Ex-copper, crooner, councillor, former bondage mistress and more state their cases to become Cairns’ next mayor
Avoiding a $257m water security wipe-out for Cairns ratepayers, preparing the city for its next natural disaster and fostering growth in tourism have been thrashed out at a lively mayoral debate hosted by Cairns Chamber of Commerce.
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Avoiding a $257m water security wipe-out for Cairns ratepayers, preparing the city for its next natural disaster and fostering growth in tourism have been thrashed out at a lively mayoral debate hosted by Cairns Chamber of Commerce.
All seven mayoral hopefuls took to the stage together for the first time during the election campaign to sell their vision for the region in front of around 200 of Cairns’ leading business identities.
Cairns Regional Council is currently seeking a cash splash from the state and federal government to help fund its water security project which was initially expected to cost $248m.
The project’s budget has since blown out to $472m.
The nine digit shortfall means Cairns’ next mayor will have to “beg” for further funding, candidate Amy Eden said.
“Here we are with a massive construction bill and we don’t have the funding confirmed yet,” Ms Eden said.
“Should I get elected, I’m going to have to go to Brisbane and Canberra and pray for forgiveness for our sins of the past and beg for the money.
“Otherwise, it falls on ratepayers. There will be water levies for many years if we don’t get that funding.
“We have a water management policy that recommends that it is reviewed annually. In 10 years, it has never been reviewed.”
But mayor Terry James said council would likely secure additional funding from the state and Federal government in the coming months.
“I’ve been down in Brisbane advocating for more funding for this project,” Mr James said.
“We’re pretty confident that we will get more funding and that will help reduce the cost to ratepayers.”
Development following the Far North flooding event was a key concern for ratepayers, particularly in the northern beaches, Community First candidate Denis Walls said.
“What kind of Cairns do we want? We do have another 60,000 people coming into the region over the next 30 years,” Mr Walls said.
“What’s that going to look like and if we can’t do it in the Barron Delta where are we going to go?
“We need high rises in the CBD and we need to make it affordable.”
Creating more eco-tourism experiences would be a priority, if elected, Paul Taylor said.
“We’ve got great opportunities with the (under construction) Wangetti Trail, opportunities to expand existing mountain bike tracks so that we jump onto adventure tourism and see what that delivers.
“There are opportunities to broaden the suite of tourism products that we have.”
A quirky moment allowed for a rare quip in the mayoral campaign, shared between comedian candidate Leah Potter and Mr Taylor, a former police officer, early in the debate.
“I worked as a professional bondage mistress for 12 years before I became a comedian,” Ms Potter said.
“So I think I’m going to bring new skills to the council.”
Mr Taylor responded: “I just want to let everyone know that this is the first time you and I have met, isn’t it?”
Country crooner Binda Warren said reviving the city’s CBD would be one of his top priorities, if elected.
“It sort of feels like this place is turning into a retirement village in the city,” Mr Warren said.
“Everything seems to close up too soon (at night) when the whole city relies on hospitality.
“We need to let this industry grow.”
WHAT THE CANDIDATES SAID
TERRY JAMES
“We have to collect the data, do the flood modelling, update all our flood maps and then update our policies and procedures.We need to make our communities more resilient and what that looks like will come out of these inquiries. But the fact isthat the flooding event (in December) had 40 per cent more water than the 1977 (Cairns) floods. There was another flood backin 1911 that was very similar … with 2.2m of water across five days. It’s happened before and it’ll happen again.”
BINDA WARREN
“We need to be using and redesigning the Esplanade to accommodate what is more fun and exciting, including festivals, performingarts. We’ve got to make the city more fun, open it up for families like a new water park. We can have so many things to advertiseand promote Cairns and say, ‘If you’re a family, come here’. That’s where you’re going to get the money. When people are cominghere and having fun, fun, fun. They’re going to spend the money and you’ll have fun, fun, fun counting the money.”
DENIS WALLS
“We do need to have a good look at the budget and a real examination of what it is that we’re spending money on and see wherethere are excesses and possible savings, so that we can give ratepayers the best return.”
PAUL TAYLOR
“We’ve got to have a safer town. People who come here need to have the confidence to walk the street at night without beingassaulted. That’s a key factor that has to be taken into account as well.”
AMY EDEN
“The biggest issue is meeting the expectations of our ratepayers. They deserve and expect a lot from council and it’s my opinionthat we haven’t been in touch and delivered. Residents deserve and should expect reliable drinking water, better waste managementand efficient road networks. The bills from the recent weather event in December add pressure to an already strained budget.Over the last 12 years ... we’ve gone from an $88m debt to $174m. Our ratepayers deserve financial security.”
JOHN KELLY
“I’m not much of a politician but it all comes back to common sense. I think our rates are too high and our roads aren’t built properly. If I become mayor, I’d listen to a lot of people because we don’t have all the answers.”
LEAH POTTER
“I’m standing for mayor because when I got to Cairns I started to hear all these issues live music venues have around legislation and I got interested in that. Five days after I arrived in Cairns, the (former) mayor resigned, so I took it as a sign.”
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