Mornings With John Mackenzie

John MacKenzie chats with Paul Taylor, former Senior Police Officer, about the 2024 Cairns Regional Council elections, following his announced discussions in consideration to run for Mayor. Former two-time Mayor of Cairns, Kevin Byrne, has ruled out his own mayoral run and is discussing options of forming a team, with Paul Taylor in the driving seat.  With 45 years of experience serving with the Queensland Police Force, including time spent as the Northern Regional Deputy Commissioner, Mr. Taylor agrees that law and order will be a hot topic that will influence people's vote. Anti-social crimes and senseless violence are rising in the city, with car thefts at record highs for the last few years. The trends are sadly continuing.

John MacKenzie chats with Fran Lindsay, Former Division 2 CRC Councillor, about the proposed site in Edmonton for a youth detention centre. Local residents are demanding answers from the state government following Deputy Premier Steven Miles's announcement two weeks ago confirming the probable location, wondering how the logistics of a youth prison will fit harmoniously in the suburban community. "Where will its exact location be? What will it look like? How many children will it hold?" ...are some of the questions that need answering according to stakeholders.

John MacKenzie chats with Michael Salerno, Owner of Stratford Service Station, about picking up the pieces following a break-in. A brick was allegedly used by two offenders, a male aged 28 and a female aged 31,  to gain entry to the store, but they were scared off before stealing anything by an employee living on-site. Mr. Salerno stated how people have a fundamental right to feel safe and secure in their own homes, businesses, and community. He also reminded people that the cost of break-ins are passed onto consumers, who are already struggling with their own financial concerns.

John MacKenzie chats with Craig Crawford, ALP State Member for Barron River, Minister for Child Safety, and Minister for Seniors and Disability Services, about the completion of a new driving lane for the northern access of Cairns City. The new inbound lane is now open between Airport Avenue and Lily Street, which brings a much-coveted third lane to the bottleneck that drivers experienced previously. The new lane is part of a funding package aimed to improve the Captain Cook Highway between Cairns CBD and Smithfield, with total costs at $359 million. Changes in outbound traffic in the same area around the Airport intersection are now beginning and Minister Crawford estimated the completion to be within two years.

John MacKenzie catches up with Shai Ager, Founder of The Agile Project, about the latest wallaby relocation project. The mammoth task will see the relocation of wallabies from a site on Trinity Beach Road to make way for a new Woolworths supermarket development.

John MacKenzie chats with Dr. Jim Chalmers, Federal Treasurer of Australia, about a myriad of economic issues facing Cairns' residents and the people of Australia. The treasurer spoke about the pressure facing the nation including the cost of living crisis with rising inflation and skyrocketing energy prices. Jim Chalmers was in town to have a meeting with Margy Osmond, CEO of the Tourism and Transport Forum of Australia, about the need to reinvigorate the tourism industry for the city of Cairns and Far North Queensland. The Cairns Marine Precinct was also touched on, with construction beginning very soon, which would help diversify the economy in Cairns.

John MacKenzie chats with Frank Dangelico, Food & Wine Event Curator for Cairns Italian Festival, about the degustation evenings on offer in 2023. The festival is offering specialised courses hosted at local Italian restaurants, that represent food and wine from the different regions of Italy. The degustation courses are a lead-up to the big "La Festa" party this Saturday at Fogarty Park. Don't Miss Out!

John MacKenzie chats with Dean from Cairns about an alleged attack on patrons at a Shield Street restaurant last Saturday evening. Dean was one of many who witnessed a public urination incident escalate into a violent attack against patrons and staff by one individual. Listen to Dean's story here.

John MacKenzie chats with Gilberto Risa, founder of Cruze Coffee in Cairns, about selling his coffee business after 13 years of operating. Known for his infectious smile, Mr. Risa opened his first Cruze Coffee store in Oceana Walk in 2010. The business's popularity saw it move into a larger location on Grafton Street and then expand to a second location in Cairns Central shopping mall. Gilberto plans to enjoy some free time with family in Italy before returning to Cairns to begin the next chapter in his life. 

John MacKenzie speaks with Jason Christopher, Pharmacist & Managing Director Cairns Doctors & Whole Life Pharmacy, about the exacerbating crime and violence issue plaguing Cairns. Jason and his staff are at their wit's end and have given up calling the police, whose resources are stretched, instead placing the blame on ineffective government INaction. "There is a systemic failure for actions in regards to curtailing these sorts of things [crime and violence]... What sort of future do we have if our youth are so fragrantly abusing the system and know there's no consequences?" Jason explained.

John MacKenzie chats with talkback caller, Allen from Yorkey's Knob, about his dog going blind after an injection. Allen brought in experts from the southern cities that confirmed the condition, but not all hope was lost. Allen's dog is slowly regaining its sight after training and rehabilitation.

John MacKenzie chats with Gavin King (Host of 4CA's The King Review, Former State Member for Cairns & Assistant Minister) and Danny Betros (Managing Director of CBRE Cairns) about the crime emergency facing Cairns and Far North Queensland. Brazen youth offenders are getting too close for comfort after a series of attacks against restaurants at a popular tourist hot-spot has seen operators turning to private security because of ineffective government policy that is not addressing the concerns of citizens.

John Mackenzie chats with Margaret Shaw, Consumer Insurance Advocate, for a positive update on the progress of the $10 billion reinsurance pool for Far North Queensland's cyclone-prone regions. With some big insurers, including SURE, Suncorp, QBE, and Alliance, having already joined the pool, consumers are now waiting for the remaining giants, such as IAG and RACQ to commit. Margaret Shaw saw the news as overtly positive with positive flow-on effects, however, she vowed to fight to the very end if needed to ensure the reinsurance pool is effectively executed. A previous caller from today's show, Linda Tuck from Property Ladder Real Estate, explained how her insurance bill has already decreased by over 39% for some properties, all thanks to the newly-formed pool.

John MacKenzie chats with Paul Taylor, former senior Police Officer, for his response to a spate of attacks along the waterfront restaurants by a youth gang. Mr. Taylor was horrified to hear about the attacks at the popular dining spot and he reiterated the need for local government to step up and be more involved in community safety. On Tuesday evening a group of youths allegedly went from restaurant to restaurant smashing property and assaulting staff and patrons both verbally and physically, including smashing a pot plant and threatening to stab an individual with a ceramic shard. 

John MacKenzie chats with Joanne Borg, former Child Safety Executive, about the state of Resi care after the Minister for Child Safety ordered a review of the system. Resi care is meant to operate as a place of safety and support for young people in need but has seen scathing reports from insiders who say there is no future for a young person living in this system, with reports of physical and sexual abuse by other children in care, drug and alcohol use, mistreatment of disabled children, and lack of support for carers who sometimes are the recipients of physical harm. Joanne, with her first-hand experience, explained how the lack of proper support is directly responsible for the growing crime problems in Cairns and far North Queensland.

John MacKenzie chats with Peter Scott, Mayor of Cook Shire, about yesterday's visit by Shannon Fentiman, Minister for Health, Mental Health and Ambulance Services due to Cooktown still having no birthing services available for pregnant mothers. Mayor Scott was disappointed when Minister Fentiman did not even get in touch with him to discuss the return of the service to the region's hospital.   "The emergency chopper... comes in probably four or five times a week, costing $35,000 bucks each time it comes in... you're looking at seven or eight million dollars [over one year]" Mayor Scott explained. Birthing Services in Cooktown ceased in February 2022. Difficulties in recruiting staff are being blamed as the primary cause.

John MacKenzie chats with Dan Galligan, CEO of Queensland Canegrowers, about the first shipment of raw sugar to the United Kingdom under a new free trade agreement. Australia has not had any significant exports of sugar to the UK since the 1970s, and none at all since 2017, due to the protectionist attitude of the European Union, which saw some tariffs as high as 98 euros per tonne.  The free trade agreement should see Australia bring in around $74 million per annum from raw sugar exports.

John MacKenzie chats with Jared Abbott, Director of Organising at Transport Workers Union in Queensland, following an alleged robbery and assault of a Cairns bus driver and passenger by two teenage girls who have been charged. A helpless 53-year-old female bus driver and a 37-year-old female passenger were both allegedly assaulted and the driver was robbed in Redlynch yesterday. When our local heroes in blue located the offenders, one police officer was allegedly spat on. Jared spoke about the need for drivers and passengers to feel safe and protected whilst traveling on public buses in Cairns and Far North Queensland.

John MacKenzie chats with Kevin Goan, Acting Superintendent of Cairns Police, about youth justice reforms and new preventative trials to avoid auto theft. Kevin explained how recidivism is a key factor, as the majority of crime problems in Cairns are caused by a minority of repeat offenders, and early intervention is imperative. Vehicle engine immobilisers have also been a hot topic after $10 million in funding was announced by the state government for the subsidy of such technology.  The immobilisers require a pin code to start the car, which should effectively lower the rates of stolen vehicles.

John MacKenzie chats with Dr. Paul Williams, Associate Professor in Politics and Journalism at Griffith University, for an update on opinion polls regarding Palaszczuk's popularity and the Voice to Parliament referendum.  An Australian Financial Review recently polled 1065 voters and found the primary vote for Labor has fallen down to 34%, whilst the LNP party has risen to 40%. In regards to the referendum later this year where Australians will vote on adding an Indigenous "voice to parliament" to the constitution, support for the "Yes23" Campaign has dropped down to only 38% for Indigenous Australians (according to an Australian Community Media poll of over 2000 Indigenous people).