Dick Newman

Community Comes First

A: Happy to provide my list, but what is more important is your list. Also happy to get feedback on how you rate my list.

Issues facing Palmwoods (in order):

1. Rail re-alignment and duplication - the Government is due to release further plans in April. These plans may affect how the town works.

2. CBD area needs to be defined and the road system improved to make it easier to get around - Maroochy undertook a study about 3 years ago called 'Putting the main back into Main Street' but apparently the process stalled. We need to get that back out, take it to the community and start actioning it. It also addressed some problems around the school traffic and parking issues. We need to get the school traffic and parking into the TIDS program which will provide funding in 2 - 3 years.

3. The sporting grounds need to be brought up to standard. Both the smaller area with tennis, pool and cricket along with the bigger area that caters for AFL and cricket need to be Master Planned. I have indicated that I would look to the next budget to get that process started. You are looking at a multi-million dollar project that will be delivered over time, but can only start with a Master Plan.

4. The park has a Master Plan but again, it is apparently a bit old. It needs to go to a detail design which includes things like drainage, parking, traffic etc, plus if it is old, it will need to go back to community for a further tick off.

5. Surrounding rural area will have the same road issues as everywhere else. In the current Div 1, I have every road on a maintenance program to keep it to the same standard as it is today, plus all are on a program for upgrading. It will take a long time to do all the roads in the rural area's but at least my residents can get an idea of where they sit in the priority list.

6. Over riding all this is the desire of Palmwoods residents along with all our other towns to keep their special character. Nobody wants to turn into Noosa. Your heritage buildings certainly need some degree of protection.

Best Wishes

Dick

A: Hi

1. The system allows people to make complaint whether genuine or friviolous or vexatious. There are no mechanisms to prevent complaint. Council staff are highly in tune with complaint and generally can pick up what is genuine and what is not. Their actions are generally appropriate to the situation.

2. Anyone who considers they have been bullied by a Councillor should lodge a complaint with the CEO. The CEO will determine the appropriate body to investigate the complaint. I'd be happy to assist anyone who perhaps felt intimidated in making the complaint.

If it is the case that you consider Council has received some 'enthusiastic' complaint from your neighbour and that as a result a Councillor has bullied you, then I suggest you have a Councillor who has acted inappropriately and perhaps outside of their role.

Best Wishes

Dick

We have made enquiries along with many neighbours about his right to remove trees but can\'t council stop him from doing the footpath as well? Please come out and have a look at what is happening before it is too late!!!! I would hope that you could at least do that much and I'm sure it would disgust you. You can certainly have my vote if you could do that for me and many others.

A: I have had a number of complaints on this property since it changed ownership to 'Coal Mining Management' and have inspected the site. It certainly is an ugly construction site.

I am also very aware of the strong community feeling in Reesville in respect to vegetation. The area has been mapped and those maps presented to interested community members. Mapping is also available on the Council website.

While there is significant vegetation all around that lot that is protected, there is no protection for any vegetation on the lot. The land owner has the right to remove any vegetation. Council can encourage the owner to re-plant appropriate species, but has no powers to prevent removal.

Vegetation on public land like road reserves is generally protected from landowners simply by it being a public asset. This is not much of a protective mechanism. The really nice vegetation from roughly Corks Pocket Road towards Engle Road has also been mapped and is definately protected. The top part of Engle Road road reserve is also protected.

Complaints I have received relating to removal of vegetation removal on the road reserve indicate that apart from a Silky Oak, the trees removed were weed species. I'm aware that a number of people in Reesville also seek the protection of trees considered weeds. I do not share this view. It would be great if all the pines were removed and the road reserve planted up to continue the vegetation that exists along the road at around 500 - 550 Reesville Road. It would only take a few years to grow and would expand the environmental values in Reesville significantly.

Best Wishes

Dick

A: Thanks for the question.

Supporting arts at a Council level is certainly high on my agenda and I've had quite a few substantial wins in this area. Support for individual artists whether it is visual or performing (or a community band) is the hard ask. How I do it locally, is to provide encouragement through the media for particular events - free promotion. Further, I'm always happy to provide assistance (usually Council professionals) to individual artists seeking grant funding. Specifically for a community band, it may be direct funding to get a performance, or partnering them for uniforms etc.

In my current role as Councillor, the best effect I can have is to promote the arts generally - if you like, increase the size of the Arts pie to allow groups or individuals a better opportunity to earn funds, or improve their skills, or develop a product, get recognition etc. Events such as the Caloundra Music Festival will assist promote live music on the Coast. I got myself onto that committee specifically to support getting a high local content. While it may need to bring outside performers with a name to get ticket sales, as a Council event, it also needs to support local artists.

Hope that helps, if you have a more specific question on what it is your community band is seeking, I would be glad to give you a response.

In the meantime, if you want to check my credentials - here's a few to look at:

http://www.scap.org.au (This was my project with great assistance from the Range Arts community - mainly funded by Corporate sponsorships)

http://www.hot91.com.au/scruffy.html (I got this one up with a small Council investment but mainly Federal funding)

http://www.caloundramusicfestival.com.au (This was the Mayors idea, but I'm in there and supporting - to survive long term, I'm going to have to get Corporate money)

Best Wishes

Dick

A: No, I did not support Woolworths in Maleny - it is an inappropriate development on an inappropriate site. Unfortunately, the Planning and Environment Court approved it.

Div 5 is a big place - some area's are looking for growth, while others aren't. I want to shut the door on this type of development in Maleny and Montville.

No, I shop at the IGA in Maleny - it is a great store with good prices. A lot of the employees went to school with my children and I find that they are genuinely happy and friendly when I shop there.

Best Wishes

Debbie and Dick

A: Based upon my understanding of the application (and please bear in mind that when we make final decisions it is with the benefit of a substantial amount of information):

The application is not really for rezoning (zones no longer exist). It is an application for commercial use on residential land.

The only mandate I currently have from the Mooloolah community is that the land can be used for housing - I have no mandate to approve any other use. Therefore, if the decision is to be made purely on the town plan, the only acceptable decision is to refuse it.

In this case, however the application is Impact Assessible - which gives the community an opportunity to make submissions. The display period is happening right now and interested residents should make a submission. Submissions can support as well as oppose an application.

Those who oppose the application have an easy task - they can simply state the obvious - it doesn't meet the town plan and should be refused. Those who support it have a far harder task - they should look to provide Council with an argument that it should be approved - perhaps point out that they consider there to be a community benefit.

If there is substantial support for the application, then Councillors may be swayed towards approval. There is always a risk, however that other developers may read this as a signal that Council is willing to sacrifice your town plan for individual applications. The town may face unwanted development and then ask Council to fight it off.

In my opinion, developers should not make applications that are inconsistent with town plans. They should go through a proper process to seek an amendment to the planning scheme which (with community blessing) then allows them to make an application which may be approved.

Best Wishes

Debbie and Dick

A: Thanks for the question. If we look at it in two parts - the first would be some improvements and the second would be a proper footpath.

I'm unaware of what improvements have been asked for - so far as I am aware, nobody has asked me about this. The road is under the control of Main Roads Department and not Council - this doesn't mean that people haven't asked Council to make improvements, but Council is extremely unlikely to do anything on that road. Council's funding is focussed on Council assets and generally does not extend to improving or maintaining State assets. The best bet is to ask Main Roads in the first instance to do the improvements.

The best solution is a properly made footpath. Council undertook a planning exercise before my time to develop a pedestrian strategy for Maleny. The State determined a few years ago that creation of properly made footpaths would be a Council function irrespective of whether a road is under State or Local Government control. The State did, however agree that Councils could apply for funding for certain types of footpaths. They also made it possible for Councils to require developers to contribute footpaths as part of development conditons.

In order to get this funding, Councils were required to plan the various areas to determine where community and Council would like a footpath. In Maleny, the Strategy identified $30m of footpaths to be delivered. (The $30m is possibly more like $40m now). Given the amount of rates we pay, the bad news is that it will take something like 50 years to deliver all these footpaths. The good news is that yours won't be too far from the top of the list.

With delivery of footpaths, my focus is on the type of footpath that attracts government funding. Broadly speaking, there are 4. Mountain View Road to town via McCarthy Road. Maleny to Montville Road turnoff, Stanley River Road to Mountain View Road and Maleny to Curramore Road.

Mountain View Road was my first choice and it is fully funded ready for delivery. We can't head out to Witta next as the road is due to be widened. There is a small section of Stanley River Road where residents have undertaken a fairly strong lobbying campaign for the last few years and I have committed to getting that one done next. Following that, Maleny to Montville Road turnoff will be top of the list.

Hope this helps.

Best Wishes

Dick

A: Discretianary Funding is funding available to all Councillors. A certain amount is available for small works like gutter ramps etc, but I guess the question relates to the balance which is available for either community requests or sending yourself to conferences or fact finding missions etc. All requests must be signed off by the Mayor and CEO. A full list of my Discretionary spending is available on this website - you will see no spending on trips for me.

The 'big' money went to community assets like the Library and Mary Cairncross who got nearly 10% each. This was followed by Barung at 9% for various matters like assisting Green Corps teams and the Wood Expo. The Sunshine Coast Art Prize picked up 5% which was a contribution to get this initiative started. Green Hills and Rotary got similar amounts, one to hire a town planner to assist the community understand the SEQRP with the other for a new gazebo for our park. Coming in around 4% were the Tennis Club (lighting) the Swimming Club (various) and the Interfaith Festival (start up costs). At around 3% you will see organisations like the Anglican Church (art awards), Info Centre (uniforms), RSL (electrical work), TS Centaur, etc.

There are no magic formula's for a Councillor to determine spending. Community requests come in at least weekly and each Councillor is required to assess requests on their merits.

Best Wishes

Debbie and Dick

A: Here is a link to an interactive map where you can type in your address, see if you are in Division 5, and find out your nearest polling places for the 2008 elections. If you are in another division, then you can try one of the links from this map index page (near the bottom).

A: Here is a PDF map from the Queensland Electoral Commission which shows an overview of the new Council divisions. Here are detailed maps for each of the new divisions.

A: See this special SCRC website run by the Local Transition Committee.