Wednesday 5 September 2007

Our new (temporary) leaders

Following yesterday's first Local Transition Committee, we have learnt overnight that Crs Byrne, James from Cairns City Council, and Crs Berwick & Cox from Douglas will, along with Union rep, make up the committee. They opted to exclude a community representative. Amazing.

The vote was 5 to 2 in favour of Bynre chairing the committee.

However Berwick has been very critical of Byrne's wish to keep the meetings behind closed doors. "In the environment of transparency, this process should be open to the public. I'm disappointed," says Berwick.

And rightly so. Do we need yet another reason to throw out this Council? Why on earth should this committee be meeting in secret? This is outrageous.

As shocked as we should be by this announcement, we should not be surprised one bit. This is the way the Cairns City Council does business. This is the way that they have done business for years and years.

So we will be subjected to a controlled release of information and developments. I think we can rely on Crs Cox and Berwick to tell the real story over the next 200 days.

Nothing surprises me about this latest undemocratic move. They next meet on Thursday 27th September.

The only closed door we should welcome is with a certain mayor on the other side of a locked door. Alone.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's amazing how much time and effort is expended by Michael Moore, of the Cairns Red Cross Blood Bank, at writing this drivel.

And the performance of the blood bank since Mr. Morgan has arrived in Cairns has been grossly substandard, especially when compared with the terrific marketing job done by his predecessor, Nina Hughes.

Ms. Hughes didn't spend her time alienating large segments of the community in her spare time. She instead arranged creative outreach to all facets of the community and clever marketing programs like the cooperation between the Red Cross and local merchants.

Michael Moore is a divider, and charlatan.

Anonymous said...

Hi Mr Moore,
The committee's hearing's shall be posted on website etc. Meeting is closed as such to the public as to avoid the crew from Port Douglas protesting during it. The commiteee is not determining policy but admin issues, I thought.
Also do not rely on Berwick for your facts-a dangerous thing to do. Get a second view first because Berwick conventiently failed to qualify his statements, re the website for info and the reasons why the decision to close to the public was made, one of which was to prevent it turing into an opportunity for Berwick to stir it up and get his nightly 'I'm on-the-news' fix. Beware Berwick's baitings.

Anyway kewl blog. Great to have local site like this for opinons. Tall:)

Anonymous said...

Hi Mike,
I notice that someone snarky has left comments on two articals this and the last one, one at 1.40 pm, and one at 1.44 pm.

During THIER work time. Unless throwing mud anonymouly is thier job, which I suspect it is.

Keep up the blog, I don't agree with all your opions, but it is great to have a forum like this.

Anonymous said...

hey guys.. keep to the subject of the post!! Think the point was about the non-disclouse and the covert intentions of Byrne ... a point worth making and worth repeating. Regardless of where you sit politically, it's a huge worry in democracy when the people are excluded. Especially in such an important forum like the change of our local council structure and they way it's managed.

Anonymous said...

wHO'S mR mORGAN??

Anonymous said...

Wow.. we have a local blog!! Who would have thought?! I heard about this from a mate in the office yesterday who was painting the old Captain Cook statue...

I mean, besides texting and short edited letters in the Compost.. where else can you have your say in this god-forsaken place?

Anonymous said...

Closed door??... do you think we would want this lot loose on our streets? I think that this is all a fiasco anyway.. I mean the real decision will take place at the ballot box come next March... not at another Byrne-led bullshit machine.

Anonymous said...

Please Mr Byrne, who pays your salary? I think it is me and my wife and kids here in Brinsmead. Please don't exclude us from your boy's club with regard to council amalgamation. Where is your transperancy? What are you hiding?

Anonymous said...

Sally is that the new name for The Cairns Post? Compost....love it. Wish I was clever enough to think of it first.

Anonymous said...

Transperancy, Trust just two important things that our Mayor has failed to remember. You are most certainly not being transparent with regards to the amalagamation, and therefore we cannot trust you. Roll on the next election please...you will most definetly NOT be Mayor.

Anonymous said...

Yes, Anonymous \, we've known the Cairns Post affectionately as the ComPost for yonks! Locals (like here for more than a few years) always refer to it as that... I think that nme was derived from an editor about 4 years ago how tiurned from gome substancial journalism into a morer advertising and "tabloid" looking front covers.. I don't know when Murdoch took over the Compost, but that was obviously a time when the direction changed dramtically. However, I have to say that they seem to be challenging the Cairns mayor a bit these days and this is intyeresting.. because I thought he was in bed with the Ed.

Anonymous said...

Sally does his wife know that he sleeps around ?????

Anonymous said...

Anon, is it Mr Moore or Mr Morgan.....cant you decide. Maybe before you start slagging off Mr Moore , you should get your facts straight.
And should you not refrain from calling it the Blood Bank? Where have you been...it is the Blood Service you dickhead !!

Anonymous said...

Anonymous, first post: your post has all the hallmarks of an overbearing bully boy used to throwing tantrums to get his own way. Your ad hominem attack on Michael Moore is totally irrelevant to the matter under discussion and is usual bully boy form for diverting attention away from the real issue. Pathetic.

The real issue is that these closed meetings are not at all surprising. It is standard Cairns City Council form. The Unity team meets before the council meeting, behind closed doors, sorts the issues out and then goes through the farce of "debating" them in the public council meetings.

Local Government Minister Desley Boyle at one stage conducted an investigation into the council's practice of holding meetings behind closed doors that should have been open and as a result sent out a warning to all councils in Queensland to make sure they did not indulge in this undemocratic practice.

I expect we shall see more of the same disregard for proper procedure and open government in the new super shire. With all that lovely new property to be developed at Port Douglas, the stakes will be bigger than ever.

Anonymous said...

Oricool
Yours words are poetry in motion.

Anonymous said...

I can't wait till he's booted form the position (Mayor Byrne) He's gotten seriously overweight over the times, probably from the cushie position.

Closed meetings only tells me that he'd rather protect himself and other councilors. Least I point out that he should be acting in the best interest of the PPL of Cairns.

It's time for a new Mayor with energy, that doesn't mind being open in public and the media.

I like the blog it encourages the right thing, keep it comming..

Compost had me loosing it too...

Anonymous said...

It seems much easier to attack a person than an idea...
Perhaps a publicly attended meeting would last too long as everybody has helpful ideas...
And maybe not everybody would be pleased with the outcome anyway...
My sensible advise- if your not happy with a political system then just stop voting and have nothing to do with it...
This frees up valuable cake-making time and allows more TV to be watched...

Anonymous said...

MM - i am very disappointed in your complete lack of disregard for your position within the community. What were you thinking?? True - what you do in your own time is your own business, but surely you are smart enough to remain anonymous?