With fossil fuel prices escalating out of hand in 2008, and with climate change and peak oil pressure building, there is more than a fortuitous driver behind the TRYBRID project.

The TRYBRID boat could end up as one of those rare modes of transport, that is amongst the world’s first in terms of the mechanised transport not only using renewable energy, but it will also make and store its own hydrogen energy onboard.

So to follow the projects progress, it’s over to www.trybrid.org

My basic support stems from the independent process to assess development applications, something all councils everywhere should consider, as the political football that is the process of getting a DA, is second only to corrupt third world process, just rebranded in flasher suits. The mess that is Australian town planning results from councillors bending to favor the latest lobbyist pressure, whereas I argue councillors should only make town plans, not administer them.

If councillor were prevented from planning at the pub, Australia would be a better place.

Jason rhetorically asked, is this the thin of the wedge, in terms of the State having all DA’s handled independently, and he retorted with a definite yes, it is the thin end of the wedge, and I support his mad axmen aspiration, but he is morally and technically spot on policy. I say drive the wedge deep into crook powers of councillors, and make a clear line between those who make the law, and those who administer it. The LGAQ will disagree. Most councillors will disagree. But all good ideas are at first ridiculed. Then all of a sudden, the same idea is taken as a given. (more…)

Rod’s mail box had an odd surprise in it last friday….a cheque. A campaign donation cheque,infact, from Jason OBrien, the State ALP member for our area.

Dear Jason, thanks mate for your kind $150 campaign donation, I thankyou for your friendship. However, it’s thanks, but no thanks after my people were shafted, insulted and stifled in their objections to your parties’ amalgamation. The Queensland ALP has bungled the iconic legislation, through its proposed mal-administration, and your failure to give us, the aggrieved Douglas, any decent say in future planning changes. After Europe has banned fluoride, you ignorantly shove it down our throats, ruining our pride in what was once deemed the healthiest water in the country. Yes, we may have our backs to the wall, as the developers back Unity, and as the ALP backs its hacks, but no, we in Douglas are not going under: we will be noisy, positive and innovative in the new Cairns Council. Douglas’ light may flicker, but it will never be extinguished.

Councillor Rod Davis

The Crime and Misconduct Commission had made very strong recommendations, after the Gold Coast developer funded farce, saw the winning candidates have their campaign funding paid for in the evil tradition of buying ‘the best democracy that money can buy”. It was a blatant perversion of democracy, where developers can pay the campaign funds for their chosen candidates, and then expect to get preferred treatment when it comes to DA time.

The CMC said, at the very least, candidates should be required to declare where their funding comes from, BEFORE the election date, not after, when it’s too late to effect voter’s decisions. The Queensland ALP, who like the Unity Party, are up to their necks in property industry campaign funds, did the unethical thing, as is their way, and refused to run with the CMC recommendations. The reason is obvious, as both the ALP (and some of the Gold Coast Council, and the Unity Party), all took (and still take) what is not much short of bribes, from developers.

My personal view is that is way safer and much more ethical, especially in local government, to NOT take political donations, as political donations come with political expectations. As an independent, independence means no ‘favours’ owing. Local elections are not multi-million dollar affairs. I urge all journalists worth their salt, to ask some questions as to who is funding who in this game. If there are accusations that Cairns is too beholden to the development game, it’s not hard figuring out why.

Years ago, I’ve was once given a donation for newspaper ad, from a family friend, who was once in development. I won’t do it again. I might add, I was a bit cheeky with the cheque, as it was used for the once famed, IN ROD WE TRUST, piss-take ad.

The corruption brought on by the ALP, Coalition, (and political cabals in Cairns and The Gold Coast ), operate unobstructed, as its perfectly OK for developer donors to fund campaigns with $tens of thousands BEFORE an election, then once in power, there is little or no need for councilor to declare a ‘material personal interest’ if he sits in judgment of one of his donors applications. This suits all big parties very comfortably ( but don’t bring it up Rod)

Just check the donors to the last 2004 Cairn elections, and it’s a list of players, their lawyers and contractors, who benefit from a clean run with their development applications.

The reason why no political party will overturn this absurdity, is because they all have their snouts in the donation trough. The end result are idiots like George Boy Bush running, or more like ruining the world. It’s what they call, ‘the best democracy money can buy’.

On the other hand, should the donor do business with councilor, or give him money after the election, by law, the councilor must declare it, and refrain from voting, and infact leave the meeting.

So help us poor punters  figure

this one. Developers funding a campaign can be immune from loosing their paid-up councilor, just so long as they pay up early, as an election donation. Yet, the same developer who has other financial biz with the same councilor, in $amounts way less than donated, then sorry, the developer looses his link to his ‘hired councilor’ as the councilor must declare an interest and leave the room. So developers, and infact all lobbyists, know how to pervert democracy. It’s easy.

Go figure the justice in that one.

And here, ladies and gentlemen, belies the fundamental flaw in the Westminster system, where any party that is beholden to massive advertising costs to get elected, and where business and trade unions are more than happy to oblige.

So like a good candidate says, make March 15 Independent’s Day, but nonetheless, all independents are not independents just because they are not in party, it’s who is funding their campaign that counts. I’m not taking a cent, albeit I won’t turn back a cuppa and a chat when doing door knocking

Thanks everyone for your encouragement.

Here are some sample feedback comments, staight from the blog:

“I will vote - and despite the fact that your confrontational and emotive - I will be voting for you - because your colourful character, eccentricity, creativity, intelligence, irreverence and ‘can-do’, get in there and parley attitude are the type of attributes that make (made?) the Douglas Shire a great place …. and there is just too much homogenized, safe, accessible, bland, monopolized and just plain boring sh..t happening in these parts these days ….”

“You are truly, in this sadly naive world, brave to speak your truth for all to hear. I applaud you.”

“As a recent past and near future resident of PD, also as an exhibitor in the Low Isles Exhibition, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the hard work you put in to have the Sugar Wharf re-opened for the PD community.”

“Rod = LEGEND”

Another of Douglas’s most senior, capable, planners of some 20 years experience just this week, got offered a job by Cairns, where his new boss (and job rival) has but only a couple of years experience. That’s justice?

The former, very capable top planner, Mr. Paul Trotman had the skill to see the writing on the wall, and departed to a senior Perth position a few months back. Just about every planner, and with it our senior building inspector, has now, or is soon about to, depart Douglas.

What this means, is Douglas is loosing is entire corporate planning memory, at a time when (more…)

Whilst the on-air in debate did not get into the nitty gritty of the mechanisms and methods by which a levy could be raised in Cairns, it was nonetheless reassuring to the tourism sector in Douglas, (and likely Cairns) that Cairns may build on, rather than undermine the funding methods of Douglas’s PDDT.

With intense competition from the competing regions and destinations of Australia now well advanced, it was good to see Kevin Byrne step up to the mark on the issue, when asked.

Val Schier has, in similar on air conversations with Rod, shown inclination towards supporting the tourism levy concept.

From my point of view, as candidate, its good to behind a seemingly successful Douglas export idea, and open pre-election debate is a wholesome thing. As are banana’s for breakfast as Kevin would suggest on air today, and I would agree, but at this time of the year, my breakfast addiction is mangosteins. Eve got it wrong when she went for a mere apple.

From my point of view, having laboured to have the PDDT’s funding almost doubled, the acceptance in the sense of the Douglas model being spread to Cairns, is indeed promising. Clearly more debate is needed, but now is the time that both Val Shier and Kevin Byrne were more maybe forthright about their position of raising a tourism levy.

Also on the tourism front, Douglas could breathe some relief today, when struggling MFS were reported to have sold off their tourism arm Stella to an Asian arm of equity group, CVC . Bale management goes with the Stella sale, but whether Bale builder keep building is unsure as yet.

Of interest to Cairns may be the way the levy is raised in Douglas. Overnight holiday rental accom pays around $200 more in rates each year, plus a separate levy is raised from the commercial and commercial accom sector, and whilst its catches a few complaining businesses, overall the community has been in favour of the levy for some time. Douglas know that if its destination marketing falls behind, the business is impacted way harder that the cost of the extra $200 PA per holiday unit. Local accom managers who get nothing but complaints from their southern strata title owners ( who don’t get a vote unlike NSW), may now get the destination marketing boost they need. Technically, owners who have rental units with leases to locals of over 3 month’s duration don’t pay the rate based tourism levy.

Much of my personal effort in Douglas as a councillor has been focused in supporting the billion dollar Douglas tourism industry that supports 80 to 90% of this shire, where over 90 % of this shire’s employment is within the shire, and is either directly or indirectly driven by tourism earnings. This shift in ideas could be as good for Palm Cove as it has been for Douglas.

From Rod Davis

www.roddavis.org

G’day and Hi to Bill Phillips Turner and Kevin Byrne, from Rod Davis in Port Douglas.

Thanks guys for uploading some of your Unity policies, and please don’t be offended by the questions below, as hopefully some friendly local debate can benefit those we aim to serve in Division 10, through online discussion and not just point scoring grabs. (more…)

Its hardly news to the world, given the front page of today’s Courier Mail, and just about every front page of the Australian this week, that Michael no-longer-the King’s MFS, is in deep trouble. With MFS owning some 40%, some say more, of the bed rights in Port Douglas, along with a small and insignificant lot of land known as the Sheraton Mirage, clearly things are not all rosy in resort paradise.

But as if MFS’s woes are not enough, as they try to gain the cred needed to dig deeper into debt, at a time when credit is looking as free flowing as water in the desert, both creditors and investors are getting nervous, whilst MFS Chairman Andrew Peacock tries to rearrange his rather ruffled feathers.

And as if the empty town syndrome of February isn’t depressing enough, to have, on top of this, the many contractors of town, dashing for their debt recovery lawyers, is hardly what we would hope for, in the more peaceful off-season.

Since the hammering of the pilot strikes of the 80s’, the tourism operators of Douglas have repetitively regrouped, shackled together as a team, and got on with it. The current incarnation of this grouping, is the renaissance Port Douglas and Daintree Tourism Ltd, which, with some friends in Council like the writer, Rod Davis, has seen a sizable budget increase and a very successful managerial reorganization, which, well, kicks butt. (more…)