If a comment by one councillor is to be believed – always a question – it seems this is just window dressing. But the Astonisher’s uncurious, one-dimensional reporting isn’t helpful or probing. If the councillors really wants to save wasteful money, The ‘Pie can point them in the right direction. But they’d need some ticker, so don’t any hopes up.
Why has the Queensland Government allowed the Main Roads people to call in the coppers to police the draconian travel permit system imposed on Paluma residents? Is a mass break-out feared? Increasingly angry residents are incensed by what they call DMR overreach and refusal for a timely meeting with community leaders.
Swindler Troy Thompson descends into panic mode, calling on sleight-of-hand maths to try to bolster his eroding position.
Some timely truth telling about the deceit of the aboriginal industry and the its urban elite.
And how Trump, the man who hurls childish insults at so many people, can’t handle getting back some of his own medicine … oh, karma, how it gladdens the heart.
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Hot Times In Cool Climes – Paluma Gets A Checkpoint Charlie Blockade – Just Like The Berlin Wall, They Say
And that’s not entirely hyperbole, with the police called in during the week to enforce a highly selective and damaging TMR residential travel permit system. This isn’t a normal police presence, there are lollipop traffic controllers manning the top and bottom checkpoints on the rain damaged Mt Spec Range Road. And there has been no evidence of locals, although angry and financially hurting as they are, have tried to ignore the restrictions. So it is astounding that the DMR has called on the coppers, with the clear inference they fear that residents are going to make some sort of mass break-out. As one furious resident put it ‘locals without permits are characterised as potential offenders. It’s a joke when this tough on crime but short on cops government allow this use of scarce resources’. Yes indeed, it is a highly unusual step for the cops to be involved in this matter, where the anger of locals is directed at an arrogant and distant bureaucracy that refuses to have discussions with community leaders.
The mood of Paluma residents is not improved by no evidence or explanation being offered of dangerous instability of the road. While the TMR claim areas above the road remain unstable, they have refused to offer engineering details or plans, and indicate that the heritage listing of the road, coupled with the prissy requirements of the Wet Tropics Management Authority, greatly increases the cost and time required to complete the work.
According to one TMR engineer, full traffic restoration could take 12 months
Residents understand the TMR’s edict that any heavy rain in the near future will require the road to be completely closed again, but maintain in the current conditions, more should be done to ensure the village isn’t economically ruined beyond repair.
Permit holders and working vehicles involved in repairs keep the road busy, despite in being one-way alternating traffic in some sections. Protesters see no reason why the road cannot be safely operated in this manner for everybody, especially those experienced with these types of hold-ups and conditions … like Queenslander everywhere. And it’s not as though Paluma is some sort of southern Beijing or Jakarta.
Ironically, the Minister, for Qld Goat Tracks and Collapsed Bridges, Brent Mickleberg, was in Townsville yesterday to deliver some honeyed words at some knees up about something else … all that way from glittering Brisbane and Paluma wasn’t on his radar. Funny, that.
Councillors Couldn’t Be This Blatant, Could They? And The Bulletin Couldn’t Be So Dumb, Could It?
The paper as usual appears to using their tried and untrue technique of reporting civic matters, using the word equivalent of painting-by-numbers.
One buried detail stood out in this story.
Ever since Wednesday’s council decision to cut funding for community events by 50%, the Bulletin has landed on the populist side of the argument, decrying the move, all the while acknowledging that council must rein in spending. One suspects the paper is playing to what they see as a reader boosting sector, while departing from facts to yet again put opinion into news articles, including the illogical statement:
As you will see, this seems to be at odds with what really has happened … maybe. The Bulletin talking about logic takes a generous mind to accept, but not sure what logic the paper is referring to; the two issues, parking and grants, are at opposite ends of the spectrum, but the main illogical suggestion is ignores the indisputable fact that ratepayers money going to events means they are not ‘free’ events at all, but subsidised ones. By the ratepayers. And FFS what else is any matter that affects our sky-high rates if not part of our cost-of-living burden?
But that is hardly the most puzzling matter in this story. That belongs to this quote from Clr Rehbein.
If this is true, it means two things: the underlying premise for the cuts is a blatant lie, worthy of a typical Troy Thompson load of bollocks. And if they get away with it , Jenny Hill has just turned green with admiration and envy . But it apparently never occurred to reporter Daneka Hill there was anything in the language to raise even an dainty eyebrow, let alone a question.
But the Bulletin’s one-sided argument doesn’t even try for balance, or even entertain the possibility that the primary role of this council in these circumstances is a back-to-basics approach. In this complex age, it is too simplistic to trot out the mantra of just sticking with rates, roads and rubbish, but the principle of the cliche is where the TCC should be. It is also worth a question about the loopy fact that whatever grant money is ponied up by Walker St, a goodly chunk is returned to it for things like rental for parkland and the such. Parkland which would otherwise not be used for anything else. Clean-up is a separate part of council permits. Surely if a council owned location was donated, the balance of the books would be unaffected, since nothing would be lost … for instance, there’s no bidding war to compete with the Christmas Stable, which has apparently been paying the council $7638 for ‘rental’ of the Riverway area. By any measure, that is a weird way to run a financial arrangement.
(A side note: while the council is in this territory, it might want to tighten up oversight when grants of any amount are made. Over the years, The ‘Pie has been regaled with outraged allegations of fiscal rorting of grants to various national groups,,one incident involving a raffle prize an overseas trip for two won by the chairman of the organising committee.
But If The Councillors Want To Prove Their Sincerity, There’s An Easy Way To Do It. Cut The Rubbish Budget.
They could at a stroke cut down the cost of rubbish by slashing or even eliminating the annual stipend to Townsville Enterprise, currently around an eye-watering $750K annually … and that is ratepayers’ money, not a government grant (TEL get lots of that, too, through other applications).
The similarities between Claudia “Ms B-S’ Brumme-Smith and Troy Thompson are many and obvious. Both are brazen confidence trickers, both aspire to higher political office, both specialise in similar baffle-‘em-with-bullshit public strategies, both get large amounts of undeserved public money, both make unsustainable claims of illusory achievements. And both will eventually be found out but only after untold damage and lost opportunities have set Townsville back years if not decades.
A key difference is Brumme-Smith is way smarter than Thompson, who at this juncture, is unravelling by the minute.
She has managed to keep her grift going in full sight of public and avoiding any major outcry with regular claims of activity, which, on even rudimentary examination, are mostly bullshit, matters initiated and realised by other organisations.. She was also a key player in Jenny Hill’s evil clown show, a protected species that has rorted the city coffers shamelessly for unexamined ‘advocacy services’. And steadfastly refusing any public KPIs to the people who pay her that three quarters of mill per.
Her endless coattail mantra ‘We welcome this (insert project) …’ is more pointless, more annoying and more frequent than Welcome To Country. Take this latest typical example.which also highlights a glaring problem for this city.
Indeed he has, and indeed, you had nothing to with it, Ms B-S.
Another problem is in order to screw dollars out of surrounding councils, TEL likes to position itself as north Queensland’s major tourism body, spreading its incompetence across a wider area. Their laughably amateur efforts on the tourism front so often push for out of town destinations, which must be so galling for local businesses. When what Townsville needs is something that lives up to its name … Townsville Enterprise.
Popping up wth increasing frequently in all sorts of nonsense stories in the Bulletin and on social media, Ms B-S is undeniably looking at a political future, probably hoping for a senate ticket with whoever she can fool into backing her.
Well, if it means you bugger off, madam, and leave Townsville Enterprise to get an urgently needed re-think, The Magpie will vote for you … several times if he has to.
Thompson Has Descended Into Incontinence Undies Time
Courtesy of the very funny Townsvilleans Blocked By Troy Thompson site. Have a look for a good laugh at https://www.facebook.com/groups/896775858998447
It seems reality is slowly seeping into the TwoNames headspace, as he makes more and more desperate, demented and pouting posts calling the sacking of the council. One thing we can be thankful for is that this bozo is nowhere near council finances, considering his particular brand of maths. He claimed that his ‘petition’ had 3000 signatures, when it was clear that none of his three petitions has anywhere near that. But being challenged, this is how he justified it.
This is the same tactic the Bulletin and the council use to calculate total attendance at the V8 SuperPests, where the total of all three days is claimed as individual attendance, when in fact it is the largely the same number of spectators each day multiplied by three, so the real figure is closer to roughly a third of the offered total. Same here, which clearly shows his efforts on social media are floundering.
He might also have become aware that floating around in his background are some matters of stalking complaints – The ‘Pie understands they are fairly recent – he’s just woken up that these may also be being looked at the CCC.
Thompson still promotes the wobbly idea that he’ll definitely get a big payout from someone or somewhere, which is not where the smart money is on this saga. Because someone or some organisation would have to cave and pay him something just to fuck off … he could never afford, and probably real lawyer would touch him, if he harbours silly thoughts of civil court action.
Watching this is cobra and mongoose stuff … but we have a short while to go to find out who is which.
Big Surprise For Albo
This from comments on Friday.
The Magpie
Oh, where to start with today’s prize piece of bullshit from the Astonisher. OK, let’s start with the headline. We know defections are the current Canberra fashion, but this???
So Mr Willcox is now a minster? Has anybody told Albo about this? Does the GG know about this unusual, dare one say, precedent?
Or perhaps this is what was meant:
The Whitsunday mob got the crucial wording ‘shadow’ right … and got it right 9 days ago. Talk about yesterday’s news tomorrow.
It also turns out, as far as The ‘Pie can see, that there is no such thing as a portfolio – or as suggested two portfolios – for Manufacturing and Sovereign Capability in the government for our tubby galoot to shadow. The current government appears to spread the rather ominous, Chinese-sounding ‘sovereign capability’ matters across several ministries, including manufacturing and defence,
Then there’s the rather tenuous hopeful clickbait line that Willcox is a ‘Townsville MP’, a designation rarely if ever given to previous members for Mackay-based seat of Dawson. The Astonisher’s presumption is based on a sliver of Townsville falling into that electorate to make up the AEC numbers, but with little or no influence on any electoral outcome.
But the photograph prompted The Magpie to make a trip down into the Whimsy Mine.
The Shadow Minister For DYI Praises Townsville Council’s Local Buy Strategy – An Unreliable Magpie Exclusive.
Newly minted federal Shadow Minister for Manufacturing and Sovereign Capability (The ultimate DYI ministry) and MP for a little bit of Townsville Andrew Willcox has lauded the latest infrastructure project by the TCC.
He has proudly posed next to the council’s new specially constructed hole – already dubbed by local wits as ‘The TEL Tunnel’ – which was especially commissioned to pour a million or more of public monies for an events program over the next year. The member for Dawson praised the innovative Australian technology that allowed the hole to extended year by year as required by TEL, so the secret patented process can ensure the public never knows what happened to the dough..
‘This forward looking council saw the urgent need for a bigger hole into which they had to pour more money into Townsville Enterprise, ‘ Mr Willcox said, ‘ And to their great credit, they fell back on experience to use the Local Buy process to commission this new hole.’ Mr Willcox explained that the new TEL Tunnel was built in South Australia, which the council had previously established was classed as ‘local’ to the city under LGAQ guidelines (“Let’s face it, South Australia is in the same country, isn’t it? And that surely makes it local under the LGAQ rules on Local Buy”.) ” By using a tried and true supplier of money pits, the council has shown shrewd management strategies, considering that the same manufacturer successfully created one of the biggest cash sink holes in modern Australia with the Haughton pipeline, which is still sucking in the dollars’ Mr Willcox said.
He then joked with reporters that he he ‘wholly’ supported the hole project, (‘geddit, folks, ‘wholly’ , ‘holey’, geddit?) a line the Bulletin gleefully pounced on for its headline – which they misspelt as ‘holly’.
Pretty Sure They Do This On Purpose
What? Didn’t find a big enough Aussie banger?
And there has always been a fairly obvious correlation of importance between a front page – where the conventional wisdom says the most important and interesting story of the day should be featured – and its placement within a paper, generally on pages 2.3 or 4. And most papers at least keep a nodding acquaintance with this idea. But not our Bulletin. Note where this nothing story is inside the rag.
Page 13!?! Even Harvey Norman would baulk at that – unless, as often happens, he’s also got pages 1 to 12.
And while we’re on matters Astonisher, why hasn’t the paper covered this story?
Just askin’. And the SMH makes it clear how journalism works, with this note at the bottom of the story.
Some Timely Truth Telling
A stand-out statement from Courier columnist Mike O’Connor.
“The Irish, contrary to what some might say, are not stupid, nor the Scots all mean nor all Americans loud and insensitive, and equally not all Indigenous people are disadvantaged.”
That’s how O’Connor, always a most readable commentator, kicked off a recent column.
It is a welcome expansion of the tiresome mantra about the need for truth telling. This is the link, but since it is for the usually paywalled News Ltd site, it may not work here is a selection of the major take-outs.
An Arrernte woman from Central Australia, Senator Liddle said it was disingenuous to suggest that every Aboriginal person was impoverished, because that was simply not true.
She said there were many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people working well and effectively in business, and what truth-telling activists failed to point out was that two-thirds of businesses which identified as Indigenous were operating successfully without seeking government grants or preferential treatment in tendering for government contracts.
“What we don’t do enough of is asking those people who have been successful: How did they get there?” she said.
*****
O’Connor writes:
If you want to be accused of being a racist in this country, it is only necessary to make the perfectly reasonable suggestion that in the interests of transparency, all Indigenous bodies receiving government grants undergo an independent audit.
*****
Senator Liddle gives voice to what many suspect which is that a crackdown on service providers in Aboriginal communities is long overdue, saying too many of these organisations were not accountable to their impoverished Aboriginal clients or to the taxpayer. Senator Liddle might be new to her shadow portfolio, but has been quick to show that she is not afraid to take on the vested interests in the massive industry that is the government’s Indigenous grants program.
*****
“At the moment there are over 3000 Aboriginal-community-controlled organisations registered and half of those haven’t actually complied with their reporting obligations with the regulator,” she said. “It is not good enough when they are on the frontline… we have had organisations that have hoovered up government grants that haven’t delivered what they said they were going to deliver.”
*****
O’Connor writes:
The city-dwelling Indigenous elites demand treaties, truth telling commissions, reparations, compensation and rail against “white invaders”.
Out in the bush where Senator Liddle has travelled, her people tell her that what they want is housing, sanitation, security and a safe domestic environment.
There was no mention of these needs, however, at a meeting of Indigenous leaders held in Brisbane last week titled the Bandarran Marra’Gu Gathering Strength Summit.
Instead, the attendees issued a statement accusing the Queensland government of perpetuating “targeted harm” against Indigenous children and young people, and saying it was feared that it was the state’s intent to “destroy our First Nations by forcibly transferring our children from our responsibility, out of our care and out of our communities”.
The statement talks about human rights, truth and justice but nowhere in the 25-paragraph statement is there a single mention of the responsibility parents have towards their children and of the rights of children to expect that their parents will nurture and protect them.
The Magpie lauds O’Connor for this calm factual reporting of a painful fact so staunchly avoided by the aboriginal industry … that truth telling is a two-way street.
Water Off A (Donald) Duck’s Back – Until Mexico Got It’s Revenge
Shortly before the election, The Magpie forecast that bum kissing the technocrats would end badly for Trump, because if they turned against him, he could nothing effectual against those who really control communications. So guess what?
Everyone this week has been talking about the fascist weasel Elon Musk and his vicious break-up of his bromance with the baboon’s bum President. And Donald’s pursed-lipped little cat’s bum mouth went into overdrive to stick it up the man who’s financial and social media backing is credited with so overwhelmingly delivering him the presidency. Trump took the lofty view, seeing it all as a sideshow, and one doubts it was that much of a surprise that bemused everyone else. Even when Musk got down in the murk even further by revealing that Trump’s name was on the manifesto list of Epstein’s Lolita Airlines … this surprised no one, but at the time of writing this , Musk has provided no proof and is all piss and wind with his threat to reveal solid evidence. So just more droplets sliding off the orange-tinted down of Donald’s duck-like tonsure.
But the real story was given second class treatment – that the someone had finally landed a glove on their , with a powerful haymaker delivered to Trump’s glass ego, followed by a worldwide flurry of uppercuts to his arrogance.
Financial Times commentator Robert Armstrong coined the acronym TACO to describe Trump’s pattern of imposing disruptive royal decrees (in the US, they’re called Executive Orders) like tariffs, before backtracking hastily when the turmoil threatened his pose as a powerful but financially savvy monarch. TACO stands for Trump Always Chickens Out. Now, we all know Old Bonespurs, the Chicken in Chief, has always loved a good acronym, like POTUS and his fav MAGA … but he lost his famous sense of sophisticated humour and completely went apeshit over TACO. If for no other reason that it associated him with his favourite target for international slander, Mexico. But imaginative artists around the world were delighted, one seeing a Botticelli moment in the use of a shell.
But what’s a poor bloke to do, the world got hold of it, and one suspects it is here to stay, leaving Trump in the interesting position of no longer able to modify his maniacal social and financial loopiness without getting a barrage of TACO memes. For a battered world, nothing ever tasted so delicious.
But while this was a laughing matter, other matters weren’t. Among the most disturbing is that Presidential pardons are either openly up for sale or used as a reward for loyalty for convicted criminals. At the White House grift shop.
But For All That, The Shovel Has The Measure Of The Week’s Big Beautiful Bust-Up
…………..
Another week down, and another week closer to Troy Thompson’s deserved fate. As Ray’s brother Robert says in Everybody Loves Raymond, ‘Ah, yes, good times’. Comments remain alive, lively and well, join in for your say. Those kind souls seeking to support the Nest with a much needed donation will find the donate button below.
Great blog Pie, packed with articles. I’m surprised Gerry Harvey hasn’t tried to purchase advertising space!
The slick story telling by TEL, making it appear as if they are the reason that CopperString is going ahead, is sickening. Claudia Bum-Smith and Gill the dill are the most useless duo I have seen in years. McCabe and the Councillors should have reset TEL when McCabe and Foodtrucks came to power. There are better advocates locally for our region than these two muppets.
TEL, Yeah Na!
With a population of just over 200,000, Twonames Thompson is falling way short of the numbers with his pissy 1 or 2 thousand petition signatures. Once again, he fails at what he puts his hands to. Get a life Troy, let it go. You cheated on your application process for Mayor and you got caught out. Simple. Stop trying to destroy Council because you got pineappled. You are a two-bit grifter and deserve to be in the situation that you are currently in. Wanker
I don’t think he deserves 250K for sitting on his bum.
I think comparing Troy’s maths to purported supercars attendance is being overly generous to him. There is at least some rationale with the supercars in that you can buy a ticket for a single day, or you can buy for multiple days. While I expect there’s a bit of a per day saving to be had by getting a 3-day pass, you still have to fork out more money. As such, 3-day attendances mean something. But totalling numbers for multiple petitions about the same thing is idiotic. In fact, it’s idiotic to have more than one petition about the same thing fullstop.
The council could take an extra 100 million debt and have the best V8s yet ! Can’t wait. Then you’ll all be screaming your rates are through the roof.
My bet is the REAL debt of townsville council is closer to a billion ( and more to come). Then you’ll have to take more to service the wages bill.
You ok Pie? Just checking in, as only 3 comments have been cleared by 730pm Sunday night. Hope all is ok, cheers
Often like that on long weekend, people out of their usual routines. Or maybe haven’t got anything to say. Which is fine … but reader numbers are steady at the usual rate.
Is there some secret long weekend I’m unaware of?
Maybe. Where’s your wife?
In Queensland where there’s no public holiday or long weekend.
Correct, The ‘Pie’s error, Kings birthday changed to October a few years back.
But, still, know where your wife is?
Two names has enough petitions to match each of his personalities.
Ummm, if that’s the logic, then we have to unfortunately face the prospect of another twenty-odd petitions to be created. So far I’ve only seen the petitions from: Suspended Mayor TwoNames, Business Graduate TwoNames, and Bitter TwoNames.
So that means we are still expecting petitions from: SAS TwoNames, Stable Genius TwoNames, I’m-a-bankrupt-yet-financial-expert TwoNames, Barbie TwoNames, etc.
Winter will be long if he gets going with this!! But short if he just gets going.
What about the names ‘Fucktard Twonames’ and ‘Chief Shyster Twonames’?
Just saw a brand new hatchback with official looking lights on top belonging to this mob in Mooney st minutes ago. https://pesau.com.au/
Have they just privatised fines? You can’t do that , punishment is a state job.
That sure raises a few questions. We might have a further look at this but here’s the first one I want to know.
Does that mean any indigenous peson cannot be fined, because this mob of no-neck bollock scratchers recognise that it’s actually their land anyway.
Okay, as I previously mentioned in relation to parking meter contracts , there is the issue of breaches of the information privacy Act Qld https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2009-014 I don’t see any exemptions
I will be looking for purported enabling laws, regs or by-laws.
Straight up , council officers were bound by law to act with integrity, fairness, impartiality and if they had an ulterior motive that would be dishonestly causing a detriment in s408C(1) of the code and the CCC Act. These private mobs have a profit motive.Thats acting whilst interested. A copper couldn’t do it. Will they sell info? What country are their servers in,? Is the contract CIC? If it’s Commercial in conference and s42 of the qld acts interpretation act says anyone can enforce the law, how is a person to enforce rights and privacy law if they can see the contract? It’s invalid.
2nd, I think any purported enabling law or contract would be disproportionate and unconstitutional because punishment must be carried out by the state for proper purposes and not for profit. There are english and ECHR decisions saying the state can’t outsource it’s human rights obligations and our high court overturned the entire military justice system because it’s the job of the courts to punish.
There is so much wrong with this and with anyone who thinks it’s alright. These corporations are the enemy of the people.
That’s if they CAN’T see the contract
“If you want to be accused of being a racist in this country, it is only necessary to make the perfectly reasonable suggestion that in the interests of transparency, all Indigenous bodies receiving government grants undergo an independent audit.”
Why would anyone WANT to be accused of being a racist?
Look up rhetorical questions.
A couple of years ago and car of Indigenous pulled up in a disability parking space at the North Ward Shopping Centre. The vehicle wasn’t displaying a disability car parking permit and when this was pointed out to the driver she screamed back ” This is our land and I’ll f***king park wherever I f****king want to”. She and the other passengers walked into the shopping centre and returned about 10 minutes later having visited the bottle shop. A case of reverse racism.
Reverse racism? Do you mean racism?
The anti Troy Thompson Facebook page is hilarious. They outline elements of Troy’s hypocrisy, his bad grammar, and some of his childish comments. It’s good for a laugh and proves that there are many in Townsville who are intelligent and happy to show the real side of Thompson and call him out on his bullshit.
The ‘Townsvillians blocked by Troy Thompson’ Facebook page is great. Thanks for the link Magpie. Even the Magpies Nest gets a favourable comment. I liked one commenters assessment where they noted that in Queensland there has been 4 Mayors suspended/sacked. Out of the 4 of them 3 never ran in politics again. Twonames is history. We all know it. He won’t be back, it’s just a matter of time now. And a sizeable chunk of Townsville’s residents have woken up to the antics of the pustule mayor. By the time he has finished his wrecking ball approach to the region he will be completely unemployable and won’t be able to get a job as a speed bump at Bunnings.
If he applies for that job, The ‘Pie will be happy to give a reference
Mr Rollmop, if it was that simple he’d be gone long ago. If the Qld CCC can’t think up a half-decent reason to sack the suspended mayor after months with their best and brightest working on it, he will walk back into his job and stay there for the remainder of his term. If the Crisafulli government does try to sack him, on shaky grounds, there will be legal action for sure, dragging on for years, probably funded by ratepayers with him still collecting $250K p.a. Do the maths. It might be simpler, quieter and definitely cheaper to hold our collective noses and suck it up.
Great to see you’ve changed your mind and decided to engage with us in the Nest,Troy.
Well (**cough-Troy-cough**) “John”,
Recently the Queensland State Parliament (you know, the supposed grown-up place that deal with making laws) introduced a bill back in February that brought about a little unexpected beneficial delay for old TwoNames, called “Crime and Corruption (Restoring Reporting Powers) Amendment Bill 2025“. It’s passed now and gained Royal Assent, So I’m assuming they are just now accommodating the changes those amendments brought about.
But the good news for us. is, where before the report may not have been so visible (only its likely outcome “Do I hear handcuffs clinking in the distance,? They sound like they are getting closer.”) now it should be a “must read” for us spectators.
Anyway, that helped make a long story longer. But I believe the CCC may well sort out the new paperwork soon enough.
Interested to see if you stay around John. The story has more twists than a corkscrew. But I don’t think any will involve TwoNames returning to Walker St. Or at least the Council part of it.
Two questions there, Girlie Drink.
Are those new laws retrospective, and therefore able to be used by the CCC in matters Thompson? Sincerely hope so.
And sorry, don’t understand the last line … ‘or at least the council part of it‘? What other part of it could he return to. He wouldn’t even qualify as janitor, all cleaning contractors are heavily vetted, especially background checks of a naughty nature, before they are entrusted with the keys to the Hermit Kingdom.janitor?
Im guessing SoCo is referring to our hallowed Halls of Justice down the other end of Walker Street.
Yup, you’re ahead of me, ma’am. That’swhy your the headmistress (very strict, may The ‘Pie hope?)
The laws are retrospective, hence the delays. The CCC have had to go back Nd rewrite a number of their findings and reports of the past few years to comply with the new laws.
As for the other part of Walker St? It’s not just home to the Council. It’s also home to the Courthouse. Serious matters may be coming forward.
AH!! Not used to you being amusingly subtle. Very good.
That takeover of Parking meter company Duncan by Orikon was withdrawn from the ACCC in May https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/orikan-withdraws-clearance-request-for-proposed-acquisition-of-duncan
We had Brisbane based family visiting. There were questions about our route security practices. Not necessary they said, there is enough of us here.
These southern protected folks have no understanding.
I went on to explain that while enjoying happy hour, hypothetically, three or four juiced up 13 year old aboriginals storm into the house, armed, smashing as they go, demanding car keys.
I asked my visitors how they would go from disbelief, understanding, defensive, and then offensive, or ineffective stunded mullet, without being injured.
How much experience had they had in these high tension situations, where the 13 yo snots were well experienced and comfortable in such a high tension situation that they control.
My grand child having heard the conversation required some consoling that she was safe.
And to my politically correct overly sensitive critics, within a 500 metre radius of my place 7 house have been broken into, one 3 times. A pox on you and the ‘right’s of the snots. Public safety first.
Oh, and while I am here, on the ABC RN the urban aboriginal elets while quacking on never mentioned perantal responsibility.
Must admit I’m ambivalent on the funding of various community ethnic functions through the year.
So they have to pay for the lease of the area. What do they get for that payment? 5/8 of FA. They have to pay for cleaning up. Fair enough, but through a TCC approved contractor? The same with security and traffic control. All TCC controlled approvals
Seems like a bit of profiteering going on here. But hey, what the hell, as His Radiance announced years ago, Townsville is a business centre, not a tourist attraction.
Townsville should just have one multicultural festival where all cultural groups can come together and celebrate their heritage.
Not a silly idea. It could be considered because rather than highlighting the differences, each can be seen together, as a rich colourful tapestry of our multi-cultural community.
Of course, the biggest opponents would be the various organisers who distribute grants of public money to their minions. As. they see fit.
Pie,
I remember attending a multicultural event at Strand Park some years ago where you could sample/purchase their ethnic foods and a main stage for each group perform their cultural dances and acts. What happened to that?
Greedy ethnic leaders probably saw an opportunity. Folks from mother countries, or folks here for 120,000 years hence, are just like us white bastards when it comes to personal self-interest.
We used to have a festival which was just like that. It got changed to a bullshit “cultural” festival and just filled up with any old rubbish (anything is culture if you think about it with motivated reasoning).
Curious to know if the same rules about use of Riverway by community groups (relating to ground penetration, cleaning, security and staying onsite) apply to Hudson’s Circus which is parked there for a month. Maybe Councillors saw the clowns as kindred spirits.
Or competition. (Question: how long before Tickateck get the ticketing rights to the public gallery for council meetings?)
However, pretty sure the rules would apply to the circus … can’t see how they wouldn’t, a travelling circus is taking money OUT of the city, and bringing nothing, not even casual jobs, TO it.
Have a wander down and take a look Mr Magpie. Big tent spikes in the ground everywhere, overflowing bins and rubbish lying around, no TCC-approved security, and circus housing caravans scattered through the area. Even visiting in an official capacity only gained a “fuck off” from them. People like IndiaFest and the Stable must be hammering down the Pretending-Mayoral doors at Walker St.
Not sure what point you’re trying to make. As The ‘Pie said, the circus would be paying the council one way or another for use of the property. Even if it were privately owned, the council would get its due, because they would have to approve the use. And as we all know hereabouts, TCC approvals cost a small poultice for anything.
Does anyone know what ‘Smart Precinct’ is or do? They seem more useless than TEL and that is saying something. How much does TCC give them?
Well, for a start, very expensive council space … for a peppercorn.
Their role is to support and assist local businesses and start-ups. From what I have heard they were something of a grants “mill”. Helped businesses secure grants funding for training, coaching etc and then delivered the services themselves pocketing the funds. They may have expanded their activities over the years, and some of their programs now appear to be funded but this was the case when they started up about 5 years ago. All in all if you have a promising or successful business, why bother wasting valuable time unless it offered useful networking opportunities?
The late (of this Nest not the world) Mike Douglas used to rail against the council operated Smart Precincts, suggesting it was going into competition wsith the private sector. The ‘Pie hasn’t checked, but he imagines the private outfits doing this were the ones who got grants to assist start-up businesses get a grant … is this what they mean by a circular economy?
Bigtime. The grants gravy-train. The smaller business grants ($5-10k) should be scrapped or at least limited for use with only certified, professional services to assist business owners understand and manage their cashflow, tax and employer obligations. The basic foundations of running a business. Currently this activity is not within the scope of the appoved spend of most small business grants. I find it almost predatory that a so-called NFP such as SPNQ would basically fill in the application for the business owners, nominate themselves as the proposed service provider then invoice the grant recipient before the grant funds had even hit the recipients bank account. The services offered in exchange? Attend various SPNQ facilitated seminars/events and one on one coaching sessions with unqualified “partners” on site at SPNQ . Kind of, sort of, definitely a rort.
I was just reading the article about the renovation of 5 Palmer St and I think the Bully may have shot themselves in the foot by solving the mystery of the current circulation figures they claim to have:
“With various items stacked from floor to ceiling in the building, including an estimated 10,000 editions of the Townsville Bulletin, Mr Wright said they dumped 50 truckloads during the clean-up phase of the $600,000 renovation.”
Yes, 32 years, about 12 of which it was an actual newspaper. hey wait, they dumped them? Bugger, there were eightv years of deeply intellectual, beautifully crafted, sophisticatedly humorous Magpie columns in there. What a waste.
But great to see the fabled Len, more than 40ymears maitre’d of the equally fabled Ming’s Dynasty Restaurant, the grand old lady of Flinders Street, reveal his connection with Townsville’s history.
Onya, Les.
Just checking back through a few Media releases about community grant approvals and as I thought, these groups hold events etc have fee waivers or in-kind support when they use council venues. This means that ratepayers meet the costs of cleaning, council staff supervision to ensure that the event meets Council requirements eg WH&S, council facilities aren’t damaged etc, cost of the venue if hired for commercial events and so on.
So if you’re looking at the true value of any grant then you need to add the cash and fee waiver/support in-kind figures together. Unfortunately the value of Council staff salaries isn’t able to be calculated and added to the individual grant value to get the total amount of each grant.
Council uses their contractors to ensure that relevant council standards are met as there’s some dodgy cleaning and other contractors out there.
https://www.townsville.qld.gov.au/about-council/news-and-publications/media-releases/2025/march/council-approved-community-grants
Then there is the question of the use of the word ‘free’. Food outlets sell ethic stuff, so who gets the money.If you’re celebrating your culture, how does it sit ethically to charge money for food and drink (except alcohol) when the event is being subsidised by the ratepayer? Who gets the money, and if it’s the sall holder, how much do they pay the event organiser for their spot – there’d be plenty of competition to be able to flog off home-made tucker.
The ‘Pie cannot see how this city is diminished by not flinging barely supervised money at these events. With the exception of the annual Stable, which is a slightly different kettle of loaves and fishes, if someone wants to celebrate their proud ethnicity, by all means, go for it – just not on the ratepayer’s dime.
But this grant ‘slashing’, as the Astonisher insists on terming these funding cuts, is all illusory, and The ‘Pie suspects is being used for a hidden motive by Ma Greaney and her cohort. The ‘Pie has been taking a deep dive into all this and will regale you all with his findings next Sunday.
You’ve hit part of the nail on the head there. My understanding is that some festival organisers charged food and other stall holders a stall fee and others did not but that the stall holders kept any profit made. In the funding agreement of past years, there was a clause about festival/event organisations taking action to make their events sustainable and reducing their festival/event less reliant on grant funding. Charging a stall fee or taking a percentage of profit was a mechanism sustainable funding could have been collected.
I have no idea if that clause is still in the funding agreement. If this clause is still in the agreement then this move by council shouldn’t have been a great surprise to these organisations. Although I question if council staff were working with organisations, particularly small organisations, to identify ways to increase their sustainability.
I note that one of the Councillors mentioned that the budget for grants had not been reduced. I question if he was referring to the 2024/25 financial year or has he got an insight into the 2025/26 financial year. If he is referring to the 2025/26 financial year then where is the funding saved from the grants being expended. This funding in past budgets was referred to as grants sponsorships and partnerships so the question must be raised if it’s going to organisations such as the Cowboys, Townsville Fire, PBR (they are all sponsored by TCC if you look at their websites) or is it helping fund the TCC/TEL events agreement.
Inevitable from the day she was born.
A headline writer’s wet dream comes true.
This from the Australian, who caught the Astonisher’s dad joke punsters napping.
Quick wit … love these guys, The ‘Pie should be so funny.
And you’ve just gotta love the Greens’ priorities and grasp of reality …
… a major city in turmoil, fires, rubber bullets (which are no joke, and a bit more than just ouch, as the ‘Pie knows from the streets of Belfast), smoke everywhere, troops being brought in to start a civil war to consolidate Trump’s Fourth Reich … and Sarah H-Y’s indignant posing about a Nine reporter copping a rubber bullet in the leg? She demands that the PM carpet Donald Trump over the issue. Yeah, right?
Journos agree there is a risk that comes with the job, not really a big deal. The reality is if you put yourself in harms way, you don’t whinge and only show ponies do. (Nine’s young lady isn’t making a meal of it … so far.)
If you survive, you’ve got a great yarn for the dinner party table and endless breakfast tv spots.
Talk about fucking lala land.
Haven’t you seen LA Confidential? Perhaps they thought she was related to me??
Very clever. And very obscure to most, one imagines.
And no The Magpie isn’t being snobbish, had no idea what you meant until he, too, looked it up.
But there are those who think working for Nine is a crime for which no one has paid.
Police deliberately shooting a journalist seems like a serious matter.
Being hit by a baton round is not being shot, but nevertheless, a dangerous and painful experience (The’Pie knows from his time in Belfast) although the assumption of ‘deliberate’ might bear some examination. They are hardly the most accurate projectiles, designed as they are to be a ricochet blow (they aren’t always). But this is a matter of context and assumption. The ‘Pie’s comment was suggesting Sarah H-Y’s demand that Albanese complain directly to Trump was ridiculous political posing.
In the end, as Albo later explained, the standard diplomatic exchanges at the appropriate level about a minor incident in a ‘live’ situation had been followed.
BS: It didn’t look anything like a targeted shot, more like gross ineptitude!
Looked deliberate to me.
Maybe, but in the big picture of the world falling into the grasp of a maniac, so what? Anyway, the news cycle moves on by the hour with all this.
The Magpie now applies the old rule, if someone has said it better than you can, use what they said. Hats off to The Shovel again.
Morrison’s award is a kick in the nuts to all the other recipients, because it devalues the honour.
It’s been suggested he only got the award because he filled all five positions on the selection panel.
I recall the righteous indignation of awardees in the UK in the late 60’s when the Beatles were awarded a gong.
Several handed back their trinkets, not wishing to be tarnished by association with a pop group.
And the old communist Phillip Adams getting a Kings Birthday award is just a sickening.
Oh dunno about that. dams has mre sides to him than just hisleft, and can be very erudite on some subjects (but rarely leavens his discourses it much general humour). And look at it this way, his award is a triumph for the principles of democracy … you’d never see, say, Pauline Hanson getting People’s Hero Star if she were in Russia. In fact, if she were in Russia, she wouldn’t be for long, plenty of open windows about.
Why? He’s been right about more than he’s been wrong about over the years.
Particularly on 14 February 1966. Ask Norm.
Don’t you mean Dollar Bill? (Not to be confused with Gene Hackman’s Oscar winning character in Unforgiven.)
This is worth showing to later generations after the swap over. It inadvertently makes clear why the boomer generation was much more proficient in simple maths … because we had to be.
https://www.google.com/search?q=ad+for+introductionof+decimalm+currency+in+Australia&oq=ad+for+introductionof+decimalm+currency+in+Australia&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCjM0NzY1ajBqMTWoAgCwAgA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:521755a2,vid:GtyNLwqljzI,st:0
Life. Be in it.
Don’t you mean Little Bill?
It was a reference to inflation.
About 16 years too late.
They’ve finally run out of boorish adjudicators, loony lefties, attention seeking, weirdo’s, mandatory LGBABC et al.
Problem is the upper echelon will just replace it with the same or similar attention grabbing morons and disguise it as something special or any bullshit title the freaks can come up with.
Take a look (no more that 3 minutes) at the ludicrous alleged program that replaced the stuck in the groove eternally repeating episodes of Hard Quiz at 6:30 PM.
like Jaws, just when you thought it was safe to go back……..
That complete toe curler at 6.30 is an embarrassment to Aussie television, and you can’t get more damning that that. Wouldn’t be surprised if its gone in a month or two.
Hip hip hooray!!
Quote of the Day. And one of the best politically ambiguous statements you could find anywhere, certainly could mean any number of things.
Premier Crisafulli announcing that he was abolishing Office of the Independent assessor, an office Troy Thompson has scuttled to on more than one occasion:
Which probably gave our shyster mayor a Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly of his nether regions.
Twonames is history. If his fantasy of having Council sacked is fulfilled, he will be out of a job and won’t be voted back in. If he doesn’t succeed in having Council sacked, the LNP will make sure that this toxic individual is sacked as a result of its investigations. Either way, old mate is walking the plank. But just don’t tell the deluded fool that he is done and dusted as he genuinely doesn’t believe that to be the case.
We’ve now moved well passed both sacking the council (the Magpie will give details of why that’s not going to happen in Sunday’s Nest) and his reinstatement.
It is now just a question of what penalties he will face.
I just wish he would walk the bloody plank sooner than later!
The sooner Crisafulli gets rid of Thompson and a new mayoral election is called the better. In her acting role Greaney should be doing just the necessary things, not trying to fix things that aren’t broken, like the Rockpool. After her numerous failures like Flinders Lane, the useless boardwalk, the so-called alfresco dining area in Palmer Street and the Castle Hill cafe/restaurant that turned into 2 useless sheds, you’d think she would be the last one to change anything. And don’t get me started on Landsdown. It’s the biggest waste of ratepayers money in history, and she’s throwing millions more at it in the coming budget.
You seem to be visiting the sins of the Mullet onto Foodtrucks. Sure she was complicit and a self-interested toady, but she couldn’t have stopped the Hill juggernaut of grandiose failures.
And has anyone got a nomination from the local populace they’d like to see run for mayor?
Perhaps Mike Douglas will throw his hat into the ring for Mayor?
Doubt it.
Please no
Sam Cox.
We could do a LOT worse than SC.
Ma Greaney’s time as a councillor is done. She has caused division in her division. Her best political option is a tilt at Mayor, whenever that may arise.
Early in 2028 most likely.
Completely unlikely, Troy. But let’s pretend, so, John …
When Troy Thompson is inevitably dismissed, which will happen before the 12 month suspension date of November 21 2025 is reached, a mayoral election MUST be held to select a new mayor under Queensland law. In Queensland, legitimate mayors cannot be appointed and must be elected, in this case through a by-election. There is no scenario where this dingbat will get anywhere near Walker Street again, and it would, to use Sir Humphrey’s phrase ‘a courageous political decision’ for Crisafulli to decide the council can continue mayor-less and short one councillor. Although it seems even he does not have this option.
Pie I am not convinced they will dismiss him without a trial, perhaps an extension of the suspension. I guess it will depend on the quality of the dirt they have on him, as there is no shortage of quantity.
One thing is sure, he won’t be back in Walker Street and there will be a bi election once it is sorted.
Every council meeting since Greaney became acting Mayor, we see a review of a council’s policy or the introduction of a new one. I have a feeling the changes are more about protecting councillors and TCC employees rather than for the good of ratepayers .
No more publicised committee meetings. Transparency in key areas is diminishing even further.
I note over the years, it’s the senior staff who have moved here to take up positions that leave after regularly after a few years.
It raises the question why? Is Townsville that bad of a place to live?
My guess is the new CEO’s enthusiasm is also diminishing
There is also the possibility it was a Labor reward ppontment place, giving those possibility out of favour elsewhere some shelter from a too-rigorous application interview..
how many councilors are on team greaney [ public servants ] my guess is nine …
Not sure what you’re on about.
in 2023 all councilors were on team jenny over the hill , now i wonder if there is a team greaney , except for brady ellis …
Greaney couldn’t lead a chorus of Happy Birthday.
It’s been over 12 months since the election and Twonames suspension. There won’t be an election for a new Mayor, it will be decided the TCC members. And guess who?
Yes there will be, Jeff.
Thompson was suspended on full pay on November 21, 2024, 8 months ago.
When he is finally and inevitably dismissed, a by-election must be held for the position, no matter how far into the council term it occurs. Under Queensland law, a permanent positionpf mayor (as versus Acting) cannot be filled by appointment, or a vote within council, which leave one short on numbers, and MUST be filled through a by election.
Geez, I need to dust off all my election shit and get ready, thanks for the heads up
You are wrong Jeff. Twonames is toast. Even ‘if’ he was found to be innocent of all charges he can’t go back. The relationship with fellow councillors is toxic. Remember, the councillors put in a vote of no confidence against him. Ever since then the pustule mayor has been sniping at them and calling for their dismissal. He could never work there again. It would be a completely dysfunctional environment.
It’s funny, Twonames bangs on about being democratically elected, yet he fails to see that it was a democratic decision to sideline him. Not too smart is he?
thompson was coersed into resigning , that now brings a 14 year jail term for coersing somebody …
He resigned?
I heard Foodtrucks interviewed on the ABC a few days ago, over the grants issue. She commented on all the expenses borne by TCC after these events, such as cleaning up the site. Huh! Either she doesn’t know what she’s talking about, or deliberately telling fibs.
One of the groups is holding its next function at Cluden, because it’s cheaper. I don’t know if they’re doing it on a grant, however, Cluden needs the money.
We got rid of Hill and now have to suffer Greaney.
Nothing has changed.
Bring on the by-election.
Hill was as smart as a shit house rat. Greaney just thinks she is.
Don’t get me wrong, it has always been my ferventl hope/expectation that the CCC
will recommend Twonames’ dismissal. But, what if they don’t?
After just over 12 months since being referred to them, the CCC had the most straightforward investigation anyone could hope for.. However, we don’t know when they started their inquiry or, if they have even started one.
I’ve never had much faith in them since their creation as the CJC (known in the criminal justice system as, Cunts, Just Cunts) to catch crooked coppers.. I’m just hoping they aren’t floundering around trying to find a way to get him off.
It seems, from the outside, that Govts can’t give them a tickle up for fear of being seen as trying to influence the outcome of investigations.
After all this time, we are entitled to a result.
He just did himself irreparable damage , crossed a lot of red lines .
Yes, but the first one he shouldn’t have crossed was lying to the electorate about everything during his campaign. That made all others necessary.In his eyes.
So apparently the Bulletin has been investigating Twonames for several months and found an alias he uses called ‘Barry’, which he uses to post comments in the Bulletin and even on his own Facebook page! Ha ha ha what a complete fucking wanker. Although I am sure that he has multiple aliases that he uses. Perhaps ‘John’ is one of them in the Nest?
One of many, The ‘Pie imagines.
That really takes the biscuit. Surely now, there is cause to stand him down permanently? He does comment in here under many different pseudonyms ..you can pretty much smell the cheap aftershave and bullshit when Twonames enters the chat.
I think many people use aliases, social media is rife with false profiles, this is no different.
People who use aliases are frightened and disreputable people …. according to The Magpie. BTW is your chosen name a typo, Clynt?
Constructing multiple false personas complete with different personalities and claimed experiences speaks to a very troubled mind. Barry isn’t just an alias, but a complete third person construct. Thompson has created “Barry”as an everyday, no-nonsense aussie bloke. A stereotype with mass appeal. Just look at the style of language he uses in Barry’s comments …completely different to his own. Even the name selected fits the stereotype. Twonames comes in here under multiple different false personas and its laughably obvious. We’ve had the pompous Barrister and the vicious Matthew (Barry’s son?) also KP with his inside knowledge on TCC and numerous others. The problem with “Barry” is the disparaging remarks made about fellow councillors and now we know these are Thompson’s own words. He thinks there is nothing wrong in commenting as a private citizen yet he is still a paid public figure (the “democratically elected mayor”) beholden to a code of conduct. Its almost as if he believes Barry is real and he can hide behind Barry’s private citizen persona. Very fucked up mind. The guy is dangerous. Hes a danger to women, to the city and I strongly suspect what we are seeing is just the tip of the iceberg.
Under another name, he also planted false defamatory story (which was quickly deleted) about a woman against whom he had a personal grudge (had he been stalking women? That’s all yet to come out).
Maybe its accurate as in the American idiom where John is a Dunny
Or, staying in the same idiom, a prostitute’s client.
So today I went and took a look at the ‘Townsvillians blocked by Troy Thompson’ Facebook page, as I have seen and heard it mentioned a few times. Holy shit. Priceless! Absolutely hilarious. It’s refreshing to see Twonames follies being exposed on that page, and of course in the Magpies Nest. The more that this clown is exposed the better. Fucking ‘Barry’ ha ha ha.
Code of Conduct for Councillors in Queensland
Corrupt Conduct
Corrupt conduct is defined by, and dealt with, under the Crime and Corruption Act 2001 and must be referred to the Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC).
Corrupt Conduct also means conduct of a person, regardless of whether the person holds or held an appointment , that:
• impairs, or could impair, public confidence in public administration;
2 names petition fits nicely into this category.
But crikey, Ding-A-Ling, that last bit puts The ‘Pie and just about all Nest readers under he gun, doesn’t it? Heh Heh Heh …. if so, mission accomplished.
I doubt any of the nest or the Pie have any trouble as they are not receiving a gain. Kind of like a bunch of lads in the pub having a chat.
Two names on the other hand has suggested a payout to leave dozens of time, in a few different formats, everywhere under his name and other pseudonyms that he has used.
Given its front page I just had to purchase today’s Astonisher.
Looks like Twonames Thompson is now Threenames Thompson. Is this more material for the CCC?
Shhh … don’t wake them.
Lab Rat is my real name. Its not an alias. I come from a long line of Rats. Don’t anyone call me Barry. If you do, I’ll sue, I tell ya.
So Mrs Rat’s name would be Labia?