Mornings with John Mackenzie

John MacKenzie chats with Deputy Mayor Brett Moller, CRC Representative for Division 1, about the stranded community in Goldsborough Valley who live across Fisheries Bridge that was destroyed in the recent flooding. Cr. Moller was attending the site along with members of the State Emergency Service, after speaking with locals through social media.  The issue was brought to the attention of many fo...

John MacKenzie chats with Martin Anton from Machans Beach about the destruction experienced in the wake of the recent flooding. Some residents in Machans have lost everything, sewerage lines are backing up, and telecommunications is limited or non-existent.   Mr. Anton is pleading with the Albanese Government to provide a swift relief package and to consider subsidising hotel rooms (like during Co...

John MacKenzie chats with Roddy Rees, Sole Director of Cairns Adventure Group and Raging Thunder Adventure, about his flood experience and the new facility at Lake Placid being destroyed. The entire north has been inundated with unprecedented flooding that has damaged around 1,400 homes and countless businesses. The damage bill is expected to be in the billions of dollars.

John MacKenzie chats with Mel Fogarty, Carins North Local and Owner of Beyond the Willow Tree, about her part in amazing rescue efforts to save 60 people in one night at Holloways Beach, including 28 people stuck on a roof! Cairns and Far North Queensland experienced a 1-in-100-year flood event on Sunday  17th December 2023, following the crossing of Cyclone Jasper earlier in the week. 

John MacKenzie chats with Ian Leavers, President & CEO of the Queensland Police Union, about the announced new police helicopter for Townville, following unprecedented levels of crime, including an ambulance being targeted. 

John MacKenzie chats with Cr. Brett Olds, CRC Representative for Division 9, about cyclone mania and the knee-jerk reaction of council bureaucrats and their preemptive response to Cyclone Jasper.

John MacKenzie chats with Chris Hodgman, Chief Superintendent District Officer Townsville, about the unprecedented crime and anti-social behaviour plaguing Townsville, including targeted attacks on police vehicles.

Caroline from Wonga Beach called John MacKenzie with concerns about the local Telstra telecommunications tower and battery backup during Cyclone Jasper. Caroline felt as though her pleas were falling on deaf ears, but then Don from Yorkey's Knob suggested she call the John MacKenzie Show to get some answers. Long story short, Telstra was listening and issued this statement: "Good afternoon. We hea...

John MacKenzie chats with Cr. Martin Bella, Mackay Regional Council, to contrast the crimes occurring in Townsville to Cairns and Mackay, following a spate of Police vehicles being rammed by juvenile thugs. At least 5 police cars have been rammed in the last week, and a TPI war veteran's vehicle was trashed and rammed. 75 vehicles were allegedly stolen in Townsville in the last seven days. The sit...

John MacKenzie chats with Councillor Locky Bensted, Mareeba Shire, about an act of civil unrest and riots against police in the streets of Mareeba. In unrelated incidents, police cars in Townsville were again targeted by youth criminals and rammed. Brazen thugs are now forcing entry to homes with bricks, bats, and clubs as residents hide in fear or bravely fight back in defence. "People are living...

John MacKenzie chats with Cr. Cathy Zeiger, CRC Representative for Division 3, about the convenient timing of the replacement councillor for Division 4 without the need for a by-election. With the early retirement of Bob Manning and the succession of Terry James as the new mayor, a gap was left in Terry's Division 4 electorate that needed filling. Due to the proximity of an upcoming local governme...

John MacKenzie chats with Cr. Cathy Zeiger, CRC Representative for Division 3, who called in to tell a story about the brazen theft, and imminent return, of a $20,000 lawnmower from the Saints Hockey Club in Woree. The swift action from the Cairns Regional Council's CCTV team and the Queensland Police located the mower that had become stuck on a nearby train crossing. Cr. Zeiger reminded everyone...

John MacKenzie chats with Ken Harley, Local Crime Emergency Activist, about riots and unrest on the streets in Mareeba. Reports have come in of gangs of juveniles assaulting people in broad daylight in the main supermarket car park, including the elderly, making Mareeba feel like a war zone. Furthermore, the 'Enough is Enough Mareeba' Facebook page shows a video where a group of adults are in a ri...

John MacKenzie chats with Rob Schwarten, former Queensland Parliamentarian, about Palaszczuk's popularity as premier of the state, and the direction of the Australian Labor Party in the modern world.

Danny Betros from CBRE points to the mismanagement of Anzac Park beside the Casino in Cairns' CBD. Danny observed drunken itinerants talking over and garbage piles not being cleaned and reiterated the need for a strong council with a vision for an environment we can all enjoy living in. Following the talkback call, the new Deputy Mayor Brett Moller went to investigate Anzac Park and concurred with...

John MacKenzie chats with Brett Olds, CRC Councillor for Division 9, about the convenient timing regarding the early departure of Mayor Bob Manning and the introduction of a new mayor and deputy quite close to an election. The vote to replace the Mayor without an election fell just within the limits of the law and was chosen by Cairns Regional Council last week, with the unity team's majority vote...

John MacKenzie chats with Danny Betros, Managing Director of CBRE Cairns, about the council's mismanagement of Anzac Park beside the Casino. Danny also brought to life the plans to revamp Mondo's, the riverfront restaurant at The Hilton. Anzac Park is seeing a growing problem with itinerants and drunks who frequent the popular tourist area, resulting in a bad image for Cairns. Mr Betros said in hi...

John MacKenzie chats with Mark Olsen, CEO of Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ), following 3 days of tourism forums and discussions in Cairns. An increase to the Growing Future Tourism Fund to a total of $30 million was announced by the government and the need to attract international visitation and see its return to pre-pandemic levels.

John MacKenzie chats with Keith Hamburger AM, Former Director-General of Queensland's Corrective Services, about staff shortages at youth detention centres around the state. Reports are coming in of centres reaching full capacity and teenagers being locked up, for up to 23 hours per day. This is amidst government plans to construct two new detention facilities. Keith Hamburger suggested the govern...

John MacKenzie chats with Jemma Probert, owner of Kerry D Fishing Charters in Karumba, about a "plague of rats" that have recently invaded the Gulf-based town. Footage and pictures of thousands of rats have flooded social media with many washing up dead along the shorelines. Jemma Probert explains her firsthand encounters as she has to fight off rats from climbing into her boat on a daily basis. E...

John MacKenzie chats with John Hardy OAM, Second World War Historian and Local Tour Guide, about the strange case of 3 unexploded ordnances (UXO) discovered in the Bilwon State Forest near Mareeba, dating back to the Second World War. The 80-year-old bombs are still considered extremely dangerous and representatives from the Australian Defence Force attended the site. John Hardy OAM has a rich kno...

John MacKenzie chats with Dr. Peter Ridd, Independent Scientist and Marine Geophysicist, about the government's commitment of another $50 million to improve reef quality, bringing the budget to around $200 million in total.

The allegedly stolen puppies recovered by police have the community of Cairns talking, so John MacKenzie caught up with dog owner, Andrea White, to understand her ordeal and the outcome. The four golden retriever puppies were returned to Andrea following raids and arrests of multiple teenage offenders. The puppies are only a couple of weeks old. "A total of seven teenagers aged between 14 and 18-y...

John MacKenzie chats with Allen Bobbermen, President of the Queensland Seafood Industry Association, following the state government's $90-million compensation announcement for the phasing out of gillnet fishing.

John MacKenzie chats with Dr. Paul Williams, Associate Professor in Politics and Journalism at Griffith University, about secret polling done to judge the state government's popularity that was funded by the taxpayer but organised by Palaszczuk. It is being reported that the 66-week polling venture cost taxpayers over $390,000.