AURUKUN Mayor Neville Pootchemunka was a dedicated leader who will be sorely missed, Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch said today. Mr Entsch first met Mr Pootchemunka in 2004 and said he always found him to be very, very committed to his community. “He was never afraid to embrace controversial initiatives that he believed were in the…
Clive Skarott, former chairman of Ports North, wrote last week in The Weekend Post that the decision by the State Government to halt the awarding of a major contract has put the entire Cairns Entertainment Precinct at serious risk.But it’s been apparent to me for some time now that far too much attention has been…
A GROUP of mad-keen cyclists will take off from Cairns next week on a fundraising adventure that will see some of them pedal their way across Australia. On Monday morning, 10 riders will start the first leg (Cairns to Mt Isa) of Australia Ride, a three year, 20,000km journey to raise money and awareness for…
A CAMPAIGN to reduce the plague of Indian myna birds in the Far North has reached a milestone, with Federal MP for Leichhardt Warren Entsch, Cairns Rotary and the Cairns Men’s Shed celebrating the construction of the 500th myna bird trap this Thursday, 19 April. In November, the Rotary Club of Cairns declared war on…
OPPORTUNITIES occasionally come along that create a real ‘light-bulb’ moment and a recent last-minute offer to take the place of the Shadow Tourism Minister at Hamilton Island’s Qualia resort was certainly one.Although it was easy to be impressed by the service, the food, the stunning facilities and setting, it was the remarkable parallels between Hamilton…
A MOVE by Cairns Regional Council to force Mossman Golf Club to pay for a recycled water scheme it can’t afford will bankrupt the organisation, club representatives say. Desperate for assistance, club captain John Carney and former president Ian Prewett have contacted the office of Federal MP Warren Entsch appealing for help to make council…
A REFUSAL by the Attorney General to meet with the mayors of 19 Cape York and Torres councils over their disaster recovery arrangements is outrageous, says Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch.Kym Jerome, CEO of the Regional Organisation of Councils of Cape York and Torres Shire (ROCCY), wrote to the Hon Nicola Roxon MP on March 27…
LEICHHARDT MP Warren Entsch has welcomed a pledge by Cairns Mayor Val Schier to commit $10 million towards refurbishment of the Tobruk Memorial Pool if she is re-elected this month.But he has cautioned that the move “smells like an election ploy” given that only two months ago, Cr Schier labelled a package of initiatives to…
CAPE York traditional owners who campaigned on election day in Brisbane against the wild rivers legislation and a blanket World Heritage proposal achieved a significant win for their people, Federal Member for Leichhardt Warren Entsch says. A contingent of traditional owners, including members of Cape York Sustainable Futures, travelled to Brisbane to ensure voters in…
FEDERAL Government grants to address climate change issues in indigenous communities will do little to help Torres Strait islanders who are regularly being inundated by king tides because of crumbling sea walls, Member for Leichhardt Warren Entsch says. Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency Greg Combet yesterday (March 26) announced $2m in grants to…