Mayor’s View – 25th September, 2008
On the world scene the financial crisis that is to date affecting predominantly the USA has had a serious effect on the value of residential properties in that country such that the fall in values averages 18% in the last 12 months, and is at 40% for California!
Fortunately home lending practices in Australia are stricter. The slowing in growth of house values, even the decline in some markets, whilst disturbing, may reduce the increase in unimproved capital values, used to determine council rates. Whilst few want to see a drop in values, it can assist housing affordability and the burden of council rates.
The Queensland Government has set long term targets for 2020, ‘Q2′, around five goals for the state:
Strong: create a diverse economy powered by bright ideas, by becoming Australia’s strongest economy, with infrastructure that anticipates growth and by increasing by 50% the proportion of Queensland businesses undertaking research and development or innovation.
Green: protect lifestyle and the environment, by cutting by one-third Queenslanders’ carbon footprint, with reduced car and electricity use and by protecting 50% more land for nature conservation and public recreation.
Smart: deliver world-class education and training, by all children having access to quality early childhood education so they are ready for school and in the tertiary sector, by three out of four Queenslanders holding trade, training or tertiary qualifications.
Healthy: make Queenslanders Australia’s healthiest people, by having the shortest public hospital waiting times in Australia and by cutting by one-third obesity, smoking, heavy drinking and unsafe sun exposure.
Fair: support safe and caring communities, by halving the proportion of Queensland children in a household without a working parent and by increasing by 50% the proportion of Queenslanders involved in their communities as volunteers.
These Q2 ambitions are to be commended. The Cassowary Coast Region also needs to articulate its vision for the future and we could well adopt similar general goals. However, given the very different role of local government, we would have appropriate regional targets. The process to develop our goals would have an extensive public consultation phase.
Locally, Council is investigating the circumstances surrounding the threatened closure of the Mission Beach bus service. Reduced student numbers have caused Queensland Transport to withdraw its support of this service. Council will support an application for a ‘Blueprint for the Bush’ funding application, as it supported a similar application for a new bus service between Innisfail and Palmerston at the last meeting.
The population of Mission Beach continues to rise so the drop in the number of school students using the bus should be temporary. It would be useful to know if there are other reasons why parents are not sending the children on the bus to school. The closure would severely affect a number of beach residents, backpackers and tourists and Council will do all it can to assist in maintaining the only public transport at Mission Beach, but is not in a position to set a precedent by contributing financially.