Karen Williams Hits Back at Bay Island Criticism

A near defamatory article in Queensland’s leading daily paper has sparked an angry response from Redland City Mayoral candidate Councillor Karen Williams.

Councillor Williams says the ‘Sunshine Express’ series focus on the Southern Moreton Bay Islands failed to address the real root causes of Island issues and quite frankly did nothing but insult residents.

“There’s no doubt that our Bay Islands, a piece of Queensland’s paradise, have suffered further at the hands of Hobson and Bligh.”

”There’s no doubt residents are left with disintegrating fragments of services and out of control costs imposed by increasing rates and taxes. But for a Courier Mail reporter to simply turn up, spend a couple of hours on an island, working to a poor brief, does nobody any favours. To turn it around – we need to sell the positives while continuing to lobby for basic funding and services.”

“A Williams Council will focus on the incredible positives and make the restoration of the Island’s and their reputation as a jewel in the Queensland crown a priority. We’ll tackle the issues of transportation and a common sense approach to mainland/Island commuting.”

Councillor Williams will be announcing a Bay Island Policy in the month prior to the Council election.

“As we have drilled down to root causes of issues in these island paradises, what we have discovered is that we have communities dedicated to environmental protection, vital Queensland and regional heritage and with a real sense of community. These should be show cases for the region, instead they have been ignored.”

Councillor Williams believes Bay Island residents have been facing a coordinated campaign by the Council and State Government to force residents off the Island.

Councillor Williams is challenging the Courier Mail Journalist Trent Dalton to take two days and really get to understand the Islands, the residents and all that they have to offer.

“These communities, their spirit and their engagement as neighbourhoods, quite frankly could be a model for neighbourhoods across the State. Mr Dalton needs to get his head firmly out of his little bus and put some sand under his feet”.

“I’d be happy to showcase what the Islands are, what they have been and most importantly what they should become.”

Councillor Williams says if ever there was any doubt of the failed approaches of Mayor Hobson it rests in articles like this.

“Not content just to divide communities on her watch, the Mayor now encourages negative publicity about it. This is not a Mayor with a heart in the Redlands.”

Councillor Williams has committed to driving results for the Island communities.”

“We will take the issues to the new State Government and set a time frame to advance viable workable solutions. We owe it to the residents and frankly, as the overseers of one of the country’s most idyllic areas, we owe it to Australia.”

UPDATE

The Editor of the Bay Journal offers a further explanation of some of the points in the original Courier Mail article.  I believe Mr Shipley is still missing my point.  We need to stop espousing the negatives of the SMBI and tell people about the great attributes the islands and the people have to offer.

Posted on 21 Mar 2012

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(1) Comments

1. Murray Shepherdson commented on 02 April 2012

   with the State Government removing mining from North Stradbroke island it does send a death note that residence will be treated as second class citizens. Already point lookout has been excluded from the National Broadband rollout. There is only 1 way to save pointlookout and that is tourism and to get more tourists we need more subdivision.The current law is a block has to be 700sq m yet of the hundreds of subdivided blocks only 1 meets that criteria. The average is 158sq m meaning the original size was 316 sqm not 700sqm. I believe that the first thing council should do is ammend the minimum size to 350 sqm instead of 700sqm in line will 99% of pointlookout’s current subdivisions. With the state Government taking mining from the island council should ask for a compensation package including an upgrade to the sewerage system to accommodate more tourists if pointlookout is to survive.