Mornings With John Mackenzie

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 their studies in 2023. This brings the total number of full-time dentisry students to 430.

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 need for loacl repsresentative approval.

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 trapped and removed from the Barron River at Caravonica on January 23rd by the Dawul Wuru Aboriginal Corporation.

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 over 18,000 offences per 100,000 people. Many fear that post-traumatic stresses and mental health issues will escalate as crime increases, with many pleas being made by discouraged residents for our elected leaders to uphold their duty-of-care to the community.

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 agreed with the sentiment of Cr. Bensted that it is the role of all community leaders to come together and speak out against the exacerbating crime crisis. Cairns and Mareeba now have more per capita car thefts than Brisbane City.

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 the repayments on a $500,000 property will increase by approximately $76 per month. This is the Reserve Bank of Australia's 9th interest rate rise since May 2022.

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 coming on board as the training provider. For more information click this link: https://tinyurl.com/37f3pyz5 or email anna.thai@aviationaustralia.aero

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 surface after suggestions were recommended in a report conducted by Cairns Regional Council this year. Image Babinda Boulders:  Sheba_Also 43,000 photos, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

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 households, that are experiencing housing unaffordability.

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 raised as to whether the plan would provide practical solutions to effectively provide affordable housing options.

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 seen over 650 convictions and has already saved lives. "Jacks Law" was established in response to the stabbing of Gold Coast teenager, Jack Beasley, in 2019.

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 more commercial office, food and bars that is more suited to the uses of a CBD nowadays" Mr. Betros said.

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 social media - Construction of new detention centres

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 Queenslanders are facing a rental and accommodation crisis.   Tim Mander also commented on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's response to the crime emergency plaguing Alice Springs.

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 facing Cairns, Townsville, and Far Northern Queensland.

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 Member for Gregory (1989-2015) and held many shadow cabinet positions and one ministership during his time.

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 identify your luggage to operators in the event of misplacement.

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 Bypass are being proposed. Provide your opinions to the Queensland Government. Click on the link to "Have Your Say" on this project: https://tinyurl.com/3397ut39