Division 10 CRC Councillor Julia Leu shared her thoughts with The Newsport today about de-amalgamation  and the poll taking place on Saturday, this weekend.

She admitted the poll was probably too close to call at the moment but she had heard that almost 1100 voters had taken advantage of the pre-vote facility which is open everyday this week at the Mossman Council offices from 9am to 5pm and until 6pm on the eve of Saturdays Poll.  She believed that this was an indication of a committed voting public who wanted to be sure they cast their vote because for whatever reason they could not get to the polling booths on Saturday.  She felt sure that that was a positive sign that these residents were voting for a 'yes' to de-amalgamate.

Julia was concerned that the argument on whether to de-amalgamate or not had stumbled on a few matters that in her opinion didn't belong in the argument at all.  The old worry about the last dysfunctional Douglas Shire Council for example.  Clr Leu said "That last vote was back in 2004, nearly 10 years ago.  I am confident, having travelled around the shire, that there are tremendous potential candidates for the Mayor and the four Councillor format (suggested) Council.

She has made no secret of the fact that she would stand for Mayor if the oppportunity arises and she said that she had got her eye on a few individuals who, in her opinion, would make very good Councillors and who would help shape the future of a de-amalgamated Douglas Shire.  However she was very quick to say that her concentration was on Saturday.  Everything else could be dealt with after a good result at the weekend".

She was also concerned that people considered Cairns to be an opponent and if we de-amalgamate then they would become an enemy.  "As the Douglas Shire Council we had an excellent working relationship with Cairns.  Very often we worked side by side with them on projects.  The argument that we would become enemies is just scaremongering.  If de-amalgamation is successful, I'm confident,we will again have a good working relationship with our neighbours.  It doesn't make any sense to be any other way."

The other issue that concerned her was the one dealing with a non divisional Cairns Regional Council.  It has been suggested that at the next election, the CRC abolishes the ten divisions and has an open vote.  "If the de-amalgamation vote is lost on Saturday our problem could be that since we are only 6.9% of the total Cairns regional population, albeit we have an estimated 12% of the rateable properties, if we stay amalgamated we could lose direct representation completely and that could create many unforeseen problems".

Clr Leu also stressed that, "A de-amalgamated Douglas Shire Council would  not have to face the current, almost daily, problems when applying for funding, of having to beat aside any one or more of the other nine Cairns divisions who are also seeking funding for their own various priority projects. 

A stand alone Douglas Shire Council would decide for itself what funding it could apply for without those initial battles.  It doesn't guarantee we would be successful in our applications but there would be no one to stop the application being made. And there are quite a few funds available for rural areas for which a city based council may not even be eligible.  So a de-amalgamated Douglas Shire Council may fair better in these instances".

She summarised by saying "The question we must ask ourselves is, 'Do we want to control our own destiny or delegate that responsibility to Cairns'. This is a decision that we don't want to look back on in five, ten or twenty years and say, 'why did we vote that way?'  I am sure that de-amalgamation is the correct course of action.  But whatever happens, we must harness the passion that has been shown during this campaign and unite as a community, no matter what side of the argument people have stood."

"We have all chosen to live in this wonderful area and many people chose to visit for their holidays.  It is our responsibility to do the best for everyone.  Having self determination goes a very long way to achieving just that."