Mornings with John Mackenzie

John MacKenzie chats with Roger Ward, Director of Cairns Mortgage Brokers and Senior Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia, about the Reserve Bank of Australia's interest rate rise of 25 basis points to 3.35 percent. It is being predicted that there will be a noticeable dent in the number of prospective first-home buyers looking to enter the market in Far North Queensland as th...

John MacKenzie chats with Chris Pigott, Aviation Australia Business Manager for North Qld & NT, about exciting aviation engineering training for young people. Aircraft maintenance engineers are in short supply following the coronavirus pandemic and a local cohort of 26 is welcome news for the aviation industry. Cairns Airport is working with Jet Aviation and Skytek, with Aviation Australia com...

John MacKenzie chats with Cr. Brett Moller, CRC Representative for Division 1, about safety initiatives and the future of the Babinda Boulders following yet another drowning. Cr. Moller ruled out the radical suggestion by one expert to "Shut it Down" to all visitors and locals.  High-impact and provocative signage is to be added to highlight the inconspicuous dangers that lurk under the water's su...

John MacKenzie chats with Sally Watson, Executive Officer SHAC (Shelter Housing Action Cairns), about the housing crisis facing many FNQ residents. The latest statistics show an alarming number of Queenslanders are either homeless, living in overcrowded conditions, or spending over 30 percent of their income on a rental property. Cairns stands at nearly 9 percent of its population, or 8800 househo...

John MacKenzie chats with Sergeant Dave Raymond, Officer in Charge of Cairns Dog Squad, about the loss of much-loved Queensland Police dog, Thor. Sgt. Raymond shared some highs and lows of working with police dogs, including a rather prickly situation involving barbed wire. Thor located over 300 offenders during his six-year service.

John MacKenzie chats with Cr. Cathy Zeiger, CRC Representative for Division 3, about the potential sale of council-owned properties. The option for Cairns Regional Council to sell, lease, or donate properties in an effort to tackle the homelessness and housing crisis was revealed as a part of the Council's action plan. The review, however, would not be completed until 2026. Questions have been rai...

John MacKenzie chats with Ian leavers, President and CEO of the Queensland Police Union about "Jack's Law" and metal detection wands being introduced in Cairns. After a successful trial period in the Gold Coast, metal detection wanding will be expanded to other areas around Queensland. Some academics argue that wanding will not deter stabbings or youths from carrying knives, however, the trial has...

John MacKenzie chats with Danny Betros, Managing Director of CBRE Cairns, about the state of Cairns City's CBD and a necessary post-Covid revival strategy. Mr. Betros also spoke about the state of commercial spaces and building upkeep and maintenance, which can have a drastic effect on the performance of the tenanted businesses. "A lot of areas... has got to reinvent itself from purely retail to m...

John MacKenzie chats with Dale Last, Shadow Minister for Police and Corrective Services, about the Palaszczuk government's proposal to increase penalties for juvenile criminals, and whether they will work for the community. Some of the proposed changes include: - Increasing maximum penalties for auto theft - More severe penalties for offences committed at night - Penalties for promoting crimes on...

John MacKenzie chats with Tim Mander, LNP State Member for Everton and Shadow Minister for Housing and Public Works, about the state's lack of spending on social housing. The Queensland state government is spending less per capita than other states and the total spending bill for social housing infrastructure has been decreasing over the last few financial years. This comes at a time when Queensla...

John MacKenzie chats with Robbie Katter, State Member for Traeger and Queensland Leader of Katter's Australian Party, about the reignited debate regarding daylight savings time being implemented in our state. Robbie Katter explained how regional dwellers would suffer from artificially lengthened working days and additional hours of oppressive heat. Macca and Robbie also touched on the crime crisis...

John MacKenzie chats with Gavin King, 4CA Announcer & former State Member for Cairns, about the passing of former State Minister Vaughn Johnson. The former Transport Minister (1996-1998), Chief Whip under the Newman Government, and Order of Australia recipient (2020), Vaughn Johnson, passed away aged 75, over the weekend. Mr. Johnson spent over 25 years in the Queensland parliament as the Memb...

John MacKenzie chats with Ezzy Wells, Owner of Adventure Cairns & Beyond, about her experiences with criminal activity in the Cairns CBD.  Comments on crime are a hot topic after the Mayor of Alice Springs, Matt Paterson, made calls for the Australian Defence Force or Australian Federal Police to assist with the violent crime emergency crippling local residents.

John MacKenzie chats with Nigel and Kirstie Spiller who tell their horror story of waiting a month for lost luggage. Their experience comes as airline operators have been facing pressures after losing luggage and baggage handlers being caught mistreating customers' personal items. Mr. Speller gave a word of warning, "Take photos of everything... of your bags, of security tags". Photos can help you...

John MacKenzie chats with Craig Crawford, State Member for Barron River, about the government's plans to upgrade the Captain Cook Highway between Cairns City and Smithfield. The plans are out and public comments are being sought about stage one of the $395-Million masterplan for Cairns' north. New bridges, signal upgrades, and the widening of the road to 6 lanes between Grove St and the Smithfield...

John MacKenzie chats with talkback caller, Rossco from Townsville, about the need to educate troubled youth. Basic mathematics and language skills are not being taught effectively, which sets up young people for future failure in social integration and positive behaviour. Calls are being made for the state government to do more to help solve the issue of youth crime and recidivism.

John MacKenzie chats with Kevin Byrne, Executive Manager of Enterprise North and Former Mayor of Cairns, about the passing of Senator and former Major General, Jim Molan.  Kevin Byrne served alongside Jim Molan during his time in Papua New Guinea.  Senator Molan began his career in the military, graduating from the Royal Military College, Duntroon in 1971, and eventually rose to the ranks of Major...

John MacKenzie chats with Locky Bensted, Mareeba Shire Councillor, about a proposed heavy vehicle bypass for the town of Mareeba. The community is being consulted for their views and opinions on the bypass that would see heavy traffic diverted away from Mareeba's main thoroughfare. Locky also commented on the juvenile crime emergency and advocates his support for a remote youth program to build sk...

John MacKenzie chats with Ken Harley, local Crime Emergency Activist, after yet another terrifying home invasion in Cairns. A woman pretended to remain asleep with her two-year-old while the invaders ransacked her house. 

John MacKenzie chats with Associate Professor Michelle Wykes, Group Leader of Molecular Immunology at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, about breakthrough cancer research in regard to both breast and bowel cancer. The discovery of a so-called "master switch" is being understood in efforts to potentially turn on vital dendritic cells, which act like the generals of the immune system, to fi...

John MacKenzie chats with Roderick "Roddy" Rees, Sole Director of Cairns Adventure Group and Raging Thunder Adventures, about investing $3 million into his tourism business. Mr. Rees is building a new depot and office and adding five new buses to his fleet as the return of international visitors is being eagerly anticipated. "We want to show that confidence to the industry," Mr. Rees said, "We fee...

John MacKenzie chats with Danny Betros, Managing Director of CBRE Cairns, after his calls for action to curb itinerant behaviour in Cairns by reopening the Quigley Street night shelter. The 40-bed accommodation centre was an alternative to the watch-house for heavily intoxicated people but was padlocked shut since the start of the covid-19 pandemic. Mr. Betros is calling on the state government to...

John MacKenzie chats with Alan Benn whose daughter's dog was snatched and killed by a known crocodile at Kamerunga Regional Park on Wednesday. Mr. Benn erected a sign warning visitors, and especially children, of a dangerous crocodile, but callous extremists removed the sign to display their own, pro-dinosaur message. The Department of Environment and Science removed a 2.4-meter crocodile from the...

John MacKenzie chats with Margy Osmond, CEO of the Tourism and Transport Forum of Australia, to chat about all-things tourism for Cairns and far North Queensland. Margy was in town yesterday to announce Virgin's new flights between Cairns and Tokyo to begin June 28, 2023. The daily flights are expected to bring in 30,000 tourists each year. Furthermore, the Chinese market should rebound in 2023 as...

John MacKenzie chats with Leon from Edmonton about his experience with troubled youths and the efforts needed to turn their lives around. Cairns and Far North Queensland have been experiencing an increase in juvenile crime and anti-social behaviour, and many people have questioned the ability to curb the trend. Leon has first-hand experience working with troubled young offenders, relating to them,...