There was a resolution on the table and five out of seven Councillors has voted for it, but Whitsunday Mayor Jennifer Whitney felt it was going to be “the nail in the coffin for the people of Airlie Beach” and made one last attempt to ensure it wouldn’t go ahead. At last week’s Council meeting in Proserpine, Deputy Mayor Andrew Willcox moved a motion that Council adopt version four of its contentious draft town planning scheme, amended to feature lower building heights along Shute Harbour Road, at Port of Airlie and in the area around Waterson Way, and open to further community consultation for 30 business days.
Within a matter of hours Cr Whitney had put in a repeal “which is quite lawful and legal because that motion’s not enacted,” she said. Council’s CEO Barry Omundson said the matter would now need to come back to the Council in the new year.”Essentially I’m not able to take any action (now) until that motion is debated again at the next Council meeting of January 27,” he said.
Mr Omundson explained that under the Local Government Act, “a decision of Council is able to be repealed or rescinded if it hasn’t been acted upon”. He said the mayor “came and saw me immediately”after last week;s meeting, so no action has been taken nor would be until the first Council meeting of January
More than 13,000 cruise passengers passed through Shute Harbour Marine Terminal across three consecutive days, delivering a significant boost to local businesses and tourism operators across the Whitsundays. The large-scale cruise operations supported activity across transport, tours, retail and hospitality, generating strong flow-on benefits for both small and large businesses … Read more
The Reserve Bank has raised the cash rate by 0.25 percentage points today, responding to inflation that remains above target and an economy that continues to run too strongly for the Bank to be confident price pressures will keep easing on their own. Inflation surged late last year and, while … Read more