It's one of the most hotly debated issues in the Douglas region - deamalgamation from Cairns Regional Council.

Renewed efforts are being made to work towards the reformation of a Douglas Shire Council by the group - Friends of Douglas Shire (FODS).

The FODS push, which has been headed by Michael Gabour and Robert Hanan, includes a public meeting which will be held on Monday 12 December at the Old Mossman Shire Hall (Mill Street Mossman) commencing at 6pm.

According to FODS, the focus of the meeting will be:

• To outline a potential pathway in the de-amalgamation process;
• To present a model which demonstrates the likely costs of deamalgamation,
• To outline a possible structure of a new Council and governance plan; and
• To let the community have their say.
  
  

Speakers will include Robert Hanan (FODS)  Mike Berwick (former Mayor of the Douglas Shire Council), David Carey (former General Manager of Corporate & Community Services of the Douglas Shire Council Michael Gabour (FODS) and other community members. Government, Opposition the Australia Party and Greens have been invited to speak.

Despite FODS' statement saying "the history of the Douglas Shire Council is a long and distinguished one" there are some who believe last former Douglas Shire Council was paralysed by infighting and ineffectiveness.

"Certainly in its last tenure there were problems of dysfunction," a statement from FODS read, "but this should not obscure the many remarkable milestones it achieved prior to amalgamation."

LNP's would be State Premier, Campbell Newman, told The Newsport in August that residents would bear the brunt of the cost of deamalgamation.

"The LNP believes that local government is about local communities and if Port Douglas residents overwhelmingly support the creation of a new council, we won't stand in their way, as long as the figures stack up," Mr Newman said.

"However ratepayers need to go into it with their eyes open, and because the Labor Government has put the budget in a parlous state, the state won't be in a financial position to pay for deamalgamation."

Is Cairns Regional Council representing our area well, or are we being ignored? Have your say below.

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