Divisions Finalised

November 29th, 2011

What a good example of people power we have experienced these last couple of weeks. When we received the Change Commissioner’s recommended Divisions for the Fraser Coast many of us experienced a “why on earth would you do that” moment. I personally expressed my views and posted them here and quite a number of people agreed with me and sent in their thoughts to the Change Commissioner. Hon Mr Paul Neville also wrote a submission which aligned with my thoughts that coastal communities in Hervey Bay should not be connected to a suburb of Maryborough. The Change Commissioner obviously paid attention to the community feedback and Divisions 4 and 5 were altered. Divisin 5 now encompasses the area from Dundowran Beach through to Burrum Heads, taking in Burrum Town and Pacific Haven and inland as far as the Torbanlea Rd. I believe the outcome for this area is a sensible one but I do feel for the rural areas which have been broken up in a horizontal manner. Divisions 1 and 2 are quite large and quite different from what had been proposed. View the maps at www.ecq.qld.gov.au

But at the end of the day it is time to get on with things and accept the changes that have been made. It is gratifying though to see such a clear response to our submissions and I appreciate the time that all of you made to submit your thoughts. Well done everyone. Another example of people power is the recent works to clear the smelly algae from the beach around Craignish. While most years the algae breaks down naturally and relatively quickly this year the smell was nauseating even for people living along the top of the hills. The smelly section of coast was smaller than in past years but as soon as I becamse aware of the problem Council officers and the Mayor were notified and Council swung into action. This event underlined the importance of contacting your Councillors when you encounter Council related problems. Councillors can make decisions and get things happening. Don’t forget that we are here to help you negotiate the red tape and bureaucratic jungle that is found in all layers of Government these days! (I just wish I could unravel the mountains of red tape around the sand pushing roadblocks but we are chipping away).Council will be erecting signs along the beach and creeks in the Craignish area to advise residents that some of the algae has been identified as blue green algae and can be harmful. Please don’t touch the algae and ensure your kids and pets leave it alone also. The prolonged dry seems to have facilitated this bloom in the stagnant creeks but maybe a quick reminder to reduce or stop using fertilisers etc and look after our ground water and garden run off is timely.

Council meets again next week and it is hard to believe that soon we stop work for Christmas and January. There will be full agendas I expect, with the Local Laws and Structure Planning reports to be adopted prior to Christmas. As always I believe there will be opportunities for community feedback during this holiday period. Many people grumble when feedback is required during the holidays but it is unavoidable if we want to keep the wheels turning and move projects forward. I will endeavour to alert you to these requests for feedback as they occur. Then we will blink and it will be March and the elections. I expect I had better start preparing my brochures etc as so far I haven’t done a thing.

Personally speaking Pet Warriors is keeping me busy also. Suddenly I have been thrust into this role and have more work than I was expecting. But saving little (and some much larger lives) is a wonderful feeling and the joy that people receive from adopting a beautiful dog or cat in need is reward in bucketfuls. Thank you to everyone for helping us help these death row hounds and pusscats. It is still difficult for me to walk away and leave some pets behind at the pound. I will continue to strive towards compulsory desexing of cats, and hopefully dogs, in the New Year. Most reponsible breeders will welcome this move as it will improve their reputations and community standing while helping to stop indiscriminate and accidental breeding. www.petwarriors.com.au

Lastly a quick thank you for the emails and calls of support I received after my scribbled written account of my experience with domestic violence a long time ago. The full story is found on this website under the Meanderings and Musings tab. Domestic violence is not the right way to describe the awful situation that many women experience when a loved one looses control and stops behaving rationally. I still get very, very angry that the problem re occurs and seems to be worse than ever. Maybe this is not the case but it seems we have a long way to go before we find a solution which enables us all to live peacefully and safely. Take care and thanks again for taking the time to read my writings and to submit your thoughts to the Change Commissioner. Cheers, Sue

7 Responses to “Divisions Finalised”

  1. John A Neveon 29 Nov 2011 at 9:17 am

    Sue,

    Reading your comment, in particular the algae issue as an example.

    I don’t vote for a councillor to be a highly paid messenger, if I have an issue I contact council’s service officers and report the matter. They quote me a Customer Request number so I can, if required, follow up. Only if the system fails me, do I then contact a councillor.

    Councillors in my view are about policy and proceedures, not about the day to day worries of the world.

    If it is found council officers are failing in their duties, get rid of them, but by-passing them and going straight to a councillor is just wasting our rates and councillor’s time.

  2. Sue Brookson 29 Nov 2011 at 10:46 am

    Yes you are entirly correct that residents should always in the first instance contact staff regarding operational matters. But when they aren’t satisfied with the response they should call a Councillor. This is the way that Crs can assess if our operations are being effectively managed. I require constant feedback to ensure that Council is delivering on its promises and then I use this information to guide me into requesting policy or procedure alterations or developments. Also the CEO appreciates the feedback so she can better oversee our staffing levels etc.

  3. asiciton 29 Nov 2011 at 12:46 pm

    There must be an election due soon. In previous years seaweed on the beach has been left to rot until it is eventually carried away by tides, This despite residents complaints in the past.
    Had the weed been on the beaches frequented by tourists, it would have been cleaned up within days without the need for ratepayers to formally complain.

  4. Sue Brookson 29 Nov 2011 at 1:09 pm

    The weed has been cleaned up before. 2 years ago in fact. In times past it was left to rot but in times past there were far fewer people living so near the beach. It is a quick and cheap activity and hopefuly won’t be required every year. Dundowran and Craignish residents keep their own beaches clean without the need for the machine that operates in town daily. I think the small amount of work is a sensible approach and if you lived next to a smell so awful you could hardly breathe I think you would expect something to be done…. Nature can be trying at times… I imagine that the beaches North of Eli Creek suffer this problem possibly due to the fact of the location North of Eli Creek.

  5. Sandraon 29 Nov 2011 at 3:24 pm

    I agree with you Asicit, must be an election coming, have noticed street cleaners around as well, amazing.

  6. susan howardon 26 Nov 2012 at 5:59 pm

    Hi Sue,

    I have recently moved to Craignish within the last 6 weeks and so disappointed with the smell coming from the beach I don’t even want to take my tourist friends there as it is embarrassing.
    We are new to the area and have been living at Toogoom previously and enjoyed the beach there. Not sure what the history of the beach is or the councils part in this. I have wrote an enquiry to the council this afternoon and hope to get an answer. Heres fingers crossed that a solution to remove the algae is made.

    Thanks
    Susan

  7. Sue Brookson 26 Nov 2012 at 7:06 pm

    Contact you local Councillor Rolf Light. The algae is a seasonal event usually gone by now. This year it is hanging around longer than usual. In the past Council has used machinery to collect it and remove it. Rolf Light should know how to arrange this if needed again. We have some algae up our end which is Dundowran Beach and the smell is a bit unpleasant at low tide but not very bad at all and we can’t smell it from our block which is a beach front one. But you will enjoy living here it is a lovely part of the world.

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