Mornings With John Mackenzie

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 General. Molan was the Chief of Operations in Iraq during 2004-2005, he released his first book in 2008 and successfully ran for the senate in 2017. Senator Molan died peacefully this morning, aged 72.

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 skills and education in an effort to curb criminal behaviour.

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 fight particular tumours. "We're seeing palpable tumours that completely disappear and melt away," Michelle Wykes said.

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 feel really confident that people will be coming back to this area in droves."

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 make any necessary repairs to the complex and reopen it promptly.

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 area on the same day after the attack but reported the second sighting of an even larger reptile.

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 their borders are expected to reopen following Covid-19 lockdowns.

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, and providing the support needed to turn their lives around.

John MacKenzie chats with distraught talkback caller Alan from Kamerunga whose dog was just taken by a crocodile. Alan's wife was walking the family pet when a known crocodile came out of the water and killed their dog. Alan said that for too long politicians have known about the crocodile, but nothing more than a trap was used in an attempt to remove the threat. This a massive warning to anyone visiting the Kamerunga Regional Park near the old bridge crossing the Barron River.

John MacKenzie chats with Ken Harley, a local crime-emergency activist, after a local tradesman lost his vehicle and work tools due to an alleged home invasion and robbery. Mareeba resident, Max Cherepanov, found his vehicle missing over the weekend. It turned up on a Mooroobool street rolled over and was destroyed, with thousands of dollars worth of tools also missing. The alleged offender had just been released from juvenile detention and it took less than 24 hours for the youth to allegedly commit another crime.

John MacKenzie chats with Craig Crawford, ALP State Member for Barron River, about Cairns City's new green buses. Five new electric-powered buses have been introduced to service the people of Cairns in an effort to shift to sustainable practices. In addition to the green move, six Network Officers will be employed to ensure an experience of safety and well-being on board. The officers can assist drivers with any violent or unruly passengers.

John MacKenzie chats with Cr. Brett Olds, CRC Representative for Division 9, about the Northern beaches trail link. Council recently announced plans for an 8-metre bridge over Deep Creek. The bridge is a part of a $6.4M project to connect our northern beaches.

John MacKenzie chats with George Karagiannis, Owner of Fetta's Greek Taverna, about violent behavior and assaults in Cairns CBD and the reflection this has on visitors. Reports of fearful travelers have emerged as violent attacks in the city show no signs of decreasing, putting pressure on authorities to act before the perception of Cairns as a safe tourist destination wanes. Mr. Karagiannis said for too long now people have been beating the drum of change, warning that anti-social violence must be dealt with now before it's too late.

John MacKenzie chats with Senator Matt Canavan about the comments made by Chris Bowen on energy prices and renewables power. Chris Bowen, Federal Minister for Climate Change and Energy, called out the "liars" who blame the rise in energy costs on the radical shift to renewable power, instead pointing to other factors, including the war in Ukraine. Senator Canavan wanted to correct the record, reminding the fact that Australia, as a net producer of energy, does not rely on Russia to meet its energy needs.   "We have invested more than anywhere else in the world, in renewable energy. We've been investing in wind and solar at a rate four times the rate in Europe and North America on a per-person basis, and now we have an electricity grid that is struggling to maintain supply" Senator Canavan said.

John MacKenzie chats with Mark Wuth, Infrastructure and Assets Director at Cairns Regional Council, about the future of our local water supply and security. With 98% of cairns' water coming from either Copperlode Falls Dam or Behana Creek, some experts are warning a diversification is necessary, esp after the 2018 issue where both sources were temporarily cut off by a storm. Mr. Wuth said that the council will address all areas of vulnerability as the network evolves and improves.

John MacKenzie chats with Ian leavers, President and CEO of the Queensland Police Union about "Jack's Law" and police powers as Cairns faces an ever-increasing rate of criminal activity.  Jack's Law will expand police wanding powers to detect metallic objects, especially knives, after the random 2019 stabbing death of 19-year-old Jack Beasley. Mr. Leavers spoke about the battle to protect innocent citizens in the modern world.

John MacKenzie chats with Tom Cooper, General Manager of Beam, about the rollout of the company's electric scooter service for the city of Cairns. Visitors and locals alike can now enjoy a faster way to traverse our tropical paradise on one of Beam's e-scooters for hire. Using a mobile phone app, users can jump on an e-scooter and go.  The registered riding zones include Cairns City, Cairns North, Portsmith, Parramatta Park, and Edge Hill.

John MacKenzie chats with talkback caller, Rossco from Townsville, who has had first-hand experience working with young offenders. Rossco explained how not only education and practical training is imperative to turn around the lives of juvenile recidivist offenders, but that real-world jobs should be available to them to instill a sense of responsibility and purpose.