Monday 10 September 2007

Free for all for Freebody

"This Council has done more for the environment and controlling of old unrestricted approvals by previous councils than any other council."

-Cr Paul Freebody Cairns Post Sat 8th September 2007

Once you've picked yourself up off the ground.... you'll see why it's very easy to see why Councillor Freebody is so incensed at Mark Buttrose, who's running for Council, and his opposition for a free for all on our hill slopes.

I don't know how many know, but it's timely to remind everyone, that Councillor Paul Freebody wants to build a huge tourist 'Luge' on the side the hill where the Red and Blue Arrow walks are situated. This is on the main highway north, opposite the airport.














See the Council Minutes

Freebody famously states that "development must happen in a fast growing city. "That's what creates employment and opportunities like nowhere else and flows on to create wealth"

I always get a bit perturbed when those in high office measure "growth" and "progress" only in numbers of people moving to a place or how much dollars are in the economic coffers. There are many ways as a community we should and must measure progress:-
  • the health of our community
  • the smart ways we use and harness our energy
  • how we get on and respect our neighbours
  • how different races are respected and accepted in the community
  • the types of dwellings we construct
  • when we discover that high-density is a most appalling idea for a human to live in
  • the education and knowledge of our local population
  • how sport and recreation pays a mayor role in community
  • the variety and talent of people that reside here
  • when our town leaders engage with everyone and walk the streets
  • when you don't have to request to speak at "our" Council meetings
  • the activities we encourage, facilitate and provide
  • when the mayor and councillors catch the bus occasionally to talk with everyday people
  • when council facilities are yours to use, not controlled by a bunch of administrators in Spence Street
This would be progress Mr Freebody. Then we would be free.

With the impending merger and the start of yet another round of secret meetings that Byrne is famous for over his tenure, you has to raise grave and serious concerns about putting the current mob in charge of everything north of of Ellis Beach. This would be suicide for that part of Australia. It's like asking a pedophile to run the new Clifton Beach Child Care Centre.

You just wouldn't do it.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Freebody is a discrace! When will be free of people like him, for who progress is measured by square metres of concrete!

Anonymous said...

I THINK THIS COMENT IS A BLOODY DISGRACE PEABODY,JUST LOOK AT ALL THE OLD QUEENSLANDERS THE COUNCILL HAS APPROVED TO BE KNOCKED OVER AS WELL AS CARAVAN PARKS.pEABODY A LOT OF TOURISTS USE CARAVAN PARKS FOR CHEAP HOLIDAYS IN RETURN THEY SPEND MONEY UNLIKE CERTAIN DEVELOPERS I CAN MENTION

Anonymous said...

Cr Paul Freebody, Byrne & others are slippery self serving neo-liberals, hell bent on greed and deception, real pigs!
God help us

Anonymous said...

Freebody....seems to me that your fat arse is going with Byrnes....you are obviously not a very popular bunny either.

Anonymous said...

Michael..hooray
Yes we must change our way of looking at progress as this article states.
We must address all of the abovementioned points, and build a happy healthy community, not one where people are locked in highrise with no room to run. The complex at Woree is a prime example. It does not improve our quality of living.Eventually it will look like the council flats in England. Who could have possibly approved such a hideous structure?
This for sure is NOT PROGRESS !!

Anonymous said...

The issue of development is continually being misdefined by Mayor Byrne. It isn't that some people are "anti-development". But look at the kind of shit being built in this city. For example, the new apartment building at McLeod and Abbott - a building built property line to property line with NO greenspace and NO retail/pedestrian friendlinesss. Or the new office building at Sheridan and Shields, with giant featurless walls extending up from the kerb some 15 meters. Or how about the complete rape of the beautiful entrance to Paradise Palms, now jammed with tiny little houses on tiny little allottments. All of this in a country that is 95% vacant land.

And the Mayor gushes about how nice Singapore looks. Of course it does, they're not jamming buildings cheek by jowl and they make sure that everything has enough car parks to minimise congestion.

Funny that all of these mis-developments are being done by the same pig, Tom Hedley. Kinda makes one recall the story about the pig that was dressed up in Sunday clothes - it just annoys the pig.

Development blight, thy name is Tom.

Anonymous said...

Over the years of living in the north, (I am not a Cairns native, but have always lived in North Queensland), I have noticed that very few of the new buildings built up here are designed for the north. Every single on of these are built of brick, low set, and very few windows. No wonder every single house needs airconditioning. The last house I built was a few years ago, and it was a new version of a queenslander. 9 foot ceilings down stairs, 10foor ceiling upstairs, positioned on the block of land to capture the breeze, windows to allow the breeze to flow through. I didnt even have a fan in that house, because I didnt need it. Why doesnt the council and Hedley and his fellow developers, start building houses that are more in touch with the weather and environment. instead of knocking these houses down. At least then, when the council allows development of the hillsides, the houses will blend into them, instead of scar them .. and everyone would be able to save a few dollars on the electricity bills.