Rumours have been thudding into the Nest all week that council babysitter John Oberhardt has been back in town If these whispers are correct, people may well ask why would he be gracing us with his presence again? Anything to do with the approaching end of the suspension of our con man mayor? Surely the government isn’t dreaming the impossible nightmare? Or is it to school up the councillors on a very different and very touchy subject up for discussion at this week’s council meeting? The Magpie muses.
The council tries to enlist public support in its tussle with the unions of pay demands, claiming workers’ ask would mean a massive rate hike, but a council top-heavy with pay-gouging bureaucrats might have a problem with credibility with claims of fair dealing.
It’s not cricket … the bright lights of Cairns leave Townsville in the dark … literally.
Should it be an offence to burn the Australian Flag? Phil Thompson’s suggestion has lit one hell of a fire under Nest readers during the week. But it is a marketers dream for one group.
And surely it’s time for Townsville to accept the inconvenient truth that Townsville has become the butt of damaging national jokes and jibes. With that fact accepted, The Magpie argues one way to start redressing the toxicity of the name … give Magnetic Island its own tourism board. There are good reasons to do so.
An aboriginal James Bond? Why not?
And our regular cartoon gallery of the week of American doings sees the funnymen make light of dark times.
The Nest continues to chug along but always under the heavy hand of running costs. Any assistance with the blog finances will be a great help. The link to make a contribution is at the bottom of the blog. Thanks.
When You Need Me But Don’t Want Me …
… Nanny McPhee will turn up.
And so council minder John Oberhardt is said to again be striding the Walker Street corridors, for a series of secret meetings with councillors and senior executive staff.
But why? Ostensibly, there’s no reason why his work here was not done and dusted when he finished his Miss Manners schooling of our mayor-less councillors in April. As the government appointed advisor to the council last September, the genial billiard ball was a familiar site around the place while he made sure that after the removal of the con man Thompson, silly power plays came to an end, and a more or less united front of propriety was presented at council meetings. And by all appearances, he did a good job, then buggered off.
Couple things to remember here. Oberhardt is doing his current FIFO stint at the behest of the government, only the Director General of Local Government has the authority to sent him back, so it seems the Crisafulli Government may be smoothing the way for their next mis-step in the Thompson saga, whatever that may be. It is difficult, nay impossible, that there can be any contemplation of allowing a grifter like Thompson back in office, a move with more downsides and messy endings that Wet’N’Wild Waterworld. Crisafulli has already said his mayoralty is and was untenable, and the entire council voted no confidence in him. But with him off the scene, however that is eventually engineered, leaves us with two and half years to run with a leaderless council – and city. Having someone with the word ‘acting’ preceding any title is a minus from the outset in any civic setting or officiating capacity.
One idea doing the rounds that there is some unpalatable scheme afoot – no one even ventures to speculate – that requires councillors to be fully briefed before it is made public. The Thompson matter is seen as a legal minefield, (falsely in The ‘Pie’s opinion – call his bluff, he’ll never go to court) so Nanny McPhee has been calling councillors into line, advising them of legal pitfalls for themselves personally and their behaviour and obligations when whatever solution being contemplated is unveiled. Legislation, as far as The ‘Pie can gather, doesn’t allow the councillors themselves, at this point in the term, to bestow the scarlet robe trimmed with possum fur on one of their own … and anyway, that means they’d be one down on required numbers. So the only mid-term by-election option available is for the mayor. (And that’s a whole another story and whole other Nest when that happens).
But, hey, just a moment, this may, in fact, have nothing to do with the Thompson matter, or at the very least, not be the only reason for Oberhardt’s latest intervention.
Riffling through the agenda for this Wednesday’s council meeting, The ‘Pie came across this:
Shall we join some tentative dots? First dot is that there was never any particular urgency on this matter, that, thanks to being called out by Clr Robinson, was sent back to be workshopped by councillors (read harangued, badgered and being patronised by the likes of Richardson and Sewell). So it seem mighty bloody quick by this council’s standard of hatching turtle speed to suddenly be back on the agenda. Second dot: OberHardt’s first appearance back here a couple of weeks back, and the closed door nature of his meetings with councillors and staff, make the opposition to the delegation list a definite possibility for discussion. Wednesday may let us know if this issue has been resolved, but it is unlikely to explain why, which will blocked by the power of agency. Which is, as Tim Winton says in his classic novel Juice, ‘Knowledge is power, but only power decides who gets knowledge’.
Another Matter That Will Be Worth The Price Of Admission On Wednesday
Those who can interpret the hieroglyphics of council financial reports might like to run through item 10 before Wednesday
Speaking Of Such Matters
Simply on an interpretation of tactics, it appears the council is losing the battle with striking outdoor council workers.
The Transport Workers Union(TWU), the Australian Workers Union (AWU) and the Electrical Trades Union (ETU), acting on behalf of hundreds of frontline workers, are seeking a 20% pay rise, and are willing to be pretty bolshie to get it. When this claim was rejected by council negotiators, the outdoor workforce walked off the job.
The TWU is the union with the whip-hand here, because their members are the city’s garbos, and the result of their downing tools is the one that has the most obvious impact, with untouched bins lining the streets throughout the entire urban sprawl and tips closed to private citizens. And the TWU really has its tail up, bolstered by significant wins in other states on the exact same issue (garbage truck drivers) in Victoria and significantly in Noosa. In that matter, the Industrial Relations Commission came down on the union side, resulting in a significant pay increase and concessions on conditions.
Seeming to realise the were suddenly losing the battle, the council decided to take the fight into the public arena, arguing fiscal responsibility and threatening a rate rise. This release came out last Wednesday.
But the council was maybe trying to be too clever by half, presumably hoping the public would misunderstand that line about the wage demand, if met, would result in a 19.82% rate rise. As one Nest reader pointed out.
August 15, 2025 at 9:57 pm (Edit)The council announced it would be a 20% increase in ‘general rates’ which is not the total rates amount but the portion towards core services the council provides. Still, the councils wording and use of percentages and not dollar amounts will make it very easy for a person to assume their total rates bill will increase by 20% instead of actually only being a fraction of an increase of the total amount. God knows the executive gets paid eye watering amounts and the history of the council shows money has been wasted through poor decision making.
Other readers thought the council had ‘blundered’ into an union ambush with the literal stink from the garbos’ strike putting Walker Street in an untenable position.
But have they blundered into an ambush? Could it actually be the opposite, that it is they TCC who have led the unions into a dead end street.
Because would it not be possible that the TCC team planned to let the unions create civic discomfort and a health hazard (a low one admittedly, but not a good look during the tourist season, in effect an eyesore unmissable to everyone) so they ultimately have a reason to sack the garbos and privatise waste collection?
Richardson, Sewell and McCabe have all shown a capacity for arrogant club-footed attempts at guile – Strand parking metres, power delegation to the CEO – and to think they are ‘blundering’ may be just what they want you to think. Could it be all part of their game plan, because, remember, the TCC are the side that decided to put their openly detailed into the public arena.
On the other hand, the unions may have miscalculated by trying to use the general uneasiness with the council translating into support for their wage calls. And this is a council executive that doesn’t give a fuck what the public think, they are all on a comfy sinecure, and will do what it takes to get their way. Same goes for the union leadership, although they are open to being turfed out by the membership.
Of course, the council has a credibility problem when their CEO gets closer to $800,000 than $600,000 a year, and at least three of his executive officers take home more than $350k. These are vastly inflated salaries, and anyone who trots out the tired old mantra that ‘you have to pay top dollar to get the top people’, just haven’t been paying attention for the past 10 years. So how’s that working for us?
Running a class envy financial argument is never going to go anywhere, but just for the fun of it, a driver who requires special skills to operate a modern garbage truck get about $72,000 a year. And no long lunches and free booze-ups, car lease, phone or laptop perks. And no slipping a length to the PA in the broom cupboard.
This whole thing is on the nose in more ways than one. Whatever the outcome, assume your accustomed position, Townsville ratepayers.
Clean Bowled By Cairns … Again
Last Wednesday, the state government announced upgrades to the Townsville Sports Precinct in North Ward.
Unfortunately, the rosy glow of feelin'; the government’s love cooled a little, with this announcement coming just a few days before the third T-20 cricket international between Australia and South Africa at Cazaly Park (crowd capacity 15000) … in Cairns. (Played last night, we won by two wickets with one ball left in a thriller. That gives us the series, 2-1.)
After the first two packed out matches in Darwin, the game had the added interest of being the decider, so locals and visitors packed in to watch the action. It was a toss-up between Cairns and Mackay who got the gig, but both qualified because they had broadcast standard lighting to hoist night events. Townsville wasn’t in the race, because it does not.
Despite continued lobbying over the years for broadcast standard lighting for Riverway, it was staunchly resisted as a low level priority by Mayor Mullet. When Sam Cox made it a priority issue when he ran for mayor, Jenny Hill clearly preferred her adventures with her now faltering Hub In The Scrub at Landsown. Being a financial genius from the Trump School of Economics, Hill even lied about the issue, deriding Cox’s estimate of around $10m to $15m saying ‘it would cost much more than that, I know for a fact’.
Really, Jenny? Take a squizz at this.
And that quoted costs of just under $11m is the 24/25 current ask, not the far less expensive spend needed 10 years ago. The economic loss of both lucrative cricket and AFL matches is clearly significant.
So Cairns now has two venues capable of hosting night events: Barlow Park which is scheduled to host a number of Cowboys matches (including the lady Cowpokes). And Cazaly Park, council owned in partnership with the AFL. Cairns Council is already lobbying for a significant share of the Olympic pie. And – c’mon, let’s be honest – Cairns is a far more attractive deal for both promoters and punters for a winter getaway than Townsville ever will be. And don’t they know it, unashamedly going after anything and everything that Townsville is too muddled to hang on to (AFCM anyone?)
So Sports and Olympic Minister Tim Mander, instead of taking free pot shots at the previous Labor Government (if shooting fish in barrel was an Olympic sport, the LNP would be the gold medallists), how about helping a city besieged by a leaderless administration by ponying up similar money for quality lighting and scoreboard at Riverway ?
Anything to say, Adam Baillie, Natalie Marr, Janelle Poole? You wouldn’t want to be lumped in with Minister Mander’s ‘decade of neglect of the former Labor Government’, would you?
How About An Enterprising Move For Magnetic Island?
It is high time we polished up the tarnished jewel in our tourism crown.
The ‘Pie has always felt that the characterisation of Maggie Islanders as whinging and selfish moaners is completely unfair. It seems to come from a mindset brought on by a mythical disconnect of a few kilometres of water. We get a lot of justifiable complaints about council performance in places like Idalia, Wulguru and the northern beaches, but they are never lumped into a single locality group and branded selfish and self-entitled.(Except maybe Walker Street).
Just like any other area, MI has it’s share of noisy wingnuts and developmentally delayed claqueurs, but it is not as though the general island populace is any different to any other segment of Townsville. Most accept that their well-being depends on visitors and most don’t see it as an exclusive area just for some sort of tropical retirement idyll or a craft and basket weaving utopia for the raffia mafia.
Unlike the other mentioned areas, Magnetic Island is far more important to the city’s economy than any equally sized residential area, and its maintenance and amenity should be far more highly prized that it currently is or has been for the last 15/20 years. Fixing and maintaining roads, walking tracks and infrastructure on Magnetic Island carries the extra priority of pan-city prosperity than just meeting obligations to general ratepayers.
And for that reason, it is reasonable to suggest that Magnetic Island should have its own Tourism Board.
When the howls of derision die down, let The ‘Pie make his argument, there are some solid reasons for this suggestion.
First there is the hapless and hopeless TEL, whose every move on just about anything is watered down because of its policy of pretending to be everything to everybody. And they even do that incompetently, and never ever are willing to point to any benchmarks of performance. So councils like Ingham, Burdekin and Charters Towers waste money with annual contributions to have their own little patches promoted by this gormless mob (although Charters Towers have baulked at this several times over the years). And frankly, TEL would rather honk on and talk statistical nonsense about. ‘the cruise ship economy’ than give Maggie it real due as a potential tourist bonanza.
Then there is this brutal fact – the name Townsville is toxic in the tourism world at the moment for some obvious reasons, and even having a top class stadium as a tool to boost visitation has been mishandled . But even if it’s image was not one of crime riddled suburbs and a dysfunctional council (its not dysfunctional at all, but without an acceptable mayoral figurehead, that will be the perception), there is another brutal fact that must be accepted: unlike Cairns or the Whitsundays, Townsville is not geared to cater for holidaymakers for more than a couple of days. Potential visitors in southern markets are not going to spend thousands of dollars to travel thousands of miles for a stroll along the Strand, enjoy the view from Castle Hill and visit Billabong Sanctuary … seriously, they’re just not. Even swimming along the Strand is more mud than tropical sand.
But Magnetic Island is a different matter. First it has a profile and an attractive name – the word ‘island’ is daydream magic down south – along with wildly promotable bays, beaches and koala clogged bushland. And that koala hospital and the veterinarian’s daughter Izzy Bee are an international social media smash hit, attracting thousands of hits and interstate and international visitors. Here on the big island, our wetlands and the rainforest up at Paluma are all very well but they don’t scream ‘tropical holiday’ like Maggie. While TEL is faffing around with cruise ships, opportunities of both visitation and investment are being neglected.
A discrete tourism board for the island would of course need to work with the local council (good luck) but it could also approach state and federal governments independently. And unlike TEL, it would concentrate entirely on a single product, and lobby to have it enhanced in every possible way.
Townsville businesses would still benefit, if, say, the proposed MITB did what the stupid TEL morons should’ve done years ago, and do a deal with the NRL, all the clubs, and an airline promoting special deals with genuine savings (even on airfares) for fans coming here for footy matches. What coulkd be more attractive than a game of footy to kick off a tropical holiday break – promoted as ‘our winter is your summer’.
The one major requirement from the outset for such an idea to work would be the appointment of proven, well-connected professional, most likely fromSydney or Melbourne, one who understand marketing and advertising, and that he or she would have to work to agreed KPIs. There would be no shortage of applicants. Enthusiastic, well meaning local aspirants need not apply.
Another reason this is beyond the scope of Townsville Enterprise is that they have never understood the mindset of people in major southern population centres and how they think about the tropical north.
Forget The Martinis, Break Out The Goon
It’s not just the Astonisher vying for the coveted Cock Up of The Year Golden Spittoon. The usually excellent New Daily made a strong entry during the week.
How this cock-up happened cannot be revealed, it is obviously secret newspaper business. But an aboriginal James Bond? Well, why not, it sorta makes sense, although it should perhaps become Jimmy Bond.:
Weapons Master Q: ”Now, Jimmy, here is a new gadget I think you’ll like.”
Jimmy (examining the new gadget): ‘Just looks like a bit of bone to me. How does it work?”
Q: “You just point it at somebody, and they die.’
Jimmy: “Neat, bro. And, hey, Q, mate, can I have a red stripe down the side of the Aston Martin? And some o’ dem purple fur dice to hang of the mirror?
The Week’s Burning Issue
Geez, a bloke just posts a simple comment and the world caves in. It all started with this.
August 12, 2025 at 6:25 pm (Edit)
Why is this even a discussion?
Given our bold multicultural adventure, it is a slam dunk our flag and other national symbols should have legislative protection.
Well, didn’t that get a few people’s Calvin Kleins in a cluster. On both sides of the argument. One saying it was OK because it was part of free speech, the other more of the ‘hang ‘em high’ school of thought. Needless to say, nothing was resolved, but The Magpie had a sudden thought … what a boon for the marketing bods from the big two supermarkets.
Yiu’ll remembert Coles and Woolies took a hammering earlier this year when they restricted sales of the Australian flags in the lead up to Australia Day, because three percent of the population were biting their bottom lip about the date of our national holiday. But the noisy incendiary opposition to Phil Thompson’s call for a ban on flag burning offered the marketing men a chance to recoup their losses next Januaty.
Amerika – Putin Wipes The Floor With The Orange Ego
He came, he shook, hands, smiled, joked, told the President of the United States to go fuck himself, and then left – in the words of the ABC John Lyons in this comprehensive report, ‘Vladimir Putin had a complete victory.’ With Trump coming out looking like the gas-bagging chump he is, the real losers are the people of Ukraine. European resolve is about to be tested, and Trump’s slide from power has inexorably continued.
It’s a wonder Putin didn’t slip Alaska in his pocket to take back to Moscow. A few people thought that just might happen. The always perceptive Michael Ramirez in the Las Vegas Review-Journal again showed how to say the truth so simply.
Finally … Priorities
New Zealand chivalry, Greek style. Shame there was no room for the missus.
……
Another week down. A beauty coming up. Join in comments, some great fun to be had by those who don’t bruise easily.
If you can help out with some always needed Nest finances, the donate button is below.
Christ … brace for a Chinese invasion of Taiwan in the next week or two.
The Magpie’s suggestion that Maggie Island should have its own Tourism Board is pure gold.
Hopefully one of the many Townsville heavy hitters who have real estate interests in the island will take up the challenge.
Regarding the garbos strike, I saw a classic sign at a union protest the other day:
WITHOUT GARBOS TOWNSVILLE STINKS.
Some would argue that there are a lot of things on the nose in Townsville, even when the garbos are on the job.
“Enthusiastic, well meaning local aspirants need not apply.”
Aw shit! Charlie doesn’t get a guernsey.
How disappointing not!
Interesting observation regarding Oberhardt being in town. It seems to have coincided with the democratically sidelined mayor going deathly silent on social media during the past week. Has Twonames received some disturbing news? There has certainly been a feeling around town that something very big is afoot.
Apologies for lengthy post. This is what one of the employees I used to work with sent out to all councillors this weekend. I’d like to point out in your blog if you earned $72000 as a truck driver that includes overtime on weekends as well as being required to work every public holiday. Yes you’re correct about the amount but in context you spend a lot of time away from home. If you look at the numbers below I’m sure our executives spend quite a lot of time at home as well as our councillors and get paid a lot. Before hitting us staff/ex staff the public should be asking why there pay packets are so large and what have we got in service from it. I only ask everyone take a look. Thank you.
Dear Councillor
I am writing to express serious concern regarding the widening pay disparity within Townsville City Council. As a long-serving employee, I find it disheartening that while frontline workers remain the lowest paid council staff in the region, senior executive remuneration has surged by 79% in just one year, as documented in TCC’s own annual report.
My own wage increased by only 2.66% over the same period. Meanwhile, a new senior executive director position was created, even as numerous essential roles across the workforce remain unfilled. Compounding this, over $31 million was spent on external contractors, despite the existing capacity of our 1,500-strong workforce. Perhaps most concerning, termination payments skyrocketed by 2400% – a figure that demands scrutiny.
These decisions reflect a troubling misalignment of priorities. The burden of rate hikes should not be placed on the backs of underpaid workers while administrative overhead and wasteful spending continue unchecked.
This paints a troubling picture of priorities. It’s difficult to justify such executive-level spending while workers who keep the city running are left behind. The community expects fairness and accountability, especially when public funds are involved.
I am therefore seeking a modest and reasonable wage increase that reflects the value we bring to the community and the rising cost of living. I respectfully request your support in advocating for fairer pay and more responsible financial governance.
Please advise by the end of next week whether this matter will be addressed in the upcoming council agenda.
Sincerely,
Magpies suggestion that MI have its own tourism style board is pure gold. In many ways, this seems to be a logical suggestion. Here is the however – however, technically, TEL should be already doing this as part of their remit. TEL should be acting on behalf of the entire Townsville region, including MI. It isn’t. Claudia Queen of the bullshit and Gill the incompetent dill spend their days rubbing shoulders with Can’tberra, writing glossy papers, and doing other unimportant shit like focus all their time on cruise ships. For fucks sake, when is TEL going to be gutted, restructured and repositioned as a spokes-body for all of our region? We need people advocating broadly, not focusing on one thing. Other regions have found the right balance, yet Townsville limps along lamely still under the legacy of something J.Hill engineered in its modern form – a useless and impotent TEL.
That seems a bit at odds with itself as an analysis, Mopsy.
Obviously the reason for suggesting the creation of a MITB is exactly because TEL AREN’T giving Magnetic Island its due attention. And the sole reason for that is the Dudley Do Nothings are trying to be, as The ‘Pie said, everything to everybody … a policy primarily aimed simply at milking annual money out of surrounding councils.
Why is has the word Townsville is even in its name is a mystery, with all media releases, statements and aims trumpeted ‘the North Queensland region’, giving a soft, amorphous focus on everything it sticks its bib into. Of course, it is more or less imperative that it keeps the word Townsville in its name, in order to get its $750k year from Townsville ratepayers,WITHOUT ANY ACCOUNTABILITY WHATSOEVER. And now, god help us, council has side stepped its responsibility and given this tinpot outfit a million plus dollars and put them in charge of attracting acts with names like The Scrotum Scratchers or the Backdoor Shafters, making shifty southern promoters a fortune. We don’t even know who makes the ultimate decision and on what data such a decision is based.
So yes, restructure but remove the name Townsville and re-examine the level of ratepayer support. The public face and voice of Townsville should be as it always has been, the elected mayor of the city. But even as we continue to lack that, TEL and the politically ambitious Claudia Brumme-Smith should not be speaking on our behalf. We did’t elect her, we should be forced to support TEL as her personal vehicle for personal publicity as she tries to further her personal political agenda , and the majority of Townsvilleans do not want TEL in its present rorting form. The Magpie maintains what he has consistently pointed out for years now … TEL IS AN UNACCOUNTABLE RORT OF THE FIRST MAGNITUDE AND RATEPAYERS SHOULD NOT BE FUNDING IT WITH A SINGLE DOLLAR IN ITS CURRENT FORM.
If MI can’t have its own MITB, at least let us have a board that concentrates on Townsville business, investment and tourism, no Copper String, not the sad plight of Mt Isa, not the Burdekin, Charters Towers, Ingham, Cardwell or the Cassowary Coast. Just Townsville, because the success of creating and maintaining a pounding, throbbing cosmopolitan centre will naturally radiate out to those other areas naturally.
And if anyone is going to speak for us in Brisbane, Canberra or anywhere else, it should primarily be our mayor, the voice WE elected to speak for us, not an ambitious blow-in with a private agenda.
So, Mr Crisfulli, from the city that launched your career, how about letting us choose a mayor, this time from a list of candidates whose backgrounds are vetted for any disqualifying matters?
Try looking at the 2023 Magnetic Island Tourism Masterplan. Or not. It’s a free world.
Link?
Thanks Pie,
Regarding Townsville tourism. We have lived here for only 5 years and as you have pointed out, we have found the tourist attractions to be scant. I would suggest that Charters Towers offers a lovely historical town and mining attraction. Townsville needs to determine its assets and highlight these to visitors, e.g. military connections (historical and current), mining, and agriculture. That the military is spread over 3 small sites – Jezzine Barracks, airforce (closed) and maritime museum – that are not coordinated makes this attraction disjointed.
Developing a series of attractions that provides variety should be the vision. This should not just be MI but incorporate the whole TCC region. The TEL concept should be gutted and renovated, spilt into two organisations economic attraction and tourism.
History and link to the Magnetic Island tourism master plan 2030
https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/94058
https://www.townsvilleenterprise.com.au/tourism/rto-services-and-functions/magnetic-island-masterplan/
Copy of Master Plan appears to be no longer available on the TEL website. What a surprise, did TEL grab the Queensland Government funds, present a document they couldn’t deliver on and after a period of time, remove the document hoping no one would ask any questions.
However there is a ISSUU copy on-line but I’d download a copy in case it is removed from the Web.
Question for TEL and others is “How much dust has collected on the Plan” and what actions, if any, have been started and what measurable progress has been made on these actions.
Charlie,
and what a waste of taxpayers money and a shit show of the whole community consultation process was.
Loaded up with major stakeholders groups including a nature care group and a community anti development association who a few years ago formed a consortium, but continue to pretend that they are separate entities ?
76% of Magnetic Island is National Park but for the anti crew it is not enough.
Fuck talking to tourism operators and business owners.
IV
Check out my comment below re the scuttling of TOBMI.
There’s a rumour doing the rounds on the island that MICDA has had all its grants funding suspended. Anyone know more?
The ‘Pie knows he’s suffering acronym fatigue.
Pie
Magnetic Island used to have an organisation called TOBMI: Tourism Operators and Businesses of Magnetic Island. It functioned as a local chamber of commerce, members networking and cross promoting for a small annual fee. From memory, less than $50.
TOBMI was targeted and dismantled by TEL. A woman was brought in as the TOBMI secretary. She does nothing for nothing, and is widely reputed to be “very well connected”. I say is, because she is still on the island. She would appear to have no personal friends.
I was not a member of TOBMI, but attended the meetings as an observer after someone who opposed the dissolution was publicly sent to Coventry. So I can attest to the undercurrent of intimidation these small business owners faced.
The new membership fee they faced with TEL was over $300. So only the big players signed up. Eg Sealink, Peppers Resort.
With the benefit of hindsight, it seems likely this was just another action by the despot Jenny Hill to maintain control over the island. In that context, TEL has never been entirely useless, Pie.
Clarabelle, proposing that there should be a totally new ‘tourism board’ without acknowledging, or perhaps even realising, that there are already three (3) or more such bodies, seems a little excessive (the TEL Masterplan stakeholders, Tourism Magnetic Island and TOBMI). And adding that such a board should appoint a “proven, well-connected professional, most likely from Sydney or Melbourne, one who understands marketing and advertising”, suggests we might end up with another TEL type (needing a fat salary, a house, a car and someone to tell them what to do because enthusiastic, well meaning local aspirants wouldn’t have a clue). Yeah, nah. Glad I’m not in ‘tourism’.
https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=magnetic+island+tourism+masterplan&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
Goodol’ CVharlie, alway the first to find a way why something WON’T work.
You are clearly part of the problem, and widely regarded as such.
There is no TOBMI, Charlie. TEL destroyed it.
Can you provide a link to this entity called Tourism Magnetic Island? Can’t find it anywhere.
Magpie, what is the ‘problem’ you are trying to solve with yet another committee? Magnetic Island has ‘tourism’ up the ying yang. The place is pumping. The marketing and advertising is already happening somewhere else, mainly online thanks to Google and AirB&B. People in Sydney and Melbourne don’t need guidance or if they do they don’t get it from local tourist associations or boards. As far as I can tell that went out with typewriters and fax machines. Magnetic Island’s THREE (3!) tourism promotion bodies have difficulty raising a quorum between them because the actual businesses in that trade are too busy doing their business to be worrying about everyone else. If anything, the big need is for some sustainability planning. Roads, tracks and public infrastructure wears out or is overwhelmed. Quiet places get noisy, gentle spots get trampled, whole ecosystems get bent and mangled because the tourism industry is not responsible for identifying that, is not equipped with people who can see it. Case in point – the Museum of Underwater Art. Proposed to be installed in the most protected Green Zone as if some Disneyland would outshine the natural wonderland in Geoffrey Bay. The boffins, the ‘experts’, the know-alls got it wrong and the locals united to throw it out.
Or did you know that on the weekends, sometimes it takes 3 or even 4 buses, all at once from Horseshoe Bay, to transport visitors to catch a single ferry home. Some days hundreds of people walk to the Forts. Hundreds! The ferries and barges have never seen such traffic. Sometimes it looks and feels like we are slowly killing the goose that lays the golden egg. We don’t need yet another tourism board.
In amongst all that word salad is your agreement with one of The ‘Pie’s points. Council priority should be given to management of the island’s one and only industry, and that includes an emphasis on maintaining and continually upgrading infrastructure. As previously pointed out here, MI is not just another suburb, it is an individual economic engine, with a ripple effect of benefit to other areas of the city. And that doesn’t mean some either/or scenario where other parts of Townsville miss out because of a preference system … the multiple money buckets are many and varied, so no responsibility can be diminished.
Your comment about ‘tourism up the ying yang’ tends to indicate there’s enough for your liking. That might not be reflected by everybody else, but ikt certainly needs to be closely managed with a sensible integrated system of public facilities and timetables. And it is noted your three or four buses all at the one time includes are specified as happening on weekends, so if that situation doesn’t exist weekdays, then you are talking locals travelling over.
And one thing that you are waaaay behind on is your silly and ignorant comments about social media and tourism boards. Social media is, and has been for some years now, the major tool of tourism boards, councils and the like. Expensive advertising campaigns have been toned down because of the effective backing of TikTok, Instagram and even old fuddy duddy Facebook. Even Twitter and whatever is rapidly replacing it, has its role to play.
Comments like yours spell out the reason why experienced management is needed. If we could trust this council, the best way to do this would be to create a specific department to manage an established plan. worked out with the permanent community. But we don’t, so we can’t.
Charlie, you a like a bellyflop in a kiddies wading pool, noisy but shallow.
Perhaps you should now get of your ying yang, head to your typewriter and fax in a reply to this observation.
Clarabelle, Tourism Magnetic Island and its front person are referred to by name directly in the Tourism Masterplan – for what that is worth. Online their ABN is registered by ASIC (ABN 55 069 305 594 TOURISM MAGNETIC ISLAND INC). I have no idea of their current status. Some of the other Island community groups – MIRRA, MICDA, MINCA for example – are also registered with ASIC.
I don’t blame the TCC frontlines for striking. The remuneration at the top tier is amoral and unjustified. CEO McCabe quite simply is not worth an $800k package, full stop. He also earns another $150k or so in board director fees. This council is a joke.
Look, The ‘Pie doesn’t disagree that the TCC frontline workers should get a fair and equitable boost in pay and conditions, it’s not a privige to get fair reward, it is a right.
But The ‘Pie again counsels against trying to run a ‘politics of envy’ campaign. Fat cat executive pay packets – despite the damp squib rather than bang for our out buck that we get – are totally irrelevant and do not in the least affect the ability of the council to cough up proper wages.
Just concentrate on what is rightfully yours, and leave the executive pay rip-off as a separate issue for another time.
Searched around to see if I could find a table of comparative pay rates for Council workers in other Queensland regional councils say Cairns, Mackay and Rockhampton is TCC pay rates and can’t find anything.
I’m not buying this low pay rate argument until an accurate comparative pay rate can be developed to prove that TCC workers in like positions in other councils are indeed being paid substantially less. I’m certain that unions involved in the TCC pay dispute have the relevant pay rates for other regional councils.
Fair call. There was a comment last week that like-on-like workers in the Burdekin get more, but nothing substantiated. But one imagines if it is a bogus argument, the TCCn team would be all over it …. well, maybe.
The problem is TwoNames went and stuck his beak where it didn’t belong. He went and did some “authoritative” research (Ie he used a seek.com salary comparison tool, not known for its accuracy) and pulled a whole bunch of “data” that he has then pushed into someone else’s fight. Along with a very loose explanation about the 79% executive pay rise that never happened. There is a world of difference between a one-off accounting line item that had a one-off increase against budgeted cost (I don’t know, maybe because some idiot, like a now suspended “Mayor”, did something stupid, someone then left, and then that original idiot (who MAY look like a now suspended “Mayor”), authorised an ex-gratia payment to the person that left.
Don’t get me wrong, these workers need a pay-rise, and quickly. We just have a meddlesome now suspended “Mayor” who doesn’t like being on the sidelines, who is helping stir the pot.
If I understand it correctly, the TCC staff at the dumps stopped collecting dump fees as part of the action for a just wage, so the TCC executive closed the dumps. Driving past the Hervy Range dump this morning there was at least one full large garbage bag at the closed gates.
Closing the dumps is bastardising the public and will encourage indiscriminate dumping that will eventually have to be dealt with by the council.
Self defeating, or have I got it wrong?
Magpie
A few observations on the maybe ambit claim of 20% pay rise to keep this in perspective. (I am rounding to make it easier)
In the 25/26 Budget TCC increased the total remuneration line from $165m (Councils estimate 24/25) to 25/26 budget of $187m and increase of $22m which has already been planned and included in this years setting of rates.
If EVERY (and I mean EVRERY SINGLE PERSON) employee at council received 20% increase in their pay that would be an increase of $33m of which they have already assumed $22m, not factoring in that the ambit 20% is for workers not management, so the difference required would be $11m or less than 2% of revenue.
So if TCC gave every single employee a 20% pay rise it would need to increase the rates/utilities by less than 2% to maintain the current budgeted position for 25/26.
I am not advocating for the 20% increase but I do like to see transparency and clear explanations of numbers. In reality if 70% of the workforce is part of this bargaining position then the full 20% increase has been budgeted already therefore the increase in rates and utilities to meet this is ZERO.
Food for thought
I love it when you talk data. Exciting!
The mayor situation seems to have hit another wall, the Premier stating on the bulletin just now that Mr Thompson will not be returning until the CCC has released its findings. Does that mean he continues to get his pay? I assume it would, so simply an extension of his current pay, due to no natural justice, it would seem the Premier is being overly cautious on this one. On another note, a good event yesterday down at the strand. Plenty to see, and a great respect to all who served, past and present. Back to my woodworking, need to cover my new rates bill, only $180 more per 6 months, that’s the coffee money gone.
Most public servants are suspended on full pay until the investigation is completed. Police are a good example.
The presumption of innocence until proven guilty, and the right to a fair trial lie in the suspended Mayors favour for now. If found guilty of certain charges like fraud, there may be consideration for the prosecution to attempt recovery costs including wages.
Both Crisafulli and Oberhardt have met with Councillors in the past week. As I previously mentioned, Twonames has gone deathly quiet on social media at the same time. I imagine he has also been contacted and told that his democratically approved suspension has been extended. Let’s see what commentary he comes up with next. I wonder how his paper petition is going? Ha ha ha
Troy, give it up champ. You’ve burned every bridge and then some! You are toxic and nobody listens to or believes your bullshit, other than Michelle, Mum and your cooker pals.
Frankly, now that it certain he won’t be going back to Walker Street, our attention should turn to just why the CCC has taken an inexcusable time to gather what evidence they needed to make a decision. The CCC foot-dragging is rapidly replacing the DNA lab scandal as the latest spectacular systemic failure of the public service .
I would hazard a guess that initially the investigation was simple, but every time they find something it opens another chapter and the scope changes. Each step would need warrants and forensic examination.
He has declared international bank accounts in 2 foreign countries. ABN’s linked with family which may be above board but also need investigation, then their bank transactions and communications etc if something has been found.
Days before the company of of which he was CEO went into receivership, he made a redundancy payment to his partner, but all the staff in Australia lost their jobs and owed entitlements.
One lie has led to another and it is unravelling, hence the investigations scope has changed. When they charge him, they want to get him for everything. They don’t get another chance if they find something else related.
I am happy for the process to take as long as needed to get it right the first time.
All that you say has been recorded and in the public domain for almost a year now, so he could’ve been charged if found to have breached LG regulations, saving the tax/rate payers a poultice, other charges could’ve been brought at a later date because it’s reasonable to say these other matters are more historic and do not relate to electoral fraud or whatever fancy term applies.
So, your comment leaves us two scenarios. Forget Crisfulli’s disingenuous waffle about ‘free from political interference’, odds on he knows what is coming and is playing verbal ping pong until the time is right for release, and whatever its says is the CCC’s baby, not his. And he has been vague and waffly enough to leave unpalatable doors ajar should that be necessary.
Let’s look at what the Astonisher story has and has not told us.
Crisafulli clearly knows the tricky situation he has inherited with the Thompson hospital pass he was chucked by the chicken hearted Stephen Miles. And he clearly knows he has painted himself into a corner on this issue, and the paper’s interview (at the weekend EKKA in Brisbane) was pure evasive political gobbledegook, in which he managed to contradict himself.
We are also at the mercy of a very suspect interpretation of context by the reporters regarding what The Kid had to say, but lets see if we should be reading between the tea leaves, if you like mixed metaphors.
The opening of the story is ambiguous and is not a quote, just a highly suspect interpretation by the reporters (Shirkie and Smith, so our confidence ebbs).
They write:
Premier David Crisafulli has shot down suspended Townsville mayor Troy Thompson’s hopes of returning to power, saying he does not want to see the city return to a “dark place”.
If the rest of the interview in accurate, he has done no such thing, and in fact even has left open the impossible possibility that Thompson may well return to Walker St at some stage when he said, ‘I’ve made it very clear, he won’t be coming back until that report is handed down.’
So Crisafulli, the man who said last year that Thompson’s mayoralty was ‘untenable’, now admits the con man could actually return to office.
But then he starts to retreat from anything as definitive as even that, and confuses us – and himself – with a coded message that leaves him political weasel room.
“I’m hopeful the report will be handed down (by the end of the suspension period) but if it’s not, we’ll address that and we’ll be upfront with everyone I don’t want that council to be put back into that dark place that it was. I hope the city can soon put the matter to rest. I’d just make the observation that I think this community needs leadership at the council level and the reason why we acted is because I do not believe that council could function in the way that it was.’
So we are left to decide was that a dog whistle (‘he’s gone, we’ll sack him no matter what’) or a dog whimper (what can I do, my hands are tied by the CCC.)
One thing on which The ‘Pie will bet his bottom dollar: Crisfulli knows full well what is in the CCC report, and seems to be clearing the way for undeserved herograms all round.
BBells, it is conceivable that Thompson will not be charged and will not return to the office. Instead his suspension (on full pay) could be extended until the end of his term in 2028. Seems like the least worst option unless you are wedded to Facebook and either want him canonised or drawn and quartered.
Actually, probably the best albeit distasteful decision, but would need some very fancy verbal footwork from The Kid to sell to the poublic.
Where are our local members on this, have they been gagged? (Rhetorical question, trough rules.)
If the suspended Mayor is convicted of a disqualifying offence he is automatically dismissed and pay and entitlements are ceased immediately. It is worth the time for the investigation.
Also remember the CCC has been tasked to conduct the investigations which could give an indication of where they are looking. They would be using the OIA to assist in local Government investigations, but have the scope to look outside those grounds.
Some examples of disqualifying offences
An electoral offence – eg. a sentence of imprisonment
a serious integrity offence –examples that are relevant
(Local Govt. Act) 201D Dishonest conduct of councillor or councillor advisor
(criminal code Act)
54 Demands with menaces upon agencies of government
87 Official corruption
92A(1) or (2) Misconduct in relation to public office
98 Bribery
112 False or misleading information
408 Fraud
415 Extortion
An integrity offence
(Local Govt. Act)
150AW Protection from reprisal
150EY Offence to take retaliatory action
171Use of information by councillors
201F Prohibited conduct by councillor or councillor advisor in possession of inside information
(Criminal code act)
85 Disclosure of official secrets
194 False declarations
And after tonight’s Four Corners rolling the rock back on the Sovereign Citizen fruit cakes, there’s another reason why Thompson should be punted.
As federal, state and local governments continue the squeeze you’ll find a gradual fading away of discretionary spending.
At a federal level a trillion dollars in weapons and out of control immigration all being paid for by massive taxation and the threat of GST going up to 15% so the corporations pay nothing; at a state level you’ve got the Olympics draining the budget and no doubt other money pits ( nsw has snowy mountain scheme, vic has a broken budget full stop); at a local government level townsville council has systematically and deliberately destroyed its finances for 15 years.
Its what you get when you have stupid people in government and stupid people holding the electoral margins. Keep watching the football as the flames kick around your balls.
And so, do I put my rubbish bin out or not? I am a very active and enthusiast member of the Greater Townsville Feral Pigeon Management Group. My GTFPMG freezer is half full. If my bin is not collected on the day the birdies that have gone to heaven will stink to high heaven.
Anybody?
https://youtu.be/yhuMLpdnOjY?si=AW57C7TPTacwXH54
Pigeon pie?
More like Pidgin English!
JWB, just chuck the dead birds into a cardboard box and slump it outside the rubbish dump gates late at night. Fuck em…
And on the topic of sporting venue upgrades, not only did Barlow Park in Cairns get lighting upgrades but funding for other upgrades.
https://www.austadiums.com/news/1415/major-barlow-park-upgrade-locked-in
And to add to the envy of Townsville of Cairns, check the redevelopment plans for Cazalys Stadium.
https://www.austadiums.com/news/1481/afl-cairns-unveils-cazalys-stadium-masterplan
Excellent win by the Cowboys tonight- amazing what happens when they turn up for the entire 80 minutes. Of concern however, was the state of the field, divots appeared within minutes and it doesn’t bode well for when the Wallabies and Pumas pack down their (proper) scrums in a few weeks.
Dear Highway Patrol.
If you are surprised at me suddenly flicking my left blinker on, and slowing after a right turn at an intersection to go into my street, then…wait for it… STOP FUCKEN TAILGATING ME YOU MOFOs!
FUCKEN HATE TAILGATERS WITH A PASSION
No wonder you kept going.
They probably called in for registration ID and when they discovered it was you, they, like anybody with that info, drove on.
Pat, so do I.
When being tailgated give 3-4 flashes of your hazard lights. Generally they get the message. If not, hazard lights again plus lightly touch your brakes, not to apply your brakes but to momentarily illuminate your brake lights. Usually the tailgater will, in a fit of pique, overtake, give you a dirty look, and tailgate another.
Give it a go.
What are you, a child, Motorist? Fond of video games, are you, you moron? Thanks for inviting road users to dangerously break the law and engage in childish behaviour, Motorist.
The only tactic that is safe to use, apart from just continuing on your way as normal, is to gradually slow down, even to 20kph if necessary, there is no general lowest speed limit, the arsesoles soon get tired of it.
You can be booked for driving too slowly and creating an obstruction to other drivers. Let’s not suggest childish solutions that can get people fined.
Agreed, but creating an obstruction in that way, while childish like all the other methods suggested, does not endanger anyone.
20kph? I think it is an offence to create a procession.
I am not advocating any dangerous change of speed, or any change of speed for that matter, just the safe use of lights to convey a message that overwhelmingly works.
Furthermore, when being tailgated I increase the 2 second space in front to 4 seconds to minimise the chance of sudden braking on my part. Invariably, with the increased space in front someone will move into it. No matter, I adjust to get my 4 seconds back.
Now you’re making up rules for bad and dangerous behaviour.m Your a child, and should have some counselling before allowed behind the wheel.
Incorrectly indicating deliberately is an offence.
Pie, your advice is similar to that I have received from others.
“Motorist, act your age!” they say, but how can I? I have never been this age before.
And my mother, now 97, has said more than once, “Motorist, you were such a lovely baby, what ever happened? “
Same words as TwoNames poor old ma.
Motorist, I was going to say the same – drive to ensure there is at least 4 seconds between the car in front and the one behind. It is in keeping with the 2-second rule (in France, known as deux chevrons with the chevrons marked on the pavement). The car close behind soon goes away to annoy another driver.
I didn’t think there was anyone in Townsville who also does this.
Counting the seconds has become something I do automatically without distraction and I’m all the more relaxed.
You blokes don’t have much of a life, do you?
Re Troy Thompson’s tenure at Townsville City Council
Following a recent review of the Local Government Regulation 2012, I can confirm Mr Troy Thompson will continue to receive remuneration up to and including the 22 November 2025.
This agreement is prescribed under section 253 of the Regulation which specifically addresses the suspension of Mr Thompson. The provision ensures continued entitlement to remuneration to the date mentioned above as stipulated.
WEll, yes, that was already known. The question is if the CCC report is not handed to the government for appropriate action by the scheduled end of the suspension, will this thieving prick continue to be paid until the CCC gets off its arse and lets the government know where it sands?
‘Mr Troy Thompson’ has broken cover and hit Facebook again. He has, as suggested earlier in this blog, obviously received some bad news, namely that his suspension may be extended and things could drag on for years (Twonames wording). This pustule isn’t going anywhere soon and if the CCC and Crisafulli rest on their laurels we will never get short term closure on this matter. Not a good look or outcome for a long-suffering Townsville community.
There is an ABC 4 corners program on far right dumb arse sov cits tonight.
Firstly, these cunts adopted the pre 1908 red ensign with a six point CTH/Federal star as their flag. In Canada and NZ they have adopted old flags because they want to return to a time with white supremacist laws. There can be no other conclusion for flying that red ensign here.
White/apartheid Australia was the basis of the system . Eugenics was taught in schools before Hitler or Mussolini came to power.
There were still massacres. And indigenous people weren’t even citizens let alone voters. This history can’t be honestly challenged.
The proof that these cunts get their views from crazy yanks lies in the fact they have no idea how the high court majority decided the people are sovereign. Or even that they did and in what cases.
In this respect, they are no different to religious nutters playing out their fictional fairy tales like teens acting out computer games, against the public and in public.
Might I remind them it was a theocracy back then too and prods v Catholics.
Why would you want to go back to all that shit?
And the Surafend massacre shows the views of soldiers back then.
Hey, your talkin’ ’bout our suspended mayor, there, Pat. A little more respect, pls.
Just a few points Pat. It was nz soldiers, no evidence that Australian soldiers involved. The massacre also started by a thief who killed a nz soldier. Cannot condone this action, but, in a war , where your enemy is hiding in plain sight, will become a powder keg of violence. We didn’t walk in these men’s shoes, so, how can we comment on a situation that nobody wants to be in.
Asawa
Our PM must be very proud of being noted as a “contributor” (read bastardize) to the English Language.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/skibidi-and-tradwife-social-media-words-added-to-cambridge-dictionary/news-story/febeb0f092c4ca7db8c648914dde2947
Well, interesting article, thanks, but is it fair to slag off at the PM when he was clearly being humorous – The ‘Pie thought it was both funny and clever when he heard in Question Time.
And while it’s daunting to boomers and millennials, we learn that Cambridge has added 6000 new words to the lexicon. The ‘Pie was most fascinated by this:
“The dictionary also took on the challenge of defining skibidi, a word popularised in online memes, as a term which had “different meanings such as cool or bad, or can be used with no real meaning””.
In other words, meaningless.
Pie, useful to understand but according to my kids, a cardinal sin of the ‘cringiest’ order to try and use if you are over 25. Watch them run away screaming if you bandy around words like “rizz, opp, sigma …”
They would run away screaming becaus uttering those words would make them think you’re having a stroke.
Yep! you’re right my comment was tad vacuous! But the article was indeed interesting.
Just hope it opened for everybody.
One of the great strengths of the English language is its ability to integrate both words from other languages and neologisms. Why should our glorious language be as fossilised as your brain?
It is indeed a joy when it is well founded, as miost are. What does jar, though, is when a word is abrutly reversed in meaning, ‘sick’ being a prime example. And there is the show biz inspired ‘dropped’ instead of released. This led to a recent clickbait headline ‘Qantas drops new fare schedule’.
I guess we’ll have to disagree on whether to sanction or sanction words with two contradictory meanings.
You raise a false point, which, if I had time, I would raze to the ground.
Pie
Regarding that Magnetic Island Tourism Masterplan concocted by TEL: what a wank.
Page 49 under MI Koala Hospital:
“ A unique tourism experience for visitors to experience the veterinary care of Koalas and other Magnetic Island native wildlife species. It has the potential to include a training centre, workshops for visitors, accommodation and education programs for schools, colleges and STEM students.”
This is a multi million dollar venture, but under the column WHO IS RESPONSIBLE we see only TEL and TCC in partnership with MI Koala Hospital. The existing “hospital” is literally a residential backyard endeavour conducted by a single dedicated family. Anyone in BRISBANE reading this would think it was already a state of the art facility. Why has this masterplan not factored in the required state and federal government funding to get this project off the ground?
Clarabelle
Yes the Tourism Master Plan is just a joke.
$125k for consultants fees, the fact that when the consultation process began the Island didn’t even have a tourism association to provide input.
So all the other stakeholders and various self interest groups made sure their agendas were provided. I attended a couple of consultations and workshops – what a shit show, couldn’t wait to leave.
The tourism master plan is all part of an overall whole of Magnetic Island Plan, only problem is the island community is not with them.
TOBMI was a terrible name and had some major problems.
The formation of Tourism Magnetic Island Inc provided tourism operators a voice, however they were only founded when the master plan was near completion. Currently they have a growing number of members and seem to be quite proactive.
As for the much needed koala hospital on the island, it has appeared on TELs wish list for nearly a decade, attracting zero funding.
Of interest the opening of the road to Radical Bay has never been on their wish list, yet it now has funding from the State Government, through people power, not continual talkfests which TEL thrives on.
As for the rumours of funding being cut off
one can only hope so.
WHAT RUMOURS?
Christ, IV, The ‘Pie just coughed in his rompers.
Sorry Mr Magpie,
The reference of funding being cut refers to Clarabelle’s question re: MICDA ( Magnetic Island Committee Development Association ) having all their funding being suspended?
After seeing their financials – it is no wonder.
Cutting to the chase, why are we talking about pointless past efforts? The Magpie’s suggestions are quite clear a d open for debate, but it doesn’t seem there are any lessons to be learnt from different projects in past times.
Let’s start from a new foundation and work up. And by the way, given the governance and importance of MI rto the Townsville economy, any entity that concerns tourism, investment and economic boon to it DOES NOT mandatorily need any MI residents on it, it need responsible professionals who can balance residents needs and wants with economic realism.
Magpie, I agree with your statement that “any entity that concerns tourism, investment and economic boon to it DOES NOT mandatorily need any MI residents on it, it need responsible professionals who can balance residents needs and wants with economic realism.” But with respect, how does any such body find out what resident’s needs and wants are?
Remember, you have already outlined your formula for such a body:
“The one major requirement from the outset for such an idea to work would be the appointment of proven, well-connected professional, most likely from Sydney or Melbourne, one who understands marketing and advertising”.
That’s what we got with the proposed Museum of Underwater Art. A pro from London (London!) with a ‘product’ that apparently the whole world would want. All the mainland big hitters fawned all over it, the state government threw money, the Feds threw permits and when they asked, or more precisely told, locals what would be good for them they were told to go away. All the Island community and resident groups rejected it. The proven, well connected professionals totally misjudged the market. Ho hum.
1. The Underwater Art bullshit was a scam start to finish, shepherded by Mayor Mullet. (Why the fuck would you put third rate sculptures of totally irrelevant images as an attraction in the middle of one of the planet’s most spectacular natural wonders?)
2. The reference to the Melbourne or Sydney professional was an indication of the required marketing experience, and the position, from The Magpie’s view, should never be a FIFO consultancy, we’ve had enough experience of those snouts in the council trough. We indeed a hands on person who lives in our community, and probably better in order to keep an overall perspective, not on the island.
3. C’mon, Charlie, how the fuck do you think a real localised MI tourism body be aware of local needs and wants of residents. Regular meetings, informal consultations, a proactive finger-on-the-pulse presence. And btw, the residents’ needs and wants can only be considered in light of what is good for the overall Townsville community. There is a cohort of selfish locals there who don’t want their tropical suburban life disturbed – they must have a voice but not always the final say. You all live on Magnetic Island by the grace and favour of distant powerful entities. Old chum, you’d better believe that for all your honking and crowing by the nixing of the MUA through ‘people power’, if there had been some overriding financial outcome for someone, it would’ve gone ahead.
Your final comment about your perceived ‘people power’ rejection is just you irrelevantly flexing what you fondly believe is your messiah-like community spokesman’s muscles.
The democratically suspended mayor is his own worst enemy. Instead of being open, honest and transparent in his election campaign, he was just the opposite. That has spectacularly bitten him on the arse. He is the root cause of his very public downfall. But instead of owning up and taking responsibility for his actions, he has dug his heels in and in the process of doing that he has dug himself a bigger hole. What an embarrassment. He really needs his mental health checked. The man is very obviously a troubled individual who requires some robust help.
Troy Thompson is a flat out manipulating grifter. He’d love if the CCC and Premier let this drag out for years while he kept collecting his hush money.
Clarabelle, the Koala is NOT native to Magnetic Island.
Rocky
This is an island myth peddled mainly by dog owners.
Until around 8,000 years ago, the island was attached to the mainland with a wooded habitat that allowed the dispersal of vertebrates eastward. If you’d like to argue koalas are not native to the mainland now known as Townsville, go for it.
You’re both right – the island koala population is not native because it was imported after the local population became extinct.
Oh, glad that’s cleared up.
Flippant, but chillingly accurate Bob Bobs.
Ninety years ago, koalas were installed on islands all along the eastern seaboard as an eleventh hour attempt to prevent extinction. I don’t know how you calculate these numbers, but it’s estimated at least 8 million had been killed for the fur trade.
To date, our little island appears to be a success story. But this time there’s no back up.
What are you talking about? To use Mr McColl’s colourful terminology, there are areas of Australia where koalas are coming out of the our ying yang. Of course many colonies have been depleted because of human land practice (and let’s not forget the despicable curse of feral cats), but now there situation has been starkly revealed, can’t see an alarmist prediction extinction as a reasonable argument.
But anyway, just a view, and really don’t want to start a tedious thread on this subject – brief factual responses only please.
Hey MOTORIST, regarding your tail-gating posts! You are a bigger fool than me with your dialogue on here about that! AND that’s saying something old mate, because I’m the biggest fool going around (or I WAS, until your remarks)!
Does your dog bite?
FFS, if the lagging CCC makes a recommendation of charges against Barry, there can be no doubt The Kid will direct QPS to conduct investigations with a view to preferring such charges.
To decline to do so would be politically suicidal and, it would get out.
The investigation is not an ongoing matter into other offences that may become apparent. They would the subject of subsequent inquiries.
The Premier has a legal (and moral) responsibility to give the CCC a rocket up their collective arses and stir them from their lethargy.
Ah, the power of agency, or to quote from the blog again, knowledge is power, but it is only power who decides who can have knowledge.
You have paraphrased exactly The ‘Pie’s argument, but far more succinctly, thank you.
The good news and the bad news for Paluma.
First the good news, the average punter from anywhere can apply for a permit to use the MT Spec Road, one at a time. See if you can spot the bad news.
So the general public can now apply for permits to drive up the restricted under-repair Mt Spec Road to Paluma.
The bad news is that TMR have only just closed tenders for the main repair work to be, eight fucking months after the damage was done – did they give it chance to heal itself ffs?!? And of course there will be more long lunches and games of Pass The PS Thesaurus before anyone is selected. Telling us that they intend to make sure they hire a qualified person would seem a bit redundant in the real world, but …
And they have allowed a time frame of two years to get the job done, so the repairs and inconvenience may go on into 2027.
Yip-fucking-eee.
It is neither fashionable or permitted by the feminnazis to dare criticise a woman’s dress sense, but really, but they can go fuck ‘emselves.
And so can our acting mayor.
Mrs Greany, you really have to be kidding. This is bordering on the disrespectful on this occasion.
The occasion was the unveiling of a memorial plaque for a war hero, a time for community pride and reflection. And not a time, as for our (albeit unelected) community representative to turn up looking like an extra in a film about druids in ancient Britain. And are those sandals? Bloody sandals??
When Thompson was turfed, you used the bad fashion sense of a rival as a reason to knife him so you got the acting mayoral position.
So The ‘Pie feels wholly justified in telling you that you have absolutely no right to turn up to this or any other events representing the citizens of Townsville, looking like a fucking bag lady.
As if Jenny’s now famous pink doona outfit wasn’t bad enough, making her look like the Michelin Tyre Man!!
Now this from you. Get some good advice, if you still harbour rapidly receding chances of being elected in your own right.
FFS, woman!!!
Ouch…
She needs a big black hat with a buckle to complete the ensemble.
These shapeless Prairie dresses have been prolific for a few years now and stubbornly remain a staple of many a stout, regional matron. Ample bosoms and bottoms force the whole structure to expand concentrically outwards. Expensive and a bugger to iron they flatter absolutely noone. Verdict: Prairie dresses belong back in Walnut Grove with Ma & Pa Wilder.
Maybe she was after the Goth vote.
Pie, she is not an unattractive woman she is always well coiffed etc …but really?? This getup is sloppy and the sandals? Is it befitting of a Mayor to wear the ceremonial civic chains with trussed up trotters on display? If the men are expected to dress in a shirt’tie and jacket when attending commemorative events, then female councillors and especially the Mayor should be expected to wear formal dress, closed shoes etc
I would call for her to be sacked but she beat us to it.
Those style of dresses that have become popular with all sizes of the female body look like tablecloths or curtains depending on the print of the dresses.
So they can be laid and opened?
Not only a disgraceful comment, Pie, but given the subject mannequin, extremely icky.
Glad the Nest is living up to its reputation.
Forget about her listening to (any) advice. This stubborn Darth Vader lookalike goes by the guide of, ‘when I want your opinion, I’ll give it to you’.
Doug Edes have a lovely range of tents on offer for the discerning lady.
Alas, Pie
MICDA is no ghost from the past. It’s like a death adder that gets fat by continually swallowing its own tail.
Nighty night.
She simply got the occasion wrong, Mr. Pie!
Give her a break…or maybe a mirror?
Before council complains about the waste levy bill — which ratepayers ultimately cover — let’s remember this situation has been long predicted. Reports for years have warned waste levy would rise from 2.5m to 7.5m by 2030. Yet instead of acting by reducing waste, council leaders now claim they never saw it coming, while staying fixated on raising revenue from parking meters.
If you’re deliberately not looking in that direction it’s easy to not see it coming
This comment is for Twonames/Barry et al, if he is reading this blog. Troy, democracy means rule by the people. The word comes from the ancient Greek words ‘demos’ (the people) and ‘kratos’ (to rule). A democratic country has a system of government where people have the power to participate in decision-making. Troy, you may have been elected under democratic rule, but you have also been suspended by decision makers also under democratic rule. That’s part of a democracy. Do you now understand what a democracy is? Your continuous babble in which you quote ‘I was elected under democratic rule’ may be true, but you must also accept that under the same system, which you approve of so greatly, you were also democratically suspended. You weren’t sacked, you weren’t ‘overthrown’ and you weren’t treated unfairly. Your current position has been legally and compliantly managed under a democratic system. So harden up, put away the tissues, park your keyboard, and start to acknowledge and accept the reality of this process.
All on point, DD, but you omitted that democracy also has rules, especially applying to elections, which can best be summed up ‘Don’t fucking lie in the your campaign. Otherwise, accept the democratic consequences’.
But some advice, DD, and others similarly outraged by this devious, too smart by half pustule and his pals. NO NOT ENGAGE ANY FURTHER WITH HIM ON HIS LEGAL CLAIMS. IT WILL ONLY FURTHER HE AND HIS GROUP’S OF SOVEREIGN CITIZEN FRUIT CAKES’ AIM OF DISRUPTING JUDICIAL PROCEDURE WITH LAWFARE.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_f5GFvspdc
Anyone who saw last night’s 4 Corners report on Sov Cits (rhymes with nit wits) will suddenly see what Troy Thompson’s real agenda is. This deeply dangerous crowd and its new take on anarchy is tailor made for a deeply-fissured con man like Thompson, it must’ve been a dream come true when he stumbled on it.
And there is good evidence that this deranged social detritus is edging closer and closer to real violence, like the similarly thinking Train family who murdered two police officers and a good samaritan neighbour at Wieambilla in 2022. Deadly incidents involving these seriously people disconnected pare rife in the USA.
The program shows how the sov cit crowd openly admit they are targeting local councils across Australia with expensive and disruptive tactics, many of which clog up courts with absolutely nonsensical false legal claims in their campaign of ‘lawfare’. They also include threats, open and covert, to councillors, magistrates, judges and the police themselves.
If you can, watch the program, then go back and read Thompson fb rants. Anything sounds familiar? Chillingly, yes.
Interesting four corners program. Couldn’t agree more, the sov cit movement is definitely visible in Twonames actions and activities. He is well known amongst the cooker circle as being anti most government branches. Twonames is the poster boy of this group. I can only imagine the mayhem that these fruitcakes will be causing as they grow in numbers in the coming years. Unhinged loonies.
I watched it on iview. My god! What a pack of moronic twats.
The kangaroo court sitting and sheriffs had me in stitches. It reminded me of when the teachers got us to do a United Nations role play exercise at primary school. They all sounded exactly like our boy Barry Thompson.
An interesting point that quietly alarmed reporter didn’t ask (he seemed to be always looking fo the nearest exit, and I don’t blame him. But what caught The ‘Pie’s attention was that. nutter judge said something about Sov Cits were exercising their ‘god given rights’). That comment raises all sorts of questions about whether religion is involved in this farcical hootenanny, which is strange territory for an anarchist outfit.
Mr. Magpie,
And Charlie can walk on water- don’t believe me? Just ask him and he will tell you…
In Troy boys latest load of Facebook tripe posted at 3:00pm today, he mentions opening another complaint, this time with the human rights commission and targeting the premier and his department. Good luck with that Troy. You just can’t burn enough bridges can you? This guy is seriously deluded and short of a few marbles. Stupid also.
Barry, Thompson has the support of fellow cookers Stephen Lame, Andrew Twatts and Clinton Skyhawks. Those three have also been known to burn bridges with their silly outlandish claims and brain dead theories. Imagine the four of them serving as Councillors together?
Add to that the a strong contingent of nutters who follow well known politicians like Crazy Fucking Katter who make suggestions of throwing eggs at other politicians. These people are a large step to the right of most conservatives and are often sympathetic to the Thompson cause and likely voted for him.
MyPlace is just a brain babble of reworked far left anarchy. Katter followers are mainly just hillbillies.
MyPlace are often Hilbillies and vv.
Lame and Skyhawks have cut ties for similar but different reasons.
Future prospects for one, current employment for the other?
Bazza- the tripe started yesterday with the letter he published on his Facebook site that included his phone number. Not sure if he thinks the Premier is going to call but my goodness there is a temptation to be mischievous with it.
I have to agree with you, Pie, about the underwater art scam. As a means to attract funding, it left the local (MICDA) scammers for dead. First it was going to be off Geoffrey Bay, then Alma Bay. Gee whizz, where are all these punters going to park? Or are they going to catch one of the multitude of buses Charlie is currently spruiking? It amazes me that there are island residents who really seem to believe that their “people power” scuttled this scam.
Now the proposed toxic dump in Kelly St? The local community has really had an impact, there. It’s been a hard call for residents in Nelly Bay to even engage residents as far away as Horseshoe Bay, let alone the rest of Townsville. As you correctly point out, Pie, development issues on the island concern ALL of Townsville.
I’d go further and say island residents are often left alone holding the baby, trying to protect the island against inappropriate conduct, primarily by TCC, that threatens to diminish it.
Spruiking buses? You haven’t got a clue, Clarabelle.
Charlie, I’m guessing Pie is very close to shutting down this thread, so let’s end it on a thrilling note.
You and your nemesis Island Voice are perilously close to being on the same page about this Tourism Magnetic Island. IV is also trying to convince us it is a going concern, with an increasing number of members. Oddly enough, no one on the island has ever heard of it.
I looked up that ASIC number you quoted, Charlie. The Trading Name for Tourism Magnetic Island is Tourism Operators and Businesses Magnetic Island, TOBMI. They are one and the same ; paper registrations. Looks like TEL might have pulled the wool over your eyes.
TEL unilaterally controls tourism on Magnetic Island. Full stop.
You mean tourism promotioin don’t you? The council and the state and federal governments control the actual limits of tourism operations, nothing to do with TEL. Thank Christ.
Clarabelle, I don’t pretend to know anything about TMI or TOBMI but you do. You say you were “not a member of TOBMI, but attended the meetings as an observer”. So you attended meetings of a properly registered incorporated association (under some dubious pretext) but you can’t remember who was in charge, who made up the legally required quorum or how some TEL “woman was brought in as the TOBMI secretary.” Or don’t you have a clue? The contact person for Tourism Magnetic Island is named in the Masterplan. You must know her. Why don’t you ask her yourself what is going on?
And since, like me, neither you or “Island Voice” appears to have a clue about MICDA’s finances, why try to start rumours along the lines of ‘have you stopped beating your wife yet?” The Magpie’s Nest would never stoop that low. In DisneyLand Clarabelle is a lying cow. Seems about right.
Oh I don’t have any problem remembering who was in charge, Charlie.
And speak for yourself when you say you have no idea about “MICDA’s finances.”
In the book I’ve recommended for grumpy old buggers, alas there’s no index. If there was, “lying cow” would certainly be there.
Clarabelle
Tourism Magnetic Island Inc is most certainly active, it is a registered incorporated association, it is Magnetic Island’s tourism association. They currently have 70+ members, the last meeting was held on Monday 11th August 2025, I have a copy of the minutes.
They have a bank account in the name of Tourism Magnetic Island Inc, I also have copies of their profit and loss statements and balance sheets June 2025.
Your statement about TEL on this matter- Sorry to have to agree with Charlie but you really don’t have a clue.
Did the minutes contain any KPIs we could share?
You doth protest too much, IV.
BUT lovely to see you and Charlie kiss and make up.
Book recommendation, with love.
Obviously not for you, Pie, but for all your adoring fans:
“ How Not to Become a Grumpy Old Bugger,” by Geoff Hutchison. “ A bloke’s Guide to living a better life.” Australian, ex ABC journalist.
In fairness, he’s only just approaching 60, so may be a little green. If he lives long enough he might want to revise at some point.
(By email).
Mr Magpie I can understand the garbos taking industrial action, BUT I can’t understand TCC closing the dumps. Pretty soon the joint will be looking like Beirut!
I’m used to strike action
In the 1970s the KGB had infiltrated the unions and were using them to shut down critical services and infrastructure. As a small child I still remember the piles of rubbish left on the streets when the unions refused to take away rubbish – the electrical unions were turning off the power by marching into the zone substations and switching off power to whole suburbs. With the water system of townsville in the hands of the Chinese government ( yes – large Chinese corporations such as trility are controlled and owned by the CCCP) at least the unions active inside the TCC wont be able to turn off the water in townsville (?)
That’s the positive side of privatisation of council services it can rid itself of “union” action.
As ive kept saying , we are in a perfect storm because of stupid voters, i don’t see any way out of this. On top of that you’ll see GST going up to 15% and on the horizon theres the government putting unrealised capital gains tax on the family home – yes really. I think by that time no one will be working and anyone with useful skills will have left the country.
So the Chinese can turn our taps off, Guy?
Now you really are making a fool of yourself. But its still fun.
Guy, you have to stop living in the past bud! Do you realise that the average worker in this country are just that, average people who are just trying to get ahead in life. It has fuck all to do with politics, communism, or any other conspiracy theory that rattles around in your self opinated mind. Wages have been stagnant for at least a decade now, the rba are encouraging wage growth, and do you deny the rights of workers to get a fair pay, while corporations, banks and governments rip the guts out of the working poor?? You should be thanking unions that have the intestinal fortitude to fight for workers rights, and stand up for average Australians. The old saying, better to die on your feet, than live on your knees. By the way, your welcome, from all the unionists that fight for decent working rights and wages, have an awesome day mate, from all the working class of Australia
GReece, R U OK?
And Guy wonders why he didn’t get voted in.
No he doesn’t, he knows that people hate him, but they hated Jesus too, didn’t they?
According to the big book of stories.
And working on Sundays to collect the bins that have not been collected on their usual run. Not a bad little overtime earner.
That tent Greaney is wearing in your photo wasn’t her only fashion disaster over the VP80 weekend. Another outfit she wore made her look like a bottle tree.
My missus said it looks like a coverup.
Yes it is a coverup, a coverup of long lunch induced cellulite.
Wait a moment, please, while The Magpie finds a wire brush to scrub that image from his eyeballs.
The CCC matter involves allegations only, with no findings, no criminal charges, and no opportunity for the proper application of natural justice. Yet, critics like The Magpie and his followers persist in labelling Troy in ways that are neither accurate nor fair.
The fact is, he was democratically elected and it is profoundly troubling when political actors from both parties seek to undermine his suspension as necessary, effectively withholding recognition from the people’s choice without due process. Whatever your opinion is on the matter, it is not justice and it undermines the very principles of democracy itself.
What utter biased rot, Troy .. or whomsoever.
How can you even remotely evoke the words ‘democratically elected’ when he was voted in on his lies about his record, his abilities and his personal court record, the latter which he did not reveal, as though domestic violence was not something voters needed to know. On top of all, and although it counts for nothing legally, he wasn’t voted in, Jenny hill was voted out.
But what are you/he worried about? Let’s have a mayoral election, and if the CCC deems him fit to run 9nothing would surprise) let’s see what the peoples’ choice with all the facts on the table.
This is all Sov Cit nonsense and a lame attempt at Lawfare. Let’s see how much MyPlace is willing to pony up for what would certainly end up being a million dollar plus law case … with real law, not the pseudo law of the deluded.
Democratically suspended too and at the next election will be democratically unelected provided it goes that long, and there hasn’t been a disqualifying offence with automatic dismissal beforehand.
Well, think conviction for a criminal offence would be kinda automatic. But then again, this IS Queensland.
Oh Troy, Albo has a new word that has been accepted into the English language – Delulu. Yes, you are deluded mate. You are also completely nuts and you are a sociopath with a strong narcissistic personality. I hope you walk away from these entire sorry episode with a huge legal bill. You are a grifter, a shyster, an established conman and a wanker.
Troy blah blah blah give it a rest. Writing to ministers, writing to lawyers, writing on Facebook, writing to the newspapers, writing to every other poor bastard that ends up on your list. Here is your pathway forward – just fuck off mate. Every day that goes by just sees you become a bigger pest and a bigger hindrance to our region. All those head knocks have made you completely mental, we get it. But you are obsessive and deranged. You’re not coming back as Mayor, get it? You are done. History. Gone. Bye bye….
sadly Townsville Voter….you are depriving a village somewhere of an idiot.
You know in Local Government matters that the courts are not the only way that “Justice” is delivered don’t you? Spend some time reading the LGA 2009, LGEA 2011, and Local Government Regulation 2012 (section 253 of that last one is important.
TwoManyNames has been part of a “Natural Justice Process” for some time, with lots of adverse findings. It’s why he is suspended. No, it didn’t take a Judge and Jury, it was a Minister and a Parliamentary Committee, with a lot of help from Criwn Law, that delivered that. And the LGA 2009 allows the Minister to take it all the way to dismissal. That’s Just and Justice at work. All perfectly legal.
One thing people need to remember is that Local Government in Queensland is not a constitutionally protected layer of Government in either the Federal or the State Constitions. It’s a delegated layer of Government overseen by the State. They have the OIA (which includes the Councillor Conduct Tribunal), the ECQ, and the CCC, all independent Commissions and Agencies able to mete out penalties, and the Minister able to make some career-ending calls.
It is justice at work, albeit slowly, just not always done in a Courtroom.
And TwoManyNames had to do a little course and attestation when he registered as a candidate to say that he understood all that. The rule book has not changed once since he started running for office, it’s exactly the same. His stories may change, but the rules he’s broken have not.
Next time come into the discussion with some knowledge and facts, and not a sob story about a poor hard done by lying grifter.
There was a major flaw in your comment, SC.
You think you are addressing your analysis to a man without enough morals to give a fuck.
You’ve wasted your time.
You f*ckwits just don’t know when to quit and admit defeat. Thompson is finished so you’d better get that through your thick skull.
By the way, dipshit, he suspended himself. He literally wrote to the local government minister requesting to be suspended, https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1BGcfdLKBJ/
If enough of you Magpie critics get together and pony up $250,000 for The Magpie to stop writing the Nest for a year, more than happy to oblige. And don’t think the old bird is joking.
Troy… why do you continue to use false names and refer to yourself in the third person?
Hello Troy, we know it’s you.
Llloooooossssssseeeeerrrrrrrr
With regards to adult crime adult time am I missing something or hasn’t there been any juvenile court appearances yet under adult crime adult time legislation. It’s been what 8 months with umpteen cars stolen and torched in that time frame,surely the individuals concerned should be filtering through in the court system by now. Is it a case that our local paper has not been attending court cases or have been barred by the judiciary from attending or is it something more sinister,
David Thoumine
A large part of the “legal” system ( note not justice system) makes its money principally from crime. The more crime , the profits to be made – private school fees and foreign holidays dont pay for themselves ya know !
You can look forward to more crime.
Whoa, as S&G sang, slip slidin’ away there Guy.
And The ‘Pie is a glutton for the old punishment but what the fuck is a justice system, there is no such thing, mythical or actual.
Its a semantic difference
Justice implies one thing
Legal implies another
The legal system ascribes a defined meaning to words outside of the intelligence that created the language. The legal system is used to destroy civilisations.
One little known fact is of the peasants revolution in Britain in the 1380s , all the lawyers, judges, magistrates , ANYONE found with ink on their fingers was killed on the spot.
With the killing of Wat Tyler ( a sergeant at arms ?) , the “revolution” evaporated ( he was lured to parley under false pretences by the king and was killed). The problem was, with 99.99 % of the legal system dead there was no way to prosecute the peasants.
Interestingly with the legal system dead britain experienced a renaissance for a hundred years after is known today as : ” Merry England”.
look Guy, neit … oh forget it.
Justice is for the rich!
Something more sinister? Those bloody Freemasons are at it again!
Have they been chasing the goat?
Hello Malcolm,
A lot of chat here about tourism on Magnetic Island this week.
So here we are in peak tourist season, council workers are on strike, resulting notices being placed on picnic tables.The park lands and beachfront areas are disgrace, filthy BBQ’s which haven’t been cleaned and the list goes on.
Our missing Division 3 Councillor along with CEO and Major Matt should come over to the island, put on a pair of rubber gloves on and start cleaning the fucking place up!
And start paying your fronline staff decent wages.
A friend will send you a copy of notice.
TEL where the fuck are you in this matter?
Re TEL: waiting for someone else to solve the problems so they can then take the credit.
Ah, MM
you forgot to mention the desperate scale of pothole repair currently underway. Years of neglect…
Nanny McPhee is a busy boy. He has a lot of non-compliance items sitting on his desk relating to several councils. Townsville isn’t the only clusterfuck that he is dealing with. There are several councils, councillors and managers that have been naughty. I wish him all the best.
If you would care to come out from behind your invented moniker, The ‘Pie has a southern journo mate who works for one of the big hitters who is seeking any brave person who will to offer both their name and their evidence of corrupt behaviour. If you or any else have the cojones to front up, email in complete confidence email hidden; JavaScript is required and your contact details will be passed on.
Here’s why the contact is interested, although the reporter is not the author of this story or from this paper.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/aug/20/one-third-of-queensland-public-servants-have-witnessed-corruption-and-over-half-didnt-report-it-watchdog-finds
It is actually quite sad watching this whole Thompson saga as it drags on. He is absolutely not mentally well and he needs ongoing care. It’s obvious that he isn’t receiving it. If he has close friends they should be helping their friend in need. Very sad.
That’s the calibre of his friends, who are egging him on into foolish ‘lawfare’ battles he can’t win.
Those MyPlace brain-wormers are the once that need egging … of a more literal sort.
Morning Malcolm,
Just to settle this tiresome thread.
Here is the link for Tourism Magnetic Island Inc website go to https://www.tourismmagneticisland.com.au/home
There next meeting is November is their AGM, I’ll pop along.
Certainly they espouse solid aims but The ‘Pie’s argument in the Nest was more about a body that is out in the real markets, opromoting Maggie exclusively, and frankly, avoiding vthe word Townsville as much as possible.
That is the sorry truth of the reality at this time. It seems we have things back to front here, rather than the TEL goofs promoting day trips to the island in amongst all the other low level attractions for anyone seeking a tropical style holiday, there should be a reverse policy of packing Maggie accomodation with tourists at all levels, from backpackers to el swishos, who are encouraged to make a day visit to Townsville.
Thank you MM!
A link to a website.
It doesn’t get much traffic, does it? A Google search for Tourism Magnetic Island turns up Pie’s current blog on page 14, but still no sign of the elusive organisation.
So Charlie, Island Voice, why all the circumlocution? It is exactly as I described it: TOBMI was placed under new management by TEL, and given a revamped title. The reason residents would never have heard of it is because most of us are not business owners and therefore not members. If its meetings exclude members of the local community then it is not functioning transparently as an island advocacy , it is functioning as a chamber of commerce. (Please, no one try to tell us MICDA represents local residents. )
So Pie’s original argument stands. There is no conceptual plan for the island that is independent of TEL. And TEL, as ever, has everything arse about.
So Charlie, IV, you’re suddenly very quiet.
Pie, I’ve been following your blog for some years now. I have the impression that some of your contributors can become a bit embarrassed. Like being caught out visiting a brothel…
You are comparing commenting on The Nest with visiting a brothel?
Indeed, Pie. You provide both relative anonymity and an outlet for Townsville’s basic instincts. What’s not to love about that?
Our local paper is living up to its Magpie nickname – The Astonisher.
For a while now I have noticed it is filled with more and more stories from other places/newspapers, in particular from the Courier Mail, Sunday Mail, and the News Limited website.
This morning it was particularly noticeable, so I took the time (I’ve got plenty of it these days) to do a count on the number of Townsville stories in today’s paper.
The result is truly “astonishing”.
In 40 pages just 7 of the 53 stories published (Letters to the Editor and Text the Editor excluded as they are contributed by readers) were from Townsville.
The front page was also “astonishing” with one-third taken up by a pointer to a story about a Cowboys player who is yet to score a try in 88 games. Nice colour story but hardly front page news.
Little wonder circulation and readership are in free fall.
At least they did have a ‘brave dying kid’ on the front page. They actually had a medical story that was of both interest and importance to the general reader, rather vthan the editor’s relentless failed policy of recreational grief.
Stupid is as stupid does; Bob Katter Jr. explains how he crashed his plane just now, a repeat of a similar “landing”! only a couple of years ago!
The outback MP said he “forgot to put the landing gear down moments before landing, forcing the plane to land on its undercarriage and skid 50m before coming to a standstill”.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/bob-katters-son-has-crashed-his-plane-in-queensland/news-story/281fd42ff4d74b2f47c6fede57d42d2c
Hopefully CASA pulls the idiots license.
Gotta be pretty fucking stupid to forget to drop the landing gear. Rednecks.
Yes, there are some things, as a pilot, that are burnt into your brain, as familiar as your birthday date.
Short final checks:
Brakes
Undercarriage
Flaps (wing)
Flaps (engine cowl)
No excuses.
Back in the day, that used to be ‘Pie’s check list before sex.
Regarding the above comment from Townsville Voter as he has a point despite the Troy supporter rhetoric. I’m not here to defend Troy or excuse the way he has brought himself and the city into embarrassment. But I do think a valid point has been raised. Whatever we may think of Troy personally, it is a serious step for any government to intervene and remove a democratically elected mayor.
The fact is, the people of Townsville voted him in. If the media coverage didn’t properly highlight his background, or if voters didn’t take the time to do their own checks, that is a failure of the process more broadly and not just of one individual. At the end of the day, democracy is built on the principle that voters must take responsibility for their choices.
If we allow governments to override that choice whenever controversy arises, we set a dangerous precedent. It risks turning democratic elections into something conditional valid only until the political establishment decides otherwise.
Add to my earlier point. I personally think the safest outcome, would be for the government to call a by-election and let the people choose a new leader. That way the community decides, not political manoeuvring behind closed doors.
Of course, that can’t happen until the CCC finishes its work. Given the highly political nature of this matter, I assume they are taking extra time to double check everything so their findings are watertight and not open to legal challenge.
That said, my expectation is the CCC will criticise Troy’s conduct, especially around misleading voters and failing to fully declare details, but stop short of criminal charges. At that point, the Premier, knowing he cannot appear politically weak and that Troy’s return to office would be untenable, will move to a by-election. In my view, that would at least restore proper democratic choice
There has never been any questionn of criminal charges n connection with his bogus elkection claims.mThose massive porkies appear not nto be covered in the relevant Queensland criminal statutes, but they are – or may be – in LG regulations.
This whole thing has never been about him returning to office, its just how much he can screw from the taxpayer. And Crisafulli and his gormless minister Fahey have been all about how to minimise the inevitable political damage.
All this would be fun if it were free.
QO, before the premier can ‘move to a by-election’ as you put it, the mayor will have to be removed from office Ie. sacked. How do you propose that the premier or minister does that formally and legally if they don’t have substantial CCC findings against him?
Quite a load of tripe, Observer.
He lied … and its all videotaped … in order to hoodwink people into voting for him. Not the usual lies of promises that would never be kept, but lies about character, morals and ethics. The SAS bullshit wasn’t even a hidden background thing, it was a deliberate lie by a deadbeat con man determined to get on the gravy train and further the goals of his sov cit MyPlace pals.
And your gross pants wetting about governments overriding electoral decisions willy nilly (as is your inference) is never going to happen … unless people like Thompson and his tinfoilers get to be in charge.
The State Govt. has stepped in before to look after ratepayers from an untenable Mayor. eg 1 Chris “Pineapple” Hooper.
Lay the charges and stop the gravy train, have a by-election, then recoup the costs.
Pop over to Facebook on the ‘Townsvillians blocked by Troy Thompson’ page. There are some interesting and lucid observations regarding Troy’s latest online name and his rantings about democracy. That page and The Magpies Nest are doing brilliant work in exposing the charlatan for who he really is, a pathetic mentally stunted grifter.
Magpie, your responses are emotional, mocking, and dismissive rather than engaging on principles. I don’t disagree that Troy’s claims were misleading and that voters deserved better. But my point isn’t about defending him it’s about the precedent.
If we say that a politician lying about their background invalidates an election result, then who decides where the line is? Every election has broken promises, half-truths, or omissions. That’s why the fairest and most transparent way forward is a by-election.
In the meantime, voters are the ones being short-changed. They’re left with no real leadership while the CCC takes its time. I understand they need to be watertight, but dragging it out indefinitely leaves the community stuck in limbo. The cleanest solution is simple, finish the investigation, put all the facts on the table, and let the people decide again.
If you don’t where the ‘line’ is when a candidate lies during a campaign, lies to build a false character of himself, you really don’t have life experience at all, do you? Ot just simply failed morals and ethics 101.
QO – if you are suggesting that we hold a fresh election, how do you propose that we terminate the tenure of the democratically elected Mayor without setting a precedent?
Well, one way woukld be to make the deceitful, deliberately untruthful behaviour during the election campaign an integral part of the process. That way, such an precedent would be very difficult and have narrow parameters to ever be invoked again … unless there’s another lying fuckwit out there about to run as a mayor in Queensland.
You’re obviously not aware of the law, Grumpy, so let me help you out a little. The law already deals with this situation. The Local Government Act 2009 gives the Minister clear powers to suspend or dismiss a mayor where there’s serious misconduct or a loss of public confidence. If that happens, the office is declared vacant and the law requires a by-election. Given the circumstances, the CCC will most likely find him guilty of misconduct.
The ‘Pie would’ve thought that if it was a stand-alone reason and justification for dismissal, ‘loss of public confidence’ would be a no-brainer to get rid of … well, a no-brainer.
Correct, Magpie but it’s a little more nuanced than that. ‘loss of public confidence’ sounds like a no-brainer, but in practice the Minister has to hang that on something more substantial , and in this case it will be the CCC findings, OIA referrals, or proven misconduct. Otherwise, it looks like pure politics and risks being challenged in court. That’s why they’re sitting on their hands until the CCC report drops, unfortunately while the rate payers and voters wear the costs. As mentioned before, they need the cover of a watertight finding, not just public outrage.
No it’s not more nuanced at all … when an entire council of no common political alliance returns a no confidence motion in the mayor, partially based on a guilty-as-hell performance on national television … and are consequentially NOT subject to public opposition or even mild disagreement, there is a clear licence for government action. Just how the LNP is going to come out of this smelling of roses is hard to foresee.
QI – I know what the law is. The point I am trying to make is what you are saying now is inconsistent with the last part of your post 21/8 at 7:29. If the government calls for another election to replace a “democratically elected” mayor, then what are they doing other than “overriding the choice” of the electorate., regardless of whether it is justified under the Act. Is that what you call setting a “dangerous precedent “ ?
Grumpy, there’s no contradiction. The Local Government Act already provides the pathway, the Minister can dismiss on grounds like misconduct or loss of public confidence, and the law then requires a by-election. That’s not ‘overriding democracy,’ it’s the mechanism democracy itself put in place to deal with situations exactly like this.
The ‘dangerous precedent’ would be if governments went outside that framework and simply started sacking elected officials at will. Surely you know the difference, it’s in the Act you probably used to read in practice.
QO, thanks for the tutorial but how does the Local Government Act 2009 come into play if the ‘misconduct’ (of getting elected on false pretences) occurred before the election and before the person became a councillor/mayor (I appreciate that some people believe the mayor should go for a whole series of events before AND after the election but that’s not what kicked this off)? I understood that the OIA had ruled itself out of making an assessment, particularly about “loss of public confidence”? Could it be that the CCC operates under completely different legislation, has different powers and can make different findings?
Better an empty house than a rambunctious tenant as they say. I just dont feel happy about said rambunctious tenant being compensated hundreds of thousands to stay away without interference..a condition he has failed miserably.
Ratepayers can and have survived without the “leadership” of a Mayor. Its the money Thompson is being paid and his constant troublemaking that ratepayers are angry about.
QO, no matter how much material is put on the table, the government cannot call a by-election until there is a vacancy. We have an elected mayor. Apparently he has no intention to resign so therefore he must be legally sacked. You seem to be overlooking this crucial step. Who will do it, when and how, and can they make it stick?
And that’s the reality for the government … can they make it stick? Given his despicable victim playing, no responsibility behaviour, it is now clear that the electorate generally would not tolerate TwoNames return to office, so an ‘unsticky’ dismissal simply comes down to money.
Oh, Bulletin hang your head in shame … and so should all those others involved in the punny business of headline writing.
You really missed out this time. With his pregnant missus on board, the screamingly obvious headline is:
“KATTER’S BABY BUMP.”
Just happy that it wasn’t a pregnant pause!
A bit of a serious laugh for everyone about the new safety requirements for main roads workers and contractors working in Far North Queensland
https://www.newsport.com.au/2025/august/transport-workers-facing-an-extra-hazard-crocodiles
Great news, QLD LNP have voted to ditch the Net Zero scam! About time. Pressure now needs to be put on the Federal LNP’s who holding onto the rort.
Net Zero is going to sink our country and bury us in debt. Fuck Net Zero. Coal and gas are king!!
There, there, if you say so, dearie.
But don’t be cracking open you vintage (last March) Fruity Lexia just yet. It was just the LNP delegates voting at their annual knees up party conference which is not binding on the parliament, the Crisafulli Government, which remains committed to net zero by 2050. At the moment.
Very true sir. Celebrations are on hold. Hopefully the rest of Australia wakes up to the scam before it’s too late.
Just is case anyone on Magnetic Island feels a bit left out of council matters here on the mainland, good news … the council workers strike has extended to your parks, park amenities (bbqs etc) and other public spaces (presumably street and gutter sweeping and the like). T
Feel better now?
The AWU has posted signs around the island advising of the action.
But while The ‘Pie wholly supports the workers (the imbalance of priorities cannot be ignored, even our well padded councillors get close to double what many fromt line workers get – with no perks) there is a move that it would behove AWU spokesman Jim Wilson to be wise to make. The signs on the island … and he has made this claim elsewhere … explains the action ‘is due to the front line workers being the lowest paid council employees in northern Queensland’.
PLEASE PROVIDE A COMPARISON LIST … this is vital for the AWU’s credibility.
The ‘Pie is not doubting, but verifying such support for the claim is necessary for integrity.
Funny how the Bulletin hasn’t asked this question … oh, wait, sorry, forgot, they still suffer from questionophobia.
This from a TB story from two months ago, when strike action was being contemplated.
According to data supplied by AWU, Townsville residents pay rates average $1205 each year while its workers while the Level Three base rate for employees was just $56,653.
In comparison, Hinchinbrook resident paid $1165 in rates, with workers receiving a base rate of $62,713.
Other figures were Charters Towers ($1187, $63,780), Burdekin ($1,191, $65,384) and Cairns ($1072, $73,167).
That’s informative Bob the whole link was deleted because it wasn’t relevant to the question of pay differences.
And The ‘Pie admits he has no idea what is the correlation between rates and base pay. A more comprehensive explanatory list of comparisons, preferably from an independent source, would be good.
But we need to go back to basics to get rid of the TCC executive pay free-for-all cancer fostered by Jenny Hill. And pay workers a fair wage. We don’t need another rat with a gold tooth sitting in an executive chair in Walker Street. But we also do not want to return to rampant union bullying with unfair demands and background political shenanigans a la CFMEU.
No matter what the LG Act says about the band scales of pay levels for senior execs in councils, here’s a sobering though about the porcine denizens of Walker Street. Out CEO, and two previous, have both been on $600k plus perks.
By comparison THE PREMIER OF QUEENSLAND, DAVID CRISAFULLI, IS PAID $470,000.
We need a strong, financially literate mayor who can negotiate a fairer scale for ratepayers to get a fair return on their money from the council’s public service.
Yep! The TCC CEO is paid more than the PM. Been that way for years and is wrong.
It’s a wonder TCC can keep any employees at all. Highest general rate, highest paid CEO, and the lowest paid workers in the region.
Pie, the Premier is like the Mayor. The true comparison should be between the TCC CEO and State Government Heads of Department/Directors.
Tomorrow’s Nest will give you an insight into that and what is really going on. And not just here in Townsville.
And no, it’s not some wild eyed conspiracy theory, it is backed up by demonstrable and available facts … but a conspiracy none the less.
I can confirm that the lawns at Alma Bay are absolutely covered in big leaves from the deciduous trees. All we need now for the upcoming race week is a plague of death adders to complement the sharks and crocodiles.
What? No dengue mosquito plague? Better still Ross River Fever. It’s named after our very own river you know. What a legacy?
And so they should strike. The current pay scale is absolute shit. With a CEO on an $800k package, and sitting on paid boards as well, it is a disgrace and a slap in the face to us frontline folk. Fuck TCC management and the minions that support them.
Johatsu,
The union’s go slow tactics and dumps, transfer stations being closed is wearing a bit thin on the general public. But hey! On Sunday it’s full steam ahead to pick up uncollected bins on overtime rates.
Who is being serious here?
A message of support.
The situation with the suspended mayor has understandably caused a lot of stress and uncertainty in the community. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, please remember that support is available.
Beyond Blue offers free confidential help with anyone struggling with their mental health during these times.
Stay strong, and please everyone look after themselves.
Equally, that could definitely be the message for Troy Thompson. And his whacko pals.
Does Beyond Blue offer services for psychopaths, sycophants, sociopaths, and the generally insane? If so, Troy will be in luck!