A number of residents living north of the Daintree River make up the North Douglas Group. They have been vocal in their opposition to certain council related positions, in particular the Daintree ferry and power debate.

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At an Ordinary Meeting in Mossman this morning, Cr Carey requested a dot point on page 120 of the plan reading 'email link to North Douglas Group representative with link to the online survey' be deleted.

When questioned about the rationale of the amendment, Cr Carey responded.

“They are not on the consultation matrix, for a start,” he said.

“I think it sets a dangerous precedent for future consultations. They are not a democratically elected group, they are basically a bunch of council bashers.

“They are a self appointed group who are not representative of the community, and I do not want to legitimise them.”

Cr Carey had an ally in Cr Roy Zammatarro, who said ‘they are just a private group that have meetings’, but councillors Michael Kerr and Abigail Noli were quick to speak against the motion.

“I do not see the need for their removal,” Cr Kerr said.

“We shouldn’t pick and choose who we send this (survey) to.”

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Cr Noli agreed.

“They might not be very well recognised, but they are still a group,” she said.

“They should be allowed to offer suggestions and opinions as much as anyone else.”

After hearing from all councilors, Mayor Julia Leu said she would ‘not close my ears to people’ and the community engagement process needed to be ‘all encompassing.’

“The idea of this is to get sufficient and thorough input and all residents north of the river are key stakeholders in this,” Mayor Leu said.

“I can’t see any point in restricting a particular group whether they are incorporated or not.

“How they operate is up to them.”

When questioned again by Cr Carey, Mayor Leu labeled his comments as ‘unnecessary’.

“I don’t want a public argument, I think it’s a ridiculous conversation that has
just occurred,” she said.

“I don’t mind hearing what they (North Douglas Group) have to say.”

The amendment was then refused and the community engagement plan endorsed.

Council will now invite tenders no later than June 30 next year to allow enough time for prospective service providers to submit their proposal. The current ferry contract expires on 30 June, 2021.

The contract will be awarded no later than 31 December, 2019.

MEANWHILE an extra deck hand will be employed at the Daintree River Ferry to help reduce waiting times and queues across the river during the peak season.

Council approved a trial for an extra person to help with receipting at the northern bank of the Daintree River from 1pm to 6pm daily until October 31 this year.

Mayor Julia Leu said the trial was important to try to improve visitor experience to the Daintree National Park during the busy tourist period.

“Council is keen to reduce waiting times with practical measures and believe this could potentially deliver efficiencies while relieving traffic pressure,” Mayor Leu said.

“If successful this could lead to a permanent arrangement to be included in future budgets.”

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