By Friends of the Douglas Shire

It has been two years since the State Government dissolved the Douglas Shire and forcibly amalgamated our self-governing, culturally rich, unique community with Cairns City to form the Cairns Regional Council.

Our two communities were never alike and amalgamation has highlighted just how different we were and remain. Simply, we are not the same.

In these two years this forced union has completely discredited the justification offered by the State Government. The worst fears of Douglas residents have been realised with more issues arising almost daily.

The State claimed the Amalgamation would result in cost savings, improved services and a more responsive local government. In fact the reverse has happened with significant rate increases being incurred, water charge increases, loss of water quality and pressure, loss of employment with Council, loss of Council work, loss of corporate knowledge, our intellectual capital, and the unacceptable news that there may be possible selling off of our public land to pay for other CRC infrastructure possibly not within Division 10.

The recent Gazette poll demonstrated that more than 70% of the residents of Douglas still actively support de-amalgamation.

So, on the second anniversary of the amalgamation the Friends of the Douglas Shire are organising a mass rally on Sunday 14TH March to demonstrate to the State Government that this issue will not die and that the amalgamation of Douglas will play a role in the outcome of the next State election.

We now have the support of all sectors of the community, from schools to seniors, from farmers to tourism operators, from blue collars to white collars, from indigenous to blow- ins and from all those who believed in the direction and the ethics of this Shire.


                 DOUGLAS  - UNITED - WILL NEVER BE DEFEATED.

                                      DON’T YOU WORRY ABOUT THAT!

             So bring the kids, bring the dog, bring granny, and bring a brolly.
                IT WILL BE A FUN EVENT FOR ALL EXCEPT THE STATE