Labor insiders have been increasingly telling The ‘Pie that Mayor Mullet is in deep doo-doos on several fronts, and she knows it. The answer: a sometimes hilarious campaign by The Astonisher to lift the profile of their honorary deputy editor. The ‘Pie tracks all the flailing and flapdoodle.
Apart from that, we ask AGAIN – really, what the fuck is up with this paper … writing florid stories that are ridiculously childish, other ones cynically playing on the justified fears of the crime ravaged populous, printing a disgraceful racist smear against Townsville Indian taxi drivers, and Bulletin reporters STILL refusing to ask glaringly obvious questions. The ‘Pie has a sad chronicle of another wasted week by the Bulletin.
All that said, if we’re gonna slap ‘em, then we gotta clap ‘em when merited … the paper has enjoyed a surprising uptick in readership . Those Harvey Norman ads seem to have done wonders with our cash splash populace.
A surefire way to make us all jabseekers … lotteries, holidays, and all sorts of beer and skittles enticements ain’t enough in this day and age … so one smart thinker has come up with a surefire way to get Australians to offer up their arms.
And state Opposition leader David The Kid Crisafulli offers Townsville people a way to get their really voice heard that could MAKE the government change it’s tune on the Youth Crimes Act.
Bentley has the weekend off, but we have plenty of laughs across various items during the week, plus our American gallery and a new environmental threat from Asia.
But first, a pause from your morning absinthe, your one and only weekly ad, which you can skip if you’re OK getting something for nothing every week (The Magpie’s Nest will ALWAYS be free.)
A reminder that your support is continually sought to help keep The Nest going. The ‘Pie expects nothing for the time – about 50 hours – he chooses to put into this weekly effort, but he is, as Roger Miller so famously said ‘a man of means by no means’, and Telstra, Optus, NBN, various registrations (Domain Name last week) and operating requirements keep demanding their due. If you think this alternative voice for the city is worthwhile – and worth a smile or a growl – your support will help make the task easier. The Donate button is included at the end of the blog. The Magpie sincerely thanks those who have already shown their support. Thanks.
Enough wheedling, onward!!
Jenny Comes Out Of Her Self Imposed Media Exile – But Why?
The ‘Pie has been fascinated with the recent publicity blitz the Daily Astonisher has afforded our mayor. For much of the past year, Jenny Hill has been content to push her minions forward, particularly the mayor-in-waiting Frothy Molachino, but also various committee chairmen to take the limelight on issues in their various bailiwicks. This was a noticeable departure from her usual MO, where hitherto, she would go to the opening of envelope if she heard a camera clicking (always arriving fashionably late and rudely leaving early, of course). One surmised that, being the sensitive soul we all know her to be, Mrs Hill was sensibly keeping a demur profile ahead of her court appearance on driving without due care causing death.
But then a couple of months ago, up she started bobbing persistently, like that tissue that refuses to flush, in photos accompanying stories of businessmen doing deals among themselves without any involvement of the council or the mayor, and making inane announcements on federal matters.
Deep conspiracy theorists have suggested this flurry of fixed rictus grinning means that Mayor Mullet has had the word from George Street that she little to worry about from her magistrates summary hearing (trial) on June 17 in Brisbane. (Separation of judiciary and state? – Come away, Jake, it’s China t … err, Queensland.)
The ‘Pie doesn’t subscribe to that theory much, but more to two factors: first, widespread dissatisfaction with three major issues around town, crime of course, the Wulguru backyard excreta poonami, and the risible reasoning to spend $2million of ratepayers money on a handkerchief size of lawn and shelter sheds on Castle Hill, instead of the promised café facility and tourist magnet zipline. On secondly, what a Labor insider told him. The Jenny is really wound up about Phillip Thompson’s intervention on local matters and his refusal to be bullied by her. Quoth said mate: He’s smashing her and the three state MPs, and doing an awesome job. Whoever behind Thompson is a-class. He is retail politically savvy but not super smart, and he’s got presumably imported political advice behind him. Jenny is sliding, for sure, and if she continues the tipping point will come, if its not quite already there.. She won’t have covid to saver her next time. ‘
So, in the face of a highly professional and slickly engineered blitz by Phillip Thompson and his team, Mayor Mullet has gone on a simpering offensive. A couple of months or so ago, the mayor started to bob up in the most unlikely places, featuring in photographs in stories on which she had no bearing or reason to be involved. This week, she and her kneelers down at the Bulletin went into overdrive, ignoring any irony as they went. First a front page …
…and this …
No one seems to question the wisdom of featuring a known motoring hoon currently facing a driving charge involving a death with this otherwise usual hyped up sort flummery. Or whether it was appropriate to feature this particular aspect of the V8 circus in a city beset by rampaging young joy riding car thieves.
Next, news that maybe we will get by default a State of Origin match, the paper wetting itself over what is just a possibility.
The paper is never shy of peddling if and maybe stories if they think it will sell newspapers (it doesn’t, but that a different matter.) Bulletin cartoonist Harry, who daily talks to the iditor about the next day’s news agenda, got his riding orders and produced this to suggest this bit of possible sheer luck had anything to do with our mayor.
Her dream publicity run continued with this cynical day-late-and-a-dollar-short piece of insulting nonsense – as though she’d just noticed that there was a bit of crime going on.
The plan was nothing new at all, contained no original suggestions/demands AND WAS JUST A WARMED OVER WISH LIST THAT WILL GO NOWHERE. Even the paper felt it necessary to point this out.
That’s about radical and conventional as the sun coming up tomorrow. The difference is that the sun isn’t about five years late.
The J bombardment continued on Friday, when he were treated to one of the most accidentally transparent moments from this mayor and council. Talk about staged hokum.
This prompted this exchange in comments.
| One legged tap dancer 185 approved email hidden; JavaScript is required 116.212.248.122 |
Submitted on 2021/05/28 at 10:36 am
I’m confused, well more than normally. |
| The Magpie 7,088 approved 101.183.133.227 |
Submitted on 2021/05/28 at 3:11 pm | In reply to One legged tap dancer.
Yes, one certainly hopes it does mean it’s approved. Otherwise, no one will ever come to this town to do business, and Jenny hill is ruling by fiat. Depressingly, this is just a bit of well-planned show-boating by the mayor, who knew full well that since the project complied with the legislated requirements, it had to be passed by council or the TCC would probably be facing a costly legal battle. She no doubt hammered this home privately to her aerobics class, and once she was assured of the count of hands, she said nay, the Astonisher iditor went into moist meltdown to avoid copping her chic Steel Blues in the goolies – and voila! there was yet another ‘positive’ our-tough-mayor story. She had nothing to lose by doing this, and figures she might gain some North Ward cred for her stance (although Clr Geaney voted for it presumably). |
All in all, one of the more less transparent week’s from our mayor and the Daily Astonisher.
But The Bulletin Doesn’t Need The Mayor To Make It Look Like Foolish Amateurs
No siree Bob, indeedy no, it doesn’t. First up, and again from comments.
| The Magpie 7,088 approved |
Submitted on 2021/05/27 at 1:36 pm | In reply to Elusive Butterfly.
The Bulletin Blows Its Foot Off Again It’s the Daily Astonisher’s usual MO – set up a story with tough talk headlines and opening paragraphs, then actually CONTRADICT themselves in the details – which turns out to be a free ad for a half-smart businessman.
From a front page that makes it sound like police will be augmented by ‘a military style security unit’ , the paper claims these civilian mercenaries ’will soon be patrolling the streets of Townsville’. “Experienced guards with a background in defence and prison work will “look like a SWAT team” as they patrol the streets under the new idea.” BUT HERE’S THE THING: They will not be doing any such street patrolling … and that is even spelt out in the story by the security firm’s owner Amedeo Dinardo. This time, it was reporter Shayla Bulloch who committed the Sin of the Unasked Questions, like exactly how will this work, how many jobs will it create (usually a favourite). AND WHY DIDN’T YOU ASK THE POLICE WHAT THEY THOUGHT OF THE IDEA? Your own paper has been blaring constantly – and even has featured an iditoprial – about ‘leave policing to the police.’ This is a barely disguised cynical beat-up which is nothing more than warmed over codswallop amounting to a free ad for a doubtful service. Well done, Bully and Bulloch. Get those Walkley noms ready. |
Didn’t stop the iditor making sure Mayor Mullet scored yet another truly idiotic cartoon which again misrepresented the actuall facts.
.
But Hey, Seems It’s A Competition Of Stupid In The Newsroom
Oh, please, just stop it, it’s really embarrassing, don’t you have any self-respect? We were supposed to be visited by some ‘frightening mayhem’ during the week.
Frightening? And Mayhem (meaning ‘violent or damaging disorder’?) Gosh, better have a read, eh?
“The crash happened at the intersection of Woolcock St and Shaw Rd about 7.15am, with onlookers telling first responders of a single vehicle rollover in the middle of the road opposite the Bohle Barn.
The person travelling inside the vehicle is believed to have removed themselves before emergency services arrived at the scene.”
In other words, a single vehicle rolled over, and the occupant walked away. No one hurt. Jesus wept!
Listen, be warned, you pubic hairs in the soup of Australian journalism, come the revolution and The Magpie is the boss, the first thing he is going to do is go down to your bloody paper, find the bastard who has the keys to the Adjective Storeroom, then in a violence fuelled rampage, he will viciously, unmercifully, frighteningly, create mayhem on his/her head with a massively huge and dangerous looking rolled-up copy of the Daily Astonisher to exclusively reveal to him or her the sickening, strife-torn, heart-breaking depressing damage you are doing to language-abiding citizens – if they bother to read this garbage.
But There Must Be A Few Citizens Who Don’t Give A Tuppeny Toss about Language
The latest Roy Morgan newspaper readership figures for the past year make very curious viewing.
Not wishing to be ungenerous, but both the pandemic measures and Harvey Norman have something to do with it. Saturday (and Sunday) papers went up significantly but three of the four Queensland’s week-day papers – Courier, Gold Coast and Cairns all went down in readership. The one that didn’t? The Townsville Bulletin, with a whopping 25% jump, up to 48,000 readers. So by their own metric that each single paper is read by eight different sets of eyes, that’s a print run of 6000 papers. However, because of COVID, it’s been suggested that on line subscriptions probably account for the jump. But we’ll never know, the Bulletin remains shy of releasing its digital subscription numbers, but a recent iditorial hinted at around 10,000, which is believable.
It would be even better news if the paper had improved in all areas, but it demonstrably hasn’t. No, not sour grapes, said more in sadness than anger, The Magpie is not alone in longing for the return of a responsible and smart paper to better serve this community.
And That Would Be One That Doesn’t Print Unsubstantiated Racial Slurs
Especially slurs that target one section of the workforce.
Again we have to ask ‘What the fuck were they thinking?” – and ‘fuck’ is most appropriate in this instance.
The second question is will the Press Council be interested – not that a toothless tiger really matters.
Let us put aside why the Bulletin found this particular totally unproven niche matter worthy of this unethical treatment. What is more alarming is that a seasoned and thoughtful senior reporter like Tony Raggatt would start a story in this scattergun contradictory manner:
“Far too often Indian men disrespect prostitutes, a Townsville brothel has claimed.
The Seven Veils has made the allegation on its Instagram page, stressing it is not intended to be a “racial attack” but claiming the behaviour has “only come from one race”.
You don’t have to be a philosophical PhD (although most Nest readers are) to quickly note that for someone claiming to not want to make a ‘racial attack’ that that’s what exactly what they have done.
Raggatt is the business editor at The Bulletin, so maybe it is appropriate that he was assigned this story, because it boiled down to a madam complaining that the blokes that the blokes she was not being racist about are all Indians, who always want ‘extras’ – whatever that may entail, use your own imagination – without paying for them when all they ordered was the basic wham-bam-thank you-mesahib. What base scoundrels, I’m taking this to influential media … well, to the Bulletin anyway. But seeking your moral compass from a woman who hawks the forks of other women for a living is always a dubious enterprise.
But the fun and jokes come to a screeching halt when we get to the end of the story and read this astounding swipe: “One Townsville-based Indian, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he did not think Indians had a particularly (sic) problem with the treatment of women but that if there were problems it could be coming a group who were often taxi drivers.”
Well, maybe their ‘particularly’ problem is of a different nature. Around the world, taxi drivers are generally the first to be asked where a bloke can get a ‘little action’, and the drivers often expect a sling either in cash or kind from the recommended establishment.
So perhaps after all this is a business story of involving an unwritten contractual arrangement gone wrong. There has to be some sort of follow up to this story … and one supposes an well, deserved apology would be out of the question.
Perhaps here is an appropriate spot of a YouTube tutorial ‘So you ant to be a journalist’.
Presents For Pricks
As has happened elsewhere – particularly in the USA – authorities here are considering bribes to get people to get the COVID jab.
But The ‘Pie has his doubts if all that will, he prefers the clever solutions suggested by those funny buggers at The Shovel.
But new rules make getting a jab a bit of a hit and miss afair.
The Weapons Needed To Cancel Cancel Culture
In two words – guts and indignation. During the week, we got this latest chapter from one of the great cancel culture whingers, the Oapls dribbler Liz Camage.
Ms Cambage is the one who chucked a hissy fit, declaring she was withdrawing from the Olympic team ‘because there weren’t any or enough people of colour in the material showing the national Olympic uniforms.’ Nothing came of her off-court bombastic dribble – good on those authorities – and she quickly changed her mind, she would after all condescend to represent her country, even if we are all racist bastards. Now a US basketball coach of an opposing team playing her UD side has been fined ten grand and suspended for one match for yelling from the sidelines to an official who had given Cambage the decision in a physical collision. His words ‘c’mon, look at her, she’s 300 pounds.’
No point in going on about this – Cambage is indeed a big Brunhilde, but not quite that big, and went all foot-stampy about a comment hardly anyone heard in usual melee of a match. This sort of arrant nonsense has to stop, surely. And the only way to do that is for victims and managing boards to stand their ground and refuse to apologise or take actions like this.
Because there is another downside to this triteness … it detracts from the very real and very serious instances where ‘cancel culture’ force is used legitimately – which is now starting to be re-titled ‘Consequence Culture’. Won’t happen of course, because the bottom line is exactly that – the bottom line, profits, so easily affected by faceless social media trolls.
Crisafulli Goes To Bat On Townsville Crime
The state opposition leader is seeking 10,000 signatures for his petition calling for young offenders who breach their bail to automatically go behind bars.
“The State Government is losing control of youth crime so let’s send them a message. Enough is enough,” Mr Crisafulli said. “If Townsville locals unite on this and we get 10,000 signatures, I promise I will table the petition on the floor of parliament, taking it right to the Premier.
“My friends and family are telling me they’re scared. Assaults, break-and-enters, cars stolen – Townsville’s crime spree is out of control.
Over to you now, folks, you can sign here. In case that doesn’t work, this is the address: http://is.gd/tsvcrime
On that issue, a Magpie mate emailed this:
I was just talking to my brother in Darwin who tells me the NT Govt passed legislation recently to reintroduce the breach of bail punishment, similar to the law Queensland nonce had. So if they now breach bail, they go to the slammer. He reckons they are starting to see a difference already.
From The ‘Surely They’re Kidding’ File.
Just So The Magpie Can Be First
The Magpie loves a good headline. The Magpie was first a few weeks ago with Seems We Are Not A Nation Of Jabseekers – picked up by a Perth newspaper.
Phil Mickelson’s win in this PGA Tournament this week makes him the oldest player to win a major (old at 50, FFS). So how about:
The Old Man And The Tee.
That Was One Of The Brighter Moments of Recent Times In America
The dominant topic has been the Republicans astounding refusal to have an inquiry into the riot and storming of the capitol in January. And Biden is coming in for a few licks for his policies, but is still overwhelmingly popular.
And a last one – which explains a particularly American phenomenon.
And Finally
First the Bird Flu, then the Swine Flu, Mad Cow Disease, the Asian Hornet, the Ebola Virus, Coronavirus … and now, the Asian moth.
…………
End of a big week, but they’re all big nowadays. Jump into comments to have your say, and you can jump into donation mode if you’re in the mood, the appropriate button is below. Thanks to all those who’ve helped out so far.
The Townsville Bulletin is definitely moonlighting as Jenny Hill and the council’s PR department.
According to the editor they can do no wrong. Of course there’s that “driving without due care causing death” charge the mayor is facing but hey, let’s not mention that.
Repeated requests for an update on the mayor’s pending trial have been despatched to the trash basket, despite reports the police prosecution will be calling up to 15 witnesses!
The latest tactic is to remove or ignore negative comments from stories.
Here’s how it works. The editor publishes a story regarding Jenny Hill or the council. A perfect example is last week’s yarn about Dimmey’s Arcade getting a makeover, with predictable flummery from Cr Greaney.
To the editor’s shock, the story drew many negative online comments about the appaling condition of the CBD, including (ironically) one about Townsville Bulletin Square (TBS) being used as a toilet.
For those not familiar with our CBD, TBS is located right outside the Sugar Shaker hotel and across the road from the Cowboys Leagues Club, thus leaving a lasting impression on visitors to Townsville for business, tourism or NRL games.
The problem of drunks and undesirables accosting the public also featured in the comment.
But, just when it passed the 20 “likes” barrier, which is something of a record for the Bully, it disappeared.
It’s not the first time this sort of suppression as happened.
More recently I made a comment about the Cowboys letting talented young North Queenslander Jake Clifford go to another club while at the same time signing a 30-year-old halfback from Sydney, but 19 hours later it is still “PENDING”, despite the fact that several other comments made since then have been cleared.
Could the editor be waiting to get my comment approved by the Cowboys?
Is it true that if council is not paying for her defence as this is a private matter. I wonder if the rumours r true then that council bigwig was down at the police station straight away? To do what I wonder?
Not sure that is right. If Clr Hill was on her way to work when the accident happened … she surely was … then council insurance probably has her covered, especially if she was in a council car at the time. And that is a fair enough rule for a mayor, councillor and certainly for council employees anywhere. Such cover is not subject to any test of leadership competency, otherwise, Clr Hill would indeed be footing her own legal bill.
Thanks for your blog Pie, although Aware of your news service for some time 2021 has been the year I have taken the time to digest your weekly serve on what’s been stewing in the Ville.
If you were a restaurant I would give you 3 Michelin stars.
As someone who between business and home has experienced 5 seperate robberies this year including armed robbery at knifepoint I commend your commentary on the Townsville Crime Crisis. I encourage all of your readers and eager commenters to click the link to Breach of Bail petition. It’s the most practical and useful thing you can do this week to help our community In regards to this out of control and Growing social battle.
The Magpie cannot think of a single reason why anyone living in Townsville wouldn’t sign the petition … even if someone is a die-hard Labor member, Crisafulli’s petition is a practical measure to pressure the government into meaningful action that it has dodged for so long. Given the widespread rusted-on Labor sentiments in this town, it should be understood that this isn’t a vote against the current government staying in office, it is a vote in favour of your own community – in that sense, it is above politics.
C’mon, ‘Pie, The Kid’s petition “above politics”? If the petition fails to get the hoped-for 10,000 signatures then you will have discovered 100,000 (adult) reasons why anyone living in Townsville wouldn’t sign. For the life of me I can’t understand why Opposition Leader Crisafulli hasn’t given himself a shadow ministry with a bit more economic profile than tourism. He had a choice, he knew about Covid, there’s lots happening in A-Gs, mining, even local government, and he went for the soft and the idle. Doesn’t make sense.
Your suggestion then is that such a petition is NOT above politics … and therefore, the ALP faithful like yourself should not sign it.
You exemplify the major problem we face in reigning in crime in tbhis city, you should be ashamed at such petty empty rhetoric.
The words ‘nose’, ‘cut’, ‘spite’ and ‘face’ spring to mind.
‘Pie, punters are so ‘over’ lightweight, trivial politics in this state they simply won’t be bothered to fiddle around, even for about 10 seconds, to sign a petition. A chook raffle would make more sense.
Sadly, yes, it would. Wither Townsville, one asks again.
“lightweight trivial politics in this state”. NMD you must be talking about our 3 ineffective MP’s here in the Ville.
Here is a tip NMD, have just returned from the Willows markets where the LNP had a stall, the opposition Leader was there in person and people were just streaming in to sign the petition, Harper or the other 2 misfits were MIA, the signings so far are in the 20,000 mark, so much for your trivial policies.
OT, I made no mention of trivial policies – that is your invention. I wrote about trivial POLITICS. It won’t matter how many signatures the Kid brandishes around in the parliament, they will count for nothing.
So many explanation points “ “ “ so little substance “ “ “ more cut and paste then a kindergarten playroom. NMD has to be the mayor based on the amount of copying it’s doing for every comment. Must be slow day or Steve hasn’t woken up to cook breakfast yet.
Probably Steve is out in the back yard after that damn goanna.
Wally, since your capacity for intelligent analysis leads you to be convinced that I am the mayor, well, you need your head read. You are a bigot. You don’t have a clue.
How’s your 100,000 (adult) reasons not to sign going this morning, Dredger? The last line gives you nice little kick in Jimmy and the Twins.
Dredges, that sort of logic fails when you consider that 60-odd % of Queenslanders did NOT vote for the ALP last election, but here we are. But..tell me – are you not in favour of breach of bail being reinstalled as an offence. If not, why?
Grumpy, I am one of your 60%. I put Labor last. On breach of bail, I’m not a lawyer, I haven’t read the Bail Act and I try to stay away from courts. However, applying breach of bail penalties to kids as young as eleven, or is it ten in Queensland?, seems draconian to me. No wonder governments don’t want to go there – plus, everyone saw what happens when you really do lock ‘em up – DON DALE, DON DALE, DON DALE. It’s a warning siren.
The warning sign was not DON DALE, it was a few weeks back when the female motorcycle rider was killed. It was 3 yrs ago when labor changed bail laws. Stop being a fucken idiot and spewing shot over the internet that is wrong. Lock the blacks up and problems solved!
So dredger, Why don’t you take one of the little snots in and be the guardian? Seeing you don’t want the ‘system’ to rectify their behaviour.
“Lock the blacks up and problems solved!”
When the Pie came out against racial vilification of Indians, I thought he’d turned over a new leaf, but I guess not.
Whatever Wally says, Wally wears, and The ‘Pie did think about it before publishing, but did so to let people see what sort of folks are out there. Not either the words or the solution The ‘Pie subscribes to, but since practically 100% of juvenile criminals causing all the havoc are deprived black kids allowed to by irresponsible black parents , The ‘Pie let it stand.
BTW it has to pointed out Steve, who is blind ion one eye and can’t see out of the other because of entrenched attitudes, The ‘Pie did not primarily come out against racial vilification of Indians – any decent person would – he primarily came out against the Bulletin choosing to publish such unsubstantiated tar brush bile.
You’re to be commended for not publishing … hey, wait a minute!
The ‘Pie looks forward to you cementing our new bromace by regularly complimenting the old bird on all things he doesn’t publish and you don’t see.
It appears our Mayor is channelling the Bob Katter ” technique arriving late and departing early ” so everyone sees her . She did it at the PM,s morning tea and again at the Red Shield Appeal breakfast that way you get to avoid having to deal with those pesky ratepayers . Fortunately the event of 380 people gave generously and Graham Jackson was acknowledged for 35 yrs supporting the Salvos and presented with a plaque . Does anyone really believe the Mayor donning her hi vis for media spin ? . Another 73 properties are due to receive auction threats so that takes it to 110 and the mayor mentioned 193 in an ABC interview . Is that a record under Team Hill for the City ? . The Councillors are as much responsible due to their sycophant behavior (excluding independents ) so they can keep their Council paid stipend .
Mike it is time for the business community to get serious about getting rid of the Mullet and her little cloned sook Molachino. It was the business community that got their act together on the Gold Coast years ago and sent that miserable turd Ron Clarke packing, after he turned the place into a business basket case, in the same way the Mullet and Co have done here. It won’t be easy and it won’t be cheap, but it will be a lot cheaper than allowing them continue to fuck the economy like they have been.
Really, Cankers, how can you say such things about our mayor. Didn’t you read about the resuscitation of the CBD Dimmy’s site, that will house a gym, a surf’n’ski shop and an unnamed food outlet – the traffic jams from the suburbs can only be the single downside. And Mayor Mullet is encouraging small business in a meaningful way by opposing an eight storey apartment and retail development on The Strand … she would instead welcome a much smaller ‘business’ … say a three story fibro and weatherboard replica to attract tourists.
Indeed, I imagine if the building on the Strand was Watermark 2 from her mate Richo she would have been fully in favour of it.
Off topic for this week, but I was surprised how well the turf at Total Tools Stadium was looking after the rugby boys went around last night. The Reds win was also a big surprise.
Yeah, noticed that too, seems to be settling in well. Be interesting to compare crowds over the two nights, not for sniping reasons, but high level rugby could be a big winner, going by the one or two pics of the Reds game.
And BTW, FYI Gal and all readers … nothing is ‘off topic’, if something is interesting and relevant, feel free to introduce it.
“Official” crowds for stadium this weekend
Cowboys 14,951
Reds 9,238
Average NRL for the Cowboys home games this season a tad under 15,000 or 60% of capacity.
22,222 at the Cowboys Broncos game means as yet it has never been a sell out.
Time will tell
G’day, Donkey Dick. See Magpie reply to NQ Gal.
But The ‘Pie will add that even the combined crowds from two top tier games from two codes still didn’t make for one single filled stadium.
The folly and waste is slowly being exposed.
I would guess around 7000 – there were less than 15000 at the Cowboys game on Friday
Maybe Tony Raggatt should have got the other side of the story when he got into the taxi after leaving said premises.
Just to give Steve of Belgian Gardens apolexy.
Something for Steve of BG to contemplate when watching the dryer spin, at the local laundromat.
Magpie, The Gunner Government has not passed any youth bail reforms in the NT. Therefore any improvements to crime must be for other reasons. Gunners proposal is currently under fairly heavy scrutiny from groups such as the Human Rights Commission, and strong opposition from the Indigenous Labor Network.
https://sydneynewstoday.com/protesters-called-for-a-regressive-investigation-into-the-northern-territorys-youth-bail-reform-proposal/170017/
Wake up and stop looking at your nuts Duck! The laws were passed by the NT Legislative Assembly recently. Your link is old and outdated, a bit like you old mate!
Ah my error. Bail laws were hurriedly passed earlier this month. That still gives very little time to say they’ve been effective.
I linked to the article to highlight the issues with the laws. And despite some changes, there are still issues. These laws erode the basic rights of citizens and the introduction of these laws have shown what a farce the Gunner ‘government’ is. Peaceful protesters arrested and charged for protesting in the public gallery. Scandal in the NT police force.
Scrapping of legislative scrutiny committees.
This is a government rapidly becoming authoritarian and despite being a centre left government, it is behaving like a right wing government.
Accept all your points as worthy of discussion except one … protest in parliamentary galleries are the exact opposite of why parliaments are created in the first place … where representatives elected and informed by the public can debate issues on their behalf within rules of presentation and exchange, without rabble rousing interruptions.
My first thought, “Prime Minister Michel Gunner” ? Second thought, how are any of the rest of the words therein helping OUR PROBLEM??
Are we looking at a new comedy capers type TV Sitcom, based on The Benny Hill Show, titled THE JENNY HILL SHOW, in years to come?
Starring The Mullet, The Impaler, Molanchino, Memory Blank Walker, with regular guest appearances by Private Cupcake and Harpic???
Its going to be bigger than a caper show. Shit is going to go down, and upwards and sideways for so many at council. Hold on to ur hats!
…and wallets.
Mullets court date has been moved to aug 18. She must be worried about something. I feel for the biker’s family.
She didn’t want to miss the V8’s
What was her previous Court date? Maybe it conflicted with a State of Origin game ….
June 17, by memory, maybe. You do the calendar check.
The NT has cracked down hard on alcohol fuelled violence.
Went into a bottle shop in Katherine last week to get a bottle of wine and was greeted at the entrance by 2 police officers who asked to see my driver’s licence. I suggested they were joking because I look way, way over legal drinking age but they explained that it was the law and that if I bought an unreasonably high amount of alcohol they had the power to sieze it without any refund.
They then asked where I was staying, before giving me the ok to shop.
Then, when I went to the counter to pay the guy serving not only asked for my licence, but took a copy of it and recorded the sale on a computer.
I asked him what was going on and he explained that the government keeps a track of what alcohol people buy in the NT. Apparently they are trying to combat opportunists buying grog and onselling it to the local derros at greatly inflated prices.
There is a black market on grog in NT because welfare payments are mainly restricted to buying essential items like food, rent and health.
Wonder how many Queenslanders would pass the NT tests.
Oh, you quipster, Doug, The ‘Pie didn;’t miss you’re ‘black market’ gag …. very droll – and accurate.
A “black market”is a black market. People of every colour and shape are involved in it.
The idiots will probably want to change the term to “rainbow market”.
Oh shit, that won’t be acceptable either.
What about “green market”. No, the tree hugers would be outraged.
Ok, how about “blue market”? Hell no, the NSW Origin fans would be livid.
Any other suggestions?
No, just maintain a sense of humour.
Unless someone else is paying for it. Then it’s 99/100.
Been that way in the NT for quite a few years Doug, I didn’t mind handing over my licence to buy alcohol, but the whole thing is a load of shit, you can drink at the bar and not have to hand over your licence, you can have a pallet load of booze delivered to your front door from an online transaction with no licence, but if you go to a bottle shop you have to hand over a licence, typical knee jerk policy from Labor fuckwits.
Had the same experience at a drive-in bottle shop in Alice Springs last week – couldn’t believe it.
I didn’t know that Penfolds Grange was sold in bottle shops…..that is your tipple of choice isn’t it?
The most over-rated wine of all time.
Oh c’mon Pie, politicians love racking up credit cards with Penfolds purchases at Canberra restaurants. It seems to be the wine of choice for our most honourable members of society. I wonder if our TCC CEO likes to indulge himself?
Agreed. Got given a bottle of Grange one time and tipped most of it out. It had been sitting around so long it had gone off (corked). Give me a bottle of Jim Barry Shiraz anytime.
One of my favourite sayings was that Sydney QC’s are like Tasmanian wine – overpriced and overrated.
Maybe so Pie, but you still quaff it when it presents, right??!
In fact, in The ‘Pie’s restaurant-owning days in the 80s, he had the opportunity to taste all vintages from 1968 to 1984. Unimpressed every time, especially when price v the experience was considered.
Family was taking mother out for 80th birthday dinner at flash restaurant. Son had brought $500 bottle of Grange to celebrate. Mum poured her usual: red wine 50/50 with Coke.
Smart mum, dumb son.
Quote :”unreasonably high amount of alcohol”, from the Territory that invented the Worlds biggest stubbies ….
I was in Anchorage Alaska 3 years ago and went to a bottle shop for a bottle of Jack. The (bloody big) bouncers on the door asked for my drivers license. I joked that I was over 21 (67) but was told “show or go”…
Inside I asked what that was about as they photo copied my brief and was told domestic violence convictions are recorded on said license and if said convictions were recorded no alcohol was able to be purchased…
sounds fair to me…
One of the issues with the breach of bail laws would be where to put the little snots, the Cleveland youth detention centre is normally full anyway. This is a great opportunity to create construction work and build new facilities in Cairns and Mackay, so they can house their own snots in their own towns and they wouldn’t all congregate in Townsville after being released.
Unfortunately Wally, you’re follow-up post could not be published, for fear of giving Steve o BG a fatal fit of the conniptions. However, Steve now gets an ideal opportunity to again congratulate his new mate The ‘Pie for something he didn’t publish.
And Wally, seriously, give it a rest mate, you’re little joke is over. But if it wasn’t a joke, The ‘Pie is sorry, but the broad church that is the Nest does not have any pews to cater for brain-damaged racist sociopaths.
Think you just got ten in the bin Wally ! Sounds like any more and you’re off for an early shower !
I guess the “Giggle Bully” don’t want us to sign the LNP’s petition.
The newspaper that tells us “We’re For You” also tells us…
“To sign the petition visit: is.gd/tsvcrime”
Click away folks and you get this…
“Uh-oooooooh. This article is no longer available.
Click below to go back to the homepage where there are loads more stories for you to read.
Townsville Bulletin homepage”
The Editor and his incohesive cohort are a disgrace!
I think the colour ‘black’ should be completely removed and not be allowed ever again unless you cannot avoid it (for example the night sky). No more black. And really ‘white’ should also be removed, and perhaps ‘yellow’ and ‘brown’. Surely if we embrace such changes we will have a more diverse and fair society?
Fair enough … or perhaps fair should be disallowed too … but we’d better keep red orange and green … we have enough strife on our roads as is.
Hey Purple Haze, black and white are not actually colours, they are in fact shades. Lesson for the day over. Thanks for reading!!!
Plucker, I believe from a true artist’s perspective, that you’re partly correct and that black and white are not colours but actually the lack of presence and the presence of light !
And The ‘Pie has a rough idea of what sort of ‘artist’ you’re talking about.
The rolling Stones were way ahead of there time… Paint It Black
I see a red door
And I want it painted black
No colors anymore
I want them to turn black
welcome to reality folks…
Townsville gets the state of Origin. And all you old Boomer whiners on here said it would never happen. Onya Jenny, onya Anna P.
Sorry, when did anyone say that? Yes, The Magpie said that maybe three or four years ago (once) when Mayor Mullet wittered on about the possibility, but silly old ‘Pie, wonky crystal ball didn’t him tip him off to the corona virus pandemic … which is the ONLY reason the game is coming here. But no matter, we’ve got it, it will be great time, and the city (well, the CBD hotel and entertainment scene) will benefit (although the Queensland taxpayer may resent paying for it … your lust object Anna P is forking out $8.3million to get it here, where the local business benefit is optimistically estimated to be about $5million.)
But next whiners in line won’t be boomers … it will be whiffleheads like you bitching in your usual over-self entitled fashion that the locals have locked out of a decent allocation of tickets.
NMD sneaks in a dig at the Nesters while hiding behind his ‘Last Drinks’ persona. Gutless fool.
Oh Shadow, if you only knew. NMD does not need to hide behind anybody. He goes much better than you.
So, Townsville’s “celebrity economist” Colin Dwyer reckons 9000 people attending the Reds match on Saturday night at the Crabpot, generated $2.2 million into the local economy.
That equates to around $250 per head…man, woman and child…or a family of four parting with $1000 for a night at the footy!
Have Maccas’ prices gone through the roof?
God knows what ridiculous figures he will come out with before, and after, the State of Origin match.
And guess what…the Bulletin just publishes his rdiculous assumptions verbatim.
Talk about blind idiots leading blind idiots!
How much is the Townsville City Council paying this clown??
Elusive, I didn’t read Dwyer’s column but I’d be surprised if his $2.2m figure was restricted to the stadium’s pie stalls. More likely it includes hotel/motel accommodation, petrol sales, airline tickets, restaurant patronage and casino/poker machine traffic – which is probably calculable if you’re an economist with nothing else to do.
And unalloyed joy with which the paper and those economic witterers continue to spruik ‘benefits to the city’ seem to have a narrow focus. The businesses and denizens anywhere outside the CBD – west of the railway lines in fact – will be left wondering where the stampede of visiting customers, here courtesy of their taxpayer dollars, will start. The SOO game coming here is a great boon to Townsville, and it should be a couple of days social blast to lift the spirits of the Mullet’s gloomtown, but the downside for the long suffering residents is that all the usual suspects with no tangible connection to the event will be hopping on the bandwagon for a free profile lifting piccy in the media. E.g.
That is one of the most hateful pictures imaginable in the current circumstances. These three monkeys, who refuse to take any responsibility or action for the rampaging kiddy crime wave blighting Townsville, somehow think it it appropriate for this empty headed photo call on a matter with which they absolutely zero input. And shame on the Bulletin not just for printing it, but also for organising it in the first place.
Pie,
And also a worthless statement from two of them.
Memory Blank couldn’t think of anything to say before it was time to print.
You can tell in the photo who the real fighter for Townsville is, left hook Memory Blank.
Memo Daily Astonisher Iditor Craig Warhurst.
Mate, as much as you aspire to be the Ring Master in this Three Ring Circus, it’s time to accept that you are merely playing the fool in the Court of Jenny. …
One can’t help getting the feeling that iditor Warhurst coughs in his rompers every time he hears the name Jenny Hill. His iditorial today starts out well enough (Townsville would never have seen a SOO match but for COVID), but then enter –inevitably- Jenny Hill and two mystery men. And credulity.
Now, any plan to do with Townsville being executed swiftly and with precision would be noteworthy first (Battery factory, anyone? Maybe a kiddy-crime wave anyone? We’ve been executing a plan on that one with swift precision, just ask Aaron Harper.) But why the mystery about the two businessmen? One was probably Lozza Lancini, but the other? So much for informing the reading public of facts about who shapes events and circumstances in this city, just a little prick teasing instead.
But then Craig goes full girlie gush when talking about NSW attempting to snatch the game away.
Mate, intestinal fortitude means ‘courage’ an act by a person or persons with something to lose – just why would it take ‘intestinal fortitude’ to suggest to the SOO people ‘Hey, we’ve got a nice stadium and not much COVID, if you like’? And then just c ross your fingers? What have your two crime fighting heroines got to lose, except something they never had in the first place?
Even with the ridiculous beer prices, a night at the rugby cost less than $200 for 2 including tickets and dinner form City Eats van.
What is wrong with David Crisafulli?
Doesn’t he have some sort of advisory team?
But then, when it comes to Townsville, why would he need one?
He was Deputy Mayor and a State MP here.
And yet, when “blind man Freddy” knows that the Ville was booked out on June 9 by the QRL and the Premier is going to bank roll State of Origin for the Townsville “White Elephant”, he decides to try and create headlines and have a petition signing about crime in the city…YESTERDAY!
What a crock!
The next 10 days, and its already started, will be devoted to a game of rugby league being played in Townsville…and nothing else!
Once again, Anna Alphabet, has proved that this pretender to the throne, is just that!!
This time NMD sneaks in a dig at anything or anyone that are non-Labor while hiding behind his ‘Elusive Butterfly’ persona. Gutless fool.
‘Pie, I know this doesn’t tell us anything about where Phil O’Herbert is thinking of spending his $195m pork barrel but it does bring a bit of political balance to your fascination with ‘Total Tools’ stadium – which is about to get all over famous with Jenny Hill sitting in the front row for the Origin game. Phil has written to his constituents this week:
” During the election campaign the community told me they wanted a new home for the Cowboys to go with their amazing new stadium. I fought for a $15 million federal government grant to get it off the ground and last month I was proud to a part of the opening of the Community Training and High Performance Centre. It was built with the help of another $20 million federal government loan.”
Agh NMD pops up as itself this time and again slips in a not so subtle dig at Phil. NMD, you are a fucktard of the greatest order. Who will you post as today, ECQ?
Dear Flailing at Shadows, your paranoia is starting to show. Are you OK, old mate?
From the Daily Telegraph:
“Queensland has been gifted a huge Origin advantage by buying the right to host the opening match, after NSW rejected a request to spend about $8 million to host the game.
Government sources confirmed NSW refused to match the “silly money” the Sunshine State offered to secure match one on the basis it could not be justified to the taxpayer.”
This allows Queensland to host the first two out of three matches after Victoria’s Covid outbreak left league officials scrambling to find an alternative venue.
Various reports of the deal valued it between $6 million and $8 million, but NSW sources were adamant the figure was closer to $8.3 million.
Minister for Tourism (NSW) Stuart Ayres said: “I’m all for major events but we have to be responsible with taxpayers’ money and what Queensland had paid the NRL is truly silly money”.
So Anna and Jenny. what was the split?
What is the hit to the State budget and, more importantly, the Townsville council budget?
We taxpayers and ratepayers deserve to know because its our money, not Anna’s or Jenny’s.
Note to Townsville Bulletin editor Craig Warhurst: when can we expect to see this info in our local paper?
That’s fairly typical Palaszczuk financial populism at its most transparent, especially since she and Mayor Mullet have boasted that it will inject about $5million into the local economy. And while The Magpie cheers the fact that we’re getting such a big match, we really have been caught with our pants down … no one seems to have thought about one downside … visitors coming early or sticking around after the game will be given an interesting impression of the boarded up, for lease CBD to take back home.
Yep sounds like ALP maths – spending $8million of tax payer’s money for $5million of benefits (to people who are not Tax Payers).
The average, hard working tax payer in Townsville will see nothing except a mob fly in Wednesday and fly out Thursday leaving us with a hangover going why the hell did we do that?
No questions on how we have COVID restrictions everywhere and scare campaigns, yet somehow Total Tools Stadium increases capacity by 1800 Seats. Would love to see the COVID safe plan for that.
Again pollies and public sector detached from reality, spending on luxurious fantasies and taking excessive pay rises in a time of crisis, no moral compass at all.
Idle thought: if Townsville becomes a COVID hot spot and goes into lockdown caused by this influx of visitors all at once, will Mayor Mullet take the credit for that?
$8 million is a disgrace, just a true indication of just how fucked the state govt is in Qld, what a pack of novices, Peter V”landys must smile when he sees Puddleducks number come up on his phone, money for jam. So where are all the people coming from for this financial bonanza, airlines have not announced extra flights at this stage, we have a couple of football teams plus staff, a few television people and some freeloading politicians and football administrators coming to town, so where is the big spend coming from, most likely it’s coming out of locals pockets.
I’d much rather Anna just sent me and everyone else in Townsville a cheque for the roughly $40 each from that $8.3m.
Well, we won’t be missing much.
Now let me get this straight.
1. Taxpayers paid $293 million to build Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville (State and Federal funds). The NQ Cowboys contributed $10 million, but this was in the form of rent in advance, so realisticaly they contributed nothing.
2. Anna P pays $8.3 million of taxpayers money to get the Origin game in Townsville.
3. First crack at getting tickets goes to NQ Cowboys members.
4. There are more than 16,000 NQ Cowboys members so if they each buy just 2 seats, there are none left for the general public.
5. There are around 190,000 Townsville residents so 175,000 people who contributed to the stadium and the Origin game miss out.
Given that the people of Queensland own the stadium, not the NQ Cowboys, why is this so?
One little bit of straightening would be about the number of people who “contributed to the stadium”. I’m afraid that means the entire Australian tax paying public – not just Townsvillains. It’s the same people who ‘contributed’ the big grey ships currently in the port and the camo-coloured APCs parading around Lavarack.
Cost of Origin tickets. Can anyone find a price list, The ‘Pie has had a beak around but can’t land on the right site.
No need to include cost for mayor and selected councillors, Labor MPs, or board members of the Townsville Aboriginal and Islander Health Service TAIHS – they will all be complimentary, or in the case of TAIHS, tax payer funded.
The TAIHS board will probably pull their usual rort, and use taxpayer money to try get a box and invite selected family… they did that for the indigenous All Star game earlier in the year, and one suspects for the Cowboys/Warriors clash a week or so ago. SOO is unlikely to be a starter though, demand is a bit different, and a hell of a lot steeper, for this match.
The check I did with booking.com yesterday arvo had just 2 Townsville properties available for June 8 & 9:
Yongala Lodge in North Ward ($1250 total for 2 nights) and a 2 bed luxury apartment on The Strand ($5000 total for the 2 nights).
There were others listed but they were over on Maggie Island
Just checked the website again and Yongala is now $2618 for a queen room and the 2 bed apartment is $5070.
There is nothing luxurious about the rooms or apartments at Yongala. Absolutely nothing Doug!
Plucker, I said the 2 bed apartment on The Strand was “luxury”, not the Yongala Lodge, which is basic Townsville accom. In any case, my question was: Supply and demand, or price gauging.
Perhaps the owners of these 2 properties could respond. Or maybe TEL, who say they have their finger on the pulse of Townsville tourism.
And Not A Fan – you nailed it.
Do you still have to cough up the $2618 if you’re not a Queen ?
… no, but your boyfriend does
OK, boys, that’s enough, your mothers have arrived to pick you up from kindy.
Can’t find out where you can buy Origin tickets for Townsville. That info is reserved for NQ Cowboys members.
But a site where you can buy scalpers tickets is already sold out – before they go officially on sale:
https://www.theticketmerchant.com.au/state-of-origin-game-1-townsville-09-06-2021-tickets
And to add to the rort, people who bought expensive hospitality packages for the game when it was to be played in Melbourne have the right to tranfer those tickets to the Townsville game:
https://www.stateoforiginhospitality.com.au/townsville/qld-country-bank-stadium/2021-state-origin-game-1-tsv/
Poor old Joe Public won’t stand a chance.
It was always going to be the case that a lot of local fans would miss out, but surely the tickets should have gone on sale for everyone at the same time, on a first in-first served basis.
It’s called a level playing field, which apparently doesn’t exist in Townsville.
Christ, FFS.
No, IO, don’t think you understand the long-established SOO situation. The SOO game is NOT coming here as some sort of reward for ‘the poor old locals’, it’s coming here for other obvious reasons, like perceived player and crowd safety. There is absolutely no reason why locals – including and perhaps particularly Cowboys members – should get preferential treatment, this is a game in a two-state series with players from many about all clubs, with ALL league fans having equal rights on getting seats … INTRINSICALLY THE TICKETING HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH TOWNSVILLE – AND NOR SHOULD IT. And the rorts? It was ever thus, those rorts aren’t aimed at Townsvilleans, they are just the usual fact of life around this time of year.
It is a typical example of the over self-entitlement that this town indulges in so often. We’ve got the game, if you can’t get a seat, enjoy it on TV and enjoy the spin-off buzz and business it brings. As said, really, FFS!
I read somewhere that “Townsville only got the State of Origin match because of COVID”.
I just hope that in a few weeks I’m not reading that “Townsville only got COVID because of the State of Origin match”.
Pie, I think that window of opportunity for Cowboys members to get tickets also includes NRL & QRL members which takes in all clubs affiliated with them. So people will need to be quick.
Wednesday 1:00pm to 3:00pm is the allocated time.
Best of luck.
$8,300,000.00 for 90 minutes of football is fucked.
I can think of better ways to spend $92,222.22 per minute.
Average weekly wage in Australia is about $1,700.00 fuck me these idiots are out of touch.
$8 million would have been better spent putting extra police and resources onto Townsville streets to fight the ALP and bleeding heart supported juvenile crims.
I notice in the Bullsheet that the mathematical rehabilitation of these figures has begun. It’s now a $7m benefit (up from 5) and only a $7.5m cost (down from 8.5). If this keeps up the game will run at a profit – and only at the expense of truth.
Those lads at The Shovel have done it again.
Hey there Elusive Butterfly, can you turn back into a caterpillar please and stop trash talking on here! I liked you better as a crawling insect.
Last drinks , popping the champagne corks just because Anastascia and Jenny paid $8.3 mil for the SOO . You don’t think you should wait on the Council and State budget because us old boomers are waiting to see the increases in rates , rego , water , levies . Well our 3 local State MP,s and all State Pollies dont need to worry as they are receiving 2.25 % wage increase this September then another 2.25 % in March 2022 , 2.5 % September 2022 = 6.75 % . So the Premier has reneged on her pre -election promise to freeze politicians pay increases during COVID .
The rise is actually more than 6.75% because the 2.5% rise is compounded i.e. 2.5% on base salary and then 2.5% on adjusted salary (including first 2.5% rise) and then a further 2.5% on salary which includes the previous two increases.
Do the math and it is an 8% increase on the current salary.
Mal, I’ve read all the comments regarding the SOO in Townsville , I’ve been to three SOO at Lang Park and each experience was totally professional, I went to watch the home game three weeks ago ( approx 11,000 attendance ) and it was far from professional, the gates didn’t open on time, some of the tills where beer was sold were still set at can price, some staff were still in the process of being trained, I hope I’m proved wrong but I feel that there will be total confusion in all areas, as the stadium has not been subjected to this amount of patrons, once again I hope my assessment is wrong, only time will tell. Take care, Ralph.
I’ve been told by a Townsville Hospital and Health Service employee that the budget has lost $30 plus million this financial year. Apparently all Hospital and Health Services were told in 2020 that they would be reimbursed for expenditure on Crovid-19 but Anna has now decreed that all HHS must find this money within existing budgets in this financial year and future financial years. One of the ways the THHS is doing this is by not replacing staff where staffing levels aren’t mandated and slowing down the recruitment of staff in other areas, by not undertaking maintenance that isn’t critical and so on.
Would be why they harass and annoy the fuck out of people with private health insurance to allow the hospital to slug their health insurance companies for their treatment, what a disgrace, busted arse state Govt turning staff into beggars.
It has been big news in Brisbane and covered by the Courier mail . Major defunding of the State Health budget , widespread cuts
Unfortunly it appears the local Townsville media are a bit slow to catch on
Do you really think the SEQ corner is having cut back . Most cuts are the regions especially Townsville
Its not 30 million try 85 Million , but dont worry they will fly you to Brisbane to see a specialist
Pie, has Angie Akee and her family
struck again.
Have a look at the website of the Townsville Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation for Women and who the controlling members are.
https://www.corpforwomen.com/board-of-directors
Now have a read of this document
https://register.oric.gov.au/document.aspx?concernID=101653
but as normal Angie’s Akee and her extended family members (Illin, Ross, Oui and other families) will get away with no consequences for any fraudulent activities.
Investigative journalism at the Bulletin is certainly gone down the drain because they haven’t picked up on this story but then most of them probably can’t remember the Angie Akee fraud at the TAIHS.
What the hell is that second document? Got a short version of what its all about?> Certainly some interesting wording in there.
Basically it’s a document which has been served on the Townsville Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation for Women by the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Organisations (ORIC). Some would probably call it a show cause notice requested an explanation as to why action shouldn’t be taken against the organisation to probably deregister the organisation and where appropriate take other action.
Basically ORIC is the Australian government agency established to register and regulate Indigenous organisations which meet certain requirements.
This website should help in understanding ORIC.
https://www.oric.gov.au/
I’ll be kind to the Magpie and provide him with a link to an interesting ORIC document relating to the Townsville Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation for Women.
https://register.oric.gov.au/PrintCorporationSearch.aspx?corporationName=Townsville%20Aboriginal%20and%20Torres%20Strait%20&icn=
This should keep him busy for a couple of hours while muttering WTF numerous times.
Indeed, interesting reading.
Apparently ‘the Mullets’ court case has been moved to August 18 in Brisbane at the request of her legal team
It was posted on Newey’s ‘Tin foil hat’ site.
And posted here and discussed earlier in comments.
Anyone out there interested forming a Magpies Nest club, with regular monthly meetings? We could front using our real names and have a bit of fun trying to work out whose who in the zoo on here! We all know who The Pie is, but not anyone else………
Ummmm….. hmmm. Folks post here as a form of whistleblower protection, and The ‘Pie makes as an informed judgement as possible about information. But outing people who supply valuable insights (occasionally incorrect, but mostly not) would not be helpful to the underlying purpose for creating the blog in the first place … letting people know what the Bulletin won’t tell you (even if it knows) and the local ‘power elite’ don’t want you to know. Banter about NMD being Steve From Belgian Gardens and so on is harmless sport, because of the anonymity, but naming real names would be a disservice to those trying to shed light into Townsville’s darker places.
Pie, is Mullet, or one of the three blind mice state members, or one of their brood the poster called Bending Beast? Dumb idea, given your explanation about why not!!
Nice try Jenny, but I can smell an ambush a couple of klicks away.
Phil Thompson scores another bullseye on the state government.
Statement:
Straight after the Townsville State of Origin announcement, local businesses started to contact me desperate for help. To capitalise on our stadium having 100% capacity, local businesses need 100% operating capacity. I call on Townsville’s three labor state MPs and Annastacia Palaszczuk to treat local businesses fairly and ease contradictory restrictions immediately.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/activity-6805211071335550977-fYr9
Is anyone else already hoping for a NSW win, if only to wipe the smug grins off the faces of Nanna Anna and her useless trio of Townsville MP’s?
NQG, maybe not when you see the smug grins reported from NSW today:
“A Sydney Morning Herald investigation reveals how the NSW government sought to cover up its attempt to artificially inflate the state’s budget by tens of billions of dollars, after the government shifted the rail network’s costs onto a corporation, Transport Asset Holding Entity, that has not been able to properly operate since launching in 2014.
Confidential documents and whistleblower testimony reveals NSW Treasury pressured accounting giant KPMG to delete or amend aspects of a commissioned transport report that found the plan — which used the government-body-turned-shell corporation to help mask a 2018 deficit — could end up costing the state more than it saved.”
Totally irrelevant … and you know it. Stop with the Labor shill, you dill. As a stand alone comment, OK, but as a defence of the Queensland Government, it is just plain childishly stupid.
Your beloved Qld Labor government moved $4 billion of debt into state owned electricity companies and has made continual raids on public servant superannuation funds to make their own bottom line look more palatable – not that those tactics have worked particularly well. The debt is still skyrocketing.
Keep dredging.
And she wonders why Phil Thompson is giving her such a caning.
Typical labor mentality , doesn’t matter what it costs . Instead
of Mayor Hill supporting local businesses pushing the State Government to
waive the one person per sq mtr rule, the Mayor wants a public holiday that
would lumber businesses with penalty rates or give their staff half the day
SENSATIONALLY AND EXCLUSIVELY REVEALED:
Orgin visitors can stay for nothing in Magnetic Island accomodation. It must be true, the Astonisher says so.
All sensational focus on ‘gouging’ you’d think Les Boyd was still around. But one lop-sided series of matches continued, the one that pits The Bulletin against the English Language. Language romps home again, in the latest rassle. If the iditor is to be believed, the accomodation operators on Magnetic Island are either good sports or bad businessmen, when he writes in today’s iditorial: “Online accommodation sites show the city is already booked out. But there is still availability. Magnetic Island, just a 20 minute boat trip away from the city, still has plenty of free rooms.”
Very generous – unless that should read ‘ … rooms free.’
Don’t be surprised if the paper rounds out the stadium capacity and tells us it will accomodate 27,000 odd people. But maybe, in this case, they wouldn’t be wrong.
PLEASE NOTE EDITORIAL DISCRETION IS ADVISED. The image in this story is not suitable for viewing by young, impressionable children given to nightmares.
The disdain is palatable.
This ultimate extravaganza of Bread and Circuses come at a cost, and ratepayers will foot part of the bill, which is perfectly reasonable – BUT WE AREN’T ALLOWED TO KNOW HOW MUCH. Taxpayers know how much the state government has ponied up for this football game, but inexplicably, such candidness is not to Jenny Hill’s lofty liking.
“Townsville City Council officially ratified its support for the event at a special council meeting on Tuesday, but Cr Hill said she could not reveal what monetary support it would give to Origin. However, Cr Hill said it was probably a lot less than what was thought.”
‘Could not reveal’ Madam Mayor? This is inexplicable arrogance, such a matter cannot be commercial in confidence, because we are only entitled to know the amount, not how it is disbursed. Clearly you see an electoral downside in revealing this, and still you wonder why Phillip Thompson is giving you such a towelling.
And the value of independent voices on the council has been clearly demonstrated.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=186315663390454&id=102498131772208&sfnsn=mo
That pic of the Mayor, should be presented to the dead heads who choose to steal cars and then drive them recklessly; with a note that she will come and visit them.
For all you Doubting Thomases out there, The Mayor, Premier and three Labor Stooges have obviously, firmly put Townsville “on the map.”
State of Origin match…right?
Wrong!
Sky News aired the first of a three-part series yesterday afternoon on … you guessed it …our increasing wave of crime.
Part Two airs around 4.30pm today with Part Three tomorrow.
Who needs to spend $8 million on a game of rugby to put Townsville “on the map” when our “little warriors”, as Gracelyn Smallwood calls them, are doing it…for nothing??
Where did arch-racist Gracelyn Smallwood say that? Not having a shot, but it deserves wider public exposure than just here.
HEADLINE OF THE DAY … and a category mention in the irony awards, when you read who sponsors this right wing rag.
Is The Monthly right wing?
Have a read and see what you reckon. And one would have thought that you’d believe your bible, Crikey, Steve.
‘Pie, not sure where you got this picture and caption. Somehow I think there has been a cockup but I may be mistaken:
https://www.themonthly.com.au/today/rachel-withers/2021/01/2021/1622526842/onward-christian-soldiers
You are mistaken, Dredges, it is neither cock-up or (perhaps you meant) mock-up. Like most sites nowadays … and exemplified by the juvenile excesses of the Bulletin, there is a brief headline and pic as click bait, and when clicked, it goes through to the story, often with a differently styled headline and font. This case with the one you supplied. But the basis of the ‘Pie’s post was clever wording of the headline. And as one good turn deserves another, here ya go
https://www.crikey.com.au/2009/04/30/the-monthly-an-editorially-dysfunctional-sales-driven-pm-star-wagon/
Ah so you were being ironic when you called it right wing, I didn’t pick that up.
Like you, one wing and fly’s in circles BG Steve. How’s the laundromat gig going for you?
Mr. Pie, when two Aboriginal children drowned in the Ross River, Smallwood referred to Indigenous children in general as “our little warriors.”
As you no doubt know, that story is ongoing with charges brought against the childrens’ mother.
The “little warriors” comment stuck in my craw because of the amount of indigenous child crime at the time…something that has only escalated at an alarming rate.
However, I do take your point!
Yes, there was a bit of a lack of context there, Flutterby, but that’s more or less what Smallwood obviously thinks. When not occupied with doing a Trump and engineering a re-vote on a ATSI Corporation board to successfully get herself the gig, Gracelyn Smallwood’s mindset is clearly a stubbornly sour attitude of tacit applause for the ‘little warriors’ that we heartless whities instead call ‘little criminal thugs’.
Even the choice of the word ‘warrior’ demonstrates the victimhood instilled in indigenous children. People like Smallwood clearly do not want to sue for peace in this ‘war of warriors’, but keep fighting the interminable self-defeating battle against decency, reconciliation, adult responsibility and dignified integration with modern Australia.
It is doubly disdainful by Smallwood, given she has been the beneficiary of so many white establishment ‘leg-ups’, over-the-shoulder help with academic studies, and juicy Labor appointments (e.g. her recently ended stint on the $45k per year stint on Mooney’s Hospital Board). But she no doubt reckons that was her just due from the ‘invaders’.
Reality check
With me not being a member and having to wait until 3pm for general entry tickets. I went online and joined the queue.
I fully understand their is only limited General entry tickets and if only half the cowboys members grabbed at least 2 tickets each, let alone QRL, NSWRL members then its extremely limited to what is left.
This was my place in the queue at 3pm when it opened to General public.
I think I will be just happy to have watch it at home or my local.
Let’s put this is perspective, and ask the Bulletin to stop this completely wrong Townsville-jingoism.
FACT: The first State of Origin game is to be played in Townsville, by pure luck of circumstance, and not for any intrinsic reason of Townsville’s superiority in any way.
FACT: Ticket availability is EXACTLY the same as it is for any previous SOO game.
FACT: People who live in Townsville, including Cowboys members, have no greater claim to priority than were the game being played anywhere else … it is a national series (well east Coast really, but just the same …)Townsville by sheer luck happens to be the venue.
FACT: The Bulletin is trying to decry locals not getting tickets on a false uninformed basis of the long standing arrangement for SOO seats, suggesting to the gullible they have been hard done by.
FACT: The Bulletin gives full play to the economic benefits the city’s businesses (basically limited to accomodation and CBD area entertainment/dining sectors), but is happy to feed on the unrealistic expectations of a minority of self-entitled locals ever ready to whinge against actuality. Thus the papers wants to appear to favour locals getting tickets that visitors won’t be able to access, and thus won’t come here and spend their outside money, which the paper also trumpets.
I’m assuming that Nanna Anna and her entourage of useless hanger-on will be arriving in our city sometime next Wednesday to promote what they’ve supposed to have done for North Queensland by bringing the footy here. The question is “What will Jenny wear” so that she can promote herself. She’ll be off to K-Mart this weekend for something new to wear as the purple doona wouldn’t be suitable.
BCF more likely.
Mr. Pie, Townsville Enterprise has lurched from basically, just a useless organisation to one of outrageous stupidity.
As today’s Press Release states:
“Townsville locals encouraged to host on Airbnb as footy fans prepare for historic clash”
“As Townsville prepares to host next week’s footy opener, Airbnb is helping North Queenslanders roll out their welcome mats and list their homes or spare rooms on Airbnb.”
Isn’t that sweet…lovely folk at Airbnb, “helping North Queenslanders”.
Just ask the tens of thousands of people throughout the world who were denied refunds when Covid hit.
I do admit some did get their money back, less, the service fee pocketed by those blood-sucking scumbags in California.
Would’ve amounted to millions!
But then, Townsville Enterprise’s CEO of two minutes knows best…
“Townsville Enterprise CEO Claudia Brumme-Smith said the region welcomed the opportunity to partner with the globally recognised brand to increase accommodation options for game one.”
Excuse me! The “region welcomed the opportunity”
How fucking naive is this woman and her organisation?
Are people going to list their homes, spare rooms and rented investment properties for one night only?
Nope!
I’m sure TE’s accommodation-orientated paid up members are contacting Ms. Brumme-Smith, as we speak, thanking her for her ingenious idea.
But, hang on, Mr. Pie…whose idea was it…who contacted whom??
Blind Man Freddy has an inkling!
Are you Ok Elusive Caterpillar???
The SOO has proved that Townsville does not have the accomodation to support big events. And it’s not a strong business case for private enterprise to build more hotels. Even if we had a big event every month – 12 months x ave. 2 nights accom = 24 nights a year the hotel is booked out. Great, but what about the other 341 days in the year, or 342 days in a leap year at probably 50% occupancy if lucky?
You make a point, but without checking, it would be a fair bet you’re 50% figure is somewhat low …. The ‘Pie’s guess, given business occupancy which is considerable maybe 60-65%. medium to high end accomodation are far from being business cot cases, and haven’t been for a while, COVID adjusted.
I am so sorry… I’ll be plucked…you poor little darling!
Have I been using those big words again?
I’ll try and tone things down a bit in future… just for you!!
Phil is doing a wonderful job for Townsville. Thank you Phil, much appreciated. Glad someone is capable, even if his party is Federal and not in power locally. 10/10
Jenny ‘over the’ Hill has retreated to a dark corner as she and the three local members (I mean dickheads) achieve SFA. 1/10
Stinky TCC CEO Prince Ralston is also doing nothing for Townsville. Never ever pops his head up to display a good outcome of any sort for Townsville. 0/10
NMD, what can we say other than you score 13/10 for your role as paper bag person (must be politically correct and not mention gender) for Councillors, chief footstool and bottom licker of Jenny Hill, and poster person for the reason why euthanasia should be allowed.
“NMD, what can we say . . . .”. For a start you could speak for yourself you pathetic twat.
Now hang on a minute, our pickled herring might have some sort of gender crisis and is an us/them/they/we person. And may or may not be intimately acquainted with a ‘twat’.
You actually raise a valid point amongst that rant. Do we still have a council CEO? I haven’t seen or caught a whiff of him around for a bit. Perhaps he has decided to work remotely from home in Brisbane, or just given up out of disinterest. Any other Wanker Street dwellers have any insight?
Supposed to be some big investigation i think. Maybe he knows he needs to distance himself from that corrupt cesspool.
If you want to refresh your faith in human kindness and hospitality visit Urandangie. (Have good tyres, we did in two.)
But not you, Steve of Belgian Gardens, for there you will see a microcosm of real people living in remote Australia and it will prick your deluded bubble of renewables.
Yep, the red dust of out back Australia is incompatible with the ‘green’ of inner city coffee sippers.
Question Steve, do you, by any chance sport a , er, man bun?
Laughable – please explain why one of the sunniest places in Australia is incompatible with solar power?
I’m guessing you don’t sport any hair at all, Dave, given your addlepated comments.
SBG, I see your are trying to suck up to your labour mates for a ticket to the SOO with that pathetic text in the astonisher. Get a life you wanker!
Cry harder, Hazbin
Solar powered car and caravan?
And for your electric cars where are the charging stations going? Come out here and see abandoned Govt provided infrastructure as most folks out here are still semi nomadic.
Further, I was shown an abandoned vandalised house where the occupants, after the death and funeral of a family member, abandoned the house with such speed they did not collect clothes from the washing machine, and headed bush.
Steve, how are you going to deliver your ‘renewables’ to these folks. Diesel can be delivered anywhere a truck can go, where and when required, and this applies to outback station requirements.
You are so ignorant of the realities.
It is not your fault. You Green masters have kept you city bound and blinkered.
Ok so you’ve retreated from “renewables are impossible” to “how will we charge EVs”?
As stated previously, if we still need fossil fuels to service the vanishingly small outback population, that’s fine. 90% of Australia’s population lives within 100km of the coast.
We already have charging stations all over the country and the number is only going to increase, including in outback communities on microgrids.
Stop right there Steve. You stated 100% renewables. In your brave new world there are no internal combustion vehicles, now your saying, “Er, maybe a few.” Your 100% bubble has just burst. Further where is the economy of scale in building this small number of IC vehicles.
Mr. Pie…just when you thought the Bulletin’s journalism couldn’t get worse, we get this…
“IN scenes reminiscent of the glory days of State of Origin, fans will hopefully line the road of Flinders St and let the Cockroaches have it as their team bus inches towards Queensland Country Bank Stadium.
It’ll be a throwback to the days when cans of beer rained down on the Blues bus as it made it’s way to the Cauldron down Caxton St, fans screaming “Queenslander” and rocking the bus.
The wall of maroon as they make their way along Flinders St east, as fans gear up for a historical war of attrition in the heart of Cane toad country, will put the fear of God up the Blues and fire up the Maroons like the emotional war cry of Billy Moore during the 1995 series.
The renowned party precinct will be at its best, with plans to close down Flinders st from Stanley St to Molly Malones, the city is expected to become a hive of activity, before, during and after the clash.”
The author of this drivel, Caitlan Charles, is urging us all to “HOPEFULLY,” line “the road of Flinders Street”…as against the Flinders Street River, as the Cockroaches bus “inches”…do buses inch…towards the White Elephant.
Then, apparently, the “wall of maroon”…that’s us…throw beer cans at the Blues bus…whata waste…and, scream Queenslander, and, rock the bus!
Gracelyn’s “little warriors” are orgasmic… pleading, can we join in??
My partner, and English teacher of some note, has just seen Ms Charles drivel and screamed in disbelief.
I said shhhh…you’ll wake up I’ll be plucked…it is 7pm!
But then, I’m a tad unkind to Caitlin and her editor, Craig.
Afterall, Caitlin, according to her Linkin page, has all the attributes and past experience, of a first rate journalist.
I’ll only list two…but, I’m sure, these are the two that got her the job as the Townsville Bulletin’s …”Political Reporter”…now there’s a title.
1. “Duty Manager
Franklins & Family Supermarkets
Nov 2009 – Feb 2013,,3 years 4 months
Sydney, Australia
I moved steadily up the ranks from 2009 to 2014 when the Franklins Galston supermarket closed down. My job roles included Customer Service Manager, Cash Office Manager, Deli Department Manager and Duty Manager. I was responsible for the daily runnings of the store on a regular basis.”
2. “Deli Shop Assistant
Woolworths
May 2013 – Mar 2016 ,,2 years 11 months
Sydney, Australia
I rely primarily on my customer service skills for his job. I also manage the department on a relief basis when the Deli Manager and Assistant Manager are unavailable.”
No disrespect to you Caitlin, but, you have never been trained correctly, you can’t write, and, you are typical of News Ltd thumbing its nose at the good people of Townsville.
Let’s not mention the current editor!!
He’s a real dick!
The ‘Pie didn’t miss that disgraceful bit of incitement – just what we need in this town – but was saving it for the blog, under the headline ‘Invitation To a Riot.’ But as you will see from other developments just posted elsewhere in comments from the national parliament tonight, the news landscape will probably change greatly by the time Sunday morning rolls around.
THE GAME HAS JUST CHANGED … BIG TIME. But we will have to wait to see if this bombshell was tactically smart, or will the timing – just when the city is about to have its day in the national sun – whip back against Philip Thompson.
And Thompson didn’t pussyfoot around, using his parliamentary privilege to sock it to all and sundry. This from Caitlan Charles story in the Bulletin tonight.
“The Herbert MP has called for Mayor Jenny Hill to temporarily stand down following the death of Darryl Lynch in early 2020, for the Premier to discipline Mundingburra MP Les Walker after he was banned from Townsville’s safe night precinct, and asked why strategist Dolan Hayes remained in the Labor “love-in circle” despite pleading guilty to possessing dangerous drugs.
“We have three people in positions of extreme power who are making a complete mockery of our city, the people who live in it and the trauma they’re facing on a daily basis,” he said.
Mr Thompson also told parliament he had recently spoken with the family of Daryl Lynch, the man who died after being hit by a vehicle Cr Hill was driving.
“While it’s important to note in this House that I made no judgment on the circumstances surrounding the accident and extend my sympathies to all involved, it has been truly horrific for Mr Lynch’s family to have to see the person who was behind the wheel of that accident remain so visible in our community and appearing on their television screens almost daily,” Mr Thompson said.
“Including just days ago when Mayor Hill posed in the Townsville Bulletin beside a V8. To say this was in poor taste is a gross understatement.”
“in the interests of basic decency and out of respect for the esteem in which the position of Mayor should be held, I would ask the Mayor to reconsider her position and stand down until after her matter has been finalised and due process has occurred through the court.”
The mayor said she wasn’t going to comment on matters raised under parliamentary privilege.
Funny how you can post a comment on the Courier Mail but not here locally.
Sorry, that a bit ambiguous. Do you mean you, or do you mean The ‘Pie?
No Pie, the local rag.
You must respect the bloke for having a go, where many in the past have feared to tread on this ground.
The transparency of Hansard is a wonderful thing.
Mr THOMPSON (Herbert) (19:35): I rise in the House tonight on a matter of great importance. I’ve spent some time contemplating whether or not to make the statement I’m about to make. I have a firm belief that people should always come before politics and that it’s vital to play the ball and not the person. I also have a firm belief that it’s important to do the right thing and stand for what is right. It’s in that vein that I stand before the House tonight.
Over the past six years, the people of Townsville have been devastated by a crime crisis that has seen our city draw comparisons to Johannesburg in South Africa. Devastating new statistics show that in the month of May alone there were 483 break-ins, 342 thefts, 140 assaults and 131 car thefts. You can guarantee that almost every single one of those crimes was against a hardworking, decent, law-abiding North Queenslander who deserved better and has now had their life turned upside down through absolutely no fault of their own. A petition launched by the Queensland opposition leader calling for urgent criminal legislation reform drew more than 15,000 signatures in a matter of days. North Queenslanders are gutted and have also had a gutful of living petrified, in fear of what’s coming next. I stand in the House tonight to call on the Queensland Labor Party to pick up its act and clean out the rot that starts at the very top of the Labor Party tree.
The elephant in the room here is that Townsville would have to be the only place in the nation that holds the unenviable title of having a sitting mayor who is facing a death charge in courts, a state MP banned from a safe night precinct for late-night drunken brawling and a local Labor campaign strategist with a history of unlawful drug possession. While the Labor Party would prefer we gloss over these facts and pretend it’s all fairytales and rainbows, we have three people in positions of extreme power who are making a complete mockery of our city, the people who live in it and the trauma they face on a daily basis.
Recently I spoke to the family of Darryl Lynch, the man who died after being hit some 16 months ago by a vehicle Mayor Jenny Hill was driving. While it’s important to note in this House that I make no judgement on the circumstances surrounding the accident and that I extend my sympathies to all involved, it has been truly horrific for Mr Lynch’s family to have to see the person who was behind the wheel in that accident remain so visible in our community and appear on their television screens almost daily, including just days ago when Mayor Hill posed in the Townsville Bulletin beside a V8. To say that was in poor taste is a gross understatement. In the interest of basic decency and out of respect for the esteem in which the position of mayor should be held, I would ask that the mayor reconsider her position and stand down until after her matter has been finalised and due process has occurred through the court.
I also call on the Queensland Premier to start leading by example on crime and discipline the member for Mundingburra for his role in the drunken brawl that saw him fined and banned from Townsville’s safe night precinct. It’s no wonder young criminals in our community are laughing at the system when the lawmakers in the state hold no regard for the law and receive no repercussions for their unlawful actions. I’d also like to ask the Premier why Labor campaign strategist Dolan Hayes remains in the Labor love-in circle, despite pleading guilty to possessing dangerous drugs. This is a man who, aside from being a key adviser to campaigns including those of Mayor Hill and Townsville MP Scott Stewart, is on the public record as having open access to Queensland government ministers. For a Premier who likes to talk a lot about integrity, we’re certainly not seeing that in her actions.
It says a lot about why our community is in the state it’s in when three people named by the Townsville Bulletin as being among the most influential people in the city have faced or are facing serious court and public nuisance matters. I call on the Queensland Labor Party to clean up its act, lead by example and bring some integrity back to the positions from which our city desperately needs to see some leadership.
Go Phil. This is a smart move and one that won’t backfire. He knows exactly what he is doing. In fact, he got the ball rolling around a month ago when he started highlighting local failures in regards to big money projects. This is a little pre-emptive political campaigning prior to an upcoming federal election. The irony is that usually politicians spin utter bullshit and lies, but Phil speaketh much truth in this matter. The three Labor muppets in Townsville at local and state level are indeed absolute dross and not fit for office.
Now, let’s sit back and watch NMD, Last Drinks, ECQ et al start having conniptions, heart attacks and panic attacks as he/her/it’s/their Labor idols come under a much needed spotlight.
Keep pressing the shitter button Phil, you will flush those three giant turds eventually (hopefully they don’t block up the pipes at Wulguru!)
Rollmop, can’t you read? I told you that in the state election I put Labor last. Way back during the federal election campaign I wrote to the Labor candidate to inform her that as a result of her support for the Galilee Basin Pledge (look it up) I would be putting Labor last – and I did. My vote put Phil O’Herbert into parliament and I don’t regret it.
You wrote: “Now, let’s sit back and watch . . “ Well, no you won’t. You can lie on your back and think of England you pathetic twat.
Once there was a wicked witch in the lovely land of Oz
And a wickeder, wickeder, wickeder witch there never, never was
She filled the folks in Townsville land with terror and with dread
‘Till one fine day from Canberra way a cyclone caught a house
That brought the wicked, wicked witch her doom
As she was flying on her broom
For the house fell on her head and the coroner pronounced her dead
And thru the town the joyous news was spread
Ding-dong, the witch is ………………….feeling pretty ill at least.
Dorothy, what a beaut poem! Altho im at a loss as to who this is about. If its Jenny, I can think of one more executive far more wickeder than her
I call on Phil to ask Scummo to step down for completely botching the Covid response, causing death and illness and Financial loss on a scale unheard of in Australia’s history. Over to you Phil.
Last drinks. Whether people like or hate Scott Morrison is their choice which I respect but to refer to him as Scummo certainly shows your lack of intelligence.
Are you a relation of the Elusive Caterpillar, Last?
It seems to me that the stunt is designed to distract from something, possibly the federal vaccine and quarantine train wrecks.
You really are the dunderhead of the party, Steve, aren’t you? That comment doesn’t stack up in any meaningful way if you think about it (always a question). We are (amazingly) on the same page regarding “the federal vaccine and quarantine train wrecks”, that is a national scandal and abject failure of leadership. But Thompson’s paint-balling of Mayor Mullet and Memory Blank Walker is a purely local matter, aimed solely at locals because just about the rest of the country couldn’t give a dog’s toss about either of these two. It was just the latest in Thompson’s spot on nailing of the failing of both the mayor and Queensland Labor.
For you to make a pathetic attempt to link the two in a good old tit-for-tat eristic argument just shows the depths of panic you and your fellow comrades are enjoying at the moment.
BTW when you look up that word ‘eristic’ – and don’t for one moment airily pretend that you do know what it means – you will find that it fits practically every comment you’ve made on this blog … published and unpublished.
NB THIS COMMENT HAS BEEN HEAVILY EDITED FOR LEGAL REASONS.
Magpie
You’re the one who failed to think about the matter, Pie. His speech is clearly a dead cat because it serves no useful purpose other than distraction. From what is a matter of debate, sure.
Steve, it cost the last person who called The Magpie a drunk around $1million in costs and damages. Your comment wasn’t published because, apart from being your usual Gollum-like ad hominem personal snivel, it would be a tad difficult for The ‘Pie to sue himself as publisher of your false derogatory comment.
I certainly didn’t mean to suggest that, Pie, simply pointing put that you weren’t thinking clearly about the subject at hand.
SBG, You would know about stunts. Look at your labor mates. Bring SOO circus to town to take the heat off the crime.
Once the game was up for grabs, do you thing a Queensland Government of any political persuasion wouldn’t put in a bid for it, even if there was no crime in the city whatsoever?
And do you think that any Queensland Government would put in a bid for a second game in Brisbane in 2021?
So where else would it go? The Townsville Stadium and the game may or may not be the best investments but they’re hardly distractions.
Using parliamentary privilege for a one day news story that sank without a trace is a stunt, however, and Thompson should have played that card at a more tactical moment and with juicier content than “some back room guy had a pill on him once”.
While you are at it Phil, how about you ask Federal Minister Mr Porter to stand down until a Public Inquiry is held to investigate his alleged rape.
Your poor labor drone. Is that all you have??? Last drinks means that’s it times up.
Got some data to support that claim LD?
Oz looks pretty fucking good compared to the rest of the world.
Sorry it facts don’t fit with your lefty narrative.
Oh dear, Dolan, you drug fiend, you.
Turns out that in 2019, Hayes was celebrating his birthday at The Ville. When he went to bathroom, he unknowingly dropped a clipseal bag containing a single MDMA Ecstacy pill. Someone else found it, handed it to security, Hayes was identified through CCTV,.and he immediately made admissions to the police that he was contemplating trying it – he never had before, he told the court – as it was his 50th birthday. He copped a six month good behaviour bond. And apparently never grassed on his supplier.
So if Dolan Hayes pleaded guilty to possessing a dangerous drug, how did he keep the news out of the media?
A Google search failed to find any mention of Dolan Hayes and drugs, and I don’t recall reading about it in the Townsville Bulletin.
Did our Premier intervene to protect Hayes from the glare of the media, and did Jenny Hill use her position as Townsville Bulletin Editor In Chief to keep it out of the local paper?
If they can cover up a serious drug offence it makes you wonder what else they have been burying under cover of political power.
Then there’s the new delay in Jenny Hill’s trial. No mention in the Townsville Bulletin and no reasons given for the continued delay in justice being served.
I feel for the family of the deceased motorcyclist.
Indeed, it seems that Thompson was remiss there. If you’re going to use parliamentary privilege in this way, tabling evidence of vague, broadbrush accusations is always a good idea, so it seems that would be an appropriate follow-up step from Thompson’s team of wunderkind. If it’s not true, however, one would expect Hayes to scream like a stuck pig and get lawyered up (oh, wait, no he can’t do that, it was under privilege.)
The rest of his paintballing of Townsville ‘leadership’ was spot on … more or less a rewrite of this blog over the past few years.
Pie, Ol Bazza must have choked on his weeties this morning.
Facebook search “Dolan Hayes WIZPICS” I have the image saved.
Oltd, it looks like Hayes pleaded guilty in the Brisbane Magistrates Court so probably no one noticed, least of all the TBully.
No doubt that was the idea, but The ‘Pie must say, in this day and age, this is hardly outing someone as a person habitually involved in dangerous drugs. A touch of oversell there, Mr Thompson, you’d reckon, but it would seem to be a back-handed compliment to Hayes … they know he is one of the smartest backroom boys Labor have got, so he’s a worthy target. But all in all, you’d think anyone within the arena of of the ‘power elite’ on both sides of George Street would know to stay squeaky.With ALL politicians and those who move in their circles, drugs aren’t the crime, getting caught is.
OLTD,
it was ‘commercial in confidence’ , silly !
With the influx of people from Victoria and NSW for the SOO there must be a serious risk of Corona coming along for the ride. Especially as many will be coming in using mass transport, with all of the close proximity.
Shouldn’t there at least be testing on all arrivals at the air, bus and rail terminals? If this is not done who bears the responsibility for an outbreak attributable to a visitor.
Wonder if there’s a plan B for the SOO should an outbreak occur?
Achilles, potentially infected Victorians are not allowed to enter Queensland at the moment. None of them will be in the stadium.
That’s the theory.
Never fear Achilles – Nanna Anna has decreed that Victorian residents are still banned from entering Qld and returning Qld residents have to go into quarantine.
As for your comment on all arrivals at bus and train terminals being tested – you’re kidding right? Is that for all of those interstate buses and trains that pull into Townsville without stopping anywhere else?
In a lead story on the Courier Mail website:
Health Minister Yvette D’Ath, speaking in Townsville to spruik the city’s hosting rights of State of Origin, said the virus variant was of “great concern”.
“We are hearing unlike what we have seen around the rest of the country with past community transmission,” she said.
“But let’s be clear, this is why these restrictions are in place – social distancing, hand hygiene, staying home when you’re unwell, the social distancing in venues – it’s because we know outdoors at events we can track, we can trace easily.”
Can you believe it?
Is this an admission that the mandated Qld Government check in app is not worth the digital paper it is printed on?
Why the hell do we bother using it then?
What’s next? Mandatory GPS trackers that have no mobile coverage?
Aaron Harper keeps digging a bigger hole with his fb post with a photo of Bob Hawke and his colourful suit after Australia won the America’s cup . Because Aaron also has a colourful suit he said he was channeling Bob Hawke and in Aaron’s words “ any boss who sacks a worker for not turning up next Thursday is a bum “ . Of course Aaron lives off the public’s purse whether in the public service or as a Politician , didn’t take a pay cut or had to stand down with no pay during COVID and guaranteed to have a seat at SOO and Cowboys games . We all know who the bum is .
Leave Aaron alone, he’s an innovativer and environmentalist, with tourism ideas for the benefit of the city. I wonder how many new artificial reefs will spring up in Ross River next Thursday?
Well said Mike Douglas, that is the comment of the day! Politicians have certainly remained unaffected by COVID when it comes to job loss, financial collapse, businesses folding and superannuation taking a hit. Absolute parasites.
Most Townsville locals missed put on SOO tickets so there is no reason for the majority of us to take a holiday on the day. Most seats were probably taken by the Elite, the other Elite who don’t pay for their tickets (like politicians, councillors ect…), Wives and Family of Players and a lucky few Townsville folks.
The Townsville Bulletin must take some of the heat for this general feeling of disappointment … because there was never any chance the outcome would be any different. Just because the game is being played here does not confer any preferntial treatment on to local fans. And nor should it. Right now, all the whingers, and the paper are doing is sounding like ungrateful brats without appreciating the business boost the game will give the sorely put-upon businesses – not that rapacious boozariums of Via Vomitorium deserve anything much for their egregious operations.
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Why not the Astonisher?
Management snaffled them all, no doubt.
I think Phil is simply wonderful. He is setting the bar when it comes to managing Townsville’s capabilities. It isn’t relevant that his party isn’t even in Power. Pfffffft who cares! As long as the job gets done. Heck, the three Labor fools may as well stay at home and swim in their pools all day, there is nothing for them to do. Phil and the LNP have it all in hand. Can’t wait til The Kid regains power at the next State election. A formidable team ey!!
“EcckieThump; the sound you hear when your carefully manipulated professional profile hits rock bottom due to your secret MDMA possession being made public.”
State of Origin in Townsville will be a great event . The implications and unintended consequences are already rolling through.
Has anyone asked Les Walker if he is attending and if so who is he sitting with and beside . Apparently his determination to attend has caused a major brohauhau in Brisbane .
The original planned was for him to sit with the group titled the “Northerners” and some high level public servants . A pre game function with ” stakeholders” and post game drinks at the Ville
But Mike Kaiser has gone crazy over the plans . Lets say he is about as popular as a fart in a lift ATM He may end up watching the game from the Mad Cow while wearing pacifiers . He is on his last chance
I am sure Hill, Walker, Stewart and Harper will give up their tickets, along with the Premier to the children and their families receiving life saving health care at the THHS. So will Mooney, Hayes and all the local councillors. And Phil Thompson too.
Maybe the mayor (and this is only half joking) could give her tickets to the Lynch family, as a small gesture for their pain and forced wait for justice.
Crazy talk ! They will simply get their lacky’s to enter the tickets in both the ‘gift register’ and the ‘potential conflicts register’ and it’s off on a junket we go, go, go !!! Just have to remember to get extra Police to clear away the poor people who hang around outside the Stadium because that is as close as they can afford to be at the game in person. Maybe just use the street sweeper machine to clear them away? I’m planning on doing a ‘drive past’ on the night to try and get a little free atmosphere- hope they throw me a piece of cake ! Everyone’s a winner in the lucky country, that’s for sure.
All those cars parked in one place around the stadium. It’s going to be rich pickings for our local shitbags, damaging cars while breaking in to steal a few 20 cent pieces. Welcome to Townsville.
All rented cars, what the hell, bro!!
Who the pluck are Hill, Walker, Stewart and Harper? Think you meant Mullet, Memory Blank, Private Cupcake and Harpic!
Having returned briefly from the outback land of no network coverage, and poured through the most instructive Magpie Blog comments, I am happy to be away from Townsville at the moment, and returning to the land of no network coverage.
Steve, BG, strongly recommend you fit all terrain tyres to you electric car before venturing on your personal outback discovery tour. Oh, by the way, on your way, you will need to listen to the locals you meet. You do remember what listening is, don’t you?
Further, buy a hand coffee bean grinder. Fresh ground beans in your stove top espresso coffee pot is an excellent way to start the day in the bush. Except you will have to heat the water to boiling point. You can use, first thing in the morning, your solar kettle (3 hours) or LPG (shock, horror non- renewable) 3 minutes. Regardless, good coffee is worth the wait, but 3 hours?
Seriously the tyres are important, as is good RACQ road assist, when you are in the middle of nowhere with good tyres and and an electric car with dead flat batteries, well, you will have time to hug the trees, knowing that in the fullness of time, as the trees decay they will release carbon into the environment.
And do not wash. Soap residue in Queensland rivers find there way to the Murry, or Lake Eyre.
And for the record, out here, my personal hygiene is terrible and my coffee is terrific.
Only out there?
You put a lot of effort into this quasi blog post considering what a low signal to noise ratio it has. Bon voyage: in ten years you’ll probably be making the trip in an EV and disclaiming any knowledge of your former scepticism. The F150 Lightning already has a range approaching 500km and energy to power a kettle if you’re in the mood for a cuppa.
500km hey? And when the EV is 20 years old, what range then. And yes, we look after our cars and get 20 years out of them. Good luck with your 20 year old battery, and how many hours to recharge a flat 20 year old battery from a mythical charging station on, er,,,, lets say, the Plenty Highway. Been down that track? No, bet you haven’t.
Strewth Steve, with every post you demonstrate your ignorance of circumstances outside of the CBD.
With all the chitchat re SOO, there’s one thing that will be acutely embarrassing to the whole schmoozle, will there be any taxis to cart airline arrivals from the airport to hotels etc, and any a Ailsa Le before and after the game? Friends arrived from Brisbane on Sunday as we warned them, not a taxi within cooee, so they opted for the transfer coach, and as full said coach departed, 4 taxis arrived. Another friend today at 2pm, was told she couldn’t get a taxi to transport her to a 3.15pm appointment, because, the demand in the suburb was soo large, there were none available. Does Townsville only have 4 taxis in the whole city? Could be very embarrassing to our so highly regarded leaders.
The lack of taxis won’t worry our glorious leaders in the slightest – taxis are only for the great unwashed. Limos are where the powerful are.
Your rates and taxes at work.
On a related matter. On the chance that we do get a public holiday for “hangover day” I wanted to thank all the hardworking ratepayers of Townsville and especially the employers for again carrying the weight. I’m not so sad I won’t take the time off, but will spare a thought for the self-employed working to pay for my sleep in
Molly, for the life of me I can’t work out what you mean by:
” . . . and any a Ailsa Le before and after the game?”
Sorry Dredging, autocorrect?? did something. It was ‘or anywhere else’.
Aaron Harper not only shows his contempt for his Thuringowa electorate but as Chairman of Health and Environment Committee ( how much extra $ for that gig ? ) he refuses to do regional meetings with sugar growers . Burdekin and Hinchinbrook are an hour from Aaron’s office at Thuringowa . I suppose it’s hard to meet with growers when you have all his pr spin with the media , corporate boxes , going to the opening of an envelope and posting on social media on how much of a great job you are doing . Let them eat cake .
Re taxis at the airport. Anyone know if there would be any law preventing old retired farts like me with plenty of time on their hands volunteering to pick up visitors at the airport next week and drive them to their hotel?
A website could be set up with list of drivers and their contact numbers, so visitors could then ring and set up the pick-up – in the public drop off/pick up zone of course, not the taxi rank.
I made the suggestion in a comment in the online Bully earlier this week but it was “PENDING” for a few hours, then got binned.
But that’s been happening to most of my comments lately.
Suspect I’m on the verge of being banned by the editor for making comments that Jenny Hill and the Cowboys don’t approve of.
Now that would be a badge of honour.
There already is such a website. It’s called Uber. But understand where you’re coming from, a sort of free community service (it would be a big legal no-no to charge.)
Can’t think of any legal reason why that couldn’t happen, although there would be a few hurdles/problems to be considered. Insurance is one. And it would be interesting to see what the airport people would do but can’t imagine what. In fact, if they thought about it, since they’ve scared off taxis with their gouging service fee, they may take the revenue loss in the interests of the passengers – HAHAHA, just joking.
I am hearing that Townsville is getting fucked over on the Kidston project with both main contractors and many of the jobs being located in Brisbane and even Melbourne, and one of the main contractors McConnell Dowell is sourcing staff in Cairns. As this is being touted as one of Townsvilles big key projects by every man and their dog, could it be that all Townsville gets out of it is a few people changing planes at the airport, sounds familiar doesn’t it. This could very well be a case of people not wanting to live in Townsville, which is totally understandable, and companies having to look at every option to secure the workforce they need, and Townsvilles reputation and failed leadership once again costing it the opportunity to prosper.
Cbh
Ask Kidstons propaganda manager at the Bulletin. His name – Tony Raggatt.
If he does not publish a story on Kidston at least once a week he will start frothing at the mouth, being the global warmie that he is.
Pathetic really, because you can be assured that Raggatt will ensure the points you have raised will not see the light of day.
Stunning work by Tourism Queensland – Adelaide must have moved to the Sunshine State.
Meanwhile, in Gladstone ….
https://www.townsvillemagpie.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Screen-Shot-2021-06-02-at-6.26.23-pm.png
NOTE: This support facility will be built within months, AND WILL NOT AFFECT THE CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULE OF THE MAIN THE MAIN $308M HIGH PURITY ALUMINA PLANT. And it’s to be built on SDA land.
Cf: Magnis Technologies consortium plans for a battery assembly plant in Townsville to (maybe) be built within a year, and the major Woodstock battery plant will be built depending on demand assessed by the assembly line business.
Townsville isn’t stalled, it’s going backwards. Not negative, folks, that’s just a fact.
But hey, we’ve got a footy stadium.
Perhaps Mayor Hill will stump up $100m to host some of the Japan Olympic events, like steeple jumping and table tennis? After all, she and her Labor acolytes are good at pissing away large amounts of money for no return.
Not a very big one!!! Well, obviously not big enough for some things. LoL………
Meanwhile, up in Cairns …
Councillors were left scratching their heads when Mayor Bob Manning was inexplicably absent from workshops on Wednesday morning.
Sources say key top-level staff were rushing in and out of the meetings in a visible panic but it was left to councillors to deduce what had happened during the 10-minute breaks between workshops.
The Crime and Corruption Commission was back in town in greater numbers than ever before – and Cr Manning was otherwise disposed.
There’s no outcome yet, but the head cocky of the CCC, one McSporran, needs to notch up a few wins to keep his job, and this could be made to order if it stands up.It’s a corker of a yarn, involving sex, other naughtiness like conflict of interest, and financial fumblings – the sex part is only that two staffers in hot water are partners outside work. Conflict of interest, dishonesty, back-biting … in fact, all the things and a bit more we have come to expect from a typical Queensland council.
It appears Mayor Bob Manning doesn’t have the same Christmas Hold on his councillors as Mayor Mullet does here. Or Jenny Hill’s equally tight nut-cruncher on the editor of the local paper.
Not sure if this link will work unless you’re a News Corpse subscriber, but it’s a rollicking tale from Glitter Town, reading like a Home and Away soapie script.
https://www.cairnspost.com.au/news/cairns/cairns-council-corruption-allegations-result-in-ccc-investigators-swooping-on-city-hall/news-story/fdcc2737728c4e184b2df2c60180cd35
And it gives one the feeling that the CCC are slowly edging towards Walker Street.
Perhaps ‘sleepy’ Bob was off catching a few winks of sleep? He is notorious for always sleeping on the job, falling asleep during Council meetings etc. I’m surprised he has been Mayor for so long, he has always been known to be fairly useless. Then again, the Mullet takes out that award and manors Manning look like a complete legend!
Hope the CCC go through TCC like a good laxative.
Can’t break into the link but Radio 4CA has this article on their site:
https://www.4ca.com.au/news/local-news/110248-cairns-regional-council-is-being-investigated-by-crime-and-corruption-commission
Yeah, well, but we’ve got our own problems.
Well ill be buggared! Chop me legs of n call me shorty! The cairns shenanigans sounds like some tcc doodoo, except far far far worse down here.
As far as we know.
If the ccc do or are involved, will it be the real ccc or have they outsourced it or do tcc get to pick who runs an investigation. Cause that will just reak of a cover up.
No council gets to decide who investigates them … not even in Queensland.
Scotty from marketing has rejected “deeply offensive” reports linking him and his family to far-right conspiracy cult, QAnon. Scotty is deeply upset. Stupid religious freak, what did he expect? For fuck sake he tells people he puts his hands on them to heal them and he hangs around the Pentecostal church and those money grabbing (not Jenny) Hillsong grubs. What does Scotty expect? I wonder Tinfoil head Pete Newey thinks?
We all often wonder what Pete thinks, even when he tells us.
My Sydney sister called me as she saw the SOO tent city on the news. Her only comments were “tacky” and “Hicksville”. It really is a bad look. Fully backed by the new CEO of our biggest embarrassment – TSV Enterprise (what a fken contradiction in terms).
Nah, the CCC won’t touch Jenny.
She’s Anna’s best mate.
Even Anna won’t be able to stop the shitstorm thats coming.
How’s this from the ‘iditor’ In today’s ‘astonisher iditorial’. “For the first time in months crime has taken a backseat, while the city’s origin fever heats up”. Tell that to the owners of the 40 vehicles stolen just this week. FFS.