Sunday 12 August 2007

Tell the Electoral Commissioner where to go

The Electoral Commissioner wants you to recommend the new Divisional boundaries

The new Cairns Douglas Regional Council, with 10 allocated councillors, will have 8,186 constituents, or electors, per division.


As recommended to the Commission and the Minister, by KB & MB, the new Council will encompass a Divisional structure.

24 Councils will be represented by divisional representation under the March 2008 elections.
Cook, Cassowary Coast, and Tablelands, will also be divided (You guys in Douglas shire know what that means.)

Currently, each Cairns City Council councillor has 6,296, and Douglas Shire 1,046.

Should you want your voice heard, you have until next Monday 20th August, to have your voice heard. Thanks for the time Mr Kerslake. Why is it that bureaucrats don't engage the community in an appropriate fashion. Whilst I'm a proponent of Council reform, I'm not at all for not allowing unfair opportunities for the public to give their opinion and input to such a radical change to their local representation.

Giving only 8 days is such an arrogant insult on behalf of the Commissioner and the State Government. As Catherine Tate would say, "How very dare they!"

Mind you, this is keeping with the whole rushed affair of passing this reform through State Parliament. You would have thought they would have provided ample time for anyone to have their say. We all (beside Kuranda according to Kevin), have a life and a job during the next week.

It appears this "consultation" is patsy and already predeterimed. I betcha there's a chunk of Latte drinkers on Level 6 in Forestry House, Brisbane that have completed and computer mapped our new area, down to street level (or Cassowary track in the Daintree). What's a bet none of them would even know where Cow Bay, Gordonvale, Manunda, Mossman, Portsmith, or Yorkeys Knob is.

However, there are some flawed arguments for divisional constructs drawn up entirely on numbers of people. If this is stridently applied, then the mere geographic nature will be a cause for lack of representation in the north of the new Council boundary.

Douglas Shire encompasses 2,445 sq kms, whereas Cairns is geographically accessible when divided up into the remaining 9 divisions at only 1,690 sq km.

Stretching from Miriwini to Cape Tribulation, the new shire is a massive area and distance to engage the community regularly and effectively.

Mark your written submissions (they call them suggestions) with a highly secret code: 'LG/S'. The Commission obviously workshoped this code and their marketing department approved and designed the font used.

They can be sent to via donkey:-

  • Electoral Commission of Queensland (Tel 1300 881 665)
  • Locked Bag 3304
    BRISBANE, QLD 4001

..or you can make the nearly 2,000km journey and deliver it by hand (or foot if you live in Kuranda, says Kevin):-

  • Level 6, Forestry House
    160 Mary Street
    Brisbane
    (South of Miriwini)

    Please note, our public servants are only there between 9am and 5pm. Nice for some.

KEY LINKS:
Interactive Map of Cairns & Douglas
Map of Cairns & Douglas Region
Propaganda website

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