This Wednesday's public meeting to establish a North Queensland party is being lauded by many outside the mainstream parties as a turning point.
The meeting, which has the support of independent Federal Member for Kennedy, Bob Katter and Cairns Councillor Robert Pyne, will take place at the Cairns RSL, 7pm.
"We will gauge public support for a new party to represent the interests and concerns of the people of North Queensland," Robert Pyne says.
Darren Howie, who manages a Cairns printing business, was inspired to start a party after being disgusted with the lack of real representation for North Queensland.
"Our water and roads are simply left behind everywhere else. Then you look at how the farmers and local fishermen are treated. It's not good enough," he says.
Dr Damian Byrne, who has run for Council and most recently, as a independent in the seat of Mulgrave for the State election, is also calling on the public to support more regional representation.
"We can continue to see taxes and revenue raised from this resource-rich region syphoned off by our political masters in Brisbane or Canberra, or we can do something about it," Damian Byrne says. "We have had local members who represent Brisbane political interests in the North; it is high time we had local members representing the interests of the North in Brisbane."
Tolga resident, Richard Hole, who promotes discussion on local political solutions is also keen to see the emergence of a new independent party.
"If such a party is formed, alliances with other quality independent candidates or parties around Australia should be developed," Richard Hole says. "We need to restore strong democracy and form a new alliance of quality candidates. There are some ideas for win-win policies that should help many people.
More info:
- Public meeting: Cairns RSL, Catalina room, 7pm. Wednesday 13th May
- Darren Howie 4051 8197 or 0422 654 053 or email.
- Damian Byrne 0435 077 024
6 comments:
Dunno how many times over the years people have tried to establish a "Far North" political party. All it has done is to provide a groundswell of support and publicity for some political aspirant. You would think it would be easier for disgruntled Northerners to join the local branches of the established parties and work within the system to get what they want.
Well - Nocturnal - we now have the gorgeous Barack as Pres of the US, so perhaps there are some astrological times a changing? As for supporting local parties - sorry to harp on about the poor old Yacht Club, but the local Laborites did not listen to a lot of local voices. Wettenhall's newsletter is just about Anna will spend 18.5 million on this, 12.6 billion on that, rah rah rah... rarely does Wettenoballs even mention a local issue - eg. Northern Beaches Town Centre development. So why support Labor?
And the LNP - well, they seemed a clapped-together hybrid party nine months before the last election. Poor old Laurence Springbored couldn't string a sentence together, let alone a State. The current bloke Paul-Whatever, seems to be able to speak in sentences, but we shall see.
It would seem to me that both Lab & Lib do not have the interests of the Far North uppermost - It's All About Brisbane.
If you want simple evidence of Briso-Crap - you need go no further than Julia Lau having to deal with Clifton Beach as part of her Council division. As that particular Divisional Councillor she has enough to do with the work of 1 former Mayor & 5 former Councillors, without having to look after the vagaries of poor old Clifton Beach. That decision obviously dependended on a couple of boffins in an office in Briso drawing lines through a map -"Well, that makes a neat 8,000 people - shall we go off for a latte, Noel?"
Let alone the Tablelands Council, bigger than Tasmania. Geez - that'll save on petrol, won't it?
So I'll be trying to go along on Wednesday & to have a listen. Something is better than nothing, which is what our local Lib/Lab 'representatives' have become.
And as for Al, further above, yeah, Bob Katter is an original, & there's a lot I don't agree with him on issues. But I shared a flight last year with him up from Townsville, & I had to admire him & his stance. He was also a thorough gentleman - even when I told him I didn't live in his electorate. He's one of the few independents in the country, & has been re-elected a number of times. At least half of the people who elected him think he's doing OK. All right, all right, calm down - I want to see lots of environmental things protected, but I think that all the farmers & landholders up here need to be strongly represented too, they still make up a fairly huge proportion of earnings for FNQ. And they certainly wont be supported by an LNP hybrid - just look at what support farmers had with a Federal LNP mix during Howard's years. Almost nilcho. Murray-Darling - what's that?
And and as the farms younger generation comes on to the and, environmental sustainability will be more likely. Some of the older farmers have had the plot for ages. The farmers are even worse served by the Boys (& Girls) in Brisbane than us 'suburbanites' in Cairns - although, at Yorkeys, we still have (& I am grateful for the beauty of) cane farms not 5 mins from where I live.
I am also totally in line for indigenous issues to be kept in mind and respected, and further, for indigenous voices to be heard much more up here.
I reckon - keep an open mind. Let's see what they have to say. Absolutely nothing to lose, eh?
Lilian at Yorkeys; what were you doing up the pointy end of the plane? That's for pollies and airline staff only.
But surely saints are entitled to sit and give good counsel where ever they can, to whom ever they can.
St Lillian rocks!
Al - do I smell the rancid odour of Tall Poppy Syndrome re the pointy end of the plane? Why wouldn't one, if one can? (especially on a really long-haul flight).
[Actually, it would be nice if all planes were one class, with lots of space & beds & showers & good tucker, but that's a whole different conversation.]
However Al, the plane in question was a one-class 20-seater Dash flight from Townsville to Cairns, 55 mins with cuppa & a 'refreshment'. Nup, no lay-flat beds to Heathrow, so you can put your Tall Poppy away there, my friend.
And Constance Lloyd, thanks for the vote of confidence. I reckon you & I should have a cuppa sometime. You made me laugh.
PS. It should be Julia Leu, not 'Lau' as I wrote above.
No St Lillian, no tall poppy syndrome with me, I too occasionally enjoy the 'big' seats and always grateful when I do.
Someone once commented that those squeezy little cattle class seats would be so much more bearable if, at the extreme rear of the cabin, there was a row of people standing on stools with nooses around their necks. It would make 'comfort' a more relative thing.
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