Mornings With John Mackenzie

John MacKenzie chats with Dr. Graeme Lauridson from Tropical Veterinary Services, to better explain the recent footage taken of a cassowary swimming in the ocean near Mission Beach. The footage was shared by the Department of Environment and Science and has surprised many who were unaware the giant bird could swim. Dr. Lauridson also commented on the infamous "Cassowary Land Bridge" being constructed over the Bruce Highway near Tully, at a cost of  over $30-million.

John MacKenzie chats with Councillor Martin Bella, Mackay Regional Council and former Rugby League Legend, following his comments about criminals being the "predators" with residents being their "prey", in light of the Sarina Fire Station allegedly having fire trucks stolen during the midst of raging bushfires.

Talkback caller, Dean from Cairns North, shares his experience with Macca following an incident with upsetting itinerant behaviour and how numb people are to such tragedies.

John MacKenzie chats with Keith Keith Hamburger AM, Former Director-General of Queensland's Corrective Services, about his perspectives on youth crime and justice following prominent anti-crime rallies in Townsville and Brisbane.

John MacKenzie chats with Dan McCarthy, Captain of Big Fish Downunder Charter Boat, about the threat posed by crocodiles as they encroach on human territory. The comments were made following a man's boat being rammed by a crocodile in the Burdekin area, south of Cairns. The Department of Environment and Science has issued a warning to boaties and a spokesperson has confirmed that the croc will be removed if found. Dan McCarthy reiterated previous warnings that the reptiles are encroaching on human spaces and a better management policy is urgently needed.

 John MacKenzie chats with Ken Harley, Chairman of the Redcliffe Highway Proposal, about the costs of maintaining the Kuranda range compared with a new route to access the Tablelands. Ken also laughed at the State Government's bureaucratic blowout of $ 30 million on a cassowary bridge that observers feel will barely be used.

John MacKenzie chats with Cynthia Cole, Real Estate & Palm Cove Local, about her drive to protect the Palm Cove ideal by opposing a high-rise development that flirted with local guidelines. A six-story tower is proposed for Ceder Road at Palm Cove, but after local objections, the Cairns Regional Council will reject the application unless strict conditions are met. "We don't want to become a high-rise destination like the Gold Coast" is the message being spread by residents who are furious at the proposed tower construction. Cynthia Cole has helped lead the community's fight, with the help of Division 9 Representative, Brett Olds.

John MacKenzie chats with Robbie Katter, State Member for Traeger and Queensland Leader of Katter's Australian Party, about Palaszczuk's intimation that her government will support the KAP plan for remote detention facilities to help lower youth crime trends. Many are suggesting that the Queensland Labor Party will appease minor parties in an effort to increase their chances of forming a minority government.

John MacKenzie chats with Julie Sager, Ultra Trail Runner, about her world-first achievement of completing the triple crown series of races within a one-year period, covering around 320km of distance. The Triple Crown Series is a set of 3 races across both Australia and the United States and includes elevated runs. Julie Sager, 52, is a Cairns local whose other achievements include climbing Walsh's Pyramid 20 times in 90 hours to raise funds for the FNQ Hospital Foundation.

John MacKenzie chats with Dr. Paul Williams, Associate Professor in Politics and Journalism at Griffith University, about a bombshell opinion poll that presents a profound plunge in Palaszczuk's popularity as preferred Premier. Dr. Williams said that if an election were held this Saturday, Palaszczuk would fall and the LNP would yield 9-13 seats, but would still be short of majority government and would need to form a coalition with Katter's Australian Party or One Nation.

John MacKenzie chats with Mayor Angela Toppin AM, Mareeba Shire, about a nine-point action plan to address juvenile crime penned by the Local Government Association of Queensland during their 127th annual conference. The LGAQ is calling for differentiating approaches to meet the dynamic complexities of each locality, explaining that implementation of Brisbane-based policy may not be effective in Cairns or Mareeba.

John Mackenzie chats with Shane Knuth, KAP State Member for Hill, about a potentially flawed speed camera that has clocked a disproportionate number of drivers on Malanda-Atherton Road in the Tablelands. The now infamous camera issued around 200 motorists with fines for exceeding the 60km/hr speed limit. However, suspicions were raised when many observed the exact same reading was recorded: precisely 68 km/hr. The Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads claims to have reviewed the camera in question and confirmed it was, and is, working properly.

John MacKenzie chats with the CEO of Experience Co. John O'Sullivan about his appointment to the role of Chairman at Tropical Tourism North Queensland, better known as TTNQ. As the former boss of Tourism Australia, John O'Sullivan has the necessary experience to tackle the complex role while the region still struggles with the return of visitors, especially international, following the Covid-19 pandemic limitations on movement. Mr. O'Sullivan will replace Dr. Ken Chapman who has spent three years in the position.

John MacKenzie gets an update from Dr Glenn Kolomeitz, Military Lawyer & Defence Academic, who is on the ground in Ukraine.  Dr. Kolomeitz focused on the recent raid on Crimea and spoke emphatically about scenes he witnessed there.

John MacKenzie chats with Robbie Katter, State Member for Traeger and Queensland Leader of Katter's Australian Party, about the announced 2025 closure of Glencore's copper mining operation in Mount Isa. 1200 jobs are at risk and the economic detriments to the town are being forecast. Approximately 17% of Mount Isa's population of around 21,000 are involved in copper mining. Glencore has committed to retrain and redeploy workers, and only consider redundancy as a final resort.

John MacKenzie chats with Mayor Clare Stewart of Noosa Council about building height limitations implemented to preserve the natural beauty of iconic coastal locations. The push to preserve our beaches has come at a local government meeting where concerns are being raised in relation to Palaszczuk's infrastructure plan to construct 900,000 new homes within the next 24 years. The new dwelling would address Queensland's expected population increase of 2.2 million people. Noosa shares similarities with some beach communities north of Cairns whose residents wish to keep their locations beautiful by avoiding building that tower above the treeline.

John MacKenzie chats with Dr. Tonia Marquardt, ), Public Health Medical Officer at Tropical Public Health Services Cairns, about the flying fox breeding season beginning and the associated risk of infection. The breeding season sees more fallen juveniles which increases the chance of human exposure. Bats have a complex immune system with the ability to host a range of diseases, with the threat of lyssavirus being of most concern in Far North Queensland. Twenty-three people have been bitten or scratched in Cairns this year so far. Do not touch or interact with any fruit bats you may see.