Our man is certainly not in danger of being called Mayor Mensa, with his mangled, directly contradictory attempt to brown-nose a mate while dissing The Magpie.
The council’s explains a damning judgement of incompetence by the Queensland Audit office which amounts to: ‘Hey, look, shit happens, OK? Not apologising, get over it, let’s move on.’
And The ‘Pie wonders about the media’s strangely muted reaction to this audit matter which may yet turn out to be a major story involving Jenny Hill, Prins Ralston and almost $700,000 of public money.
The question is asked … sloppy or sneaky? What’s behind The Bulletin’s weird decision to go one better than its ‘Yesterday’s News Tomorrow‘ motto, opting instead for ‘Last Month’s News Repeated Today.’ With nothing better to do, The ‘Pie offers a couple of outlandish conspiracy theories.
Want to definition of political cowardice? Look no further than the current political polka around gambling advertising.
Plus a few laughs from around the place, including some grim humour in our regular Cartoon Gallery USA.
If you believe this alternative voice for Townsville issues is contributing to the community discussion, you can support the weekly effort with a donation. As The Magpie’s Nest is both free and free of advertising to maintain its independence, any assistance with the finances associated with the blog would be as appreciated as it is needed. Thanks.
Insult, Arrogance And A Golden Opportunity Gone Begging: Joe McCabe Drops The Ball On Restoring Trust In The TCC.
Townsville City Council CEO Joe McCabe.
The council’s CEO was handed a perfect opportunity to consolidate the growing gains in trust the TCC has managed to claw back in the wake of Jenny Hill’s ruinous decade and the subsequent Thompson turmoil. Things looked grim when the council was ordered to publicly table this scathing letter from the Queensland Audit Office outlining the illegal creation of the council company North Rail Yards Development Pty Ltd, and then timing the deregistering the company in a way that hid its financial dealings. The Audit office judged these matters showed “weaknesses in governance, oversight and financial reporting.”
Even in the face of this grim reprimand, it would have been so simple to turn adversity to advantage by pointing out that an Audit Office accusations of about lackadaisical governance, oversight and financial reporting started back in the corrupt Jenny Hill/Prins Ralston era. A quiet apology to ratepayers for council not picking up on the illegal aspects of the North Rail Yards development as quickly as it should have, and a plain language explanation of what had happened and that it was being put to rights, would have been an acceptable response.
But no, that template of seeking community confidence didn’t fit with the entrenched local government instinct for arse-covering.
So the arrogance was breathtaking when all the councillors – ergo the ratepayers – got from acting Chief Financial Officer Julia Pietrobon was a barely veiled ‘yes, it happened, it was a fuck up but nothing to see here, let’s move on, peoples’. Not a hint of ‘we didn’t do well enough’ or ‘while this started before our time, we are sorry it happened and we are determined to do better’. Or, if heads should roll.
As fucking if.
The prim, Ms Pietrobon, with the assired smugness of the protected public servant, delivered a stilted word salad in the psychopathically desiccated language of management speak.
She told the councillors:
“The first matter is believed to have arisen from an inconsistency between the beneficial enterprise’s powers in the Local Government Act, and the statutory body’s Financial Arrangements Act. Under the Statutory Bodies Financial Arrangements Act 1982, establishing a controlled entity counts as a type-one financial arrangement requiring prior written approval from the State Treasurer. Resolution of these issues was not undertaken in a timely manner, resulting in significant delay in completion of the audit.
Because retrospective approval cannot be applied, the entity was deregistered on May 17, 2026, removing any requirement to prepare financial statements for the 2024–25 and 2025–26 financial years.As approval cannot be retrospectively applied, the entity has been deregistered on the 17th of May. This matter cannot be rectified.”
She went on in this vein to say she was talking to the Audit office to nut out the financial details they required for the deregistered company.
Which, btw, one way or another involves almost $700,000 of public money.
The ‘Pie is surprised that Ms Pietrobon didn’t simply cut the chase and say ’Shit happens, live with it.’
Of course, it would’ve been too much to hope that she might have added, with a nudge and a wink, ‘This is of course if we are willing to accept that was a mistake made in ignorance in the first place’’.
Hopefully when this is sorted out, and any questions about the deal cut with Brad Webb are examined satisfactorily, (it appears beneficial to all parties) the poisonous legacy of Jenny Hill and Prins Ralston can finally be put behind us.
But There’s Another WTF About This Matter
Why were the local media, particularly the Bulletin and even the ABC, apparently reluctant to cover this. matter The Magpie signalled this potentially significant story, publishing the Audit Office letter in full, last Monday, two days before the damning letter went before the council. And when the meeting dealt with the matter as reported above, it didn’t rate a single mention, either that day or next by either of the two major news outlets in the city. In fact, it wasn’t until Friday morning that Chloe Chomicki did a comprehensive and concise report for the ABC , with the Bulletin limping in later that afternoon with its equally comprehensive coverage, a full 56 hours after the event. both outlets treasted it with the importance it deserved, so why couldn’t they have reported on such an significant story two days earlier.
Judgement of the news value of a story varies between news organisations, and is often dictated by a broad unstated policy. So one guesses if the ABC could’ve found a transgender injustice in the matter, or the Bulletin a sick ‘but brave’ toddler with rare disease mioxed in there somewhere by Ms Pietrobon, we might’ve heard from them both a bit sooner.
Taken For Granted
Many of us can remember that the guilty glow of illicit warmth we unexpectedly experienced when, as young children, we wet the bed. That is the sort of unexpected warmth The Magpie experienced during last week’s council meeting, when Mayor Dametto, an avid reader of The Nest, golden-showered the old bird with a comment from the chair.
Earlier in the meeting, the six councillors present had waved through a bevy of council grants to various outfits and events, including the annual India Fest, which as usual copped a tasty $25,000 of ratepayers hard-earned. The previous week in the Nest, and on numerous other occasions over the years, The ‘Pie had queried this and similar grants to cultural groups, as did the late and much lamented councillor Fran O’Callaghan. Persistent questions remain about both the council’s lack of oversight about how these public monies are spent, and the larger question of their justification in the first place.
Another annual cultural bunfest staged by another Asian ethnic group was of momentary interest in this regard a short while back, where members of the community themselves insisted to TheMagpie that some of the council grant money (also $25,000) somehow found its way into a festival organiser’s backyard in the form of a private swimming pool.
As it stands, these grants are no more than crude and blatant vote-buying exercises by the incumbent Walker Street gang of the day. And there is no record available to the public or the council about how the money is actually utilised.
But, unsurprisingly, there wasn’t the smallest whimper from those present at Wednesday’s meeting about the grant needing oversight.
After the approvals had skated through, various other bits of business were handled and the meeting started wrapping up with the usual free kick all councillors enjoyed, plugging themselves in the guise of praise for some recent or forthcoming event their division. But The Magpie was astounded when Mayor Dametto felt he had. to address a matter mentioned only in The Nest (no one else would dare,) so the Magpie was clearly the unmentioned target audience for the comment.
“I just might add – umm – note – umm – noting the high level of interest in the topic around funding for the India Fest. I just want to add our support for the Townsville home grown India Fest and the community that has over the years put this together. It’s a great show of culture, vibrancy, food, spices and everything else you could think (about) India. What I can say is I’m happy to support the $25,000 recommendation, noting that the organisation’s prior year of event surpluses, healthy cash reserves and also a strong capacity that is contributed to the event and their ability to attract good sponsorship this year. We want to make sure we are supporting events but we also want to make sure that events like India Fest and other community events can find ways to be self-sustainable. On that basis, I am satisfied with that recommendation”.
Hang on, can we have that again, please. I’m happy to support the $25,000 recommendation, noting that the organisation’s prior year of event surpluses, healthy cash reserves and also a strong capacity that is contributed to the event and their ability to attract good sponsorship this year. We want to make sure we are supporting events but we also want to make sure that events like India Fest and other community events can find ways to be self-sustainable.
‘Healthy cash reserves’, eh? Good sponsorship? Event surpluses, whatever that means? So by your own words, Nick, it sounds like the deservedly popular India Fest has become admirably self-sustainable. So why do you support an event which you yourself say is profitable with a cash grant of ratepayers money? In these circumstances, even in-kind would be questionable. Seems you really must address the requirement for financial oversight of this grant. Surely your good mate, a senior Fest organiser, Nick Attam will be eager to give you an ‘independent’ report on the good uses it was put to … but Mr Attam should be advised that ‘preserving our healthy cash reserves’ is not an acceptable use, so think of something else.
Anyway Mr Mayor, you’ve given all and sundry multi-cultural groupings who want to have a ratepayer-subsidised prance in the park the green light to cop a similar grant, and you’d better think up a bloody good reason if you knock any of them back. Otherwise you might be accused of favouritism and even howls of racism.
Revisited But Not Reheated … The Bulletin Strange Revival Of A Done And Dusted Story
Strange because there wasn’t a single new fact in the re-hash. On July 16, we read this story.
The guts of it was that because a big unit development on Ross River Road was canned by the council because the DTMR refused to allow direct access onto Ross River Road on safety and congestion grounds. The only alternative was an equally unsafe, flood prone laneway. Bit of huffing and puffing all round by councillors, but that was that, brisbane had spoken.
But last Thursday, three weeks and two days after the above story, we were treated to this rehash … at least it was rewritten … but didn’t contain a single new fact of any import whatsoever … in fact, none really .
Now, The ‘Pie has two theories why this happened, if we are willing to discount the obvious one of a sloppy cock-up. It appears it was a deliberate repeat because of the new headline and a bit of a rewrite of the same facts.
The first theory, and most likely, is evident if you note the emphasis of ‘blame’ – as to just who appears responsible – in the two different headlines. The initial one in July implied it’s the council’s fault, while the second one paints the DRMR as the villains. It behoves an editor to always favour the locals over Brisbane if one wants to stay in good odour on the cocktail and dinner party circuit of Townsville’s Nescafe society, so perhaps a call from Walker Street might be the reason for the reappearance.
But The ‘Pie likes his second theory best, simply because he loves making up this fairyfloss. Knowing that Slick Nick Dametto is the Premier’s bitch in Townsville, maybe our mayor made a call to Brissy, then The Kid made another call within the government ranks, so perhaps soon we’ll hear that the DTMR has had a change of heart and the much needed unit development can get access to RRR and thus go ahead. Vote winner all round (because everyone loves bashing public servants).
But it’s always good to know the paper is familiar with its coverage area.
Or was it another spelling error, and they meant the poor lady was cooking bagels?
But the downtrodden old Astonisher cannot catch a break. One of the arcane warnings of the newspaper layout craft is the danger of special interest inserts being slipped into a double page spread, and creating unwanted humour. This is because only half of headlines, stories and photographs are immediately visible until the insert is removed. This was the problem that caused of the most ironic headline in this tottering newspaper last Friday.
Would it be too snide to suggest it was so appropriate that the headline appeared next to a horse’s arse.
Think The Proposed New Laws Restricting Betting Advertisements Will Fix The Gambling Problem ? Wanna Bet?
Like age limited social media access, the feds are about to pass yet another law that will be difficult if not impossible to police … the proposed labyrinthian maze of restrictions on gambling ads on TV and radio – online seems to have been put in the too hard basket.
This is nothing less than political cowardice writ large – deliberately refusing to accept the glaringly obvious solution to the damage of inane betting advertisements, especially to younger impressionable viewers and listeners.
JUST SIMPLY BAN ALL ADS FOR GAMBLING SITES. EVERYWHERE. The whole lot, all gone the way of cigarette advertising. And it’s a solution that will not affect the bottom of line of either the government, or the egregious betting industry itself, no matter what they say.
One of the biggest bullshit arguments from the industry is that much of the betting money would go off shore. Which maybe be true but so what? Just about all but the TAB are either American or British , with many ethnic groups the target of niche home country outfits. But they would all keep operating in Australia, why wouldn’t they? And since the wagered money is invariably lost by many to a few, it doesn’t circulate in the Australian economy in any meaningful way, and ends up offshore anyway. No one in the industry would lose their job, except the ones which will fall to the march of AI, which is already happening in the industry. And there’s no reason government revenue would dip significantly, but there would be an offset in a lowering of cost demands on health, crime and even homelessness.
]The gambling scourge will not and cannot be stopped – making it go underground by outlawing it, even if possible , would create a far more damaging set of dangers – but coming generations can be protected from the most predatory practices of the grimy corporate low lifes who trade in it. That approach worked for smoking, and there is absolutely not a single argument that it won’t work for this equally damaging social cancer.
A footnote: Come the revolution and The Magpie’s the boss, the very first thing he’ll do is ban outright all poker machines. Any government that argues it isn’t sustainable with pokie taxes means this country really is in need of a complete reset. Hard to imagine how, but a party of David Pocock clones would be a good start.
A Good Start In America Would Be A Party Of Decent Human Beings.
Difficult to grasp just how far the United States has fallen under the evangelical ultra right wing ethos of Trump. For some years now, there seems to have been a daily acceptance of some outrage as the new normal. But there are signs that a tipping point is rapidly approaching, which will hopefully be reflected in the coming midterm elections. Whatever the outcome, it will be the Orange gangster in the White House who will be at the centre of any outcome.
………………..
That’s the week, don’t forget to check in daily with comments, you’ll see a lot there not available elsewhere, and you can have your say.
The link to give a financial helping hand – much needed to keep the Nest aloft – is below.
Til next week.
”
Notable that Julia Pietrobon had to step up as Acting CFO to explain a decision that CFO Chris Watts would have overseen, one where he presumably worked with legal to advise Prins and the councillors. Her explanation left a lot to be desired, but once again those with actual oversight of the decision have managed to avoid scrutiny.
The ‘Pie will admit he thought long and hard before putting Ms Pietrobon in the crosshairs (huh, like she’d care) but in the end, the insult to the community from someone copping 200/300k per to do a more responsible job put her centre stage. Nothing personal, don’t know the woman, she looks like she could be kind to small animals.
I do agree, I think she’d be kind to small animals and maybe not to ratepayers. However, the responsibility should sit with those who provided the advice and not those left to clean up the mess. However badly they are doing it.
Dear ‘Pie,
You have summed up the view held by most of the community on gambling advertising and poker machines.
How is it that the ALP can be so blind on this subject.
That said, in times past the Coalition has has pretty poor eyesight on this matter too. Has the Coalition now grown a spine or is it politically opportunism?
The Bullshittin is a woeful paper. Hacks like Light-on Smith and Jill Poultice ensure that the paper remains in the category of ‘do not read’. Save your money folks, flick a couple of bucks towards The Magpies Nest and get your news today, not last week.
Well, noble sentiments Mopsey, but now you’ve started a conspiracy theory that Prince Rollmop is actually The Magpie, shilling for shekels. And while we have to acknowledge the often mystical reporting timelines of the Astonisher, The Nest doesn’t do day to day matters so vital to the social lifeblood of Townsville … so stick with the paper for the latest obscure disease that infested some brave battling toddler, your regular ‘Best of Townsville’s …” unmissable polls, occasional patronising self-promotion from Our Claudia and some parrot-like iditorials.
And as an extra enticement, the Astonisher is the only paper that helps you know how to feel emotionally, always advising that people we’ve never heard of are not just dead but went either ‘tragically’ or ‘sadly’. We even get the occasional ‘horrifically’.
And it is to The Magpie’s shame and chagrin that he will never be able to bring you vital information that the Astonisher soehow is privy to on a daily basis.
Like this.
Sorry Pie, my language is much more crass and less diplomatically correct than yours, plus my grammar is shit and you word things with more finesse.
I’m not sure it’s such a good idea to combine anything ingestable with the word “viral”. Not for nothing are food trucks referred to as the “roach coach”.
Ah, those Froggy blokes, they’ll go to any lengths to cop a free feel.
‘
Some female cyclists are upset with all the snide humour this has caused and are quitting the sport, saying they just can’t stand the titters.
They suck!!!!
How come Mr Oberhardt didn’t pick up in 2024 what the Audit office now in 2026 has judged the $700,000 Council owned company showed “weaknesses in governance, oversight and financial reporting.” ? Re Google research. The Queensland state government appointed John Oberhardt as a special advisor to assist and observe the Townsville City Council in September 2024 during Troy Thompson’s tenure as mayor.Details of the AppointmentOfficial: John OberhardtRole: Special Council AdvisorAppointed By: The Department of Housing, Local Government and Public WorksDate: September 2024Context: Sent to help get the council chamber back on track following months of friction, infighting, and an ongoing corruption investigation into Mayor Troy Thompson.
So he wasn’t there to check on Jenny Hill’s past work.
If memory serves, early in the piece, Nanny McPhee expressly said he wasn’t there to investigate past matters, but to steady the present ship.
Dear ‘Pie,
Over the years you have occasionally mentioned you Toyota Corolla, and that tragically and sadly (I got those words from reading the Astonisher) yes, sadly turned up its tappets on your epic journey to the higher latitudes.
There has to be a story about your Coralla, perhaps greater than Homer’s Odyssey, and perhaps in rhyme?
As impertinent as it is, permit me to suggest the first two verses to get you going with the remaining 15 to 20 verses.
Right, here we go:
I’ll tell you a story, it’s bold and it’s true,
Of a car that I had, and the things it could do,
It was by name a Toyota Corolla,
And from start to end, a bloody good roller.
In it’s prime indeed a fearsome steed,
For transport it filled a bloke’s every need,
But as time went by, it had it’s limits,
Naught to a Hundred, in a couple of minutes.
All right Dear ‘Pie, over to you if you please. Oh, and there is a folk tune that fits this rhythm.
Kind regards.
With reference to North Rail yards redevelopment and Brad Webb’s financial input to this project. Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t he throwing in around $20 million to this project. Considering he is making a pretty penny from lease agreements with TCC on those structures on Webb Dr. Fleet Workshop, Citiwaste over the road. Welders & Electricians are also in ‘Webb Land’. You could say most of that $20 million is ratepayers money. But good luck to him.
That seems a bit of a narrow and ungenerous read on Webb’s activity around town, especially at his Bohle mega development. He had enough vision to see a growing need way back when, took the risk to put up his money to create the infrastructure that encouraged the council to lease well set-up sites from him … let’s face it, they had to go somewhere, so why not ‘Webb Land’?
Sure there may be some wrinkles in that simple narrative, it’s called ‘doingb business’, but the basic principle is right …. too often the word ‘developer’ has wrong and unfair connotations around Townsville.
TCC management have made some stupid decision over the years. The plan was to move out of Garbutt Depot and establish a ‘Super Depot’ out Shaw Road vicinity, but that was scrapped when Webb came along. Another failed decision was when the adjoining block next to Garbutt Depot came up for sale, (Arc Homes). The reason when talking to a manager the existing building on that site would convert into a maintenance workshop was no, it’s on freehold title and Garbutt Depot is crown land. My response was “Well there is a dividing fence”
Anyhow ERGON got it.
Remember when the council paid over $1m for the used car lot to allow access to the North Yard? It’s now the new fire station and buildings were demolished across the road for a staff car park.
Long time no M’Pie, in the sky;
Still firm on terra ferma!!!!
or was you’re entry denied ????
Ah, there you are, Heel, wondered where you’d got to.
I find Dametto, Crisafulli’s lapdog, to be just another TCC embarrassment. He is totally overrated and he is not improving Councils reputation of financial position. When will we get some decent representation in this town?
Think you’re on the wrong track there, Poor White Trash (well, you chose your nom de plume).
Slick Nick is well known to be not too bright, and some think he remains a bit too much of a vacuous jock to be taken seriously. But The ‘Pie doesn’t agree that he is overrated, or that he’s the wrong man for the job right now.
No, because what has become vastly overrated is the role of the Townsville mayor, which in the past three decades has lost the function of first among equals guided by community interest, to instead be used as a position of powerful overreach due to party political affiliations. This shift was instigated by, and mostly worked well for, the competent forward thinker Tony Mooney, but the same power-seeking dynamic was the downfall of Jenny Hill, who tried at least three times to use the mayoralty as a springboard for political advancement at state and federal levels.
Then, due to a perfect storm of converging circumstances, along came that crooked goof Thompson, deluded by the largely mythical individual power of the office. He stumbled and lied his way into the position and immediately made it clear he regarded the position as a dictatorship not be questioned. Greaney and Jacob, who dicked and dithered around in an acting role while this dishonest conman was being expensively shunted hadn’t a clue about the limited leadership role of the mayor. No real clue about leadership at all, just self-interest and hubris.
Now Dametto has come in, and to the relief of many, is a mayor painting his job by numbers. Nothing spectacular, no grand visions aimed at a legacy of some sort, just a lot of cheesy photo calls on collaborative council decisions and policies. All reached by consensus after open debate … no power tripping caucuses behind closed doors. Or a closed mayoral office door, either.
Townsville doesn’t need a genius visionary, or a snidely politically ambitious demagogue, just a council that keeps steady and unspectacular grip on the management of our inevitable growth.
So with the premier looking over his shoulder, maybe Slick Nick Dametto is exactly the mayor we need just now to calm things down … a sort of home grown version of ‘cometh the hour, cometh the man’. But on Valium instead of steroids.
Slick Nick would attend the opening of an envelope if there was some publicity in it.
That’s more or less a big part of what he’s paid to do, isn’t it? Far more preferable to building an airport 400kms away and gift it to a foreign billionaire for no guaranteed return.
To one degree or another, all politicians are media tarts
I believe hes actually paid to oversee the strategic direction, policy and laws that drive the performance of the city. And not to spend all the ratepayer money on media opportunities and happy snaps.
Can’t agree with you on this one, ’Pie. Dametto may be a safer pair of hands politically, but that doesn’t automatically make him the right mayor. He’s certainly mastered the photo opportunity, but being visible isn’t the same as being effective. Rates are up 7.2%, debt and the infrastructure backlog remain, basic services are being changed or reduced, and residents are being asked to pay more.
Painting by numbers might keep the political waters calm, but Townsville needs more than a caretaker mayor who photographs well. It needs someone prepared to challenge the administration, ask the difficult questions and deliver measurable results. Give him time, certainly. But judge Slick Nick on the numbers in a couple of years, not the number of times he appears in the paper.
OK, let’s see in a couple years.
Well said Magpie. Nick gets a lot of stick for photo ops and such, but at least he’s always putting himself out there and trying to do the best that he can for the city.
And for those complaining about Nick.
I think people are expecting Dametto to wave a magic wand and undo a decade of poor council management overnight. That was never going to happen, no one could do that.
The first job was always going to be stabilising the place, getting the budget under control and restoring a bit of confidence after years of dysfunction. From what I can see, they’ve made a decent start on that.
As for rates going up, I’m not sure what people realistically expect when wages, materials, fuel, contractors, insurance and just about everything else council pays for has gone up as well. No mayor can repeal inflation.
Give him a bit of time. Stabilise first, then hopefully he can spread his wings and fly.
There you go, Magpie, I even threw in a bird reference for you. Tee hee hee.
Yeah, amusing, whatever.
But the truth is, the real reform has to come from the public servants who really run the town, with their ‘baffle them with bullshit ethos’. It’s time councillors started asking the likes of Major Matt on down ‘what does that mean in terms the public can understand?’ when confronted with what Marina Hyde famously called ‘the psychopathically desiccated language of management speak’.Or let’s put it this way … the shiny bums behind the scenes urgently need to be de-Sir Humphryed.
Nick is as smart as a bag full of nails. All Braun and no brain. But he is a hard worker so that’s a positive.
Happy birthday old mate. Another lap around the Sun done and dusted. Well done
Thanks, TTR, The ‘Pie has managed to spring sprightly into his 82nd year. Fortunately his recent re-location was not to ‘an undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveller returns’ although the local winter weather here makes Shakespeare’s famous destination seem a more reasonable alternative.
Looking back, as one inevitably does on these anniversaries of survival, The ‘Pie is put in mind of the fabled barrister F.E Smith, 1st Earl of Birkenhead. When a frustrated judge told Smith, “I’ve listened to you for an hour and I’m none the wiser,” he replied, “None the wiser, perhaps, my lord, but certainly better informed.”
So like the judge, The ‘Pie will march on, perhaps none the wiser but increasingly better informed.
Can’t work out why so many people are bagging Brad Webb – obviously just because he’s a savvy, hugely successful businessman.
I had the opportunity, thanks to a mate, to take a tour of his Rail Yards development last month and I was more than impressed.
Not only does he have a plan for a world class lifestyle and entertainment precinct, but he is also taking great care to retain much of the heritage of the area.
In years to come he will be lauded for providing Townsville with a vibrant precinct similar to ones operating successfully in major cities all around the world.
After the tour we were taken on another one of his construction facility out in his industrial precinct, where he manufactures most of the materials used in the rail yards construction. To say I was gobsmacked would be an understatement.
And before the usual suspects ask if I have a connection to Mr Webb, when I was introduced to him during the tour last month, he reminded me we had already met – more than 10 years ago.
I hadn’t seen him or communicated with him since then.
And for the record, Brad Webb won’t be losing any sleep over the knockers.
He’ll just get on with the job, as he always has.
Yes, unfortunately there is a vocal minority in Townsville who seem bitter at the success of several local achievers, (Tapiloas, Honeycombe, Maidment, Lancini) pouncing on the smallest peccadillo or wholly imagined transgression to judge as cheating villains all who come under the catch-all banner of ‘developers and entrepreneurs’. It is the tall poppy syndrome on steroids.
This was evident when some of those visiting Nest comments complained about the apparent ‘rate holiday’ or some such council benefit Webb secured in exchange for substantial investment and risk in the Rail Yards re-development.
The reality of fair business dealings between the private and public sector will always be closely examined, as it must be … but expecting some sort of unmerited largesse on behalf of private business towards a council or government, putting deserved financial success on a knife edge, betrays an ignorance of fair and reasonable dealing.
One of the reasons why there is so much of this ill-informed gossip about public – private transactions is that there is so little transparency. When TCC apparently paid a motza for that block of land where the fire station is now under construction there was heaps of speculation here in the ‘Nest about all sorts of shenanigans. The decision to build a new CBD station was made back in February 2022 by the Palaszczuk government. Presumably, some time between then and now the land was purchased from TCC by QFES and everything’s sweet? Similarly, about the supposedly required remediation of toxic polluted soil in the North Rail Yards. What ever actually happened about that? Was it really a thing?
BTW this coming December is the centenary of the opening of the last brand new CBD fire station on the corner of Walker and Stokes streets – now long gone.
I was told the other day that the new fire station is being built by Brad Webb and it is privately owned.
Any truth in the matter?
Has anybody around here read Alan Joyce’s new book “Riding the jet scream”? What a narcissistic little poof. To be honest, the book was full of self praise and grandiose statements. I can only imagine that Troy Thompsons biography will similar, full of lies, bullshit and embellishment. Does anybody know if the former failed Mayor has released his book yet?
Dunno about his book, but did note, during a rare venture into FB, that TwoNames endorsed Steve Clare’s apparently aggressive dingbat confrontation with fellow divvy one snowflake candidate Michelle Hobson – Clare apparently aggressively challenged her to his core campaigning point that candidates should take a hair follicle drug test. Instead of the obvious polite but insistent two word answer which involved sex and travel, Ms Hobson apparently became a quivering mass of near hysteria and decided she wouldn’t run her stalls at the Thuringowa markets again, where the ‘confrontation’ took place.
In his Clare endorsement, Thompson was at least when he commented that she’d have to be tougher than this if she wanted to survive even local politics … well, he’d certainly know. But he also endorsed candidates’ right to question other candidates in an overbearing and physically threatening manner … which he’d also know about.
As for Mr Clare, a retired spray painter, he’s gone so far off the electoral reservation that it is reasonable to suspect he is among Thompson’s fancy dress fringe Sovereign Citizen fuckwits. One wonders if during his professional career Mr Clare used much lead based paint. There should be a drug test for that.
I can hear all the activists now, leave her alone. If you want public office, you’d better be ready to be challenged. We know Clare has no chance, but candidates questioning each other is hardly new. If Hobson folded that quickly, changed her drug test position after being challenged online, and is now saying she’s not good at speaking publicly on her post, that says more about preparedness than anything else. Her health is a serious problem, she’s not going to make it, seems more of a photo opportunity campaign, and a movement, perhaps she needs to sit out, poor petal. We already have Dirou coughing and spluttering her way through meetings, we do not need another immune compromised public champion.
So, waddaya reckin’, Steve, as well as drugs, all candidates should get the physical thumbs up (so to speak) with a doctor’s medical certificate. Crikey, if it’s good enough for people over 75 who want to keep driving, its good enough for those of any age who want to help steer the ship of state. Should we start a Get Up campaign?
Or maybe all candidates have to successfully arm wrestle Suzy Batkovic. Even Slick Nick’s position would be doubtful under those conditions.
Interesting how the Magpie’s prose seems to have become a lot more polished, structured and suspiciously ‘helpful assistant’ lately. Almost like the old bird has discovered it’s easier to outsource the thinking than sharpen the beak himself.
Nothing wrong with using AI, of course. It’s a handy tool. But when your whole brand is built around being the town’s great original wit and intellectual gunslinger, it does take a little of the magic away if half the ammunition sounds like it came out of a prompt box.
Maybe I’m imagining it.Age catches up with all of us eventually.
The ‘Pie’s eye-rolling daughter will laugh like a drain when she reads your comment. That would be the daughter who as recently as yesterday had to walk a somewhat mystified father through the dark secrets of bluetooth to set up her birthday gift of a nifty little portable speaker. Despite her meticulous efforts, today when The ‘Pie tried to use it, he somehow managed to fuck it up and there it sits, mute and accusing next to his laptop.
Your comment was clearly meant as an insult but The Magpie will take it as a left-handed compliment. Maybe having been relentlessly exposed The ‘Pie ‘polished and structured’ prose, it is your perception of it that has changed. After managing without AI for 60 years as a professional writer, The ‘Pie sees no need to even find out how to use -presumably – Chat GP.
(There, Malcolm, is that a suitable reply to this idiot, or would you like ChatGP to create a further response, couched in terms of great original wit and intellectual gunslinging, to further dispose of this snide dullard?)
Well played, Mr Pie. At least you didn’t pack up your stall crying and go running from the markets.
Your beak is as sharp as ever.
Which Judge is that “beak”?
Interesting coincidence that in the same week you announced you’d ban all pokie machines (a sentiment with which I wholeheartedly agree), articles should appear in both the Bully and on the ABC about the Cowboys Leagues Club wanting to open a satellite branch in…Logan??
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-13/nrl-cowboys-leagues-club-logan/107033332
The whole idea is wtf in itself, but the part that got me was that they want to stock it with ONE HUNDRED pokies, and then try to justify that by talking about how much they would give back to the community (like as not – at least in part – to the same poor saps who lost the mortgage money on “a sure thing” and are now “in need”). As you’ve suggested, if pokie machines are needed to keep pubs and clubs viable, then something’s very wrong with the business model.
The articles reminded me of a satirical ‘ad’ I once saw. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find a clip of it on YouTube, but the transcript is still biting enough:
Voice-over: A new community centre for senior citizens. A lifesaving clinic for treating asthmatic children. A free job training program for unemployed veterans. What do they all have in common?
(Texxon logo shown on screen)
Texxon oil. Grants from the Texxon foundation paid for them all.
(shows news magazines with front-page stories about extravagant oil company profits)
So when we hear a lot of loose talk about “price fixing” and “windfall profits,” it worries us. We want to go on helping the needy.
(cut to scene of protesters in front of Capitol Hill, demanding regulations and taxes on oil companies)
So the next time you take an irresponsible swipe at an oil company, remember, who’s going to feel the pinch first?
Elderly man: If anything happens to the oil depletion allowance, I’m as good as dead.
Unemployed Veteran: If these dudes don’t get some offshore oil leases, I’ll be back on the streets. And I’ll be mad.
Asthmatic Little Girl: Please don’t pull the plug on me. Support the deregulation of natural gas.
(background music turns dramatic, logo and motto appear on screen)
Voice-over: Texxon. Do what we say, and nobody gets hurt.
Governments are hypocrites.
Government claims to care about split families and espouse bullshit statements about helping society, yet they promote gambling by making pokies legal. I call bullshit.
Government claims to “care about the environment” and that they are putting in windmills and transmission towers, but they promote and support war in Ukraine and Iran in which oil tankers are being destroyed and nuclear facilities bombed. Oh, and Albanese and Bowen fly endlessly around the world on kerosene burning aircraft. I call bullshit.
Government installs speed cameras which supposedly save lives, yet the roads throughout Queensland are fucked and dangerous and lives are being lost due to poor road condition. Again, I call bullshit on the government.
One susoects you are going to find voting for anybody difficult.