Mornings With John Mackenzie

John MacKenzie chats with Neville Fry, Tinaroo Dam Water-sports Enthusiast, about dams and alternate water sources for the Atherton Tablelands. Mr. Fry explained that there was opnce a proposed dam for Millstream, near ravenshoe, which would be an additional source of water to the dam at Koombooloomba. The Millstream dam was once proposed as a source of hydroelectricity and for excess water to be piped to Tinaroo for irrigation purposes.

John MacKenzie chats with Councillor Lenore Wyatt, Mareeba Shire, about the approval for eco-accommodation cabins to be built in the beautiful forests of Speewah. Many see this as a positive step toward the much-needed recovery of Far North Queensland's tourism sector.

John MacKenzie chats with Senator Susan McDonald about a letter signed by the Mayors of Cairns, Townsville and Mount Isa calling for the State Government to introduce a "banned drinking register". A register would be compiled by magistrates who could ban individuals from purchasing takeaway alcohol. Senator McDonald has voiced her support for the move as a positive effort to help curb Queensland's exacerbating crime crisis. Meanwhile, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has not embraced the idea, declaring the difficulities of its practical application.

John MacKenzie chats with Ian leavers, President and CEO of the Queensland Police Union about the State Government's proposal to amend juvenile justice laws to better reflect community needs. Mr. Leavers makes the salient point that lawmakers increasing maximum sentencing penalties is redundant if judges and magistarates make no effort issue them. Communities across Queensland are are breaking point as they face unprecendeted levels of juvelile crime, with massive pressure being applied to the Palaszczuk Goverment to reflect the needs of society. Some changes include: - Increasing maximum senteces - More severe penalities for offences commited after dark - Increased panalties for posting crimes on social media - Construction of two new youth detention centres The interview with Ian Leavers is timely considering the news that the Mayors of Cairns, Townsville and Mount Isa have sent a letter to the deputy premier, Steven Miles, asking for a "drinkers ban register" where a magistrate can issue a ban or limit

John MacKenzie chats with Ken Harley, Local Crime Emergency Activist, about youth offenders and ways to address the growing crime problem in Far North Queensland. For several years now, Mr. Harley gives up his time to support disadvantaged youth in the community by excaping the cycle of drinking, drug-use, violence, and crime. Ken has pointed to foetal alcohol syndrome as one of many route problems causing a lifestyle of misery.  "What we need to start some action is a room full of people wioth common sense and a good heart" Ken Harley explained.

John MacKenzie chats with Neville Fry, Tinaroo Dam Water-sports Enthusiast, about the idea floated to expand the amount of water in Tinaroo by dredging. A "Letter to the Editor" in today's Cairns Post, by Jennifer from Edge Hill, argues that there should be an end to "co-called environmental flows" and that dregding the dam would be a sure way to increase water capacity. Neville Fry provided his local knowledge and expierence as a long-term frequenter of Tinaroo Dam in the Atherton Tablelands.

John MacKenzie chats with Dr. Terry Goldsworthy, Associate Professor in Criminology at Bond University, about the Palaszczuk government's announced crime-fighting policies for Queensland. The reintroduction of breach of bail laws was the surprise announcement, as the policy had hitherto been condemned by the state Labor party. "In 2016, the Labor government removed... breach of bail for youth offenders" Mr. Goldsworthy said in today's Cairns Post, "[and] in 2019 the government further weakened youth justice laws by passing legislation yhat was designed to facilitate more grants of bail...". Queenslanders are at a breaking point with the crime crisis being of utmost concern in their communities. The elected state governemnt must act now before things excaerbate further.

John MacKenzie chats with Ken Harley, Chairman of the Redcliffe Highway Proposal (an alternate tablelands access route), about the Kuranda Range following yet another vehicle accident and temporary closure. The quality of the road is demonstrably dangerous as sink holes have allegedly formed. Mr. Harley continues putting pressure on the Queensland state goverment to address the long term solution that is access to the tableland via Cairns.

John MacKenzie chats with Alicia Prince, Head of Operations at Cairns Airport, about the announced $50-million upgrades at the international terminal. The upgrades that will begin next month will be the first in 3 years. It is a move welcomed by our tourism industry. Some upgrades will include new escalators, refurbished check-in and arrivals areas, new external cladding, and 4 state-of-the-art glass "airbridges".

John MacKenzie chats with Chris Roach, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Services Ranger, about the "Felixer" feral cat trap that uses A.I. (artificial intelligence) technology. The traps use artificial intelligence to distinguish between a feral cat and other animals, then shoots them with a poison gel, which is consumed by the feline during its grooming habits. A trial run of the technology is beng done in the Wooroonooran National Park, near Cairns.

John MacKenzie chats with Professor Marcus Lane, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academy JCU, about the increase in student enrollment numbers and the expansion of their dentistry program. Domestic student numbers have increased by 15% compared to the same time last year, with international enrollments seeing a 17% surge. JCU is also expadning their dentisry program with 106 new students ready to begin their studies in 2023. This brings the total number of full-time dentisry students to 430.

John MacKenzie chats with Brett Olds, CRC Councillor for Division 9, about the Cairns Regional Council's move to not accept cash as a form of payment at select facilities. Cr. Olds slammed the move as unfair in a modern society, as cashless services have been introduced at the Library and Waste Transfer Station. The Council did not vote to end cash payments, the change was implemented without the need for loacl repsresentative approval.

John MacKenzie chats with talkback caller, Alan from Kamerunga, about a large crocodile recently trapped and removed from the same location that saw his daughter's dog snatched and killed by a rogue crocodile in December 2022. Following the attack last year, calls were made for authorities to remove the oversized crocodile before a human is targeted. The near-14 metre reptile was successfully trapped and removed from the Barron River at Caravonica on January 23rd by the Dawul Wuru Aboriginal Corporation.

John MacKenzie chats with Acting Chief Superintendent Rhys Newton, District Officer Far North Police District with QPS, about the rise in theft and assault rates in Cairns and Far North Queensland. It has been revealed that FNQ has experienced the worst growth in crime rates in comparison to the rest of the state. Cairns is seeing the highest offence rate in over 20 years, currently standing at over 18,000 offences per 100,000 people. Many fear that post-traumatic stresses and mental health issues will escalate as crime increases, with many pleas being made by discouraged residents for our elected leaders to uphold their duty-of-care to the community.

John MacKenzie chats about crime and car thefts with Locky Bensted, Mareeba Shire Councillor, and Dale Last, LNP State Member for Burdekin and Shadow Minister for Police and Corrective Services.  Cairns and Mareeba Shires are some of the worst crime-affected areas in the state and in desperation, local councillors are stepping up to weigh in on state government policy-making. Shadow Minister Last agreed with the sentiment of Cr. Bensted that it is the role of all community leaders to come together and speak out against the exacerbating crime crisis. Cairns and Mareeba now have more per capita car thefts than Brisbane City.

John MacKenzie chats with Roger Ward, Director of Cairns Mortgage Brokers and Senior Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia, about the Reserve Bank of Australia's interest rate rise of 25 basis points to 3.35 percent. It is being predicted that there will be a noticeable dent in the number of prospective first-home buyers looking to enter the market in Far North Queensland as the repayments on a $500,000 property will increase by approximately $76 per month. This is the Reserve Bank of Australia's 9th interest rate rise since May 2022.

John MacKenzie chats with Chris Pigott, Aviation Australia Business Manager for North Qld & NT, about exciting aviation engineering training for young people. Aircraft maintenance engineers are in short supply following the coronavirus pandemic and a local cohort of 26 is welcome news for the aviation industry. Cairns Airport is working with Jet Aviation and Skytek, with Aviation Australia coming on board as the training provider. For more information click this link: https://tinyurl.com/37f3pyz5 or email anna.thai@aviationaustralia.aero

John MacKenzie chats with Cr. Brett Moller, CRC Representative for Division 1, about safety initiatives and the future of the Babinda Boulders following yet another drowning. Cr. Moller ruled out the radical suggestion by one expert to "Shut it Down" to all visitors and locals.  High-impact and provocative signage is to be added to highlight the inconspicuous dangers that lurk under the water's surface after suggestions were recommended in a report conducted by Cairns Regional Council this year. Image Babinda Boulders:  Sheba_Also 43,000 photos, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

John MacKenzie chats with Sally Watson, Executive Officer SHAC (Shelter Housing Action Cairns), about the housing crisis facing many FNQ residents. The latest statistics show an alarming number of Queenslanders are either homeless, living in overcrowded conditions, or spending over 30 percent of their income on a rental property. Cairns stands at nearly 9 percent of its population, or 8800 households, that are experiencing housing unaffordability.

John MacKenzie chats with Sergeant Dave Raymond, Officer in Charge of Cairns Dog Squad, about the loss of much-loved Queensland Police dog, Thor. Sgt. Raymond shared some highs and lows of working with police dogs, including a rather prickly situation involving barbed wire. Thor located over 300 offenders during his six-year service.