Mornings with John Mackenzie

John MacKenzie chats with Cr. Brett Olds, CRC Representative for Division 9, about two council matters: "Facilities Going Cashless" and "Security Guards at Libraries". The crime emergency plaguing Cairns and Far North Queensland has now crept into public libraries with the Cairns Regional Council now employing security to protect staff and the community. The other hot topic of local controversy is...

John MacKenzie chats with talkback caller, Bob from Mooroobool, about wasted policing resources in the face of escalating crime. Bob spoke about public drunkenness and anti-social behavoour, explaining his recent experience of people being threatened on the Cairns Esplanade. A situation that is getting worse as governent fails to ensure the duty of care it owes people. The conversation moved onto...

John MacKenzie chats with Dale Last, Shadow Minister for Police and Corrective Services, about the ongoing crime emergency after incidents of courtroom brawls and police being chased by offenders. A fight erupted in a courtroom between relatives of the victims and defendant, during the hearing of a teenager who was allegedly driving the vehicle that killed 14 year old Bradley Smith. Earlier this w...

John MacKenzie chats with Warren Entsch, LNP Federal Member for Leichhardt, about the Indigenous Voice to Parliament. Mr. Entsch is not convinced that the "voice" will create a concrete era of positive change for Indigenous communities because propnents cannot explain what the voice is or how it will work. Advocates have stated that all questions and frameworks regarding the voice should only be e...

John MacKenzie chats with Linda Tuck, Principal of Property Ladder Real Estate, about rental pressures, shortages, and the impact crime is having on tenants and landlords. Linda Tuck experinces the horrors and financial worries of repeated home invasions, as doors, locks and windows are dmaged in order to gain entry to invade someone's personal safe space. The cost of increased security puts addit...

John MacKenzie chats with Kevin Byrne, Executive Manager of Enterprise North and Former Mayor of Cairns, about the proposed Banned Drinking Register for Cairns. The Mayors of Cairns, Townsville, and Mount Isa penned a letter urging the State Government to introduce a Banned Drinkers Register, where a magistrate can issue an individual with a ban on alcohol sales. Mr. Byrne countered the Cairns Reg...

John MacKenzie chats with Kevin Goan, Detective Inspector for the Far North District Crime Group, to provide an update about Rajwinder Singh's court appearance following his successful extradition from India. Rajwinder Singh is being charged with the murder of Toyah Cordingley in 2018. Mr. Singh landed in Cairns yesterday after remaining a fugitive for four years. The Queensland State Government o...

John MacKenzie chats with Mark Perry, CEO of TARGA Australia, about the return of the Targa Great Barrier Reef event in September 2023. After the racing and all-round car-lovers event was cancelled in 2022 due to safety, TARGA will return this year with some changes following Motorsports Australia’s release of a safety report. 94 recommendations have been made in regard to cars, driving standards,...

John MacKenzie chats with David Crisafulli, State Leader of the Opposition and LNP Member for Broadwater, to hear his response to the Palaszczuk government's changes to youth crime legislation. Mr. Crisafulli is pushing for tougher and realistic penalties that address juvenile criminal activity and protect the rights of the victims, reiterating the fact that no one should be living in fear. David...

John MacKenzie chats with Neville Fry, Tinaroo Dam Water-sports Enthusiast, about dams and alternate water sources for the Atherton Tablelands. Mr. Fry explained that there was opnce a proposed dam for Millstream, near ravenshoe, which would be an additional source of water to the dam at Koombooloomba. The Millstream dam was once proposed as a source of hydroelectricity and for excess water to be...

John MacKenzie chats with Councillor Lenore Wyatt, Mareeba Shire, about the approval for eco-accommodation cabins to be built in the beautiful forests of Speewah. Many see this as a positive step toward the much-needed recovery of Far North Queensland's tourism sector.

John MacKenzie chats with Senator Susan McDonald about a letter signed by the Mayors of Cairns, Townsville and Mount Isa calling for the State Government to introduce a "banned drinking register". A register would be compiled by magistrates who could ban individuals from purchasing takeaway alcohol. Senator McDonald has voiced her support for the move as a positive effort to help curb Queensland's...

John MacKenzie chats with Ian leavers, President and CEO of the Queensland Police Union about the State Government's proposal to amend juvenile justice laws to better reflect community needs. Mr. Leavers makes the salient point that lawmakers increasing maximum sentencing penalties is redundant if judges and magistarates make no effort issue them. Communities across Queensland are are breaking poi...

John MacKenzie chats with Ken Harley, Local Crime Emergency Activist, about youth offenders and ways to address the growing crime problem in Far North Queensland. For several years now, Mr. Harley gives up his time to support disadvantaged youth in the community by excaping the cycle of drinking, drug-use, violence, and crime. Ken has pointed to foetal alcohol syndrome as one of many route problem...

John MacKenzie chats with Neville Fry, Tinaroo Dam Water-sports Enthusiast, about the idea floated to expand the amount of water in Tinaroo by dredging. A "Letter to the Editor" in today's Cairns Post, by Jennifer from Edge Hill, argues that there should be an end to "co-called environmental flows" and that dregding the dam would be a sure way to increase water capacity. Neville Fry provided his l...

John MacKenzie chats with Dr. Terry Goldsworthy, Associate Professor in Criminology at Bond University, about the Palaszczuk government's announced crime-fighting policies for Queensland. The reintroduction of breach of bail laws was the surprise announcement, as the policy had hitherto been condemned by the state Labor party. "In 2016, the Labor government removed... breach of bail for youth offe...

John MacKenzie chats with Ken Harley, Chairman of the Redcliffe Highway Proposal (an alternate tablelands access route), about the Kuranda Range following yet another vehicle accident and temporary closure. The quality of the road is demonstrably dangerous as sink holes have allegedly formed. Mr. Harley continues putting pressure on the Queensland state goverment to address the long term solution...

John MacKenzie chats with Alicia Prince, Head of Operations at Cairns Airport, about the announced $50-million upgrades at the international terminal. The upgrades that will begin next month will be the first in 3 years. It is a move welcomed by our tourism industry. Some upgrades will include new escalators, refurbished check-in and arrivals areas, new external cladding, and 4 state-of-the-art gl...

John MacKenzie chats with Chris Roach, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Services Ranger, about the "Felixer" feral cat trap that uses A.I. (artificial intelligence) technology. The traps use artificial intelligence to distinguish between a feral cat and other animals, then shoots them with a poison gel, which is consumed by the feline during its grooming habits. A trial run of the technology is beng...

John MacKenzie chats with Professor Marcus Lane, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academy JCU, about the increase in student enrollment numbers and the expansion of their dentistry program. Domestic student numbers have increased by 15% compared to the same time last year, with international enrollments seeing a 17% surge. JCU is also expadning their dentisry program with 106 new students ready to begin the...

John MacKenzie chats with Brett Olds, CRC Councillor for Division 9, about the Cairns Regional Council's move to not accept cash as a form of payment at select facilities. Cr. Olds slammed the move as unfair in a modern society, as cashless services have been introduced at the Library and Waste Transfer Station. The Council did not vote to end cash payments, the change was implemented without the...

John MacKenzie chats with talkback caller, Alan from Kamerunga, about a large crocodile recently trapped and removed from the same location that saw his daughter's dog snatched and killed by a rogue crocodile in December 2022. Following the attack last year, calls were made for authorities to remove the oversized crocodile before a human is targeted. The near-14 metre reptile was successfully trap...

John MacKenzie chats with Acting Chief Superintendent Rhys Newton, District Officer Far North Police District with QPS, about the rise in theft and assault rates in Cairns and Far North Queensland. It has been revealed that FNQ has experienced the worst growth in crime rates in comparison to the rest of the state. Cairns is seeing the highest offence rate in over 20 years, currently standing at ov...

John MacKenzie chats about crime and car thefts with Locky Bensted, Mareeba Shire Councillor, and Dale Last, LNP State Member for Burdekin and Shadow Minister for Police and Corrective Services.  Cairns and Mareeba Shires are some of the worst crime-affected areas in the state and in desperation, local councillors are stepping up to weigh in on state government policy-making. Shadow Minister Last...