YOUR SAY: ‘Scotty from marketing has a new three-word slogan’

‘Australia is especially susceptible to the effects of climate change’

Enjoying the viewing platform at Broken River and trying to spot a platypus.

CONGRATULATIONS to Mackay Tourism for combining with Australian Geographic Magazine to highlight the bushwalking tracks in our area.

An article in the recent publication offers information with photos and also mentions other attractions like platypus viewing at Broken River Resort, Finch Hatton Gorge and the views of the beautiful Pioneer Valley.

A couple of decades ago cruise ships would visit Mackay being met and welcomed at the harbour by ethnic dancers and tourism staff with bus trips showing more of the attractions.

Why not now, when the city has become more tourist minded and where visitors may want to see more but don’t seem to be aware of what is really offering here.

In the past, little tourism funding has been spent on Mackay itself, as opposed to the Whitsunday Islands.

Would an information centre to the north of the city entice southbound travellers to visit the valley?

Taking the right turn off the highway at Calen and either Calen or Bloomsbury would be possible sites for that.

Many tourism ventures around here have been activated by private means and assisted by volunteer workers, such as Sarina’s efforts which have achieved worldwide notice.

Our beautiful Brampton Island is languishing for want of restoration and/or redevelopment yet has been ignored for too long, as it seems that the owners can’t be called on to answer why the careless neglect. Mackay does have tourist potential but it all depends on finance.

Patricia Russell, Mackay

Where are you?

OUR PM should reflect on the slogan, “Where the bloody hell are you” because there are a lot of Australians who are both bloodied and enduring a living hell due to the lack of international action on climate change.

Alan Corbett, Moore Park Beach

Why we need leadership

SO, Scotty from marketing has a new three-word slogan.

Gone is “stop the boats”. Now it is we will “meet and beat” our Kyoto commitments. And, for good measure, he adds we are “on track” to meet our Paris targets.

Further, he says, “we will continue to stay focused” but, his focus is on “exerting all of our effort to deliver all of the resources and all of the support to ensure that all of these communities can come through” (ABC News 03/01/20).

Just as that effort has been demonstrated to be dilatory — “aloha” and deficient, “we don’t want to sacrifice the surplus by impinging on volunteering”, belatedly now sacrificed, it is not focused on the underlying issue.

While he admits the bushfires are as fierce as they are because of the drought, he is in denial as to the dry being a result of climate change (DM 03/01/20).

And it is not adequate to argue Australia’s emissions are too small – just over 1 per cent – to make any difference on a world scale … counting emissions from coal exports Australia’s contributions amount to 40 per cent of the global total.

Moreover, what our current Prime Minister persistently fails to address is the fact that, as the driest continent on earth, Australia is especially susceptible to the effects of climate change, irrespective of the source of emissions.

In other words, Australia should be a world leader in tackling the challenges of climate change.

We need a Prime Minister with true leadership qualities, not overweening arrogance.

Re: DM 04/01/20 “Ms Understanding”, my apologies to Mrs Russell for not using her preferred title.

Neil Francey, Mackay

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