These are my own personal views. I do not purport to speak on behalf of Council.
Regular monthly Meet with the Mayor: the first session will be held from 9 to 10am on Friday March 13 at the library forecourt on Main St. The next session will be on Friday April 10. Come along and have a chat.
Community consultation: I will be available at the Councillor’s office (first glass door near the Post office) from 10am to 3pm on Tuesday, March 24. Other days: if my sign is out, I am there. Drop in to discuss your issues or have a chat. No appointment necessary.
Council meetings, briefings and strategy sessions: these have been heavy going over recent weeks and the volume of pre-reading required is frightening. For instance, the agenda for the Ordinary Meeting on February 25 ran to 1,892 pages. The agenda for the Strategy session on March 4 included late items, late, late items and supplementary late items – just when you think you have read everything in order to be sufficiently across issues to make an informed decision, something else is added.
Issues raised in Division One in February: Air B’Bs (three), tree removal (multiple), subdivision enquiries (six), eight x townhouses (no!), minimum size of water tank, boundary realignment (to facilitate sub-division – one), boundary setback (one), secondary dwelling (one), unstable palms at Botanic Gardens (removed), fireants (Hartley Rd and Long Rd), unapproved pools/fencing (two), person living in shed with no plumbing, cattle straying on Kaiser Rd (again), unapproved earthworks/second driveway access, unapproved dwelling extending into National Park, unlawful land use (wellness retreat), excess dogs, numerous cats attacking wildlife, overgrown hedges, the usual large number of damaged/stolen bins, abandoned vehicles, lots of unregistered dogs (one fine issued so far $333), by all means argue with staff, it really helps your case! … and the broken photocopier/printer at the library. Good to see replacement of the broken lift behind the diner has commenced.
Parking Strategy Workshop March 5 2026: this was not a community-wide event, hence the limited invitees which included schools, QFS, QPS, tourism operators, the local Business Chamber and representatives of community groups. Predictably, those associated with tourism-centric businesses on Gallery Walk and Main St were opposed to paid and/or regulated parking but were keen for more parking to be made available by Council! Those with no vested interest in tourism were equally keen to see user pays paid parking installed in the new Gallery Walk carpark. I support that position as the majority of residents (ratepayer) seem to consider the influx of over one million tourists per annum to the Mountain a detriment rather than plus.
The Cableway: contrary to yet more opinion put forward as fact on Facebook, not only did the GCCC not ignore my personal approach for information, their CEO and Director Strategic Portfolio have requested to present a 45 minute briefing to our Council on March 11, 2026. If it isn’t factual, don’t post it.
Quote of the week: “Stay away from negative people. They have a problem for every solution” – Albert Einstein
