY?si=Y3cjepLtJdCmdohj
Loved it.
Love Trumps work. America is the supreme superpower. They have every right to take decisive action on the two-bit chickenshit countries surrounding them. Americas neighbours are drug running and funnelling illegal immigrants into the USA. It has to stop. Send in the troops, arrest their leaders and destroy their military capabilities. It will strengthen America who really is the world’s greatest superpower.
SGH,
You really are the sludge at the bottom of the gene pool.
You really need to ger your intellectual myopia attended to.
Schmuck!
Nawww Mad Jack, you poor possum. You need a tissue so you? Boohoo. At least Trump is trying to protect his country, unlike our limp wristed weak government which ignores Australians and is too busy sticking its nose into every other inch of the world.
Why is SGH sludge? Is it because his opinion is different to you? SGH may not be the most orthodox commenter around here, but he sometimes has a point. Should America be overrun by drug cartels and illegal immigrants, both of which cost the taxpayer tremendously. Just think about that for a moment. Our fucking country, Australia, is drowning in LEGAL immigrants and it’s causing a cost of living crisis. How much worse must things be for the Americans.
This is only going to weaken America. We’re watching America turn from a global superpower to a regional rogue state.
America’s oil refineries at least on the southern coast were designed and built to handle Venezuelan oil, a much thicker oil than Saudi oil.
The Chinese and other buyers of American debt have been quietly dumping US dollars. America continues to create money to wage war.
Despite Trump’s promises food , fuel and everything else has remained expensive in America. Invading Venezuela is the last desperate card of a dictator and corporate America trying to get their hands on a vast treasure to keep funding the empire.
And happy new year to you too, Guy. Good to hear a smile in your voice text.
Lightweight Smith and the Bullshittin strike again with a childish storyline posted online. Naturally it’s behind a paywall but those with access no doubt enjoyed the ridiculous storyline posted online. What a fucking waste of print. And Lightweight starts off 2026 in the lame fashion he is known for. Seriously you bored muppets, do something useful like report on important matters, not this horseshit.
https://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/lifestyle/pets-and-wildlife/townsvilles-first-dog-found-safe-after-daring-escape-sparks-citywide-search/news-story/a2c2c305727baf60c302dd64a8d61ac7?amp&nk=2bf2f7c08220e7c1cec8ad138c1b51db-1767769631
What is interesting is Leyton’s ability to include so much concise, accurate detail regarding the lost mutt.
Pity he can’t apply that depth when reporting on serious matters.
Rue, that’s because he is a lightweight. He rarely offers up a scoop and he never tackles the hard hitting stories. It’s always lightweight shit and that’s about all he is good for. There is a good reason why the Magpie calls him the ‘stenographer’. Leighton’s next career move will be presenting the weekend lotto numbers or writing obituaries.
The ‘Pie has heard a rumour he’s writing the Magpie’s this weekend.
Good grief, Lighton writing for the Magpies Nest. Standby for a story about a Duck displaced by the heavy rain, or a story about compost bins, worms, and the ecology. Riveting stuff by our hard working stenographer.
This story is lame. At least Jenny rescued a lost dog. Danetto can”t even keep his fluffy puppy at home.
A desperate newspaper posting shite. Also sucking up to Dametto too. Bunch of plonkers.
At least he got his pet back.
Yup, wasworried sick but no more tossing and turning for The ‘Pie tonight (unless Deirdre McFondle pops around).
God forbid a closeted gay man be separated from his floof.
Heard of the concept of a light-hearted human interest story? It doesn’t all have to be hard hitting news. Chill the fuck out fuckhead.
Good morning Lighton. Got your cranky pants on today?
It’s a bit confusing reading the Astonisher at times. Reading a news item as though an event has just occurred, when it really happened several days earlier. Then they repeat stories verbatim in the same issue.
My Wednesday paper was delivered before 11:30 pm Tue night. Why don’t they change it to an afternoon edition an be done with it?
Good to see Guy is back in fine form for 2026. He has obviously stuck ibis tongue in a Xmas light socket and it has overcharged his tinfoil hat.
It seems it’s actually a thing that anyone appearing beside Dametto on disaster announcement must be around the same height. Dametto is very short. That’s so fucking vain. http://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=638222422686922&id=638222422686922
Magpie, some viewers might find windy.com a more interesting source of cyclone information. Certainly their graphics are amazing.
(From a M I reader via email.)
Here is very good drone footage of works carried out by BMD in Gustav Creek in readiness for the upcoming weather event.
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1QS9y8jiZA/?mibextid=wwXIfr
I finally managed to obtain a copy of the TCC info sheet which was handed out at the Dec MIRRA meeting. TCC had made a Power Point presentation of what works would be completed in stages. This would have given residents info on what would be happening and when. AMG and other TCC personnel did not attend?? So no Power point presentation. Therefore, make of this what you will.
Posted on Linkedin on Friday. Should The ‘Pie apply?
100% Pie ! Don’t joke, this council needs a savvy media/journalist skill advisor. Email and text message communication as well as several other good platforms will cover the requirements without having to stand around the drink cooler gas bagging. It’s a yes from me !
Doubt the Bulletin hierarchy or the TEL ladder climber would allow it anyway, jatz.
You don’t qualify Mal. They are looking for ‘yes men/women’ who will toe the company line and help spread spin and bullshit in the most dazzling ways imaginable. I’m sure Lighton Smith will apply. No straight shooters need apply. Which leaves the Magpie out in the cold, sorry.
The Magpie out in the cold.
Where is Bentley, at times like these, to visually explain it to us?
No doubt candidates will be ‘shortlisted’ so they aren’t taller than Dametto.
Has Crissafulli had a small stroke? He’s talking out the left corner of his mouth today on ABC outside Kedron EC
I think you’ll find he has always talked out one side of his face. But do check for makeup on the back of his hand.
Similar to your one eye Ducky!
If you only look at a duck from one side, then you’ll only see one eye.
I think Tiny Dancer (Nick Dametto) has done a great job keeping us informed about the weather system impacting us. Full marks and full credit is warranted. This is his first teat as Mayor and he passes with full grades.
Yup, as you say, first teat.
I for one hope Slick Nick does a good job and is supported by the councillors and staff. Not for himself so much but for Townsville. After 12 years if the vindictive bully Jenny Hill, then the self serving fraud that is Troy Thompson, Townsville deservs better. SN has a questionable past in some regards, but I hope that stays in the past. It is the future I am interested in.
I wish him and Townsville well, and should he fuck-up, no doubt The Townsville Magpie and the Nest will provide him the necessary guidance.
This is interesting. Dametto must have a glass jaw. No he wasn’t ‘short’ staffed in this vid. And the vid, it’s on his personal page shared by the disaster page. If you click on a personal page they can find out who it is. The Abwher would be proud http://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1345905144238051&id=100064557347369
twonames, is that you?
(Submitted by email).
In response to E-Mails about my dog…..
Please be advised, I am sick and tired of answering questions about my dog, who mauled six people wearing Chris Bowen tee shirts, four wearing ALP tee shirts, two Greens, nine teenagers with pants hanging past their cracks, three flag burners & a Pakistani taxi driver.
FOR THE LAST TIME……. THE DOG IS NOT FOR SALE!!!
I’M TRYING TO TALK HIM INTO QUITTING SMOKING, BUT HE SAYS IT HELPS GET THE BAD TASTE OUT OF HIS MOUTH !!!
Says it all really …
Ironically, “In her left hand, she carries a large book-like tablet known as a tabula ansata. This tablet represents the concept of law and order. Inscribed on it in Roman numerals is the date of the American Declaration of Independence: JULY IV MDCCLXXVI (July 4, 1776).”
Cartoon of the century.
As has been reported today, Chief sociopath and Santa lookalike Kevin Rudd has quit his role as Australia’s ambassador to the US. He finishes up in March, a year early. Good riddance.
In Trump’s Amerika, Pauline Hanson would be a good replacement.
“Santa lookalike”? I think you’ve strained your neuron trying to think of something witty to say, Princess.
I wonder if Foodtrucks is back from her holiday yet? Looking forward to seeing her white ant Nick. Remember, she does have that vindictive Jenny Hill streak in her. Nick will have her measure.
Talk about nominative determinism, where someone’s name suits their job.
The new boss of Dan Murphy’s has to be the ultimate, example at least in terms of pronunciation.
Pronunciation is one thing:
“The Czech surname Hrdlička is pronounced “Herd-lich-kah” (or HERD-lich-kah) in English, with emphasis on the first syllable, sounding like “herd” followed by “lich” (rhymes with rich) and then “kah,” meaning “little dove” or “turtle dove”.
Her story is even better:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jayne_Hrdlicka#:~:text=Carla%20Jayne%20Hrdlicka%20(born%201961,the%20role%20in%20January%202026.
FFS, just laugh, willya?
FFS are we desperate for news, or what? They’ll reporting the next time some bloke opens his fly at a urinal. Will it be a big story, or just worth a couple of paragraphs. Watch this space for the next gripping episode.
I’m sure Lighton Smith will be along shortly to fill your request Jeff.
The reason that Krudd has resigned is because he has (surprise surprise) been bullying embassy staff in Washington. Somebody was going to go public with evidence, so Krudd bailed. The man is a complete sociopath with a foul temper and he is a narcissist and a bully. He talk a walk off the plank before he got pushed, in a very public way. Why do we hire these fuckheads?
Got a link to where you learned thisn info,please.
Can’t post a link mate as it was on a Facebook post from a 2SM radio interview between Chris Smith and Mark Latham. I listened to the whole thing. They were Latham comments. I know I know, don’t trust Radio and don’t trust Latham. But Latham, love him or hate him, is well connected and it is logical that he has a good set of internal contacts both inside and outside of politics. And it sort of makes sense, why else would KRudd bail a year early? He doesn’t need more money and he doesn’t normally ‘quit’ anything. His early departure is certainly on the nose and it’s early days so let’s see what else pops up.
Have you considered maybe he has a better option in the works?
More likely he knows that AUKUS is going pear shaped, now we’ve sent B$’s to Trumps kitty; were never going see those out of date, can only be captained by a yank subs.
Trump will need those subs to invade Greenland and other relatively defenceless countries around the world.
Sounds like a case of Rudd Derangement Syndrome to me. Provide some proof of this claim.
Rudd is an intelligent psychopath. A glory hungry individual who inevitably fails (as PM and Ambassador for example) in spectacular or in very public fashion. A slippery individual loyal only to himself.
I thought being a complete sociopath, a bully and a narcissist was how Washington liked it. Doesn’t that describe most of the current administration over there? Oh I forgot plastic, and makeup. And drunk and a paedophile.
So if these are your arguments against Rudd they seem a bit lame in the current environment.
Try something like… he’s a homosexual, supporter of clean energy, Islam and social welfare and that’s more likely to cause a scandal.
So it’s 2026 and where is Mike Douglas, Elusive Butterfly, and Steve Belgian Gardens? All 3 have disappeared. Do they have new blog names? I’m very worried about their wellbeing. Nah, actually I’m not, but I am curious as to where our chief muppets have gone.
Maybe it’s their belated Xmas gift!
I’m interested to know, because of the fuel prices of diesel and petrol, whether there was actually any profit to be made by those flogs in the northern beaches area ripping out copper from the electricity and telecommunications network??
It’s 20-30kms out of town and they have to get there guzzling fuel drive around and drive home. Then they have to drive to a buyer and if it’s not in town that’s increased cost.
That’s even dumber !
A unique take on criminal economics.
The fuel is probably gained from service station drive off’s using stolen number plates. Pathetic grubs who need to be outed publicly for their crimes. Actually, what a shame they didn’t get electrocuted.
It just keeps getting worse. Doom and gloom, doom and gooom, doom and gallooooomm.
All the crazies have abandoned us including Bob, who is now hectoring TTH at the Astonisher.
With none the Local Govt cock-ups occurring (they aren’t doing anything), conversation is stifled.
The rest of the world is turning to shit.
Dooomm and galllooooommmmm.
This sounds like a conspiracy theory
Well Guy, you better lend Jeff your tinfoil hat.
Jeff, just for you.
English teacher asks the class: “Which tense is the sentence ‘I AM BEAUTIFUL’?” Little Johnny replies, “Clearly, past tense.”
Just like my incontinence, there is a small trickle feeding into the nest, a small trickle of comments. Can’t wait for the weekly stories to return. The Magpies Nest has always been a reliable source of information regarding local issues. I’m looking forward to the new material. Cheers
Dear Pie,
I did not realise there were so many potential axe murderers in society or that were likely the ‘triggered’ when at Bunnings.
I went there to purchase a replacement block splitter. Found axes and block splitters locked behind glass.
In time helpful young staff member unlocks the cabinet. I select an attractive block splitter to be told by the helpful young staff member that I could not carry the block splitter and that he had to carry it until I had payed for it and was on the other side of the checkout.
Once on the other side of the checkout I was given my block splitter.
Now I know there are limitations on under 18s having knives, but it has been a long time since I was under 18 as white whiskers and thinning hair will attest. Perhaps I look a bit like, in my case, a block splitter murderer?
Yeah, you have always been a bit suss, Ben.
