We have all seen it, we all know it is going on, but none of us has actually called it out for what it is – until now. The Magpie will name names and instances to highlight our collective shame of allowing this aspect of child abuse to go unchecked..
Robodebt writ small: The Townsville City Council tries a bit of similar scam for the unwary and innocent. It is astounding in both its stupidity, and in it’s cost.
The honesty of Mayor Mullet: she promised four more years of unchanged leadership … and boy, are we getting it already … in spades … that would be shovel-ready spades. But in a amazingly daft populist but unexamined thought-fart, she is proposing a by-law that Townsville property owners need to be roller-brush ready.
And people have been writing in asking one particular question in relation to the local Black Lives Matter protests and the opportunistic, often irrelevant issues that have been spun off it: where is Gracelyn Smallwood in all this? The ‘Pie tells you, and you may get a surprise – and so will Gracelyn.
And our regular gallery of the Tangerine Terrorist and his latest round of rancidness.
But first …
What A Croc …
It seems that, totally unbidden, freshwater crocs have become somewhat of an attraction on the golf courses around town. Indeed, the Dudley Do Nothings should consider promoting the local courses as offering a different experience. We had this fellow above catching a few rays on Wednesday, as featured in the Astonisher. And last month, the ‘Pie posted Rowe’s Bay’s favourite scaly making the walk to the 15th green either a hurried or a circuitous affair.
The ‘Pie is told … and is sure to be corrected if wrong … that freshies, which both of these guys and/or gals are, live on a diet of fish, birds and small animals. Things like humans aren’t on the menu – especially politicians; I mean, have you ever tried to clean one?
But Bentley has spotted some looming problems, no matter how accommodating Kenny/Clarice the Croc may normally be.
We’re sort of getting fond of our chap/chapette at Rowes Bay, but just to be on the safe side, a clubhouse head count is taken every Thursday at the conclusion of Ladies Comp, in case the croc has mistaken one of them for an old duck.
The Black Lives Matter Bandwagon
Open-mindedness doesn’t mean going along with what you don’t believe in; it means considering the reasoning of others instead of stubbornly and illogically holding on to your own point of view
Lord Patten
How quickly does even something as deeply, unforgivingly wrong like a man – black in this case – being murdered in full sight of the world, quickly morph into a catch-all bandwagon, a hydra-headed monster for so many other vaguely associated agendas.
It is not unexpected that Australia’s indigenous groups and supporters used the faraway event which gained global attention as a reason take to the streets protest black deaths in custody (a debate for another place, another time as far as this blog is concerned), but now we have the re-writing of history as an associated issue apparently. Central to this view is the trashing of statues in Australia, that those who would deny reality insist must be torn down to fit their revised history that clearly does not accommodate the history of 97% non-indigenous population.
The comments section of this blog has been lively with this push during the week, but let us keep it to a particular local issue.
Last week, The ‘Pie agreed with the decision (but not necessarily the reasons) of our mayor to ignore half-hearted, confused calls to remove the Robert Towns statue in the CBD. This brought to light an interesting dimension the hitherto one dimensional harangue. The Australian ran a piece a couple of weeks ago about statues being torn down for what are basically politically correct reasons, which were loosely but erroneously linked to the Black Lives Matter protests.
Gracelyn Smallwood
But here’s the most interesting and heartening aspect of that article. It quoted South Sea Islander descendants and indigenous Australians, including Gracelyn Smallwood, saying they did not support that idea in the case of the Robert Towns statue in Townsville.
What Ms Smallwood said was that they would rather have another statue added to tell their side of his blackbirding story, a equitable solution suggested here several times by The Magpie.
A few days after the article, Ms Smallwood and other Indigenous supporters repeated this view on Channel 7 and spoke about doing something on the site that would bring the community together, not create division.
But Mayor Hill’s response was confrontational: to get a run in the media, she defended the way Town’s record is portrayed and saying the statue will not be moved (understandable considering she voted for it in the first place). But significantly, she had no words publicly about reaching out to the black elders to accommodate or even consider their proposals, which The ‘Pie understands the mayor was well aware of.
Maybe she knows best where her core support is in the scheme of Townsville politics.
The Magpie has from time to time been critical of Gracelyn Smallwood for what he has regarded as divisive racist outbursts that she has made over the years , and styling herself as a local indigenous leader, a claim many indigenous people have denied vociferously to The Magpie over the years. However, these statements on this issue have made the old bird revise his view, and perhaps see that Gracelyn Smallwood may at last have found a whole-of-community voice on this and, hopefully, associated issues.
If she can change her attitude, so can The Magpie. We’ll see.
Soon Bird Fanciers Will Come Into This Argument
A Comment The ‘Pie Published This Morning
“Before we start our daily grind through the grim news of the day and the callous criminal behaviour of the world around us, here’s a little uplift, a massive vote for the enduring survival qualities of humanity against our own dark days of Mordor.
The ‘Pie was genuinely moved by this story, as he well remembers his impotent rage when the Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head by a Neanderthal Taliban gunman in 2014.
Her crime: wanting education for girls and young women.
Is she a future leader of Pakistan?
But Now, Sadly, To A Familiar And Less Inspiring Lack Of Local Leadership
Much is said about the prevalence of child abuse in our community, in all its forms, from physical violence, parental neglect and/or institutional lack of supervision to keep vulnerable kids safe. Fingers are pointed, hands thrown up in despair, reports written (and often ignored) and here in Townsville, the mayhem continues unabated and unchecked.
All child abusers are cowards in one way or another, and anyone responsible for the deaths of four teenagers last weekend in a stolen car spree, cannot escape a share of the guilt for the abuse by neglect that they suffered.
Among the culpable there are some prominent child abusers who somehow avoid the approbation of the general public. Particularly these three.
Aaron Harper
Coralee O’Rourke
Scott Stewart
Quite seriously, can there be any reason why this trio should not be regarded as child abusers. They have not lifted a finger to put in place laws – like those Labor dropped from the previous Newman Government – to help ensure that tragedies like last weekend are more unlikely to occur.
Why then is it unreasonable, especially in the light of recent tragic and fatal events, not to view the selfish political cowardice of these party puppets as straight out child abuse? Not one of this trio would for one minute allow their own children to exist in the situation of so many others in the constituencies they are supposed to represent and speak for, but instead loudly proclaim their party solidarity and that they are doing ‘something’. Which in truth is nothing.
It is ironical that Aaron Harpic Harper was on the Dying With Dignity committee which recently reported to the Premier. To him, it seems such a concept has a very narrow application.
The Palaszczuk Government is forever wittering on about shovel ready projects … the four graves this week and those that inevitably follow are the only shovel-ready projects these three disgusting, reprehensible people will bring to their long-suffering community.
Gawd, It’s Like Groundhog Day In Walker Street
Last Tuesday, we woke up to the unappetising aroma of Jenny Hill’s latest brain fart, a populist piece of nonsense that is unfathomable in both its timing and its pretty obvious stupidity.
Now while the legal department of the council is hardly the A Team of the legal world, one would’ve thought they would have advised the mayor that this tried and failed idea had a few … a few thousand … pitfalls. And could end up a very expensive legal quagmire.
There is one bit of this addled headed populist guff that has had has the legal gentry snorting in mirth over their truffled eggs and breakfast shiraz … building owners would be responsible to clean up graffiti put up by parties unknown on their vacant buildings, or face a fine up to $26,000. (“Good on yer, Jenny, the lawyers cry, must remember to order a new spinnaker for the yacht”)
But here’s the thing no one has mentioned … Mayor Mullet told the Astonisher “This law will give council the power to force the clean-up of unsightly inner-city buildings so we can improve the appearance of our city. Owners who fail to maintain inner-city buildings are devaluing other properties in the area and hampering the council’s efforts to revive the inner-city.”
So the plight of the inner city is nothing to with either the council’s policy in that area, or the national nose-dive towards recession, eh? It’s all those bloody property owners with empty premises.
Note the emphasis on ‘inner city’. That’s the real aim, but even Jenny knows that to give this legal snowball the remotest chance in hell, the law will have cover the entire city. And that takes Jenny out into the heartland of her supporters, who aren’t likely to take kindly to this sort of jack-boot approach. Anyway, the matter, which has already gone before this government and has been rejected, will face opposition from George Street again in an election year.
But here’s something to ponder. Should such a measure be passed, will it apply to the council itself? If it does, could not someone bring the case that the council should remove The Saint from Castle Hill. It is after all no-message graffiti that lowers the whole reputation of this city in the eyes of visitors.
And They Want Us To Take Them Seriously …
The Magpie almost warbled his cloaca off during the week when he received this from a reader …
Now the idea is, that if you own a property as an investment and don’t live there, you pay higher rates. OK, seems somewhat self-defeating, but that’s the way it is. But several people contacted The ‘Pie, seeing the letter as somewhat high handed and bullying.
Well maybe, but here’s where the chortling started … specifically at the phrase ‘(the council) have (sic) identified that the this property may no longer be your principal place of residence.’ Every one of these letters, and there are quite a few, were all addressed to the owner of the property … at the property in question. Which would tend to suggest that if they received the letter, they were owner/occupiers.
And there was no explanation for any of the several angry phone calls and emails as to just how these properties had been ‘identified’ as no longer being the principal place of residence.
Not sure what happens if you’re off on a cruise for a couple months, you’d be in for nasty rates rise when you come back. A lot of unnecessary fucking around because of what one complainant was told was ‘a computer error.’
Ah, Jenny, like McCain’s beer battered chips, you’ve done it again.
Another Interesting Document – And Another Way To Spent Your Ratepayer Funds …
Apparently the TCC is taking the CFMEU to court over a strike just before the election over the treatment of a council worker .
The ‘Pie’s informer said he thinks this all a bit weird, considering the mayor got the CFMEU to donate a large sum of money to her election campaign the week before counting started. Which will now be available to use for the council to defend itself against the original donor.
The Tangerine Terrorist Hit By A Bolton From The Blue
Attention in the USA this week has been focused on the tell-all book by former Trump national security adviser John Bolton, in which the president is painted as a scheming person of low IQ and emotional immaturity. Well, I never, really Mr Bolton. And also the double rebuff by the Trump appointed Supreme Court to two of his directive … one to make gay discrimination law, and another to deport the ‘Dreamers’, people who came to the United States as children and have lived there all their lives. And The Trumpet ain’t a happy camper.
And What’s In A Name
Regular readers well know The ‘Pie’s preoccupation with the quirks of surnames, and their humorous qualities. This fascination is shared by black comedian Dave Chappell, who invented for his TV show a Leave It To Beaver-type family … only while they are white as white can be, their surname is … well, just have a look, it is a great pisstake by one of America’s great pisstakers.
….
That’s all this time around, feel free to express your agreement, disappointment, outrage or total indifference in comments … why not, everybody else does? And feel free to make a donation to support this labor of (tough) love , donate button below.
Regarding T.C.C.,s proposed fines up to $26,000 to make landlords clean and repair their cbd properties . Surely a half smart lawyer representing landlords could pull out the many cbd strategies presented by T.C.C. including 30,000 people residing in the cbd by ? as a defence . Proposed savings for T.C.C.s budget could be Taskforcenq rumoured to cost over $1 mil in consultants to ratepayers because the brightest minds full page article the Astonisher lists Ayr industrial Estate , Landsdown “ echo “ industrial estate , $210 mil Townsville Eastern Access Corridor which are the same objectives of Townsville and Burdekin Mayors . Isn’t Drive it NQ shovel ready ?. With CPI +1.7 % and median house prices down 4.4 % ( although deputy mayor Molachino said on a talkback show he didn’t believe Townsville was effected ) outside of Brisbane can’t wait to see how the Mullet sells her Councils budget .
It is not surprising that Frothy Molachino was painting a rosy picture. This landed in the Nest as a private email this morning.
Mark Molachino was interviewed on the Nettie and Bunnys online talkshow on
facebook where he advised on his membership of the labor party and his
leaning to centre left . Mark has only been in Politics since 2016 so still
naïve in being honest . Its disappointing as we have a Mayor and Deputy
Mayor who unlikely to rock the boat on the 3 sitting Labor State Members or
the Palaszczuk Government .
This is the man who wants to be our next mayor. Well, maybe, but he’ll have to wait … no chance of a Walker Street coup, Mayor Mullet has been around for a long time, and has studied at the feet of masters of the dirty tricks, including stacking local branches with immigrant workers.
Molachino is a prize dunce, I mean dumb as a stump type of stupid, and whilst the Mullet is ignorant to business and the economy, at least she has some political sense, Molachino is just a grinning simpleton. This policy of fining owners of neglected buildings would be something that he would actually think is good policy, from his days as a handyman his simple brain would think “a coat of paint and a few windows” $20k, so if we fine them $26k then they will spend the $20k on improvements, just completely ignorant to the demands of the real world.
Molachino is being groomed for Thuringowa. After the next labor loss. Look at the timelines. Not Mayor. Hill has got that for as long as she wants it.
The council treatment of some workers who go against their viewpoint or embarass them in some way is nothing new. On one occasion they made one employee who was rather obese, do exercises every morning in front of his workmates. Rather belittling. He has since passed away.
On another occasion, when a photo appeared in the paper of a red jeep that was purchased for a manager, the hunt for the perpetrator knew no bounds. Totally ignored that that purchase was inappropriate.
Hey Wheelie Bin,
I worked for Council when this Jeep was purchased. While it wouldn’t have been my choice for a vehicle, I can state (from a position of actual knowledge) that the vehicle was 100% within the council policy on provision of vehicles for Directors and Managers.
I think the picture was taken and forwarded on the spurious basis that work was being held up on “real Council” vehicles while a canopy was fitted to the Jeep. IMHO it was sent to try to engender some public resentment towards the Tyrell Council.
A few years later contracts were re-written and Directors and Managers were paid extra money to take a novated lease or purchase their own vehicle for work. It was a much better outcome, get the car you want and no need to share it with the rest of Council unlike teh supplied vehicles (including the Jeep)
For the record – Jeeps are great vehicles and can do no wrong in my opinion.
And what vehicle of its own volition purposely ‘does wrong’?
Prados. Absolute wankers. Bogan Aspirational Vehicles.
No, it’s Pajeros that are literally the wankers … because that what it means in Spanish.
Anyway, enough of this big swinging dick gibberish, that belongs on FB.
Good morning magpie. Not surprised to see the letter in your blog but surprised its a bit late. I can tell you the letter dosnt do justice to its content as far as management go’s in TCC. Most are completely fucked in the head and lack the experience we used to have. This group is very different to what we had when Tyrrell was mayor. While i am a union member im not the person in the letter that everyone went out for. We fight for workers and yes sometimes they arnt worth it but in all most of the bad eggs left when the blonde hatchet went through. To prove it isnt just our department and you all think we want to cause trouble, take this on for some thinking. One of our drivers wanted to teansfer to waste services as a truck driver. Internal staff have options to do this before it goes outside. When he asked at least 4 people from that department at the dump about the job they all (seperatly) said the place is fucked why would you put yourself through it. Its good money apparently but the vehicles are continually broken down and overtime is through the roof because theres no cohesion amongst the crews. That on top of the department being close to 3 million over budget. And there’s no union represented. The job closes soon and not one application internally has been forwarded. Yes there will be hundreds looking for a job and it will be filled but my point is about what’s happening inside our council. Im not sure if/how much was given to the mayor for election but alot of our rates were spent fighting this bullshit. Maybe our union organizer can clarify this. Mark my words TCC mat not be a safe job in the near future.
Ageism and subtle bullying go hand-in-hand in TCC. Know former older employees, over 50 years of age, who have been put under high levels of stress mainly by millennial female supervisors who were recruited into their positions during the reign of Adele Young, and who have resigned for health reasons to avoid being placed on diminished work performance conditions. One tactic is when new technology or IT programs are introduced and older employees are provided with the same training as the Millennials and Generation Z staff and no additional support as recommended by HR best practices. But have to give Generation Z staff praise as I’m told they have provided help to older workers but in one case the Generation Z person was then blasted by the millennial female supervisor and told not to provide assistance and to get on with their own work. When the individual isn’t as fast as younger employees, then they are given assertive one-on-one counselling on diminished work performance. Problem is that these practices are now entrenched in TCC HR practices.
Well Crits, that’s straight out overt bullying if it’s happening and needs to be called out! Practises HAVE to change, otherwise the perpetrators will be held to account, won’t they? Employment law anyone??
Fully agree, it is bullying but many people don’t recognise psychological and other forms of bullying. TCC certainly isn’t going to provide easy to understand and accessible information on all forms of bullying to staff across council as it not to their advantage and if they did, managers would probably find ways to block the information reaching staff, particularly outdoor staff.
OK, if there is a succinct document outlining the legal definition and examples, plus the rights of an employee, let’s have it and The ‘Pie will publish it. He has a lot of TCC readers.
TTC management have protected bullies for years. The current TCC executives are disgusting bullies. And the former HR and now Business Services Director is responsible for bullying older workers, vulnerable workers and her own staff. While telling staff it’s reasonable management action. It hardly ever is. Most is targeted bullying and victimization.
https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/employers/workplace-bullying-violence-harassment-and-bullying-fact-sheet
https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/workplace-bullying
safeworkaustralia.gov.au/bullying
http://www.fwc.gov.au/anti-bullying-benchbook/what-workplace-bullying
History is full of appalling acts of genocide, as it is full of acts of kindness and necessity, to enable society to move forward.
We need to understand history to learn from it, lest it is repeated (although that learning can take a long time to be done, which is frustrating at times). Few would argue that we haven’t learned from it and done some good, some would argue we haven’t done enough! The point is, we need history to learn from it – I think recognition where wrong has been done is the way forward ‘a la’ the Smallwood example written about in today’s blog. Thank you for noting that Mr Magpie.
The genocide is still there Knee, ‘bloody’ history does unfortunately repeat itself e.g. Myanmar, the Kurds, the Taliban, countless African tribes, New Guinea Highlanders, to name but a few! What about the inter-clan/racial attacks that continue to occur between some Indigenous communities in Australia?
Neil Finn was wrong, history does repeat!
Is one of the ville’s highest paid residents about to lose his job? Surely coach Green can’t survive if we keep playing like we did last night. First half was HORRENDOUS
Well ‘J’, given what happened to the Warriors coach on Saturday, it’s certainly more than possible!
Green’s coaching is fine. The players are slacking off. Change the remuneration so that they only get paid if they win a game. No win, no pay. Bet they would play out of their skins.
The Astonisher’s online edition has gone soft on coach Paul Green again after his side played like schoolboys last night.
The time has come for a complete cleanout of coaching and recruitment staff at the Cowboys, who have the weakest backline in the competition, and a one-man forward pack.
Meanwhile Kayln Ponga, who the football manager and coach decided wasn’t worth keeping, continues to impress for the Newcastle Knights.
Unless big changes are made at the top the Cowboys are in real danger of disappearing through dwindling support. Selling season tickets won’t be easy next year after begging fans to donate their refunds for cancelled home games back to the club.
And to think we taxpayers and ratepayers are stumping up millions for a Cowboys “Centre of Excellence”.
They need to start aiming for average before they even think about excellence.
The ‘Pie finds it interesting just what is going on that land next to the stadium … that Centre of excellence is the biggest con in the area, not necessary, not optimum use and certainly not the best benefit to Townsville. A fly-through still up on one of the council sponsored sites features the area as the dumped entertainment and convention centre. Then the question of the proposed Hilton-affiliated hotel. If that goes ahead, apart from dumbfounding The Magpie, it would have be the weirdest choice of site … across from an abandoned weed filled railway yards that is up for grabs to industrial users, next to a playing field where the Cowboys plan to do some much-needed catchy-catchy practice and well away from any of the trumpeted ‘tropical vistas’ TEL and others endlessly honk on about. The fat lady hasn’t even gargled and snapped her bra straps on this one yet, let alone sing what is shaping up as a mournful dirge.
It won’t happen, the PR release has the Doubletree by Hilton opening by 2021 Football season.
Maybe the graphic artist who did the image in the graphic below knew something was fishy and that the development would go down the drain when he provided a blue background which looks like water which isn’t an image of Ross Creek.
https://www.hotelmanagement.com.au/2020/01/07/new-townsville-hotel-to-sit-next-to-cowboys-stadium/
You can see what’s coming, can’t you? A new phenomenon The ‘Pie will hereby dub the Covid Cop-Out …previously announced plans that were never likely to become a reality will be shelved or completely dumped because of the corona virus setback.
Will Double Tree be the first cab of the rank, or will kerb side collection beat them to it.
Well that means the zip lines out, cant have people touching ropes all day. Im sure the underwater museum should be ok unless some dumbfuck greenies cant prove COVID-19 can survive underwater. That just leaves the wave pool??
Big Plans – you forgot The Hive, the Strand Lagoon, Riverway Extension/Redevelopment, Castle Hill Cafe, Mt Louisa Masterplan (well admittedly we will have some nice walking tracks there) and so many others.
Seems kerbside wins that race … apparently permanently kicked to the kerb, say whispers down the MagpieFone. And seems Double Tree is about to become Double Talk pretty soon.
Is the much touted airport expansion/development on the list of cancelled projects? If it is going ahead, what are the prospects of the Dill’s coveted Virgin lounge?
hahaha, Virgin lounge, why would Kevin Gill want …. oh, never mind.
Going by this report, Virgin might not be returning to Townsville. The Far North Queensland region referred to in this article is centred on Cairns.
https://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-22/virgin-australia-final-bidders-announced/12380402
Oh, still your wildly beating heart, Crits, that’s either mischievous or dopey. It is only we folks up here in the deep North that make the various delineations like Central Queensland, NQ and FNQ. To the Mexican boofademics and acadils that write this guff, anywhere north of Rocky is ‘Far North Queensland’. And it is not to be chauvinistic about Townsville to say that there is no way any airline would ignore what was until COVID a tidy earner, mainly business and family/personal (as v tourism) airline route. Plus the defence personnel aspect, not to mention the FIFO executives on the Townsville City Council.
From the funny because its true file;
https://www.betootaadvocate.com/headlines/the-aussie-larrikin-is-dead-says-the-last-two-cunts-on-earth-that-youd-invite-to-the-pub/
Almost didn’t publish this one because of what some would find confrontationist language, but too funny not to …. and yes, all true.
Communist propaganda
Its an old trick from the handbook that says if you can’t debate an ideological opponent you smear them instead ; calling them “facists” or some similarly hated or reviled group de jour in popular media eg “boomers” , “rednecks” ( presumably controlled by your communist friends).
If you can’t debate , you smear.
So your a Trump man, eh?
I’m amazed that anyone thinks the very expensive underwater museum out at the reef is going to be a tourism game changer for Townsville.
The late, great Doug Tarca provided Townsville with the best tourist attraction it has ever had with his revolutionary floating hotel out at Kelso Reef, but it failed due to the fact that most tourists got sea sick on the way out, and then spent a forgettable few days in their wave motioned hotel room. On some days the weather was so rough that the boat couldn’t go out, leaving tourists stranded, and pissed off.
Given that these underwater museums are popping up all over the place now, just how many tourists do you think will choose to come to Townsville and spend 2.5 hours in a boat to see the local version?
The underwater museum is just another brain fart from TEL and Jenny Hill that will be a bigger white elephant than the Cowboys stadium.
The money would have been better spent dredging Ross Creek and raising all the bridges so Jenny’s idea of a ferry from the casino to the Cowboys stadium could become reality and drag in tourists from far and wide (just joking!)
If they haven’t coated the underwater “art” with some sort of coral toxic anti-fouling, it will make a great ‘bommie’ in years to come. When they lift the green zone, it’ll be trout central.
I think the plan might be to allow corals and sponges to grow on them.
But I suspect they haven’t really thought much about maintenance and upkeep – eventually they will become shapeless lumps of encrustation.
It takes a special sort of thought process to arrive at the idea of paying a third-rate gimmick-promoting sculptor to sink his irrelevant statues under water right in the middle of the greatest natural marine wonderland in any of the world’s oceans. Even bleached corals would have more intrinsic fascination for the inquiring mind than this mediocre effort … but that seems to answer the question, doesn’t it?
And any pics of a bikini-clad Mayor Mullet doing her usual photo op? No, didn’t think so.
Thank Christ!
Oh yes, the beached whale, Mayor Hill, posing seductively in a pink doona style one piece outfit.
The Mullet in a burkini would be preferable to the Mullet in a rashie if the photo op ever went that far…
Oltd I know Doug Tarca floated many ideas about floating hotels on the GBR in his day but I’m not sure the one at John Brewer Reef (and later in Vietnam and North Korea) was ever owned by Tarca. If I remember correctly the GBR Floating Hotel was commissioned and owned by a southern mob called Barrier Reef Holdings which did not include Tarca even though the idea, or pipe dream, might have been sorta like his. What Tarca did build and own was the (very) short lived Fantasy Island which spent a few hours floating nearby to the actual hotel before it ignominiously sank beneath the waves ending Tarca’s colourful career.
Wasn’t he also involved in the Yellow Submarine underwater viewing vessel?
Yesterday 22/6/2020, Jenny Hill on 7 TSV said she was confident of a quick outcome on catching the persons who painted the blackbirder statue.
She had a very strange look on her face, and so she should cos we are all awaiting the outcome of investigations into her car accident. The 7 video on facebook – Mayor Hill “..we are actually having the discussion about what went on in the past, and why we shouldn’t make the same mistakes in the future” . This in front of the fucking sign she and Mooney put up with the council logo saying all allegations were unfounded. This should go to her credit in ANY COURT PROCEEDINGS
Here https://www.facebook.com/7NEWSTownsville/posts/3096024107110321?__cft__0=AZV9pkFxcQcCJoFr-YSRVn6-WqlbW1JwQL5kDOAQVSOUi1xkhDvswYjERkuo6mhpgMwYJ-cuQTHo4TsqiLWGR5ZCxwbGPDszwhRSnPprPUbgkL0pJ1c60IcM1_biAaJUthDi5idjcRg87-4wGRGK4QhH53_ui7BRaFX7K262ByLLWoQRS-MFLo2PQ8TMgZFbzBQ&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R
and here
https://www.facebook.com/7NEWSTownsville/posts/3096233490422716?__cft__0=AZVAQ_cyRqT0kteOMBS2nQayTKCuQuOThEmTPrHfEbVoxg1QyF0Crl-Wd4h-5X92cR5gGawLcjDbNL8VIVYKgmOHWsV267U134WjJySD7Xib26Hdvuz0bUSVOieBqD92LaWfsg6Bk4DKaxSuzIXVyoAl1aerJQYbuELaHup10pl8ms1LNVTq-PAR17OwwfX-3aM&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R
Mayor Mullet doesn’t want to make the same mistakes again? Going to be more mindful of traffic lights, eh?
I wanted to put an entery on the Townsville Bulletin Community Notice Board. It has been years but I assumed it still existed.
Went to TB web site for the first time in a long time as long ago notices could be placed by their site. No mention of the Community Notice Board that I could find.
Rings the Switchboard number on the site.
Automated voice answers, “Welcome to the Townsville Bulletin and the Townsville Sun.” DoK thinks, “Townsville Sun????” As per instruction I press button 5.
Voice, “Yes?”
DoK, “Is this the Townsville Bulletin?”
Voice, “I’ll get the number and put you through.” DoK thinks, “Get the number????”
Waiting, waiting.
Another voice, “Townsville Bulletin”
DoK askes about the Community Notice Board.
Voice, ” Don,t know about a notice board, I’ll put you through to (name of person).
Then silence.
Then another automated voice, “The number you have called is unavailable.”
Then silence.
DoK hangs up.
DoK now in foul mood!
Dave, a stern directive from the Magpie … PERSIST. Because if you don’t, you will put someone in Mumbai out of a job, and that makes you what? A bloody racist, mate, that’s what!!!
It isn’t just Townsville. Can the disconnect from all those communities that Rupert pickpockets around the country be starker?
It is so obvious … four simple steps these three people could take to end Townsville’s main problems.
Just four steps … backwards.
They could scrape off the bloody Saint on the way down, at least that would be something positive to remember them by.
‘Post Turtles’
“You know they didn’t get there by themselves, but they don’t belong there, they don’t know what to do while they are up there, and you just want to help the three stupid people get down.”
We can do that in October.
Hahaha. Harpic would even fuck that up the hopeless dickhead.
Is Ted Larson the most fortunate man in Townsville? Ted, who The ‘Pie doesn’t know, stated on FB that the reason we have these three chuckleheads is inter alia because of the ‘pittance’ they get paid. Ahem …pittance? Nice to know you’re travelling so well financially, Ted, that you regard a base salary of $159,122 p.a and a vehicle allowance of $26,000 as a ‘pittance’ … plus if any of these goofs are on a committee, they score an extra $24,000 unless they get far enough up the greasy pole to chair a committee, then they get an extra $60,208. Plenty of other perks you can scoff at here here, mate, https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/documents/Members/entitlements/Remuneration%20Handbook.pdf
And if any one of them is replaced by someone more or less worthy the newbie will be paid more even if they are worthless. Must say it’s hard to get it up for Deb20.
OK, but like to give that another try in English?
The Mayor will have to eventually come clean/explain the circumstances of the accident, even provide a name redacted report which covers the details of who was at fault and why. If not, the rumours will continue to haunt her for the next few years, and rightly so. She is a Government employee with accountability and responsibility under numerous Acts.
Don’t know about having to come clean. Doesn’t appear to be a necessity for the top jobs in Walker Street. When Tony Mooney was deputy mayor in 1989, he was a drunken hit-run driver on the corner of Ogden and Stanley streets, who fled the scene but was chased down and returned, only to be send away from the scene and never questioned by Labor mates in the police force. The victim, an aboriginal youth required surgery on an injured leg. Never heard further from him, and even if we weren’t as litigious in 1989 as we are now, you’d think he would’ve sued. Did hush money settle all that?
Do you recall the surname of the boy who was hit and also of the friend who witnessed it all? I think I do, but don’t want to say it on social media. The surname I’m thinking of became quite a prominent one.
Regardless, it seemed to do his career no harm. Demonstrates the importance of friends in high or the right places.
Note: the right means correct. Such a Labor man would never have protective friends in The Right.
CT Dummy you reckon the Mayor will have to eventually come clean/explain the circumstances of the accident, even provide a name redacted report which covers the details of who was at fault and why. This is so much bullshit. Do you really think the Mayor should go on TV and explain herself? There is a state Coroner whose job it is to investigate and explain the circumstances surrounding deaths like this one. Whenever that happens the usual media will report. It would be completely inappropriate for anyone else to have a go beforehand.
Yes, agree, no one on their right mind (although always a question with our mayor) would call a media conference and tearily declare ‘I just didn’t to the light’ …. which of course, could mean Jenny is referring to just about any of the blunders she has made. But perhaps, ECQ, the point here is not prejudgement but what appears to be the dilatory investigation of the police forensic investigation, which would appear relatively straightforward to experts. Mayor Mullet’s innocence of blame in all this is already recognised by the mandatory restrictions placed on someone under threat of a charge. If it turns out otherwise in the police brief of evidence for the coroner, there;’s gunna be all sorts of hell to pay, and the whole thing would become political.
You can smell the chicken shit from the Saint all the way to Maggie – recent integrity ‘openness and transparency’ laws have been passed and Jabba the Hallam said this; “We must strike the right balance between punishing wrongdoing and providing individuals with natural justice. The laws passed yesterday do this”. “Making sure our councils can get on with the job their communities elected them to do, while also providing transparency and accountability for the decisions they make, is paramount to ensuring confidence in the local government system in Queensland.”….
Sure thing Greg. What a load of rooster booster that should be spread over the garden. I can’t see this ever working, and especially in Townsville. Bollocks.
‘Providing individuals with natural justice’ is translated that if someone gets caught they can plead it all was an innocent mistake. Didn’t work for Trad The Treacherous, and Hallam, who has, shall we say, an interesting view of public morality, has form in this area. Especially describing early probes in Ipswich and Logan as a witch hunt, and that public servants on council’s being sent a questionnaire on workplace bullying should not have been sent because of COVID.
Mr Hallam bears close watching, as does his news platform InQueensland, which the LGAQ has partly bankrolled. Very professional media site, but needs watching for whatever insidious agenda Hallam is harbouring on any given day.
Is history repeating itself with the mayor’s collision with the motorcyclist, which was caught on the nearby Macdonald’s CCTV.
The police failed to investigate his “accident” and it appears that the same is happening with Jenny Hill.
One would think the Townsville Bulletin and Ch7 would be doing regular updates on how the long running investigation is progressing but she’s one of their most influential advertisers.
It’s a bit strange that the family of the deceased motorcyclist haven’t been asking why the investigation is taking so long.
Has anyone considered that because the cops are running a serving Inspector , Doyle as an LNP Candidate for Mundingburra that this has played into the delay in investigating Hill cos it would look funny if it came down on her quickly?
Yet everyone seems fine with him giving orders to cops about anti Adani protesters while he was seeking preselection and now while a candidate and still in uniform.
Cops have cameras that are uploaded to evidence.com when they take it off. Thus all witnesses who got talked to will be on film.
This IS ACTUALLY a re run of the Mooney hit run investigation. Mooney ran to cop Peter Pyke. He went on to be the labor member member of Parliament. Joe Pennisi who was Pykes cop partner in Townsville spoke against Pyke and went the other political direction. Both rode the wave.
When they try to pin you, the prosecution will say the films that have to be mandatorily given to you under the criminal code and justices act will take a couple of months.
Yet as recent as tonight, body cams are on the news of raids before a brief is even prepared .
Its not a good look.
I don’t know what to think of it anymore. But it does perplex me as to how long it is taking to reach a resolution/ conclusion.
It’s very interesting to see our Beloved Mayor Jenny Doona has changed her mind on kerbside pickup, you will now have to book a pickup to get your rubbish removed. I’m sure that policy was pinched from Corey Davis & Trevor Roberts when they ran for the election, surely that is very deceiving to all the people who voted for her useless council, who just keep changing the rules to suit themselves.
Let’s just hope that people in October can see through all the fibs that these labor people keep feeding the community to get into power.
Given that the Townsville Bulletin is much given to detailing the number of job losses in various businesses around town, when can we expect to see what ‘downsizing’ has done to the staff of the paper?
Have you seen what they’re doing in other regional areas?
Courier Mail with a couple of pages of local news – mainly letters. Absolutely no replacement for the papers they’re killing off
MEMO PETER NEWEY:
Maybe you were on the right track.
That’s a great post Magpie! Very funny indeed. Peter Newey will be so hard with excitement that he will have a tinfoil hat on both his big and little heads!
The problem with the conspiracy is that not even the most evil scientists could create a freak like the Orange Man. It’s just not possible. Trumps narcissism, penchant for golden showers, hamburgers and Twitter will be the end of him. Either a heart attack, syphillis or a lead ball from behind a grassy knoll will be his final swan song.
Your comment offers the opportunity to reprise a story, if true, must rank as one of the greatest off-the-cuff. retorts in political history. It goes that the Earl of Sandwich (yes, the same one) was so incensed by a political attack on him by John Wilkes that he bellowed ‘Sirrah, one day you die either on the gallows or of some loathsome disease,’, to which Wilkes replied ‘Which would depend on whether I embraced your principles or your mistress.’
The Bulletin must be doing the same as channel seven by having no reporters here anymore, as all the news on ch seven local news recently is news about Bundaberg, Sunshine Coast or Toowoomba very little local content ( except for Grace Smallwood being on there most nights ) must not be too much news going on in TVille??
One for those with good memories (stop reading now, Astonisher staff).
WHERE ARE YOU NOW WHEN YOU’RE NEEDED, TERRY BUTTS?
On the subject of ahhhh or ugghh feral animals I was watching a docco about the devastation of our native wildlife after the bush-fires. Now is a golden opportunity to knock off the bloody feral cats.
Develop a super powerful, Feline encephalitis, give every cat owner 3 months to have their cat de-sexed and immunised for free and then release the virulent bug into the wild.
Cats breed a bloody site faster that our native animals and will decimate the remaining fire survivors to extinction.
I reckon I’d consider trashing someone’s car too, if they called me a Pea Cock.
KK,
And fair enough. What is your preferred prefix?
Katter’s Australian Party has an trailer mounted billboard on Riverway Drive promoting their candidate for Thuringowa in the upcoming State election. Seems it is going to be a long campaign. Excellent!
Fortunately COVID-19 hasn’t spread at the same level as Steve from Belgian Gardens who is an expert from Climate change to reducing Police budgets / social housing / domestic violence / getting rid of Statues with his left wing rants . TTE the Astonisher had 5 responses to Steve’s policies and more today . Perhaps the Column should be renamed to “ text the Belgian Gardens leftie “ . The bloke would make a glass eye fall asleep .
Mike judging by your comment at the very start of this week’s edition I’d say you’ve got even more diverse expertise than Steve. Are you feeling the competition?
Not The ECPoo, the Mayor is a Government employee and is in a position of responsibility, authority and accountability. If she was involved in a vehicle accident in which someone died then yes, we do deserve an explanation of what happened. The constituents have a right to know what type of person is leading their local Council. As usual, you are defending her. I understand that you are her number one fan, hell you even caught her pink doona when she threw it from the stage during an election rally! But don’t try to tell us that she has a right to keep that information private, because she doesn’t. Now you and Steve from Belgian waffles should toddle off together and play nude leapfrog at The Strand as you do most Thursdays.
Hey Crasher, Mullet threw her pink doona into the crowd??? WTF? Got any pictures…
What time Thursday and where on the Strand CTD? Sounds like a wonderful spectacle.
Mike
When anyone replies to that clown they should refer to him as “Comrade Steve Thunberg BG.”
Now, now folks, don’t be too hard on Steve from BG. He has the courage to stick his head above the parapet thereby giving others something to shoot at, metaphorically speaking.
Unfortunately they’re mostly shooting blanks
Unfortunately?
I mean it would be more fun if they put some effort in.
Who said comedy was dead?
A remarkable similarity to No More Dredging, the epitome of Charlene Dargay’s “Jack of all trades, master of none” can actually be a compliment when quoted in full “but oftentimes better than a master of one.”
BUT not in the case of NMD or SoTG.
Probably better than being neither a jack nor master of anything, Achilles. Even making a simple quote seems to be a struggle. “Charlene Dargay”?!?!
Not really, How about, If whit were shit you’d be constipated?
“Wit”, thanks for proving my point.
Someone has to bring the light of facts and logic to the benighted denizens of TTE. It doesn’t take an expert, though, just someone with moderate critical thinking ability who pays attention to what’s going on in the world.
C’mon, seriously, Bulletin. This is news?
Must have been a slow news day with that and “Ayr woman is mildly inconvenienced by roadwork delay”.
Maybe the whingeing popcorn seller on the page (the FRONT PAGE FFS!) could set shop near the lollipop traffic controller.
He would need a Blue Card.
Now THAT would be a story, smoke from Mt Isa.
Drunk again, eh, kids? At least the headline writer got it right.
Another great piece of proof reading with regards to the Mt Stuart controlled burn.
“Smoke was seen billowing from Mt Isa yesterday”
FFS!
Got a glossy colour promo in the letterbox (despite no junk mail notice) from a lovely smiling and apparently virile Federal Member. 17 photos over 4 pages, and 15 of them feature the Member for Herbert. He’s probably in the another one but is too far away from the camera to be sure. Gee, his Mum must be so proud!
Good ole Gomer Pyle, Mike! Left, right, left, right, left, right, left… He’s flat out doing that!
Unless the rules have changed, Govt and political parties are exempt from the no junk mail and do not call register.
Correct, as I found out at last election.
Well Mike did you want him to feature Cathy O’Toole and Bill Shorten.
I don’t know about Steve from Belgian Gardens, i think he might be a Stephanie as i have never seen or heard of a male that smart that knows so much about everything in this world, even knows more than my wife,( who is a very smart woman ) surely he his not that smart??
So the newly recycled Executive Officer of Taskforce NQ Ms Inga Davis went on holidays at the start of her new role. Mike Chiodo has left the building and is now a FIFO Chairman from Cairns. Taskforce NQ is supposedly the priority project in TCC. Townsville needs to get its act together on identifying the shovel ready projects for state funding for the sake of business and the community and these clowns are lounging on the beach! Its the inside joke in TCC. Whats worse is that most other local governments have already submitted their shovel ready project lists to the Queensland Government.
It’s a joke alright! And it’s a rort, an absolute rort. Most of the muppets involved in this project are failed or dubious ex Government employees or failed and dubious business people. The whole project concept is manic and dishevelled yet it provides paypackets into the hundreds of thousands for the chosen few who are being gifted these trough dwellers positions. No doubt some nice mates rates involved and when it is time for current Government paid staff to retire they will seek favours from the same people they are favouring now. It’s a hamster wheel of $$$$. It’s a big rort, a wealthy scheme of payments for friends and it is by invitation only. And guess what? You and me ain’t invited!
Speak for yourself, Piggy.
Great, another first class loser making decisions about Townsvilles future, are there any successful people in this town these days or have they all left?
Lots of stories about the hapless Cowboys in the Townsville Bulletin this week, including one on the front page today about the ballot for seats at the stadium on Saturday.
But no info about the break up of who is getting the tickets – sponsors, corporate box holders, season ticket holders and ordinary fans who can’t afford memberships..
Come on Cowboys, be transparent with the fans for a change and tell us how many sponsors and corporates have been given tickets.
Are you saying they don’t deserve tickets after pouring tens or hundreds of thousands into the club? Sadly without corporates the club dies. It’s tough but it’s life.
Get a grip, Jonesy, corpoprates buy their boxes for business entertaining purposes, not out of any largesse towards the club, and most couldn’t give a fuck about what’s happening on the field or in the Cowboy’s board room. Been in enough of them to know that’s true. And if Cowboy’s management agrees with your sentiments, its a bit bloody rich coming from a club that has asked for involuntary donations from season ticket holders to donate the dosh cold to the club. They are a marketing disaster, lucky they’re in Townsville, no one else would put up with it.
JJ, I wasn’t suggesting that sponsors shouldn’t get any tickets. I just think the fans deserve to know the split up ie: the percentage of the 2000 tickets that went to sponsors compared to season ticket holders.
And I certainly agree with the Pie. Sponsors and corporate box owners support the club because there is something in it for them, not their love of the game or the team.
As for the club not existing without sponsors, how long do you think the Cowboys would last without the rank and file fans?
Oh dear ‘Pie, not many comments over the last week, despite your rich canvas, two good examples below. With the new travel freedoms, perhaps too many readers were out coronovoyering instead of locking themselves away with their keyboards.
Firstly, it was asserted that Ms {sic} Smallwood has ‘found a whole-of-community voice’. Don’t change your attitude, Magpie, for the Ms was thinking of people in chains when she spoke of adding another statue.
Then there were the letters from our forward-thinking Council about the benefit in having owners occupied. Today, one of the new-design water meters was being installed next door. (Some residents are getting them as a trial.) I spoke to the pair from the water department. This device is no simple water meter – it is a water use monitor, read weekly. Way over the top! The old meters were sufficient for reading water use for the purposes of the rates bills – electronic meters read half-yearly have benefits, but there is no place for a back-room Council lackey snooping on residents in real-time, no matter how useful the device may be to detect those who have escaped corona home detention (Council was thinking ahead when it agreed the system some time back) or determining who may have died alone in the house.
Where’s MY pink doona – going to hide for a bit.
I think, perhaps, you need a tin foil hat sir!
Hey DORFUS YOU PEANUT! Not many comments ya reckon- we generally speak when there is something to say!! Ever heard of a quiet week, or is that something you are yet to experience, in whatever life you have?
My champion (said with fluttering eyelashes).
Well said Dorfus. Please keep up the commenting. I totally agree with your comments, especially the second one. Big brother in action I think. Guess we both need tinfoil hats. And yes, it has indeed been a slow week for comments. Cheers for now.
Just for the record, The ‘Pie doesn’t get too fussed about the number of comments, welcome though they are, the numbers he is privy to regarding readership are of more interest. And no problem there.
there seems to be no rhyme nor reason for the Council’s checking on owner occupiers – even Council employees are receiving them.