A weekly re-cap of the events that have made news in Cairns over the past week.

Monday February 26, 2001 3rd Edition

Last weekends state election was a landslide, with an overwhelming majority of voters deciding to re-elect the Beattie run Labor Party. The win was one of the most decisive in the history of Australian politics leaving little doubt that the average person is dissatisfied with the other political parties, particularly in Queensland. As well as an election Cairns also had another cyclone threat which arrived and left with a minimal amount of fuss. Tropical Cyclone Abigail (a category one cyclone) crossed the coast north of Cairns on Saturday afternoon. Whilst it bought plenty of rain, winds were below a 100 km/hr and there were only minimal reports of damage. The wet season is firmly entrenched and expected to last for two more months.

Election result overwhelming
Labor now holds a total of 67 seats as a result of the latest election. This compares to 42 seats held previously, now giving the Government a very strong majority. The following list identifies exactly where the State Parliament now stands compared to their standing prior to the election.

After the election Labor 67 seats National 12 seats Liberal 2 seats City Country 0 seats One Nation 3 seats Independents 5 seats Before the election Labor 42 seats National 23 seats Liberal 9 seats City Country 6 seats Independents 9 The message that the people of Queensland have sent is that they are not happy with the Coalition parties and they chosen to protest. Much of this is blamed on rising fuel prices and the introduction of the GST. With a Federal election planned for later in the year the Coalition is expected to be doing some serious reviewing of their strategies for the coming months. Recent polls predict the same results around the Country as those in Queensland.

Winners in the Cairns regions included:

One Nation Party resurrected
The infamous One Nation Party has returned, winning three seats in the State election. Pauline Hanson campaigned heavily throughout the State, and whilst the result is relatively small the party did not have candidates sitting in each electorate. One again it is felt that voting for One Nation will increase as people in rural areas voice their dissatisfaction with the mainstream political parties. The controversial City-County Alliance, a splinter party of One Nation, failed to win any seats, virtually ending the party's short lived life.

Cairns Radisson Taipans victory
The Cairns Radisson Taipans has notched up their fourth win for the season with a convincing win over the Canberra Cannons on Friday night at the Cairns Convention Centre. The game was played with a capacity of 5000 fans providing strong moral support for the Taipans. In what was a fast paced game the Taipans and the Cannons were neck and neck in the first half. As both teams settled down, the Taipans slowly edged in front and started playing some classy basketball, finally downing the Cannons by 109 to 92.

Survivor 2 in trouble over killing pig
An investigation in a possible cruelty claim following the airing of the recent Survivor 2 show has begun. In the show a feral pig is killed using a spear, much to the shock of people watching the show. The RSPCA Queensland Chief Executive office, Mr Mark Townsend said his orgnaisation was deeply concerned about the reports and they would immeidately view the footage to determine if any further action should be taken against the individual concerned or the show's producers.

Even though feral pigs are a pest and a noxious species that does hundreds of millions of dollars damage to the environment, they are still bound by the prevention of cruelty laws in Australia. The RSPCA states that even though the animals are a pest they deserve to be euthanised in the least painful and stressful manner possible.

QANTAS to slash jobs
Following a major profit slump in the first half results QANTAS has announced a major cost cutting exercise that will see over 1500 jobs lost across the board. This cost cutting exercise will also see non profitable routes being cut. QANTAS stated increased competition with introduction of Virgin and Impulse as the main reasons behind the drop in profits.

QANTAS has a strong presence in North Queensland and at present, there is no confirmation on the number of positions that will be lost locally.

Double Island creditors to receive a payout
Troubled Double Island Resort has had a turbulent history since being sold by Janet Holmes a Court. The resort has been bought and sold several times in the past five years. The last company to go into receivership whilst owning the island was Border Island Pty Ltd. An announcement was made this week that creditors of the company would be receiving 76 cents in the dollar as a dividend. This is good news indeed for the many subcontractors who had lost money in other projects in the region in the past few years.

Historic Museum to move
The famous Ben Cropp shipwreck museum is being moved from Port Douglas to Cairns to be located in its new home at The Pier Marketplace. The historic shipwreck museum is being combined with other artifacts held by the Maritime Archaeological Association to house both displays under the one roof. The Pier Marketplace is one of the main tourist attractions in the region, which will provide visitors to Cairns with easier access to these historical displays. The museum is expected to open in late March 2001.

Fisherman expect a bumper season
Commercial fishermen are expecting a bumper season, particularly with prawns in the Gulf of Carpentaria. The extra heavy wet season encourages the prawns out of the rivers and into the shallow coastal waters fished by the trawlers. There are fewer boats fishing in the Gulf and Torres Strait which means that those that are left will tend to have better seasons every year. This reduction in the commercial fishing fleet size is an initiative of the Federal Government to preserve fish and prawn stocks.

Australian Football League ANSETT Cup played despite weather
The Ansett Cup was played in Cairns on Saturday night despite the after affects of Tropical Cyclone Abigail. There was some doubt that the game would go ahead until the last minute when the ground was given the go ahead. Almost 6000 people braved to stormy weather to watch the match between the Brisbane Lions and the Western Bulldogs at Cairns Bundaberg Run Stadium. The Bulldogs blitzed the Lions 61 to 45, a low scoring game blamed mainly on the conditions on the day.