Mayor Jack Dempsey’s clean, green timeline revealed

Bundaberg Mayor Jack Dempsey has supported an array of ‘green’ initiatives over the past two years. Why?

Opinion: It’s been interesting to see the number of these initiatives heavily supported by Bundaberg Mayor Jack Dempsey over the past two years.

Kermit the Frog may be enticed to pack up and move to Bundaberg if the council continues to push a number of “green initiatives”.

I’m definitely not against protecting our environment, but it’s been interesting to see the number of these initiatives heavily supported by Bundaberg Mayor Jack Dempsey over the past two years.

Mr Dempsey is best known as a career politician who previously served as the state minister for police and community safety in the Liberal Newman Government.

He was also a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly from 2006 to 2015 before being elected Mayor of Bundaberg in 2016.

So why is the grass ‘greener over the other side’ for Bundy all of a sudden? Why the sudden change of heart?

Climate 200 activists were big supporters of Mayor Dempsey’s campaign when he ran as an independent for the federal seat of Hinkler this year.

Despite this, Mr Dempsey revealed he was not a teal independent.

Simon Holmes à Court, a political activist and son of Australia’s first billionaire Robert Holmes à Court, was one Climate 200 convenor who reportedly donated below the $14,500 threshold to Mr Dempsey’s campaign with his wife, Katrina Holmes à Court.

Citizen journalist Margo Kingston, as well as the Anna Josephson Foundation, managed by Climate 200 convener, Anna Josephson and renewable energy company Boundless Earth also donated to Mr Dempsey’s campaign.

In December 2021, just weeks before Mr Dempsey announced he was running for the federal election, he met with Greens for Hinkler candidate, Nicole Cornish.

Mr Dempsey’s impassioned bid to tackle climate change did not end at his failed federal election bid.

In December 2021, just weeks before Mr Dempsey would announce he was running for the federal election, he met with Greens for Hinkler candidate, Nicole Cornish.

It continued during an ordinary council meeting on Friday, October 28, where he urged councillors to consider a business case to bring a new green waste recycling system to Bundy.

“The introduction of state levies by having these systems in place in a methodical, well thought out way it actually reduces the cost in relation to the ratepayers going forward to be able to meet state and federal impacts in relation to climate change targets,” Mr Dempsey said.

Another example of Mr Dempsey’s new green thumb can be found in an election promise two years ago.

While on the campaign trail in February 2020, he pledged to deliver a project to plant one million trees in the region over his four-year term.

As of July 2022, just 102,662 trees had been planted.

In June 2022, the council announced it might trial hydrogen powered garbage trucks in the region.

Earlier in October 2022, it announced work would begin on the Washpool Creek project, which would transform an old drain between Ford Street and Bundaberg Creek.

The new drain will become a natural waterway featuring a bush tucker garden, yarning circle, shared pathway, public artwork and increased habitat for wildlife and birds.

Mr Dempsey posted the project to his Facebook page on July 6, saying “refurbishing the region’s playgrounds and making gardens and natural areas more accessible for families is a major focus for council this financial year.”

Whichever way you look at it, it certainly seems like Mr Dempsey’s support for green initiatives has strengthened since his time with the Newman government.

His new interests seem to now more reflect what the state or federal Labor governments are doing.

So much so, he’s supported the Brisbane Olympics by wanting to spend ratepayer funds on a $75.8 million aquatic centre.

Jack Dempsey with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese when he visited Bundaberg.

“I’ve been advocating for the Bundaberg Region to host training and competition for the 2032 Olympics if Queensland’s bid is successful – this new aquatic centre would be suitable as an Olympics training base,” Mr Dempsey said in 2021.

Do I think Olympic athletes are going to travel to Bundaberg to train? No, I don’t.

Not when there are world-class facilities across Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

But if bragging about building an aquatic centre with millions of dollars of ratepayer funds while there’s a large amount of homeless people in our region makes him look better to the state government, then so be it.

And if the push for climate initiatives makes Mr Dempsey more appealing to the Albanese Federal Government, then so be it.

It will all look great on his resume when he goes in for his next job interview.

Originally published as Mayor Jack Dempsey’s clean, green timeline revealed