Conned or recruited? Either way, Jenny Hill’s blundering venture into commercial business with Woodstock land has fallen apart. And the Magnis company which either conned or recruited her looks set to fold.
Sam Cox finds his mojo again, and comes out swinging on the crime issue.
Also … will they resist the temptation? Cowboys board said to be considering a big bucks sponsorship offer from Adani. Acceptance would be a disaster in every way.
The Bulletin gets a new editor, and it don’t look promising, more of the same old same old on first impression. Especially since we learn he’s been in charge for a couple weeks of blathering contradictory idiocy in the Astonisher already.
But first …
Jenny’s Little Joke
We all wonder about Jenny Hill from time to time – as in, constantly – but little wonder we do, since she apparently sees herself as Wonder Woman. Rather than have a coffee mug that says ‘Mayor With The Mostest’, or somesuch, our Mullet has one with her self-identifying heroine on it, facing the council table to remind her voting–arm aerobics class of her formidable powers.
But underneath all those special super powers and selfless service to the community, there beats the heart of a person who still has the everyday cares of the average woman – or so Bentley reckons.
Nice to see she’s given up darts as a weapon, but she’ll need all her zapping powers out of her Lansdown scam.
Flat Battery: Looks Like The Unicorn Is Dead, But Big Questions For The Mayor Are Very Much Alive
Remember this yarn, one of many unquestioning Astonisher puff pieces on the subject, in the Bulletin late last year.
More you beaut stuff, boosting the mayor’s agenda on her strange determination to create a strongly-opposed industrial park at Woodstock rather than utilise perfectly good state development land near the Port, or at The Bohle.
But in the past month, the Bulletin appears to have completely missed the Magnis battery factory train crash.
In the space of two weeks, four directors, including the bloke playing footsy in the pic – or playing our mayor for a sucker –Managing Director Marc Vogts, have resigned. Rats and ships come to mind, knowing that board appointments have the responsibility to do their own ‘due diligence.’
- 25/02/20 Subhas DeGamia:
- 24/02/20 Leslie Hosking:
- 31/01/20 Marc Vogts:
- 24/12/20: Hon. Warwick Smith AO:
Warwick Smith agreed to join the board in September 2018 as the corporate equivalent of a ‘trophy wife’, to show off to potential sucke… err, investors.
Interestingly, he is the former director of Macquarie Bank, and therefore a former colleague of Bill Moss, also formerly of Macquarie Bank and who talked up the battery factory in broad vague terms, and had a hand in having Mayor Jenny Hill squired on an American jolly, where she was well and truly snowed – conned or recruited remains a moot point – by flim flam folk in this whole battery deal.
Leslie Hoskins joined the Magnis board in March last year, presumably taking a (losing) punt on Magnis after a career in various energy industry positions, the frequency of which does not inspire confidence.
Magnis over the years has announced many ‘binding’ & ‘non-binding’ dealings with major international corporations, which have never, to date, come to fruition. Magnis had $433,000 in cash at 31 December 2019, recently raised $1 million and has an estimated cash spend of $1,903,000 for the current quarter. Thus, financially, Magnis is operating on a month to month basis in terms of cash funding. Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that the Magnis/Imperium3’s proposal of a battery factory was always highly speculative. Magnis and Imperium3 have no history In operating a large scale battery plant. Their battery technology is unconventional and unproven commercially.
In 2018, the Magnis price was 37 cents … this week, it is 8 (eight) cents.
These were the people with whom Jenny Hill was doing business
So Here Is The Big Question For Jenny Hill, Which Should Be Asked By The CCC …
Jenny, you, ruling by fiat in the council as you do, had your jolly to the USA, came back and claimed deal of a land swap for equity in this already wobbly enterprise. Any business needs land to operate, we know that. For instance, you gave the impression Magnis have a battery plant in New York – which they more or less do. They have this, 0.8 hectares, from the last annual report:
M3NY leases its Endicott, New York facility on a month to month basis. The lease is for an area of up to 200,000 square feet of commercial space for a discounted annual rate of US$2.99 per square foot for the initial two years of the lease. Subject to the execution of a long-term lease agreement, the lessor reserves the right to recover the discounted rent and fifty percent of the waived expenses which total approximately US$4.40 per square foot. At June 30, 2019, the Company leased approximately 85,000 square feet. Additional space will be utilised as operations develop.
200,000 square feet equals 2 hectares.
The world’s largest battery manufacturer, CATL, has 87 hectares of land in Germany to build up to a 100 GWh plant. Magnis has never said what the GWh capacity of their plant was eventually planned to be.
SO HERE’S THE QUESTION MAYOR HILL: WHY DID YOU DO A DEAL TO GIFT THIS TWO-BIT BLUE SKY COMPANY DRIVEN BY EASILY IDENTIFIED WHITE SHOE URGERS 400 HECTARES – YES, FOUR-BLOODY-HUNDRED HECTARES – AT WOODSTOCK. 400 HECTARES!!!
Was Magis thinking of going into farming?
Or did they just see coming a mile off, shopping for a harbour bridge, and promised you some sort of equity? Or was there something in it for you, when there was so much other state-controlled land available in far more suitable positions, where you couldn’t get a ‘consideration’ because that brought George Street into play? For the lawful purpose of transparent, accountable and sustainable land use planning, the relevant Act appears to require of the TCC to provide a transparent case for industrial use of unrenewable land resources, where existing or renewable industrial land remain available for use.
A transparency which you sure haven’t demonstrated. Even the state government gave you a rap on the knuckles on this one.
Then The ‘Oh Shit’ Moment
The new Belcarra Laws scuttled your deal and the creation of a dodgy council development corporation – just like the one they had at Ipswich – so the ratepayers have been protected from you and your devious stupidity.
Oh, but wait a sec … as previously asked, were you conned, or were you recruited? That’s the real question, and will surely be asked sooner or later by the CCC.
One Cowboy Outfit After Another Cowboy Outfit.
OK, declaration: only a dinner party rumour, but from someone who is likely to know … Adani has offered front-end loader full of rupees for a Cowboy’s sponsorship of some sort. And the board is actually considering whether or not to grab the cash.
Let us hope sanity prevails. Apart from continually pointing bout that these Indian arsesoles are corporate crooks of the first order, The Magpie would not otherwise care less … but since it is up to News Ltd (speaking of corporate crooks) who still have a big say in all things Cowboy, let us hope sanity prevails.
Imagine if the ‘Boys (The ‘Pie refuses to call them the Cows) ran on for games with a strip featuring the name Adani. There would be protests at every ground around Australia at which they played, the boys and the executive would be harassed in their private lives, and demonstrations here in Townsville would possibly result in what some if the locals call ‘summary justice’.
Just what our city needs as we hopefully soon start the long and slow rehabilitation of reputation as a decent place to live and work.
News Ltd’s Wrestle With Reality Continues Apace
For an outfit that claims to bring you plain, unvarnished facts as news, perhaps News Ltd should take a look at it’s own corporate utterances.This week, from Mumbrella, we got this from the discombobulated big cheese Michael Miller in Sydney HQ.
Miller said in the artcle:
We have seen better than seasonal growth on our sales, and no impact on our run rate for consumer subscriptions either.”
Well, he would say that, wouldn’t he, but … but … but … splutter splutter … hang on, there was this just a few days ago …
Love The New Daily’s cheeky subtle editorial comment by putting the story on the background of a zoo promotion. But it all goes to make the question from this protestor all the more pertinent.
And Here In Townsville, Still They Wonder …
…why their credibility and their readership is shot to smithereens. It is isn’t just at the corporate level.
Last Tuesday , the Astonisher raided the Courier Mail and lifted one of those homogenous all state stories (that are free) written by property professionals. These articles, which don’t have a bias towards this local market, are just lifted holus-bolus and whacked in the paper to fill space (rapidly dwindling advertising in the paper means there’s plenty of space to fill). So these things are checked very closely if at all. So we got:
The story was one of those feel-good pieces, with the Einsteinian insight that if you got a good price for your home, you’d be happy. But it seems no one at the Astonisher checked the closing paragraphs of the copy, which, clearing referring to anywhere north of Mackay, as most southerners designate FNQ.
“It wasn’t all good news though, with Far North Queensland emerging as the unhappiest place in Australia. “Far North Queensland doesn’t have what you would call a stable economy, not like Brisbane or Sydney or Melbourne where there is strong infrastructure, financial centres, health centres,” Mr Armstrong said.
He said the FNQ had “a greater level of shift worker, mining industry, tourism industry, these industries can be very volatile, these are the sorts of people that can be affected by an inability to borrow money, these are the people banks probably clamped down on and areas where banks held back because of more uncertainty about income and employment”.
Mr Armstrong said he did expect tourism and mining areas to see a bit more volatility as China adjusted to a post-coronavirus world. “Queensland can be a two tiered market because it does have places that rely on mining and tourism. I think those areas will probably drag their feet a little bit,” he said.”
Oh, shit, we’re all rooned, we cried.
BUT NO! How wrong could we be, that Armstrong fella was just an old worry-wart who clearly didn’t have the inside running on the local Townsville scene. Be cause THE VERY NEXT DAY and IN THE VERY SAME PAPER, we got this from real estate agents, a group of fair minded unbiased businessmen not given to hyperbole, flowery exaggeration or –gasp! – lying.
Yup, it was about who’d sold the most properties in the local market. Which was no yardstick to anything.
Only one question hovers in the air – who are the paper’s biggest advertisers locally? Answers on a postcard to the sales manager (property section), Townsville Bulletin, please.
But Then, Often The Bulletin’s Base Stupidity Is No Laughing Matter
Like this, when today (Sat) we got this front page
OK, fair enough …and this story in side, again decrying how this teenage snots use social media to boast of their exploits.
The … wait for it … after much moral outrage that this little bastards would use social media and home videos to give the finger to society, what did the paper do? On it’s swebsite, it posted the said video on the biggest platform the little pricks could hope for … the Townsville Bulletin.
=But News specialises in this sort of thing. Last week, some indigenous Neanderthals chased and bashed up a young girl in Cairns. The paper was outraged that they had videoed the attack … AND THEN THEY POSTED IT OIN THEIR WEBSITE, EVEN ADMITTING IT WAS NOT A SUITABLE THING TO DO.
Yeah, well ‘sickening’ doesn’t just apply to those in the video.
Jenny Redux – Those Who Don’t Know History Are Bound To repeat It
Well, associate editor of the Bulletin Jenny Hill has given the paper it’s policy orders for the rest of the campaign … a return to the totally false canard of a threat of a ‘fractured council’ if she and her arm aerobics team don’t get back in. She claims that if she doesn’t get back with a majority team, we will have a council of in-fighting and stalled progress. Actually she had the colossal gall to tell the Bulletin: “This election is a choice between the stability and proven track record of Team Jenny Hill or the risk of a fractured council that argues and holds the city back through self-interest’.
Say what? It is not worth our time even starting to pointing out the breadth of that deceit.
(And BTW, that story was a free kick for The Mullet, the Bulletin didn’t even bother to seek out Cox for a comment to run in the same story, as would be normal professional practice. And The Bulletin’s too-clever-by-half tactic the following day was to run a luke-warm couple of dissenting comments in a story that again aired in full the mayor’s lying claims in full, but still no Cox. Get ready for this sort of imbalance in the run-up to the election.)
Those who were around at the time – which disqualifies practically all but two Bulletin reporter (Tony Raggatt and John Anderson) and the paper’s editor, and certainly all the kiddy TV reporters – this is exactly the tactic Jenny Hill and the paper promoted unmercifully – without any justification and without any allowed contradiction in the final run-up to the fateful 2012 election. The paper’s biased wailing was constant – in-fighting and stalled progress by those devil’s incarnate Townsville First – when in fact what they were doing with democratically elected majority was saving the city from some of the worst excesses of the mayor, who tried to rule by fiat. Some of those excesses have now been seen as the failures they always were going to be (kerbside pick-up and no dump vouchers for one). The Adani airstrip rort would never have happened under that council, not would the murky Lansdown mess even be a consideration. But the electorate bought it lock, stock and steaming pile of bile that it was … and we all know the result of that, thank you, you smart voters.
So get ready for a panicked ‘the sky is about to fall’ tsunami of smears and outright lies. Fortunately, since 2012, the paper’s readership has halved, so things might be different this time.
Sam Cox On Crime …
… which highlights the current massive imbalance Townsville faces because of the mayor’s party politics.
Sam writes:
Here’s a good one for you.
Today’s Courier, a few break-ins and luxury cars being stolen around Ascot by a gang. In response 15 extra police, plus Polair plus additional bicycle police assigned immediately in a 6 month trial to clean up crime. Compare to umpteen break-ins and cars stolen in one night in Townsville but still forced to wait for the extra police committed at the last election.
Yes of course it’s a State issue, everyone knows that, but when the State fails to address it someone has to say enough is enough and do something. Our State representatives follow the party line trotted out from Brisbane and look the other way, and our Party aligned Mayor just accepts it.
If the Mayor won’t get stuck into our state MPs to stand up for Townsville, I will. If Jenny Hill won’t come out from behind closed Party doors and publicly stand up to the State government, I will.
I hate to think what things will be like if Townsville has to endure another four years of more of same from the current Mayor.
Let’s hope he’s as good as his word if he gets in.
Ponder This …
… the next time you get the blues about our national leadership. Peter Hartcher, no dill and a fair minded commentator, had this think piece in today’s (Sat) SMH.
Now contrast that with this … several consecutive statements by the Tangerine Anus in the White House, making it clear that he is an unfit leader of anywhere, let alone the USA.
But the political attention this week is shared by the Dems, as they still try to find someone in the same weight division to take on the reigning palooka.
There’s A Job At The Bulletin Waiting For The Author Of The This.
Hadn’t seen this for a while, but as someone interested in language – and trying to work out what some commenters are trying to say, this is fascinating – thought it worth a re-run.
Yup, trluy atonhsining.
I cdnuolt blveiee
taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The
phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at
Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the
ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the
first and last ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a
taotl mses and you can still raed it wouthit a porbelm. This
is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by
istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?
There will be those journos at the Astonisher who will not see anything wrong with this.
…………..
Things are heating up, lots more that there was no room for this week, and blog numbers have soared in the past month, so have you say in comments, or send in info that you feel needs to be aired. And hey, The ‘Pie knows he makes a light-hearted mention of this each week, but he really does need a bit of a hand with some blog-related expenses right now. So if you think the blog is worth supporting, giving you valuable information you’ll never get from the Bulletin, and can help out with a donation, you can hit the button below.
Another great blog Pie , Mayor Mullet really does put her foot in her mouth , “the Mayor predicts their will be mudslinging during the election “. The same Mayor who attacked Qantas our national carrier , blamed the baby bonus on crime in Townsville and blaming charities for the itinerants in the City and tries to scare the voters “her team or a fractured team ” . On another subject , Cairns reliance on international tourism is biting with 12,000 room cancellations , forward bookings down 60% , Jetstar Brisbane -Cairns $69 .
Pie, Some of your newer readers may not understand your reference to Our Jenny and darts. Recommend a link to the video.
The Elton concert was sensational
To all the knockers, you were wrong
Agree J Jones. Even getting out of town again didn’t prove to be too big of a problem – and we drove our car in.
Excellent result for Townsville. The ‘Pie drove past late in the afternoon, and it was heartening to see the crowds strolling towards to stadium in the late afternoon sun, gave the place an almost ‘Californian loose’ buzz. How many people there? Checked with the Bulletin website this morning (9.40) and the latest news is, as usual, a day or two old. Leaving this sort of thing up on a website makes it look as up-to-date as button-up boots.
Yes, by all reports Rocket Man was the total professional with an outstanding world class performance. He touched down in style and took off in style on his hired private jet well before midnight. Probably had to pay old mate Gill at airport penalty fees for keeping required ground crew on standby !
Can’t for the life of me understand why EJ wouldn’t head down to Flinders Street East, post concert, for a glass of champagne and a meet the locals !
Good taste, maybe.
Yes, Jatz, as you say, ‘by all reports’ a great show … not that you’d know it from the Astonisher. All they have up on their site (posted just after 11am) is a gallery of photographs of the punters outside the stadium. No crowd or concert shots inside (and don’t come the old one about cameras being banned, that’s a joke in this day and age). The paper hasn’t come up with a crowd number or a colourful column piece, which one would have thought would have been a priority given all the hoopla surrounding the event. Fortunately, those attending had a good time that was not dependent on a lazy complacent Townsville Bulletin. And despite the 12 to 24 hour news cycle now standard everywhere else, those of us who didn’t attend will just have to wait until tomorrow for the gushing to start.
IF ANYONE HAS SOME PICS OF THE CONCERT AND CROWD INSIDE , EMAIL IN TO email hidden; JavaScript is required .
Here ya go … great shot, looks like a full house. How did the Astonisher miss it, it was on their favourite news feed … Facebook.
Not a full house by a long shot. I had a good hard look and estimated 70% .of total capacity.
But a fantastic night – Reggie still has it. We had great seats. The digital light show was breathtaking at times.
The last time I saw EJ was in December 1980 at Festival Hall in Brisbane on his 21 at 33 tour. No comparison with last nights spectacle, but he was more comfortable with the high notes back then.
Quite surprising that there has been no coverage of how the parking and public transport actually worked.
Beyond Magpie’s observation and the other comment posted here.
The town spruikers at TEL and the other gullible tossers around this town will be shitting themselves that the battery factory has finally succumbed to the brain fart it always was, it made up many billions of the billions that are meant to signal an impending boom time for Gunnaville and was the lead gunna happen project on their long list. I guess now they will just have to find another fictional multi billion dollar project to take its place, they should have that sorted by Wednesday, Thursday at the latest.
Interesting to note that in his two page spread about all the wonders of progress and jobs about to unfold for Townsville, Tony Raggatt did not once mention the battery factory, but the ‘solar power station at Woodstock gets a guernsey. Which must mean he knew there was a problem. But he didn’t report it?
Yes it’s a shame what has happened to Tony, and the whole paper for that matter, scrutiny of this dodgy deal and it’s suspect proponents should be part of the process. From what I can gather these days reporters don’t actually produce their own stories, they just pass on info given to them by the likes of TEL and the Chamber of Commerce, just adding their own narrative to the spin, just lazy. Going back 10 years I would always as a minimum buy the Sat paper and Wednesday from memory as it had a decent business section, but that has eroded over the years and the business section became nothing more than an advertising section for commercial real estate and stories copied from the Courier Mail or the OZ, who would bother buying it now.
All sadly true, Cankers, but you failed to mention the paper’s biggest source of information … social media. Trolling the web for fun and profit. Hey, don’t knock it, it’s free, something the paper isn’t because they ‘have to pay their journalists’. So they should, but the journalists should do something professional in return. There is nothing quite as galling as coughing up your hard-earned to Rupert to get regurgitated crap pinched from the internet.
Any word on the Double Tree? the Bulli had a 2 page spread on the project pipeline flooding the region with no mention of this one. TEL celebrated its wins in opposition to Sam Cox’s funding plan and no mention here. The tourism conference agenda held by TEL is out celebrating all things tourism I infrastructure and again nothing? Has someone finally seen reason, has the deal fallen over? Or has the powers at the top decided to scrap this for parking?
A start on Double Tree – a real one, not the current scratchings posing as a start – is due, funnily enough – around the time of the election in a couple of weeks … too late for a cancellation ‘we were just kiddin” announcement to make any difference.
Hutchies have been pricing this, as well as the Cowboys building next door, so many months away yet from anyone digging in the ground, other than the Mullet and 3 stooges with their silver shovels. The Cowboys building will start in a couple of months, they actually have the funding where as the hotel are at the “ why the fuck is it going to cost that much” stage.
But for the life of him, The ‘Pie cannot see a hotel of any level making a go of it in that location. great on event weekends, maybe, but the rest of the time, well …
I agree, but are we about to have our first Coronavirus casualty in Townsville, the Double Tree Hotel, a timely escape if ever there was one, can you imagine the headline in the Astonisher, “ Coronavirus kills hotel” and the usual list of failures from the Mayor Mullet to Little Pattie dribbling shit about how tragic it is for Townsville that Coronavirus has prevented this project from happening, and that now is not the time to be cutting funding to TEL.
Bourbon and beefsteak for brekky, mate?
The Astonisher’s headline in today’s was sensational enough. “Reef HQ Drowning”
Which is NOT the story – yet.
Walking over to the stadium from Fletcher St, there was a corflute attached to a survey peg marking it as “future hotel site”.
Like those a few years ago at Bluewater proclaiming’Future Space Port site’.
I’ll check the back of them to see if they were recycling!
I did read the story about the mayor telling everyone not to vote inderpendents inamd that she cant communicate with them. And the same story sue bloome says she emailed her late last year without a reply. Her own fault id say. I think by memory from last election campaign the mayor lied about being blocked, but there were alot of votes during the tsv first time and id say no more then 10 out of 3000 odd were blocked. Pretty good working council if you ask me. But this term 100% votes for everything, how great!! Except its brought the city to a hault and we have 500 million in debt as opposed to 300 million when she won. Yep dont vote those independents in they might fix everything. And she will get her base as usual that obviously dont care about being screwed over by a liar. I hope tje same people who voted Phil Thompson in are still around and vote her out.
Your points, CD, once deciphered, are fair enough but PLEASE, have some respect, and courtesy towards your fellow readers and stop being lazy … check your grammar and syntax … and names … it’s Blom. Your creative punctuation makes some of your statements very ambiguous. The ‘Pie really doesn’t have the time to be your personal sub … but hey, it’s your credibility, mate, which is greatly diminished by the disrespectful ‘lazinmess’ (not a typo).
Harumph!!
Sorry, from experience my opinion of Blom isn’t very high. She doesn’t come across as the sharpest tool in the shed, more like a compliant seat warmer. Division 2 are really caught between the devil & the deep blue sea…
How well does our local ABC report on what happens in our local community/council etc. Can someone tell me as I haven’t tuned in to them for awhile.
Sadly, unlike their pioneering senior productions like Four Corners, 7.30 and Media Watch, local ABC radio takes a very timid approach to any investigative inquiry, clearly a ‘don’t rock the boat’ policy because when you start elbowing any level of government or government connected organisation, you are open to coercive complaints to HQ. Paula (The Mauler) Tapiloas was about the last local journo to ask straight, fair questions, a bit of the perfumed steamroller about her, but from whatv I can gather, she was shunted sideways with some sort of off-air promotion, although Pat Hessian had his occasional moments, too. But now, so anodyne … their motley crew sometimes ask tough questions on soft subjects “isn’t your bread contributing to obesity?’ sort of stuff. Sad, really, especially when you see the real value of the ABC on state and national affairs.
Pie you are in true form today.
Whether Mayor Hill likes it or not crime is 1&2 on people’s minds at present and you have my word crime abatement will be one of my priorities should I become Mayor. By that i mean i will call out the local three state government representatives and the Premier if need be until we have the streets back and public safety restored. They State needs to stop pussy footing around. School attendance is a pretty easy place to start looking for early warning signs of trouble ahead. Why is it not enforced? I think then we would see that certain families are not capable of raising their own children. Put simply either the parents are given support if that’s possible or out of a Duty of Care for the children, the child should be given the support they need by having somewhere safe to live and where care and consideration is given to their general health and wellbeing until if and when the can return. This crisis is a generation in the making and will be a generation in correcting and sadly a whole generation lost. These kids that are allowed to continue scaring residents, risking lives along with a Qld Country Stadium full of victims will become adults at 18! Then what will the cost be in social terms to the community and become of them?
While crime is a hot button and a priority I still stand by my initial #1policy, Back to Basics roads , rates, water and rubbish style of council.
In the next week i will have in full my water security and supply policy out.
Unlike the mayors plan that resembles Swiss cheese and has no urgency what so ever.
Townsville has a very unique situation no other city in the country has, water security and lots of it from the mighty Burdekin Dam right on our doorstep. We can get it right, delivered at the right price, attain absolute supply and free up the current water storage, Ross Dam for flood mitigation #1 and more recreational uses.
4 weeks to go before we all get that chance to Vote for change.
Thanks for that Sam. The ‘Pie’s only note of caution there is be ready for the onslaught of the professional aboriginal industry and its fellow travellers screaming about you advocating another ‘stolen children’ policy. You are right in your estimations, but political correctness and wilful blindness to real solutions is making kids victims of neglect and direction who, in turn, create victims themselves with their angry and aimless lawlessness.as you say, they should have proper support. Perhaps one way might be to seek legally supported powers for elders to take appropriate action of care for these children. If its allowed to go on, it is inevitable that there will be fatal violence involved beyond self-inflicted accidents.
Also, mate, don’t let critics embroil you in an endless, circular argument … just take your stand and let it stand, don’t engage during the campaign. Afterwards is a different matter.
Points noted. Luckily there are still many elders willing to help and commit.
Cheers
Giving Cox advice on how to proceed/strategy? Based on what? Credentials please Mr Townsville Magpie, so I can understand!
Based on the logic of what is said. Disagree with it if you will, but stick your attempts at an ad hominen attack up your cloaca.
Based on commonsense, I would guess.
Mullet: hello Dolan, this is Jen Jen.
Dolan: what now Hillsong?
Mullet: Cox is starting to hurt me
Dolan: tell your hubby to put it back in his pants until after the election. No erection until after the election
Mullet: no Sam Cox! I need your help Dolan. He’s actually making sense whenever he opens his mouth and now he’s saying he’s got a water saving and supply policy. I thought you told me we didn’t have a water problem. And he’s talking about going back to basic Council stuff. No corruption, no jobs for mates, no confidential meetings, no overseas junkets. He’s destroying my livelihood. Anyway I need help to destroy his credibility. I know I have better dress sense than him, and the Cowboys love me…don’t they? Or is that love affair over now that Laurence Alloverme has left town? And I’m a better liar than Cox. But my biggest obstacles are I have no common sense, I’m full of self importance and I still tow the party line even though the party hates me. I can’t say anything about crime in the city because I rely on their parents votes. I fucked up the Adani and the Battery plant exchange of favours and despite my attempts to get my brown paper bags from them I haven’t had much luck. And don’t talk to me about Jamie Durie! It’s easier to get a payout from a dying Maltese relly. Anyway Dolan, do something. The sexy purple dress ain’t doing it on its own anymore. So what do you suggest?
Dolan: Ring Mooney.
Mullet: what’s he going to do?
Dolan: get you a seat on the hospital board. It worked for me!
A couple of points that Sam doesn’t seem to be articulating anywhere are around ensuring that he will oversee a council that is transparent to the community at all levels of council from the Customer Service Centre to the Mayor and Councillors, that Council will provide clear information about decisions made to the community so that community members don’t have to seek information through the convoluted FOI process, that he will ensure that all council projects have comprehensive business cases with realistic and measurable KPI’s and outcomes and this should include grant funding agreements for funding provided to outside organisations such as TEL, PBR, Glendi Festival, NAIDOC Week Festivals. This would ensure that the ratepayers have some confidence in the way their rates dollars are being expended.
On another issue, Sam should think about how a new Council could go about independently reviewing staffing levels across all sections of council to ensure that the number of staff employed in each section actually meets the work demands of that section e.g I’m told that the staff levels in the Planning section have not decreased in a few years despite the decreased number of planning applications submitted to council. This might also identify how many middle managers, some of them being political appointments on level 6 and above that can be culled from the council staff structure.
Valid suggestions, but The ‘Pie can tell you now, Sam and the councillors will be greatly limited in possible input into staffing levels. Not sure, haven’t checked yet, but think under the LG laws, the CEO has been given even greater control over that area. Which one supposes is as it should be – when you think about it, the minutiae of staffing levels and competency should not be the purview of elected councillors, although certainly strong suggestions can be made. Especially if councillors and the mayor, while doing their job of representing constituents, find things aren’t happening because of staff problems. remember, the council can vote to find another CEO and not renew the current contract.
Afternoon Sam, if you’re in the market for a bodyguard/security officer I’m available. GG
Cue the ‘Bodyguard’ music, roll slow motion scene : Take 1 – GG carrying Sam Cox out of nightclub.
Ff,
It has been a slow day for you, hasn’t?
I confess. Yes.
Unfortunately schools can do very little either. I know of one school where kids were sent home on the first day of term because of unruly behavior.
There is another stolen generation coming, but it’s because the kids are being left with their parents rather than being removed.
As I thought Mr Magpie, you’re a self-opinionated dickhead.
Beautifully argued. What you are trying to say in your endearingly juvenile way is that The ‘Pie has an opinion that you don’t share. And you can’t attack on irrelevant personal matters because you don’t know any. Boo hoo, buddy.
G’day Pie, as regular viewers will know I was killed off in last nights ABC episode – three shots in the back from a high powered rifle, unknown assailant! Sounds like something you might do CampPAIN Manager.
I would like to suggest to you (CampPAIN), you couldn’t manage a piss-up in a brewery!
PS – All good readers, I’m still here, it was only a TV script that rubbed me out!
And how about you share your skill set?
Hint. Don’t like what is said here, scroll on.
I would guess this is just the beginning of what they endearingly call in US politics as “rat fucking”.
‘Scroll on by’, Astro. Good one! A parody of the classic ‘Walk on by’.
Hey pie, wow a dickhead? At least he didn’t call you a Cox sucker!
Tut tut tut. In because it is funny.
You cant be much of a campaign manager because your not saying anything about the floods. NUMBER 3 on peoples minds are still the floods behind crime. For fucks sake.
hahahaha, some classic Bulletin maths there … ‘NUMBER 3 on peoples minds are still the floods behind crime.’ ??? So what’s number 1, since apparently crime is 2 and floods are three?
Pie – Quick training session on Politics 101 : 1+1=3
I was referring to sams comment saying crime was 1&2 on peoples minds. Sorry if i was incorrect with what he meant, thats where 3 came from.. Weather there’s a class action on the way dosnt mean a mayoral candidate shouldn’t be talking about what the incumbent mayor did or didnt do during a catastrophe. And i know so many people in and around Fairfield waters that want to know what happened. Asking questions during an election is what these people want. Getting answers might be hard.
But it is an area for a candidate to be cautious about, because as you say, no answers will be forthcoming in the timeframe the campaign, and that can only leave Cox in the tricky position of making unresolved insinuations. Which might not be a good look. BUT he can say is that intends to kick in some Brisbane doors and get to the bottom of the water release if elected.
I don’t think Sam should talk about the Floods. There is certainly a Class Action being framed up. The new or re-elected mayor will be in a tight spot with Council either supporting flood victims who stand to receive substantial payouts or the broader rate paying community likely to foot that bill. Like it not, one for the lawyers.
CM,
And who’s campaign do you manage?
Offended by something Magpie said ? I suggest you go to your doctor and get a prescription for a pair of testicles taken with a cup of cement then harden up.
I would like to have my two bobs worth in stating the bloody obvious regarding Townsvilles water supply. At the moment we have a large pipeline that can let the likes of JT stand up erect, the only problem is that it has no start or finish and heading in the wrong direction. Stage two needs to be momentarily stopped until Stage 2 of the BFD is completed and raised the full 14.5 m. then the water can be gravity fed, imagine that, no money given to Ergon. The RRD dam at the moment is close to the 38m mark so we will not need to pump for a long time, remember the wet season has a way to go, expect more rain around the 10 March with a super moon due to be upon us. The biggest hurdle is the Queensland State Government who are prepared to spend 15billion on a useless tunnel in Brisbane, when a mere 1.5 billion will give us the BFD2. which is shovel ready. As Sam has stated the RRD is to be used purely for flood mitigation then the water from the Burdekin can be treated separately. Unfortunately the states control the dam infrastructure, so when you have the likes of our Labor Mayor and a Labor Government, my dreams will fly with the pigs.
Pipeline from the burdekin will cost over 1 billion dollars minimum . No way can that capital cost be justified nor will the State fund it.
Water rates would have to double just to pay off the infrastructure loan over the next 50 years even at 3% interest.
Interest costs on capital expenditure will be more than the power costs to pump water from the Clair weir.
Well professor, the stage 2 pipeline is funded by the federal government, even though it is a state responsibility, most state funding stops at Noosa and then the next section is Cairns. Stadium not fully funded by state, port dredging etc, so what you are saying is that the supposed capital of North Queensland should not be looked after? It looks like the 3 dropkicks and the Mayor are not doing their jobs, hence their employment needs to be terminated.
PF as OT stated it’s ok to fund Cross River Rail to the tune of $5.6 billion and rising to get 200,000 people to and from work 20 minutes earlier. Mind you the project is not required for another 30 years. That is why the Feds refuse to fund it.
But it is a waste of $1.5 billion to fund a project that would benefit most of the state.
The other factor that PF has not considered is that if the RRD was made a fully flood mitigation and recreational source, then maybe be the billions that the last flood caused and is still causing, could possibly be a factor in lowering insurance premiums for instance.
I understood that the dam had such high inflow in such a short time to fill it something like 3 or 4 times regardless of the floodgates being fully open? Even if it would have been at 0% it would’ve had to release a substantial amount of water at the same flow rates… Not sure how much flood mitigation is achievable with such an event.
And if we are talking billion dollar investments, would a de-sal plant not make more sense and be even more secure?
No way, that would be very wrong-headed since we are sitting (relatively) on the door step of one Australia’s mightiest dams, and one with wonderful multiple potential, if North Queensland and downstream water security meant anything to those in power.
Sounds like the Elton John concert was amazing, but giving away free tickets to bolster the crowd is going to have a very negative impact on our chances of getting more big concerts in the future.
The promoter of the EJ concert, Michael Chugg, is the biggest in the business, and now has first hand knowledge that:
* Staging concerts in Townsville’s open air stadium during the monsoon season is akin to playing Russian Roulette. NB: had the concert been held one week earlier it would have been a total washout
* There is no guarantee that big acts will sell out in Townsville, as is emphasised by the fact they had to get the Cowboys to give away thousands of free tickets to prevent Elton (and Jenny) from embarrassment. (If the estimate on this blog that the stadium was only 70% full is accurate, and factoring in the thousands of free tickets, just how many tickets were actually sold?)
AND
* It is much more profitable and a lot less trouble to put on extra concerts in the capital cities, rather than bring them up to Townsville. Unless, of course, we ratepayers stump up a few million dollars to make up the shortfall.
Given that we are already almost $600 million in debt, I can’t see that happening too often.
I don’t have any photo’s, but here’s my wrap up of the event. We parked on Charters Towers Rd and caught the free bus. Got dropped off at Ogden St and walked across the bridge. The stadium was impressive, very big and lots of free room. Whether it was due to the stage and screens blanking off the open end or not, there was zero breeze in there and it was bloody hot. We had seats on the flat, which were the usual plastic chairs, but they were cable tied together with minimal spacing. I had to turn side on in my chair so as not to press up against the woman on my left, but I was in bodily contact with my wife for over 2 1/2 hrs and we weren’t happy. Our clothing was saturated with sweat. It was running down our backs and dripping off my hair. A few people vacated their seats and went to a better place.Elton was energetic, vibrant and thankful , but he’s lost his vocal range. Quite a few songs were only recognisable by the words he was yelling and not what should have been the melody. Exiting the stadium was very slow, 15 mins to go 40 metres. – Not enough exit stairs. We returned to Ogden St and immediately boarded our bus. In summary, the free public transport was excellent, the seating on the flat was abysmal (can’t speak for the permanent seating in the stands) and the show was nostalgic and powerful, but not the Elton of old. No need at all for seating to be so close together. At $339 per seat, one would expect to have a pleasant evening. .It really was a very uncomfortable endurance that we won’t be repeating. It looks like we’ll still be going to Brisbane or Sydney for the big acts
My free seats in the corporate box area were fantastic. Particularly for the price! A lot of spares around us and there were many spare seats at the back of house. So a long way from a full house. No way you could watch EJ from beyond halfway so relied on the side screens for the view of him and his brilliant band.
Yep, his voice has lost the range but he didn’t resort to backup singers to hit he high notes for him which so many of his contemporaries need. The quality of sound was OK without being spectacular.
Beer ran out at 8pm in the area I was in and the queues to get a drink before EJ were long – and drinks very pricey. It was congested getting out of the stadium but no worse that other places. The toilets are impressively large. The stadium is well designed for footy. The bus queue at the bus stadium were around the block. Flinders St was buzzing so that was a good thing. The teething problems will be sorted. The place works, so long as it doesn’t rain.
My daughter got online at 3pm on Saturday and purchased seats for $99 , went to stadium to find seats and they were 20 metres from stage and in the centre. Loved every minute of it.
Got a feeling you could win lotto and still find something bad about that
Conspiracy Theory Time : Here’s the big question Pie. Most of us who have taken an interest have known forever that Magnis was a pretender. We also knew the land size area being offered was beyond ridiculous. Therefore, what was the REAL reason for securing the land in the first place? Magnis happening, 400 hectares promised, much publicity to get community excited, Magnis falls over, community needs more excitement, 400 hectares now available for something else, what can we give the community to make them think we can still deliver imaginary jobs? – I can only think of something like Cattle feedlots, fattening land, beef processing, direct rail to Port for export?
A mullet fish farm?
Got one already. Sewage ponds at the treatment works.
I heard they are wanting to build another refinery out there.
Hot off the TCC Tenders site “Tender for Project Partners for Development of the Lansdown Industrial Precinct – Round 4.
The Council seeks tenders to lease, buy or otherwise deal with land within the Lansdown Industrial Precinct from parties with an interest in carryout out industrial uses upon completion of the planning scheme amendment process”.
I’m sure that “otherwise deal” is nothing dodgy…
400 hectares = 1 Solar farm.
And has our transparent mayor mentioned that anywhere? It sure will have bugger all to do with Magnis shysters.
Just spent the weekend at Terrigal, LOL kids enjoyed the water without having to avoid stingers but getting wide eyed about stories of sharks or blue ringed octopuses in rockpools. I didn’t even mention we were in the funnel web belt…
Anyway I haven’t graced the area for 25 years, some changes & a little more development but the Gosford City Council seem reasonable especially after seeing the explosion of development through Erina. I thought they have done well with the balancing act. Ad hoc is about as polite as I can be about my comparative description of Townsville City Council…
Top spot that Dave, go every year or two myself, nothing like listening to the waves roll in against the rocks all night, it is a great example of a place managing development whilst maintaining a character and lifestyle even though it is a fast growing area, Townsville city council would do well to look at a place like Terrigal and apply it to North Ward/Strand.
Townsville should look at Yeppoon, with its infinity pool and beautiful beach front attractions with thriving bustling restaurants, coffee shops and bars… what did our leaders do instead: spend millions putting a mall in, then pulling it out, Mooney tried to make Flinders St east even uglier and was forced to demolish the ridiculous facades and then Tyrell had to have the big waste of our money, Riverway, where when the swimming pool is not leaking it gets flooded when Jenny had to let the Ross Dam get to 240% and then release it….
Riverway’s all year round swimming lagoons, sports complex, theatre, gallery and gardens have been greatly appreciated by locals for many years now. They have been disregarded and underpublicised by TCC because they were built by the former Thuringowa Council (with Federal and State funding!), but those of us who use these facilities really value them.
Insider, I agree that the Riverway is a geat community place enjoyed by the locals. Its a pity the repairs to the main buiding and cafe are taking so long. Pools are great.
Agree; Townsville Council pretend it doesn’t exist and regularly leave it out of their many tourist publications/ information.
Blue bottles everywhere sometimes in the surf.
Top marks to Sam Cox for taking the time to comment on Magpie’s blog, let’s hope he continues talking to the people once he is elected Mayor. Many residents are sick of the secret Council business going on. The residents are the employers of the Councillors, they are spending our rates and taxes, we don’t want to hear the bullshit commercial in confidence statements ever again. We want a transparent council that is in it for the people not themselves. We don’t want Councillors we only see on glossy billboards during the lead up to an election
There are sometimes valid reasons, as stated in legal documents, for commercial in confidence agreements, (the reasons are easily googled) but this process has been bastardised by both business and government for behaviour verging corruption. If there is a council order that some agreement is CIC, given our dodgy history under this and previous regimes (yes, Your Radiance, lookin’ at you), Sam would do himself a favour if he said fas mayor he would explain why something was CIC, as much as he can without breaching the basic purpose of the laws.
Driving down Ross River Road this morning, and I see Russ Cook has parked his little advertising trailer in front of the aboriginal reserve in Cranbrook. Russ clearly hasn’t been keeping up with things going on in his division, because if it’s not locked up or nailed down out here, it’s stolen. But that’s only if ypu can find it – the grass behind the trailer on the road verge is about 2 feet high.
No one steals trailers because it is too expensive to take a load of rubbish to the tip.
And there are those who might suggest this one appears to have a load of rubbish on board already – but not The Magpie, oh, dearie me, no.
Do you have a job Fish, or is posting on blogs you’re job? You post a fair bit – bored, nosey, inquisitive, all of these?
And since you seem to have the time to read them, could we ask the same of you, who sounds appropriately named?
Magpie, I come on here cos I’m bored and for the very occasional laugh it provides.
Perhaps I could come and do some of my compulsory Newstart hours with you and learn some skills? Like how to be facetious, how to drink booze, or how to hate folks with a passion? Let me know so I can tell Centrelink please.
You poor mutt.
Thank you for the good wishes Mr Magpie. I guess that’s a no then.
Rat fucking anyone?
Newstart – I have time because I have found a way to make time. I left a lucrative job to start my own business several years ago. There’s been some extremely lean times, some extremely stressful and busy times, but I’ve battled through. Posting on the Magpie is a social outing for me and being able to interact with others preserves my mental sanity. Please continue to contribute because I truly enjoy what I am reading here.
Still no mention in the Astonisher of the thousands of free tix to Elton John that were handed out through the Cowboys. What’s the problem Mr New Editor, are you worried that people who actually bought tix might be upset, or just trying to put a positive spin on the concert.
For the record I had already bought 2 tix but got another 2 free to give away to rellies or friends. Rang 6 people before I finally found someone prepared to take them.
FF Can you tell us the reasons why there were 6 rejects?
The perfect coffee mug for Jenny, especially when talking to team members.
These are on sale in the village of Corleone in Sicily, of Godfather fame. Sicily is just a short plane hop north of Malta, so perhaps, Madam Mayor, on your next visit to your recently acquired ancestral estate, a little day trip and this could be yours.
It seems the Coronavirus is starting to bite in to passenger travels domestically. Word on the street is that Fuhrer Gill and his puppet masters at Queensland Arseholes Limited are feeling the pinch. Passenger numbers are down at Townsville scareport and also down at the Gold Coast Scareport with both domestic, and particularly International operations. Combine this with little Napoleon Joyce wanting to cut more QF flights from Townsville and you have an insecure and worried Mr Gill. Probably worried about his bonus and QAL salary more than anything, but it makes you wonder how Townsville will go if a grubby backpacker or redneck Councillor is caught coughing up a lung on The Strand and diagnosed with Coronavirus? Has Jenny Hillsong got a backup plan, emergency plan and a business continuity plan, or will the Queen of Pink doona’s just ‘wing it’ as she normally does? After all, you could have Townsville knocked off the world map by a nuclear bomb and Council would still be drawing a wage so they really aren’t affected, or give a flying fistful of monkey crap about what happens.
Colourful.
I personally think Townsville Airport is a joke. Sell it off to an Australian superannuation fund and replace the management I say. Q-Super have a substantial stake in Heathrow Airport and it’s nearby satellite airports. Do the same with ours and make it a real airport.
Oh well, Mullet will now be able to sprook that another project under the City Deal has been ticked off during her rein. Bet TEL buys in on the publicity in an attempt to substantiate their existence for their funding from TCC and other sources.
https://www.star1063.com.au/news/local-news/149685-port-announces-10m-in-new-contracts
Honestly, what the fuck is up with you, Townsville Bulletin? And you too, dozey reporter Madura ‘Teabag’ McCormack, who bleats on social media that she pulls ’90 hour weeks’ … m’dear, wasted hours when you apparently wouldn’t know a real story if it came up and bit her on her split infinitives?
Look at this front page today.
And the alarming news of the aquarium’s decline …
…. and inside, more genuinely alarming stuff about official neglect…
All this is clearly just written from an email release, without a single phone call to anybody (good journos know how to get hold of people on Sundays, so don’t try that on).
And at no stage did Teabag McCormack consider the REAL story … when you report things like ‘critical disrepair’, ‘structure no longer safe’, viewing windows ‘beyond all known life expectancy’ the rooftop substation ‘at risk of collapse’, and ‘much of the structure is no longer safe’, you do not parrot the official line that that the aquarium ‘could be closed for up to 12 months FROM EARLY NEXT YEAR’. Because that means 12 months when unsuspecting members of the public are deliberately put at risk of injury or even death.
FFS, doesn’t that one crucial question bob into your mind? That given the official report, THE REEF HQ AQUARIUM SHOULD BE CLOSED IMMEDIATELY BECAUSE IT IS WELL BEYOND ANY ACCEPTABLE LIMITS OF PUBLIC AND STAFF SAFETY.
Instead, you unquestioningly and inadvertently admit that there will be a year of unacceptable and maybe deadly risk to the public and workers.
That should be your headline, you thick ninnies … that that goes for new iditor, who has a greater responsibility to the public than to be asleep at the wheel with this irresponsible, unprofessional ignorance of journalism 101.
We live in a modern shadow flinching society that dictate’s workers can’t go out in the world without sunscreen and long sleeved hi-vis vests – but a clear danger of injury and more likely death to the public doesn’t rate or register with gormless fuckwits?
No it doesn’t. All it rates is a far from amusing daily cartoon …
… which is going to make the The Townsville Bulletin look – again – like the fucking careless idiots you are if something of the likelihood happens.
Tossers.
Madura is also an unpleasant foot disease, appropriately akin to foot in mouth in this case.
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=madura+foot+disease
From the Spanish verb madurar: madura is: 3rd person singular (él/ella/ello) Present Indicative. ma·du·rar Verb. Translate “madurar” to English: ripen, get ripe, mature, season, turn ripe. Something that her newsaricles aren’t – ripe.
Or in this case, mature.
But for all that, The ‘Pie admits, was written in anger and professional indignation about the aquarium disaster in waiting, Ms McCormack is the best of a motley crew at the Astonisher, and it is easy to believe that she does ‘pull 90 hour weeks’, as she moaned on Facebook recently … and it’s five bucks to a squeezed teabag she doesn’t get overtime. Rupert thinks that’s old fashioned and believes his lower minions should be grateful to have a job in the lucky dip of News International’s promotions ladder.
You’re going soft Pie
You’ve been peeking.
Good one Pie, he must be a Private Dick!
There is something fishy going on here (if you’ll pardon the pun). Design safety factors for structures which threaten the public in the event of failure are (or should be) around 7:1 and in some cases as high as 10:1. It follows therefore that either maintenance has been inadequate, the design was incompetent, the supervision of the construction phase slack, or someone is having a lend of us. Maybe all of the above.
Yup, definitely, all of the above.
Reef HQ Aquarium maintenance may be inadequate
the issue may be the seals between the curved sheets may need redoing
original design by competent Local Consulting Engineers
original construction done by Local Construction Company with very good manager on site and extremely good foreman and tradies who worked together on numerous sites through out QLD and NT
I still have an offcut of the curved acrylic shinkolite sheet produced by Mitsubishi on the counter as a tribute to the vision of the people involved who delivered the Project
Rumour has it that Reef HQ is ‘drowning’ due to rising sea levels from climate change.
Oh, pur-leeeese.
Greta will be live that and start a protest
I’m certain many won’t like this comment but if the 32 year old Reef HQ and the acquarium and have so many structural faults and other issues to make the structures unsafe, I ask has any independent analysis been undertaken by appropriately qualified professionals to determine if it is actually viable and publicly defensible
to spend $26m, at todays value and subject to no further faults or additional works being required over and above works that have currently been identified,on this ageing structure. If not, should
Reef HQ and the acquarium either be replaced or just demolished given the limited visitor numbers to the acquarium etc. The other question that needs to be answered by GBRMPA is how the hell did the GBRMPA let this facility get into such condition, this sounds like very poor facility management and the total lack of making yearly financial provisions for the ongoing maintenance of this facility or is this just another example of the Townsville attitude, we’ll ask for a government grant to do that work.
Also disheartening that Cairns has just recently opened their new super duper aquarium. This isn’t an us-and-them issue or government conspiracy – or is it?
Don’t want to seem over critical, Crits; but would you mind chucking in a few more full stops in?
I can remember the Mullet carrying on like a dickhead about the Cairns aquarium getting coral for it’s tank, somehow she seemed to think Townsville has a exclusive licence on coral, brainless moron. It would be interesting to find out how the Cairns aquarium is doing, it also needed some govt funding to complete construction but seems to have stood on its own feet since.
My understanding is that the Aquarium and GBRMPA are two different entities, but Mr Pie should be able to throw more light on this.
Don’t know the precise set up, but in The ‘Pie’s day (20+ years ago) many of the backroom staff of the aquarium were GBRMPA boffins and grunts. The funding arrangements may be separate, but best guess is that if tested, ultimately, the Marine Park Authority is responsible for the condition of the aquarium area. GBRMPA staff all had unquestioned access to the area, and the head of GBRMPA- back then – had control and the purse strings.
It’s a pity also that the current batch of journo’s don’t know that with the structural issues at Reef HQ, the problem isn’t with the substation but the substrate. Very sloppy and lazy !!
Haven’t read the actual report, so can’t comment – think The ‘Pie has given them a big enough serve.
A question for Sam Cox, if I may;
Sam, I, and many of my friends are keen to know of your support, or otherwise, for the TPAC project. All info in tne link.
Home | Townsville Performing Arts Centre
http://www.tpac.net.au/
Note that the performing arts sell more tickets than sport. We have got a stadium but we need a performing arts centre.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/news/media-centre/media-releases/arts-a-bigger-drawcard-for-international-tourists-than-wineries-casinos-or-sport/&ved=2ahUKEwja_K_FgfvnAhXw63MBHbG3BmEQFjAEegQIBBAB&usg=AOvVaw1dVUgKGr-pyZwvDN_GQq_q
I am not with any committee, I am a supporter of the Arts……………….er, and the Magpie.
A connoisseur of the arts and old farts, eh?
The arts, old farts and body parts.
Remember the rock concert Hair.
I recall in the nude scene where body parts of both genders on stage continued to move well after the music had stopped.
Love to see a local production. Might audition myself. Anyone else out there willing to participate in the performing arts?
Yes, to quote Robert Helpmann explaining why he turned down the opportunity for the lead role in the nude musical ‘Oh, Calcutta’ …’Not everything stops when the music does.’
Nude scenes. I never knew. It has piqued an interest in the performing arts in me.
‘…piqued an interest’? Which is a quaint old saying for … oh, never mind.
Ff,
As a patron or as a performer?
Reggie Dwight concert – Pleased to see the concert go ahead and the stadium open.
Townsville Bulletin reported a crowd of 20,000, 7 local news this evening reports 18,000 – which is it and how many seats were free and/or very heavily discounted?
I wonder how the folks who paid early and in full feel about the above tickets? Do they have a voice, or doesn’t anyone give a pluck?
Guess.
Pie, at the very least the decision to give away and in some cases heavily discount concert tickets, will make punters very wary of rushing in next time.
Will the decision that has been made here hamper early ticket presale/uptake of future stadium events???
Future stadium events? Do ya reckon there’ll be another? There are only so many free tickets and if they had to be used for Reg Dwight’s concert what chance anyone else.
On a commercial basis, the Pope could not fill the stadium, even with the offer of free fish sandwiches.
Now now, the stadium is a fact, and The ‘Pie can think of many entertainment events that could fill the place – his objections to the waste of money the stadium represents is based on the false claims of rejuvenation of the CBD and Townsville’s fortunes in general from a venue with infrequent uses. But let’s not, as a previous commenter criticised, ‘death ride’ suitable events when they are booked.
I always maintained 20 events a year would be the target as a minimum, 12 games of footy and 8 others, and they don’t all have to sell out to be a success, lots of other venues doesn’t sell out. One each of a Rugby and Soccer game, Reds or Roar, both are supposed to be Qld teams, would have to be better than the 8000 they are getting to Lang Park. A few concerts a year ( someone under 50 so the young people will attend) and maybe the Cowboys could get a home final and we have 17 or 18, getting close.
Great return on $300million … be interesting to the bottom line of CBD businesses
Why the carry on about Reef HQ just google Townsville Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Centre. It is right next door to Reef HQ, bled millions and closed without so much of a whimper. Apparently no one wanted to turn up and actually work there…
Speaking of the arts , the Mullet says Council has fixed up its disclosure and openness but try and get a response from T.C.C on Riverway Arts Complex . Strong rumours that Thuringowa library will be relocated there even though it’s current lease doesn’t finish until 2022 . Start adding up the costs this Council has outlayed on failed ventures and labor plants like the $750k handshake to the screaming midget and the impailer .
Coronavirus – potential ban on mass gatherings.
How will that affect the local election that so desperately needs to be held on time and not a day latter?
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-03/coronavirus-covid-19-has-begun-spreading-within-australia/12018688
We are all doomed anyway. Between the two worst things for our local economy – the impending Coronavirus and the existing ‘Pink Doona virus’ we are all up shit creek. Fuck the acquarium eyesore and the stadium that won’t be allowed to be filled at cancelled events due to impending restrictions of group gatherings thanks to the Coronavirus. The only gatherings that will be permitted are the ones where Councillors play pin the tail on the paper bag filled with cash and the game of Piniata where they all smack a giant effigy of Anna Alphabet on the ass with big sticks while hoping for funding and project treats to fall out!
You are in grave error about councillors accepting bribes. Why would anyone pay them anything under the table when there is only one person who calls the shots in Walker Street?
Hahahaha … well, doesn’t this sum it up … a Mayor Mullet supporter selling up for greener pastures?
The Cairns Aquarium cost me $42 to get in .
And your issue is, oh that’s right Townsville is the city of “we expect everything for free”
You can currently get into the Townsville aquarium for free if you dress correctly. Tradie clothes and carry a tube of waterproof sealant.
Plucker, there’s a very good reason why people who actually paid for Elton John tickets aren’t complaining about the freebies – they don’t know about them because the media won’t report the rort.
The Cowboys have also been complicit in this. Had a beer with a mate yesterday who told me he paid $780 for two good Elton seats and raved on about the new stadium, then complained about Elton’s inability to hit the high notes at age 72.
He is also a Cowboys season ticket holder but didn’t mention the free tickets that were supposed to be offered to ALL Cowboys members.
It seems that when sending out the emails offering 2 free tickets, the Cowboys (obviously in conjunction with Ticketmaster) deleted the addresses of people who had already bought Elton tickets.
Downright sneaky and definitely worthy of exposure in the Townsville Bulletin and/or tv news, but….nothing.
Surely one shouldn’t have to pay for an ad in the paper to inform the public about this rort?
Sounds like an investigative job for me, but I couldn’t be fucked, just like most of the rest of Townsville.
I note with horror this mornings news that Sandra Chesney is running for council.
One of her notable vociferous moments was vehemently opposing the construction of Riverway. In order to save her seat at the amalgamation election of 2008 she joined Mooney’s team and was dumped with the rest of them except Jenny Hill…….. and hasn’t Townsville paid for that inclusion!
You’ve got to ask the question of Mrs Chesney;
‘Can a soufflé rise twice?’
I earnestly hope the answer is no.
Anyone out there know where the nudist beach is in Townsville, please.
Anywhere you feel like taking your clothes off. Just don’t believe that some comely female walloper will lead you away by the handiest appendage. More likely bitn will be Sergeant Ben Dover.
RN,
None any more. You are 30 years too late. These days get a sail boat, or a position as crew and frolic on Cleveland Bay starkers. Just keep body appanderges clear of the running rigging. Yout need to be bold as just about every appartment on the Strand has a tripod mounted perviscope looking out to sea.
AAP gone by June, end of an era Pie.
200 journos jobs gone …. The ‘Pie was once a stringer for AAP covering some world shattering events in the Charters Towers magistrates court back in the 90s. The demise was inevitable, and even more regrettable because The ‘Pie had personal experience of the strict fact checking of every detail submitted. Doubly sad and galling then that the end of AAP has been caused largely by social media wankers for whom grammar, syntax and simple spelling largely remain a mystery.
Indeed. Importance of language
Dave, looked at the TPAC website and the first issue that I took notice of is that there is no independently completed business case, including up to date costs projected on-going costs (e.g. staffing costs, on-going maintenance costs) income flows, projected usage rates by theatre companies and others, impact upon existing performing arts centres and convention/conferece venues in Townsville, management structure, on-going benefits to the WHOLE of the Townsville community on the website.
The media release dated 18/11/2018 provides numbers of tourists visiting Australia who have included arts visitation/participation, including engagement with Indigenous arts in their itineries. Unfortunately TPAC won’t be able to use Indigenous arts as part of its argument for this centre. Arts QLD lists 14 Indigenous Arts Centres and Hubs in Qld and none of these are in Townsville. With the opening of the Bulmba-ha Arts Centre, which includes a theatre, gallery and arts development space, in Cairns and the growing annual Cairns Arts Fair, it looks like Regional Indigenous arts is at home in Cairns and the Qld home will be at the Qld Indigenous Arts Centre in Brisbane.
Sam or any future Mayor needs to step carefully before making any commitments to supporting the TPAC idea as Townsville ratepayers have other more important priorities such as repairs/improvements to roads, drainage, garbage disposal services, reducing the city’s debt, minimal rates increases, improving the city’s image and so on. I doubt that ratepayers would be happy if they were harnessed with further costs associated with the building of TPAC in any format and on-going costs even if TPAC was entirely built with Commonwealth and QLD government grant funds.
So fuck the arts, eh, Crits? While we’re about it, let’s dump that damn festival of Chamber Music, elite wankers. And the Perc Tucker gallery would make a good Via Vomitorium late night slurp and spew bar, wasted to let idle daubers get a cheap thrill of public exhibition. This city needs to double its contribution to the V8s and triple the measly $750k the ratepayers fork out for the brains trust, TEL.
Love your dopey diatribe followed by the line that Sam among other things should concentrate on ‘improving the city’s image’. And your last statement simply does not make any sense at all.
Hi Malcolm, It was me who passed on the information to the Bulletin reporter about the possibility of the closure of the Riverway Arts Centre. It came to me from a very reliable source that the staff had been told not to say a word before the election.
Trevor Kealing a member of the performing arts community fronted Hill at a function last week and was told a decision hadn’t been made yet but the arts community would be consulted. To me that suggests closing down the Riverway Arts centre is on the table. Riverway was damaged in the floods last year so construction work on site may be repairs but when the staff have been hushed up I get very suspicious. The rumours were also starting to circulate through the arts community as well.
The mayor told us after last week’s council meeting that her council was totally transparent. This matter says otherwise. Outgoing Councillor Colleen Doyle told us the council has a wonderful relationship with the arts community. I can tell you after speaking to Trevor Kealing that is not the case for the performing arts.
They are desperate for new and upgraded facilities. When you look at what the Cairns Council has done with their performing arts facilities we are miles behind. Throughout my life I have been a sports person but my time on council taught me just how much the arts contributes to the economy and the community. Not everyone is a footy fan.
If i get elected I do what I can to support these guys.
Trevor,
You are a breath of fresh air. Please consider the TPAC proposal.
Home | Townsville Performing Arts Centre
http://www.tpac.net.au/
Thank. You. Trevor!
Jenny doesn’t know the meaning of transparency. And Colleen is delusional.
Hi Trevor,
I hope you do get in and become a champion of the arts. Art and sport can and should coexist, and audiences often straddle both fields. In terms of facilities, I’m sure you’ll recall from your time in Council how well the galleries performed and both the need and opportunity (squandered) for upgraded premises, given the restrictions of operating out of heritage buildings with no significant history of sector-purposed renovations in recent decades.
On the Riverway front, some scuttlebutt it would be more affordably adapted to a downgraded library satellite, rather than theatre or gallery reopen. Sorely needed if you ask me, given it’s at least a kilometre from the next library…
Wonder if the gallery was suitably administered to ensure the collection works stored at Riverway were safely relocated?
I just saw Greg Dowling’s team.
Maybe Sandra isn’t the worst option after all.
A couple of Sandra’s voters are of the same opinion.
Our favourite Harry – Mr Patel – is back for another crack! There’s never been a more exciting time to live in Townsville
Hope springs eternal.
I look forward to his contributions to the Magpie’s blog.
Gee! I wish I was sure to win lotto, as I was sure of Harry throwing his hat in the ring again. I wonder if his boss at the hospital has any influence in getting him to nominate.
Well there goes about 2% of the vote. Harry limped in fourth out of the 4-way race. If he was a horse, they’d have brought the green curtain.
That said, it sure is going to have to be one hell of a turn-around to toss the toxic one … The Mullet wouldn’t even have had to bother preferences with a whopping 59.5% of the vote, but The ‘Pie reckons Sam will certainly do better than Arlett’s 35% … whether the electorate is as gullible as they have proved to be the past will tell whether the turn around is big enough.
The difference this year is that Dowling and Eastaughffe will get more of the vote between the two front runners. I hate to say, but thanks to vote splitting, Hill is looking more likely. My primary vote prediction is Hill 44%, Cox 35%, Dowling 13% and Eastaughffe 8%. (Take Dowling and Eastaughffe out of the race, and my primary split prediction would be Hill 47% Vs Cox 53%.) On a preference vote basis with the other two still in, I’d estimate Hill 51% Vs Cox 49%. There’s nothing Hill can do to better her percentage, in fact, best she keeps quiet and goes underground. She can only lose voters at this point. Cox on the other hand, needs to look at Dowling and Eastaughffe’s demographics and what policies are attracting them so he can leverage their vote or at least preferences.
Harry, Sandra…what next? Guy nominates? Then the state government reopens ward 10B to house the local council?
And what a surprise … Harry Patel isn’t running for mayor, just a humble councillor …. for the Palmer Party headed by Greg ‘Big Fibber’ Dowling.
Some interesting nominations across the various divisions for the upcoming TCC election.
According to the latest ECQ list it seems that Milky Molachino the only nominee for Division 4 and will therefore be elected unopposed. I suppose it will at least save the poor residents of Upper Ross having to listen to his campaign drivel.
Can’t believe no one opposed the little twerp. He’s done nothing for the upper Ross and no one could be arsed opposing him. It was a shoe in!
Coronavirus Etiquette,
Today learnt how the manly handshake has been replaced as a sincere greeting in these troubling coronavirus times.
Said gentlemen approach each other at about handshake distance. Each then pauses and raises a straight right leg forward with the foot about 12 inches above the ground. Each gentleman then simultaionusly and purposely moves their leg to the left making contact with the ankle of the gentleman opposite. And that is that. Handshake replaced be the ankle clunk.
In 20 years there will be a folk dance out of this. Probably a polka.
The ‘Pie is waiting for the moment when a footy player scores a goal (AFL) or a try (NRL) and his team mates actually run AWAY from him.
Does anyone know who Christopher Hanson or Stephen Duffie are? I need to work out who will get 1 and 2 on the voting paper!
Duffie is a concreter, who likes to dress up and pretend to be someone else.
Duffie would be last on my ticket. A drop kick who would try anything once for a buck. Dumb as dog shit. Give me Harry any day over this sneaky bastard.
It took Labor Federally to lose the election for Premier Palaszczuk to get on the State Government jet and fly around regional Queensland and tell us she loved us and approve Adani . Does it take Labor to lose the Council election for Labor to reverse their youth justice policy ? . People of Queensland know it’s not working , indigenous elders and Police say it’s not working it’s up to Aaron, Coralee and Scott to support and make their constituents and their families safe .
There is apparently a run on cigarette papers now, as an alternative to the clamp down on toilet paper purchases, due to the hysteria around the Corona V.
Hmmm, better than using your hand I suppose!
The dwarf outrage industry is already planning protests under the slogan ‘Big Arsesoles Back Off’.
INSIDE ELTON ….
Here';s a great little gallery to give you the flavour and genuine fun of the Rocketman extravaganza at our new stadium. Large cameras weren’t allowed in, so the following is also a testament to phone technology … these were shot on It’s a Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus. Not even current technology!! (Magpie NB: had to alter size to fit the WordPress format.)
And some more positive news for lovers of the round ball game … just announced.
But you’ll have to wait for the Astonisher to get the real facts on this good news, when Lil Patti ‘Hot Lips’ O’Callaghan tells us how it was TEL that got the game here … although by an oversight, the Dudley Do Nothings aren’t mentioned anywhere.
I’m not begrudging the opportunity for lovers of the world game the opportunity to see EPL teams in live action, but I love the use of corporate speak and spin in the release announcing the EVA Air Queensland Champions Cup games in July.
Alarm bells for me when I read this from event promoter TEG’s CEO Geoff Jones.
“We are delighted to be staging this event in three of Queensland’s premier venues and in three different cities through our event partners Tourism and Events Queensland, Stadiums Queensland, Suncorp Stadium, City of Gold Coast and City of Townsville.”
Call me a cynic, but I wonder how much being an “event partner” has cost TCC ratepayers? Or Queensland taxpayers might be paying for “their role in facilitating the opportunity”?
V8’s redux. In normal language, a ‘partner’ gets a share of the profits, or shares proportionately, any losses. We deserve to know, even if in broad terms outside any Commercial In Confidence’ dodgy prevarication, just what the deal is.
This is all cynical, orchestrated timing fitting in with Mayor Mullet’s campaign, but a thought: plenty of people in the ‘burbs are fed up with the mayor’s obsessive witterings about the CBD, and a few of them may remind her at the ballot box.
I agree, the Mullet is on the nose out Thuringowa way, she was always going to fuck over the Westies of this town, despises the place, but they voted for her and that gutless loser Molachino and prize dunce Russ Cook, so you get what you deserve. Many out that way have mentioned to me the money being spent in around the CBD is being noticed, and so is the lack of funding for projects out there.
Sam cox number one on the ballot box hill number 4. Let’s hope and pray thats how the donkey preference lands as well as primary vote.
I can confirm there are now 5 media spinners working in council. There used to be just 2 in the Les Tyrell days. I’ve heard there could be twice as many more in marketing. Your rates at work.
No doubt an other brain from the nous-less Nous Group blueprint on ripping a community apart.
PR – the practical alternative to actually doing anything.
I think that if you add the Community Engagement people and the crowd in Future Cities brain-fart factory there are closer to a dozen or more vacuous twits throwing up smoke and mirrors with no intention of actually delivering any of it.
Or more… was talking to a council employee who was saying that the Future Cities job just keep on employing more, while other departments are screaming out for staff and get told they can’t have any
Are we about to see a change at the executive level in TCC?
If the talk is right yes we are, but who is it?
Well, bods at that level are on contract, so whose terms is running out? Not sure the wash up was about the Chiodo arrangement, but there are persistent and reliable reports that the CEO is not a well chook physically, so there may be a change coming there. And not taking a cheap shot, but recent pics and vision of him seem to indicate a measure of ill health.
Is that to go with the changes happening yet again at lower levels?
Please tell me ‘Pie you had something to do with Cr Frothy Cappuccino’s re-nomination pic in the digital TB just now.
hahahaha … but nope. And The ‘Pie checked, this is not a photoshopped pic, unless by the Astonisher (totally unlikely), this is the way it appears in the digital gallery of candidates. Actually think they secretly love The ‘Pie down at the Astonisher.
But all the same, the ultra-ambitious Molachino (‘I will be mayor one day’) is on notice that the old bird will continue hover and swoop as needs be.
Betcha when this eventually appears in the print edition – sometime between now and next Saturday, probably – there’ll be a different pic of Frothy.
C’mon Pie, don’t be a Pic-teaser, show us….please
What? See comment by Bagwhan.
Nothing there anymore, just an outline which when clicked on, advises the page is no longer available.
This work?
There’s no way that was anything but deliberate.
Well, now, as much as The ‘Pie would like to think so, the paper’s track record for letting silly things slip through mitigates otherwise. However, using that pic in an unrelated way and without explanation says it all.
The benighted reporter was probably confused between Swoop and Scoop.
Keep this photo Pie. It will be priceless should Frothy’s ambitions be realised.
As reported in the Oz online, is this the ultimate in political correctness? Or is Cormann just joking?
Comcars changed from white to grey because they reflect ‘our colonial past’
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann has confirmed he personally intervened to change the colour of the new fleet of taxpayer-funded (not Holden) Comcars from traditional white to dark grey.
“My Comcar driver told me the other day that the colour of the cars was chosen by you personally. Is that a true rumour that’s circulating?” Greens senator Janet Rice asked Cormann late on Tuesday.
“I take responsibility for that yes,” Cormann replied.
The minister continued: “I think that … that the white colour, in my mind, reflects a bit of a colonial past that we’ve moved on from and I think the colour chosen for the Comcars is a better reflection of a modern, forward-looking Australia.”
Rice laughed and added: “My driver was complaining that it’s very hard to keep them looking clean.”
So a modern forward looking Australia is a dark grey?
I would suggest that perhaps he should have taken it one step further and selected the Comcar colours in proportion to the ethic and social makeup of the Australian populace: some black for our First Australians, some yellow for our Australians of Asian decent, some brown for our Indian Aussies, some rainbows for our LGBTQIA citizens, some green for our eco worshipers, some red for the lefties amongst us and some blues for the neocons, etc etc.
Political fuckwits.
Settle Wonder, it’s all a joke – he was trying to be funny and it backfired!
Proof that necessity is the mother of invention.
One UK shop owner’s solution to the shortage of corona virus masks. Probably works as well as anything.
https://www.indy100.com/article/coronavirus-prevention-method-product-uk-shop-owner-thong-mask-9356661
Private Cupcake, the hapless and absolutely hopeless state ‘member’ for Townsville just doesn’t get it, AGAIN, AGAIN AND AGAIN!
7 local news tonight commenting on youth crime, he was suggesting they are doing all they need to………WTF? Out of touch, out of ideas, he’s from outer space?!!
Even with a dream ballot draw, Cox still has a huge task in front of him.
But, as I posted last week, at the moment just about all of Townsville is mightly pissed off at something (take your pick: arts, crime, water, dump vouchers, redundancy etc.) and the Mullet is becoming more unpopular every time she opens her mouth. She obviously won’t lose the rusted-on apparatchiks but if her primary is anywhere below 45% shes’s toast.
All (?) Cox needs to do is get voters to either ‘Vote 1 Cox’, or at least give him their second preference and leave the other boxes blank. His campaign so far has been patchy, to say the least, but on a bit of a run now it seems and if he can get his preferencing message across to those pissed-off punters it could make all the difference.
Just so we’re all clear on this voting procedure. Council is optional preferential voting, it is only in state election that all boxes have to be ticked.
Sam has two problems;
1/ Money and 2/ Apathy
He is and will get beaten by party machines with deep pockets. If people want change, they need to help (I did) fund How to Vote Cards, advertising etc. Remember changes by ECQ mean that all donations over $500 are recorded for public viewing (https://disclosures.ecq.qld.gov.au/Map) Donors need to fully disclose details, and severe penalties apply if you don’t.
Good news is donations under $500 are only recorded internally by the campaign team and are not publicly available. I am sure around Queensland there are lots of family donating as individuals in amounts of $495.00.
Sam Cox Campaign account details are; Account Name: Mayor Campaign, BSB: 704-640, A/c No: 41523199. Use your name as the reference.
Apathy is the biggest risk in Townsville.
Plenty of people whinge and complain and do bugger all. I was shocked to see only a little more that 3000 people have signed the petition going around to change youth justice laws to help reduce crime rates (https://www.change.org/ChangeYouthJusticeLegislationToReflectCommunityStandards)
Apathy will keep Jenny Hill in office, not many people will volunteer to help campaigns like Sam Cox’s, nor will they start conversations about change or even help educate people on how to vote.
To those who like to complain and do sweet FA, try something different and take control of your life, get involved. I have and it feels good not just being a passenger to on the bus to nowhere.
BTW I am not part of Sam’s campaign, just a frustrated resident looking for a better future and is prepared to do something about it.
Are you in fact Sam, ‘Frustrated’?
It is clear George that you have gone gently into that night of lunacy.
Pie, I think I might have a case of Crown Lager virus (CLV2020).
He is actually Trump. He was board and Twitter wasn’t working.
Good to see that Sam’s mayoral bank account is a Qld Country Bank one. Good to see local !
Frustrated, you are completely right when you say apathy will get Jenny Hill elected again. I have voiced similar views for several months.
For what its worth, I think the following will be the result;
Mayor – Jenny Hill
Div 1 – Margie Ryder
Div 2 – Sue Blom
Div 3 – Ann-Maree Greaney
Div 4 – Mark Molachino
Div 5 – Russ Cook
Div 6 – Trevor Roberts
Div 7 – Kurt Rehbein
Div 8 – Maurie Soars
Div 9 – Corey Davis
Div 10 – Asti Poole
I reckon Greaney will get the Deputy Mayors job only because of her gender. Jenny loves to have women in charge (that said, not too sure how that’s worked out for her). If she decides gender equity would be the go, then Rehbein should get the nod.
Not enough to put the Mayor into a minority position but perhaps enough to keep the spotlight on Council
Not sure about Molachino in div 4, the bloke is such a pathetic moron that he could very well find a way to lose, after all he did spend $11k trying to beat himself, tosser.
As a bookmaker from way back, I am fascinated to see predictions on this ! You might be close to the money on this one, but I think it will depend on the last two weeks and whether or not any ‘skeletons’ come out. Based on local gossip over the past 12 or so months, I am surprised how tame this lead up has been, and I feel it has potential to become a down and dirty affair at some point.
Rebhein won’t get the vote of the other councillors. He’s not a popular guy.
Ducks Nuts, I think the other councillors would vote for themselves at the ballot box?
Once elected. The councillors usually elect a deputy
Re Mayor Mullet’s motor vehicle crash, when are we likely to learn that she does, or does not have a case to answer? I would have thought that either way it would be big news. This is an important matter given the looming election. What is the usual time frame for matters such as this to be determined? If this matter is taking an unusually long time, why? In the end, what possible advantage could be gained?
This is wholly in the hands of the police and they will proceed at their own sweet time, and a looming election should have no effect on their investigations.
Unfortunately this time delay, whether directed from Brisbane as deliberate foot-dragging or not, is a poor reflection on the skills of the Forensic Crash Investigation unit if they have not worked a simple matter as this. (It boils down basically to was the mayor talking on her phone bat the time … booze is NT a factor).
And yes, an answer one way or the other would be fair across the board, to the family of the deceased, to the Mayor and broadly … although no consideration would come from the police to this quarter … the electorate as a whole.
One would think in the seemingly unlikely event that Hill faces any charge, the ultimate cost to the government of another election would far outweigh George Street exerting pressure to get the coppers to pull the finger out and say something pre-election.
It’s none of you’re effing business you nosey prick!
Oh, sorry, Jenny, didn’t mean to offend.
Yes you did!
Oh orright, caught out.
You are charming piece of work, aren’t you. You parents must be proud.
They taught me not to be nosey and stick my beak into others business, person from Kelso. You are a nosey prick too!
No wonder Jenny luvs ya, baby – is she actually paying you or are you someone closer to hearth and home?
Dear e’ Business,
You are a vile and repugnant little individual as are your masters or is it mistress, who directed you to this blog. You and your ilk have only recently surfaced as the local election comes closer. Pathetic! Clumsy! Predictable! Ineffective!
Well actually it is my business, not only mine but every person living in the Mullets regime.
As a ratepayer I am her employer and she was driving “my/our” car to work, therefore I have a right to her account of the tragic events, as do the friends and relatives of the deceased bike rider.
As “supremo” of Townsville surely you have a duty to act by example to ensure this matter is resolved expeditiously, as you would if you were contemplating action against an errant employee.
Nothing has been published by the coroners court on this matter? They arnt usually known to hide things.
Coronial inquires take months to convene …. because they can only do so when the police say they have a full brief of evidence. Back to square one.
Bugger!!! Didnt fully know that thanks
The Mullet is floundering . She announced Team Hills policy of $1,000 worth of free rates for first home buyers and is being pilloried by very pissed off locals ( abc North Queensland Facebook page) about having to subsidise her re-election promises.
Typical labor tactic. Target the ‘hand out’ mentality.
$1000, what a joke, so the Mullet fucks the whole place and then thinks $1000 will fix it, will take a lot more than that to turnaround our very sad and depressed residential construction industry. It would take something like seeing Jenny Hill leave town permanently and never returning, I know that would make me feel like building a house to celebrate.
Guess what? If she loses that’s exactly what she’s likely to do. Hubby close to retiring from Ergon, the limpid waters, stony hills and inherited family home of Malta beckon, where the Hill’s considerable wealth will go ten times as far as it would here in Oz. In truth, The Magpie has enjoyed his own visits to Malta way back when, she could do worse – and so will we if she wins.
While Councillors may be part of a “Team” they are not a political party that forms government. They are supposed to represent their division as individuals. Hill can’t make election promises like this. She does not have the authority even if she is re-elected. This statement by Hill is a perversion of democracy at the local government level. If promises like this are ok, there needs to be an opposition calling it out. Like the $18m for an airstrip for Adani to be built outside of the LGA, it is very problematic that the TCC or Hill had the legal power to spend money like that.
Absolutely correct, but probably nothing that she can be pulled up on. The pattern is familiar though … when there is opposition to that and other hair-brained ideas if she gets in again, she can point to the disagreeing councillors and call them ‘council wreckers’, ‘back biters’ and against doing the right thing by battlers. And like last time, the Bulletin will chime in with horror stories about a ‘dysfunctional council’ – worked last time in 2012 for her, but she has fuct up too much since then for it work again, surely. Both she and then paper now have zero credibility.
$1,000 free rates won’t stimulate first home purchases. First home buyers buy when they have confidence in their employment – either keeping their job, or being able to reasonably easy get another one if needs be. They just want to know they will be able to meet the loan commitments.
Good ol’ News Ltd … even when they get it wrong, they are sometimes accidentally right at the same time.
Shari’s column in today’s Astonisher nails it on why voting for a “team” of councillors is such a bad idea.
It sure does, one of her best yet, and most timely.
Spot on, Shari
But is it really a Team? The Councillor seemed to have been shut out of many important meetings like the Budget ect…. isn’t it just a team of convenience?