Mornings with John Mackenzie

John MacKenzie chats with Ian Leavers, President and CEO of the Queensland Police Union about the successful expansion of metal detection wands being used in safe night precincts. Cairns will soon follow Townsville in its use of "wanding" powers by state police. Townsville saw 66 individuals scanned over the weekend, out of the state total of 530. Queensland Police charged 15 people and detected e...

John MacKenzie chats with talkback caller, Elvis from Edmonton, about a group of International Tour Agents who were abused by a group of drunks in Kuranda Village. These are the very agents who encourage tourists to visit Cairns, Kuranda and Far North Queensland.  Some arguements are made that crime shouldn't be reported on as it scares off the tourists, however, it seems that the criminals are do...

Step in Right Direction:  John MacKenzie chats with Dr. Terry Goldsworthy, Associate Professor in Criminology at Bond University, for his perspective on crime reduction in relation to the expansion of metal detectors used by Queensland Police, in order to curb knife crime. Trial periods at the Gold Coast saw a decrease in the number of knife-related crimes, and metal detectors are being expanded t...

No More Living in Fear! John MacKenzie chats with Villa Romana Owner, Helen Papagelou, about being threatened, accosted and robbed repeatedly by a growing crime problem in our once beautiful city of Cairns. Mrs Papagelou spoke of being threatened with one of her own dining knives by odious itinerants who plague the Esplanade and streets of Cairns. The city of Cairns is building a reputation of law...

John MacKenzie chats with Division 9 Councillor Brett Olds about the deadline to meet lease conditions for Double Island. Leaseholder Benny Wu was given until March 31 2023 by the Queensland Depatment of Resources to have the resort open and to provide day-use facilities for public visitors. Many are calling for the state goverment to strip Mr. Wu of the lease, considering that the conditions of t...

John MacKenzie chats with Craig Crawford, ALP State Member for Barron River, about the owner of Double Island at Palm Cove, and the involved responsibilities as per the lease conditions.  One of the primary condition that has not been met is the opening of day-use favilties to the public for all to enjoy Double Island.  Mr. Benny Wu purchased the lease in 2012 for nearly $6-million. Minister Crawf...

John MacKenzie chats with Russell Beer, Chairman of Ports North, about the confirmation that Cairns will again be a home port for P&O Cruise's Pacific Explorer ship in 2023/2024. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, P&O Cruises had a long-term ship ported in Cairns so the announcement has been highly anticipated by avid holiday-goers. Mr. Beer explained that home porting in Cairns brings visitors...

John MacKenzie chats with talkback caller, Jonny from Cairns, who was attacked by young thugs for intervening when an elderly woman was being assaulted in a suburb north of Cairns. The youths were inhaling deodorant when they attacked Jonny and could be heard stating "We Own Cairns!" The state of emergency on crime continues to worsen.

John MacKenzie chats with John Moore, Former Director of Australian Rugby League, about potential funding for Barlow Park upgrades by the Queensland Government as a part of the 2032 Olympic Games planning. On Wednesday, Cairns Regional Councillors voted unanimously to cooperate with the State Government on delivering "Olympic Legacy Upgrades" to the sporting venue located on the corner of Scott an...

John MacKenzie chats with Cr. Brett Olds, CRC Representative for Division 9, about the lease conditions for Double Island after a state inquiry into Island upkeep in Queensland. Lease-holder of Double Island, Benny Wu, has not met conditions to provide day use facilities for members of the public to enjoy, nor has necessary repairs and maintainence been adequately conducted according to observatio...

John MacKenzie chats with Richie Bates, Former President of Cairns Cycling Club & Former CRC Councillor, about E-Scooters and aspects of the law. Legal firm Slater & Gordon conducted a survey that found a slight majority of road users do not want to see more e-scooters on Australian roads. Cairns is seeing an increase in the use of electronic scooters as a commuting option, with the rollou...

John MacKenzie and 4CA celebrate the Cairns Esplanade Lagoon's 20th Anniversary with a live broadcast. John caught up with former Queensland Premier at the time, Peter Beattie, to reminisce and celebrate the 20-year milestone for a piece of iconic infrastructure. Happy 20th Birthday to the Lagoon!

John MacKenzie chats with Leigh Ratcliffe, Founder of the Palm Cove Master Plan, about a proposed 6-story tower that many say would conflict with the natural settings and beauty of Palm Cove. Considered by many locals to be the Father of Palm Cove, Mr. Ratcliffe detailed the master plans to unsure the future of plam cove that he compiled some 40-years ago. "Buildings Should Never be Taller than th...

John MacKenzie chats with talkback caller, Scott from Cairns, who had an issue with parking meters and cash payments. The cashless debate continues in Cairns, prompted by a call a few weeks ago who revealed that certain CRC facitlities no longer accept cash as an optyion for payemnts.

John MacKenzie chats with Roger Ward, Director of Cairns Mortgage Brokers and Senior Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia, about the many households that will be forced off their fixed-rate home loan. The Reserve Bank of Australia has data revealing that 53% of Queenland home loans will be pushed back on to a variable rate. The end of a fixed-rate loan could mean an average in...

John MacKenzie chats with George Karagiannis, Owner of Fetta's Greek Taverna, about the proposed 6-story tower at Palm Cove. A recent trip to the Gold Coast showcased to Mr. Karagiannis what is most undesirable: tall buildings that rise up and shadow the sandy beaches.  Many want to keep Palm Cove as a lush, tropical oasis rather than a concrete jungle. If you are opposed to the currently proposed...

John MacKenzie chats with Lance, Grandfather of 20-year-old Declan Laverty who was fatally stabbed at a Darwin bottle shop on Sunday. Lance thanked the community of Cairns and the public of Australia for their support during this tragic time. A 19-year-old faces charges for the alleged murder of Declan Laverty.

John MacKenzie chats with Kevin Byrne, Executive Manager of Enterprise North and Former Mayor of Cairns, about his opinion piece written in The Cairns Post titled "Drinker Bans in FNQ Won't Solve Problem". Mr. Byrne elaborated on the growing fears in the community for action to be taken on rising crime, and pointed to the reintroduction of rehabilitation centres as a method of recovery.   "The emp...

John MacKenzie chats with Robbie Katter, State Member for Traeger and Queensland Leader of Katter's Australian Party, to gain his perspective on the new youth crime reforms. Katter's Australian Party would like to governement to offer more practical solutions to curb youth crime, including a remote camp where juveniles learn vital skills, similar to the "Petford Youth Camp" once operated by the le...

John MacKenzie chats with John Herron, Lawyer and Victims of Crime Advocate, about the changes to Queensland law in regard to youth crime and justice. John Herron is himself a victim of crime, after his daughter was murdered in 2019 by an offender who was already on bail.  Mr. Herron explains how the legislative changes won't be enough to curb the crime trends and provide support to the victims.

John MacKenzie chats with Tara Bennet, CEO Tourism Port Douglas & Daintree, about a recent trip to New Zealand to lure visitors to the Cairns and Douglas Shires. Statistics show that NZ visitation is down 80% on pre-pandemic numbers. 105K room nights in Port Douglas were filled by New Zealanders prior to Covid-19. "New Zealanders appear to be six months behind in terms of appetite and confiden...

John Mackenzie chats with Michelle from Edmonton, about what can be done to mitigate the negative effects foetal alcohol syndrome can have on children. Michelle has first-hand experience living with and learning how to help those affected by the syndrome. She argues that not all hope is lost for children born with alcohol syndromes or similar disorders, explaining ways to correct the behavior of t...

John MacKenzie chats with Cr. Cathy Zeiger, CRC Representative for Division 3, about the Cairns Regional Council's dog management process. Following a 4CA talkback caller and "Letters to the Editor" in our local Cairns Post regarding nuisance barking dogs, Councillor Cathy Zeiger was called upon to address the issue and explain the Council's current role and responsibilities. Electronic barking-de...