Mornings with John Mackenzie

John MacKenzie chats with Dr. Graeme Lauridson from Tropical Veterinary Services, to better explain the recent footage taken of a cassowary swimming in the ocean near Mission Beach. The footage was shared by the Department of Environment and Science and has surprised many who were unaware the giant bird could swim. Dr. Lauridson also commented on the infamous "Cassowary Land Bridge" being constructed over the Bruce Highway near Tully, at a cost of over $30-million.

John MacKenzie chats with Councillor Martin Bella, Mackay Regional Council and former Rugby League Legend, following his comments about criminals being the "predators" with residents being their "prey", in light of the Sarina Fire Station allegedly having fire trucks stolen during the midst of raging bushfires.

Talkback caller, Dean from Cairns North, shares his experience with Macca following an incident with upsetting itinerant behaviour and how numb people are to such tragedies.

John MacKenzie chats with Keith Keith Hamburger AM, Former Director-General of Queensland's Corrective Services, about his perspectives on youth crime and justice following prominent anti-crime rallies in Townsville and Brisbane.

John MacKenzie chats with Dan McCarthy, Captain of Big Fish Downunder Charter Boat, about the threat posed by crocodiles as they encroach on human territory. The comments were made following a man's boat being rammed by a crocodile in the Burdekin area, south of Cairns. The Department of Environment and Science has issued a warning to boaties and a spokesperson has confirmed that the croc will be removed if found. Dan McCarthy reiterated previous warnings that the reptiles are encroaching on human spaces and a better management policy is urgently needed.

John MacKenzie chats with Ken Harley, Chairman of the Redcliffe Highway Proposal, about the costs of maintaining the Kuranda range compared with a new route to access the Tablelands. Ken also laughed at the State Government's bureaucratic blowout of $ 30 million on a cassowary bridge that observers feel will barely be used.

John MacKenzie chats with Cynthia Cole, Real Estate & Palm Cove Local, about her drive to protect the Palm Cove ideal by opposing a high-rise development that flirted with local guidelines. A six-story tower is proposed for Ceder Road at Palm Cove, but after local objections, the Cairns Regional Council will reject the application unless strict conditions are met. "We don't want to become a high-rise destination like the Gold Coast" is the message being spread by residents who are furious at the proposed tower construction. Cynthia Cole has helped lead the community's fight, with the help of Division 9 Representative, Brett Olds.

John MacKenzie chats with Robbie Katter, State Member for Traeger and Queensland Leader of Katter's Australian Party, about Palaszczuk's intimation that her government will support the KAP plan for remote detention facilities to help lower youth crime trends. Many are suggesting that the Queensland Labor Party will appease minor parties in an effort to increase their chances of forming a minority government.

John MacKenzie chats with Julie Sager, Ultra Trail Runner, about her world-first achievement of completing the triple crown series of races within a one-year period, covering around 320km of distance. The Triple Crown Series is a set of 3 races across both Australia and the United States and includes elevated runs. Julie Sager, 52, is a Cairns local whose other achievements include climbing Walsh's Pyramid 20 times in 90 hours to raise funds for the FNQ Hospital Foundation.

John MacKenzie chats with Dr. Paul Williams, Associate Professor in Politics and Journalism at Griffith University, about a bombshell opinion poll that presents a profound plunge in Palaszczuk's popularity as preferred Premier. Dr. Williams said that if an election were held this Saturday, Palaszczuk would fall and the LNP would yield 9-13 seats, but would still be short of majority government and would need to form a coalition with Katter's Australian Party or One Nation.

John MacKenzie chats with Mayor Angela Toppin AM, Mareeba Shire, about a nine-point action plan to address juvenile crime penned by the Local Government Association of Queensland during their 127th annual conference. The LGAQ is calling for differentiating approaches to meet the dynamic complexities of each locality, explaining that implementation of Brisbane-based policy may not be effective in Cairns or Mareeba.

John Mackenzie chats with Shane Knuth, KAP State Member for Hill, about a potentially flawed speed camera that has clocked a disproportionate number of drivers on Malanda-Atherton Road in the Tablelands. The now infamous camera issued around 200 motorists with fines for exceeding the 60km/hr speed limit. However, suspicions were raised when many observed the exact same reading was recorded: precisely 68 km/hr. The Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads claims to have reviewed the camera in question and confirmed it was, and is, working properly.

John MacKenzie chats with the CEO of Experience Co. John O'Sullivan about his appointment to the role of Chairman at Tropical Tourism North Queensland, better known as TTNQ. As the former boss of Tourism Australia, John O'Sullivan has the necessary experience to tackle the complex role while the region still struggles with the return of visitors, especially international, following the Covid-19 pandemic limitations on movement. Mr. O'Sullivan will replace Dr. Ken Chapman who has spent three years in the position.

John MacKenzie gets an update from Dr Glenn Kolomeitz, Military Lawyer & Defence Academic, who is on the ground in Ukraine. Dr. Kolomeitz focused on the recent raid on Crimea and spoke emphatically about scenes he witnessed there.

John MacKenzie chats with Robbie Katter, State Member for Traeger and Queensland Leader of Katter's Australian Party, about the announced 2025 closure of Glencore's copper mining operation in Mount Isa. 1200 jobs are at risk and the economic detriments to the town are being forecast. Approximately 17% of Mount Isa's population of around 21,000 are involved in copper mining. Glencore has committed to retrain and redeploy workers, and only consider redundancy as a final resort.

John MacKenzie chats with Mayor Clare Stewart of Noosa Council about building height limitations implemented to preserve the natural beauty of iconic coastal locations. The push to preserve our beaches has come at a local government meeting where concerns are being raised in relation to Palaszczuk's infrastructure plan to construct 900,000 new homes within the next 24 years. The new dwelling would address Queensland's expected population increase of 2.2 million people. Noosa shares similarities with some beach communities north of Cairns whose residents wish to keep their locations beautiful by avoiding building that tower above the treeline.

John MacKenzie chats with Dr. Tonia Marquardt, ), Public Health Medical Officer at Tropical Public Health Services Cairns, about the flying fox breeding season beginning and the associated risk of infection. The breeding season sees more fallen juveniles which increases the chance of human exposure. Bats have a complex immune system with the ability to host a range of diseases, with the threat of lyssavirus being of most concern in Far North Queensland. Twenty-three people have been bitten or scratched in Cairns this year so far. Do not touch or interact with any fruit bats you may see.

John MacKenzie chats with Dr. Paul Williams, Associate Professor in Politics and Journalism at Griffith University, about the Voice to Parliament referendum results and what this could mean moving forward. On Saturday, October 14, 2023, Australians went to the polls to decide whether to change the constitution to include an Indigenous advisory body in parliament. The No campaign has won a victory with the majority of states and territories.

John MacKenzie chats with Dave Sharma, Former Ambassador of Australia to Israel and former federal member for the seat of Wentworth, about the war declared in the Levant following an attack by Hamas against the state of Israel. With events rapidly unfolding, a focus was placed on an interview between United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Mr Sharma provided his valuable insight into this complex issue.

John MacKenzie chats with Lawrence Mason, Daintree Business Identity, about the Douglas Shire Council's hope of negotiating a private operator to run the Daintree River Ferry crossing. The vessel will soon require replacing and many are using the opportunity to call for a bigger barge or a better alternative. The proposal of a small bridge has been met with controversy by many residents who enjoy the isolated atmosphere of the region. The ferry service currently transports over 200,000 vehicles per year and operates nearly 20 hours each day.

John MacKenzie chats with Senator Matthew Canavan about the Israel-Islamic conflict following a strategic attack by Hamas on the Jewish state. Senator Canavan also responded to a local news story where a limousine was allegedly stolen by two youths who sped down the highway clocking in at 180 km/hr!

John MacKenzie chats with Geoffrey Thomas, Editor in Chief at AirlineRatings.com, for updates on the Qatar and Qantas airlines controversy following a Senate committee's review of the matter. The Senate committee has stated that there is much evidence that Qantas 'exercised considerable influence' over the government during its decision. The federal government recently came under fire for denying Qatar Airways additional flights into the country, claiming it was in the national interest to do so. It was later revealed that 'keeping Qantas profitable' may have been a factor in the government's decision.

John MacKenzie chats with Bernice from Woree, an Indigenous Elder, about support for the Voice to Parliament referendum, the history of discrimination, and Jacinta Price. Senator Jacinta Yangapi Nampijinpa Price is a popular politician from the Northern Territory. With her connection to country and her common-sense approach to policy-making, many are touting Senator Price as a future leader of the nation.

John MacKenzie chats with Paul, a talkback caller sitting in Cairns Hospital. Paul called into the show to ask for help in understanding how to vote in the referendum when stuck in a hospital. A call was made to Warren Entsch, Federal Member for Leichhardt, who explained the process and made contact with hospital staff to assuage Paul's concerns.

John MacKenzie chats with Brett Olds, CRC Councillor for Division 9, about the Double Island agreement and the state government's intention to strip the lease from the current holder. Conditions of the lease include that the Island is operational for tourism purposes, yet still sits idle. The Department of Resources will begin proceedings in the Queensland Land Court, alleging non-compliance. The lease for Double Island is held by Benny Wu's Fortune Island Holding Company.

John MacKenzie chats with Dr. Paul Williams, Associate Professor in Politics and Journalism at Griffith University, about the latest polling numbers in regard to the referendum on an Indigenous "Voice to Parliament". Recent polls show increased support for the Yes Campaign, now sitting at 43 percent (according to The Guardian), with support for the No Vote now at 49 percent. This sees the Yes Vote up by 2 percentage points from previous polling. Early voting locations are now open for those needing to cast their vote before October 14, 2023.

John MacKenzie chats with Darren Halpin, Managing Director of Halpin Property Group, about an exciting submission for a water and tourist park at the former Paradise Palms site. The $141 million proposal called "Reefsedge" would see 25 water slides, a 2500 square-metre wave pool, 364 villas, and 47 caravan sites. Mr. Halpin estimated the park would eventually accommodate 2,500 people per day and attract 100,000 visitors each year.

John MacKenzie chats with Dean from Cairns about the cooperation between the council and local police officers to address a vagrant campsite on Fearnley Street in Portsmith. Dean reported the story a couple of weeks ago after being threatened by dangerous animals on-site. He updated John today with the positive news that the campsite and mountains of rubbish had been cleaned up. Cairns Regional Council's Mayor Bob Manning happened to be in-studio to comment on the resolution.

John MacKenzie chats with Senator Matthew Canavan about climate predictions made while federal treasurer Jim Chalmers attended a National Drought Forum in Rockhampton. New modelling from the federal government shows that our country could lose $1.8 billion per year over the next four years, due to reduced production of farming crops. Senator Canavan made the point that the Australian government should be quickly building dams if they are predicting bigger drought seasons. "Why did Jim Chalmers, in his first budget, cut all the funding to build dams?" Senator Canavan said, "So the solution seems to be to shut everything down... to fight this climate change thing."

John MacKenzie chats with Dr. Paul Williams, Associate Professor in Politics and Journalism at Griffith University, for an update about the "voice to parliament" polling numbers for the final week of September 2023. The most recent Newspoll shows the Yes Vote drop down to 36% in support, whilst the No Vote has gained momentum with support now sitting at 56% The referendum date is set for October 14th, 2023. It will mark the first time Australians have voted in a referendum since 1999. Dr. Williams provided his valuable insight into polling news that keeps unfolding rapidly.

"Vale Kevin Byrne" is the message being spread following the death of former Mayor of Cairns, Kevin Byrne. John MacKenzie pays tribute to his legacy. Kevin Byrne was Mayor of Cairns twice, from 1992-1995 and again from 2000-2008, and was behind many projects and developments, in particular the iconic Cairns Lagoon that opened in 2003. Kevin Byrne passed away on Thursday 21 September 2023. Picture: Opening of the Cairns Lagoon in 2003, (from left) John MacKenzie, Singer Graeme Connors, Premier Peter Beattie, Mayor Kevin Byrne.

John MacKenzie chats with a talkback caller, Frankie Hogan, about some local businesses that are deciding to go cashless in an effort to protect staff from crime. Frankie was one of many concerned citizens who successfully led the charge against the council's ban on cash at certain facilities. With crime running rampant in and around Cairns, and following attacks and threats against staff members, some business owners are making the tough decision to EFTPOS only, even if it means losing profits.

John MacKenzie chats with Senator Matthew Canavan about nuclear power options following Peter Dutton's push to consider the renewable power source. Federal Climate Change & Energy Minister Chris Bowen rejected the idea, basing the decision upon departmental figures that claim it would cost $376 billion to replace coal power with nuclear. The debate is raging in Australia as blackouts are being assured as inevitable in the upcoming summer months; many are rejecting off-putting wind turbines and instead looking toward realistic alternatives to coal.

John MacKenzie chats with Cr. Brett Moller, CRC Representative for Division 1, about local policy implementation following a forum where upset residents expressed their opposition to a proposed fishing ban on the Cairns Esplanade. Cr. Moller confirmed that there have been no complaints made by residents against Esplanade fishers and that the controversial recommendations came internally from council staff who allegedly witnessed unsafe fishing behaviour, and proposed the idea for consultation. The community's backlash and opposition have been loud and conspicuous, and it's being highly speculated that an outright ban is unlikely.

John Mackenzie chats with Shane Knuth, KAP State Member for Hill, about a $30 million wildlife bridge ignored by a cassowary that instead crossed the road beside it. The bird somehow made its way around the barrier designed to direct it toward the safe crossing built by the government. Some are asking if cassowaries were consulted before construction began, to see if they would use the bridge. What began in 2019 as a $9.8 million safe crossing for wildlife at Smith's Gap, has now become an example of bureaucracy gone wrong as the budget has more than tripled, has faced lengthy delays, and evidently isn't being used by cassowaries as intended. Cassowary advocacy groups collaborated with governmental agencies to develop the unsuccessful initiative.

John MacKenzie chats with Luke Twyford, CEO of the Queensland Family & Child Commission, about discovered failings within the residential care system (Resicare). The investigations were spearheaded by the newly appointed Minister for Child Safety and local Member for Barron, Craig Crawford, and have highlighted the need for major overhauls, labeling the system as "under pressure" and acknowledging that it was designed to be a temporary place of care, but has morphed into a place for long-term living. Luke Twyford explained how Resicare homes are somewhat clinical and unhomely, meaning that children were hesitant about spending much time there.

John MacKenzie chats with Robbie Katter, State Member for Traeger and Queensland Leader of Katter's Australian Party, about the latest "Voice to Parliament" polling numbers. Katter reiterated his support for the No campaign, explaining that a bureaucratic body located in big southern cities will do little to improve the lives and fortunes of Indigenous Australians. Polling currently shows increased support for the "No" vote over the "Yes" vote (which is sitting at 38% support), with statistics as high as 61% in regional areas in support of voting "No". On 14th October 2023, Australians will decide in a referendum vote whether or not to include Indigenous Australians in the constitution as a recognised governmental body to advise on lawmaking decisions.

Gavin King chats with Sabrina Tooley, founder of Safe Gaming Projects, about an initiative to engage young offenders with a video game centre. The idea is to operate a place for video gaming available 24/7 in an effort to reduce youth crime affecting Cairns. The centre plans to offer nutritious meals, a series streaming services, and video gaming. Sabrine Tooley, a youth social worker, said that the idea came to her after her own experience trying to engage her son, and found that video games were the prevailing saviour. “The idea is to get kids affected by family violence off the streets and out of crime and into playing video games to educate and empower them,” Sabrina explained.

John MacKenzie chats with Senator Matthew Canavan about the cost-of-living crisis, the future of power blackouts, changing Australian town names to Indigenous alternatives, and "welcome to country" protocols.

John MacKenzie chats with Ian Leavers, President and CEO of the Queensland Police Union, about the case of a police vehicle being intentionally rammed by a stolen car in Townsville. Two officers were taken to hospital following the deliberate attack that was allegedly committed by teenagers earlier this week. Mr. Leavers has called for actual punishments and jail time for violent offenders while facing backlash from legal societies who want to lobby for increasing the age of criminal responsibility.

John MacKenzie chats with Dr. Terry Goldsworthy, Associate Professor in Criminology at Bond University, about policing recidivism and young repeat offenders. Recent data has revealed shocking figures as high as 90% of juveniles at the Cleveland Youth Detention Centre commit another crime within 12 months of being released. Dr. Goldsworthy commented on the changes that may be required in upper positions of government and the policing force in Queensland.

John MacKenzie catches up again with Dr. Paul Williams, Associate Professor in Politics and Journalism at Griffith University, for the latest update on polling data in regards to the upcoming "voice to parliament" referendum. The most recent polling figures show 53% popularity for the No Vote (i.e. for those who do not wish to change the constitution) and a low 38% in support of the Yes Vote. On October 14 2023 Australians will vote to amend the constitution to add a governmental Indigenous advisory body. On other matters, Dr. Williams commented on the falling popularity of Labor politicians in Far North Queensland, in particular around Cairns and Townsville, with youth crime being the primary motivator.