JUNGLE DRUM: Charity begins with constituents....not Mullumbimby 'not for profits'
LAWRENCE MASON COLUMN
It's been a while since I had a good old "kick in the guts". You know the ones. Your BFF turns out to be a thief who hates you. That girl that you clicked with but never has time for you, suddenly has all the time in the world for another bloke. I like to think I am old and wise enough to avoid this sort of heartache these days, but today proves to me I am not.
Today's kick wasn't a false friend or the object of my affections though; it was my elected councillors that delivered the blow. I am still reeling. Let me explain.
Some time ago, one of our troublesome southern charities bought a cane farm. Over here charities buyback land and remove development rights, thus depriving locals of land to live on, and they seemingly totally ignore the past research that led to the mix of protection and land available for use, called a Town Plan.
Seemingly they don't like community planning. They trumpeted that they would reveg this farm completely, and build an information centre. They even apparently started using what I assumed was the Douglas Shire Council's name for the southern precinct - The Daintree Gateway.
Apparently not a lot of due diligence was done, because they have now discovered that they need all sorts of information and permissions to obtain a Development Application, because it is protected agricultural land under the Town Plan.
And this costs. My last DA cost me $100k, and that was 15 years ago, so not surprised they need $250k.
All good so far. Everyone has the right to apply for a DA, even if it is non-conforming. But the bleating on their website, completely out of context if you don't understand all the background work that went into the Town Plan, will no doubt stimulate plenty of ashamed city folk to donate.
So once again, decisions in OUR shire will be dictated by money donated by people in energy guzzling McMansions in Melbourne with five cars out front, while our Shire gurgles down the toilet.
But it gets worse. MUCH worse. Presumably in an effort to influence this process, the charity crowed on social media about a one-hour visit ("that turned into three") from Mayor Lisa Scomazzon and ALL the councillors.
They had some muffins. They planted a tree. And according to their post, one councillor said "it just makes sense".
If you are a cane farmer reading this, or if you believe in agriculture as a backbone of Douglas, you might want to nip this nonsense in the bud.
Councillor phone numbers and emails are published on the DSC website. Because the DA is apparently for MULTIPLE farms and, if passed, will set a precedent. Let this stuff slide at your peril.
Our councillors were happy to spend three hours with a group not supported by many of us, who does not support the Town Plan and whose only saving grace is they do employ locals.
Of all businesses here (and make no mistake they are a business) they were hardly impacted by the disaster, and their leaders' incomes are similarly unaffected.
People still donate, in the mistaken belief it won't rain hard any more if a charity plants some more trees.
It is like candy from a baby and the premise is so thin you would think a child could see through it. Apparently not.
My councillors know that we a bit further north at Cape Tribulation would love to see all of them for three hours, to talk about the terrible ongoing impacts of the 2023 disaster.
Cow Bay, Degarra and Diwan too no doubt.
To discuss the Noah Bridge fiasco. To ask why so little money is being directed at creating facilities like jetties and helipads so that we are more resilient. To ponder why no audit of disaster response has been done, but awards are being handed out.
Looking at the National Park damage, I doubt that a few trees planted on blood money from a city dweller will do much next time round. They will end where acres of the national parks ones did. In mudslides or in the sea.
It is a natural process that we cannot change.
FYI, we have muffins and plastic cups here too.
I don't trust myself to stay civil or I would be ringing the councillors one by one now.
How dare they come and swan about with a charity that aims to reduce the rate base while people here continue to suffer?
How dare they say how much sense it all makes when there is no accommodation for staff here?
How dare they stand around chatting and planting trees when people at Degarra can't get help to remove boats and fridges from treetops on their land?
How dare they take half a day for an organisation that wants agricultural land removed from our community chest while cane farmers wonder how they will pay off loans next year?
How dare they smile for the camera while we are told that there is no money at all for the subsidence in our road that is smashing our vehicles up?
We had the Member for Cook here for five hours on Monday.
Seeing our community through his eyes was very confronting. It's about time our councillors came and gave us something similar of their time.
It won't be as easy as agreeing with a middle class CEO from a charity that depends on urban guilt money. But we elected you to represent US. So how about it?
If you can find time for a Mullumbimby charity, how about your constituents?
All of you too, if you can all get to the old airstrip, it's not much further to Cape Trib or Degarra.
I have been fairly disgusted with various political leaders at times.
This is right up there with the worst. A completely ill-advised fail from all five of you.
No wonder you are sending a psychologist out into the community to compensate for DSC inadequacy.
*Lawrence Mason has lived at Cape Tribulation all his life, and has been involved in farming, timber and tourism. He is a former board member of Tourism Port Douglas Daintree, founding Chair of Daintree Marketing Co-operative, and has been a member of both Alexandra Bay and Mossman State High School P&C. He is also a member of the Douglas Chamber of Commerce and has a keen interest in local issues.
The opinions and views in this column are those of the author and author only and do not reflect the Newsport editor or staff.