A former Port Douglas real estate agent and valuer, Mal Phillips brings a wealth of local knowledge to the table in regards to finance and sustainable development.

Mr Phillips says the first priorities for a new Douglas Shire Council (DSC) include the appointment of an appropriate CEO to lead the interim council for the next two years.

“It will most likely be a nation-wide search for the right CEO, he or she needs to be a strong leader,” Mr Phillips said.

He says the fiscal responsibility of a new DSC will also be imperative, as the new council grounds its place financially.

“I’ve been told the new council may be up for a new computer system, and we need to consolidate our rates income and the re-acquisition of assets or debts before we can start with any long term plans for the future,” he said.

“The region seems to be coming into an upwards cycle at the moment and this up cycle has to be driven by private enterprise.

“Port Douglas is starting to revamp with what is in the pipeline for the Sheraton and hopefully the marina, and this will be a huge boost for the local building industry which has taken a hit in recent years.

“Up at Cow Bay, Coconut Beach Resort has finally been bought after sitting empty for a number of years, and a revamp of that will be very valuable for the Daintree region.

 “And at Mossman, the purchase of the sugar mill by Mackay Sugar has ensured the future prosperity of Mossman for the next 10 years, along with the purchase of the old Royal Hotel site (destroyed by fire in Sept 2011) by a Mossman local – any development there will provide a good boost – as well as the new Woolworths complex currently being built.

“I would hope that tourism could also pick up in Mossman with the re-introduction of sugar mill tours, which were fantastic in the past.

“We need to rely on the common sense of the voters to elect candidates who will do the job for them. It’s a wonderful feature there are no (voting) divisions in the shire, as in the past, divisions created a level of distrust via vested interests. No divisions means we need equal representation across all areas of the Douglas region to make sure the shire moves forward.

“I think Port Douglas has room for 2000 more residents in the years to come – mainly self-funded retirees or semi-retired people with business interests who will contribute to making the commercial strip of Port Douglas viable. It’s also important for retail tenants to be kept happy and prospering.

“There is an expanse of land from south of Craiglie to just past the Port Douglas turnoff that could be earmarked for this development; a good 80%-90% of the infrastructural investment for these blocks of land would be borne by the developer. Alternatively, multi-dwelling apartments use less land and in the past have been reserved mostly for holiday letting, so new residential units could be valuable (in housing extra population).

“As far as a town plan goes, I think we need to revert back to Mike Berwick’s old town plan to make development visibly attractive and help Port Douglas retain its village atmosphere – it’s what attracts people to town.”

Priorities

• ·       The appointment of the right CEO to the new DSC
• ·       Determining the fiscal responsibility of the new DSC
• ·       Prioritising a plan for the next two years of an interim council
• ·       Driving of private enterprise