Development of Ex-Thuringowa council chambers is killing the brass

Image: Thuringowa Council chambers development site
Photo thanks: Colliers International

Residents frustration

Over twenty Townsville residents have registered official submissions to the Townsville City Council (TCC) objecting to the development plans to construct 132 housing units by NSW-based Eastbrook Medical Centre on part of the old Thuringowa Council chambers site at Kirwan.

The Thuringowa Brass Band Association (TBBA) has been leading the fight together with another seventy individual submissions from the public opposing to the planned 4 storey apartment block directly opposite Kirwan State High School and adjacent to Dan Gleeson Park.

The residential development poses a threat to the musical arts associations' regular weekly performance program and guest performances from visiting bands. The sound shell, in which the band plays, was gifted to the TBBA rent free by a previous Council administration during the 1988 bicentenary celebrations.

Adjacent to the planned development site is the Soundshell, RSL Cenotaph, car park, entry to the children's playground, and multiple trees that will be removed during proposed construction.

Mick Cutler, Secretary of the TBBA said: "the development will render the Soundshell useless and people using the children's playground are not even aware of the consequences to the park."

"The TBBA use the facility weekly to practice and six other community organisations use the facility on a regular basis", Mr. Cutler said.

Responses from the local councillor responsible for the Kirwan district in which the development is planned, Councillor Russ Cook provided an ambiguous and confusing response to the community's plea for assistance.

Mr. Cook is a member of both the Community Health and Environment and the Community and Cultural Development Committees at Council, both of which fall within the jurisdiction of heath and medical interests of the Eastbrook Medical Centre business and the planned high-density housing development.

Parties to the deal

Eastbrook Medical Services purchased the property from the TCC through a sale/lease expression of interest process with the option of leasing the old council chambers and administration building to tenants and develop an allied medical and health hub.

Marketing for the leasing of space in the old chamber building has already commenced with signage clearly displayed at the property today.

The TCC continues to operate their library and customer service counter at the facility as an "anchor" tenant under commercial lease arrangements with Eastbrook Medical Centres.

The sale lease-back option is an attractive point of negotiations offering immediate cash flow and can sometimes be a determining factor for parties to secure a commercial deal.

Objection challenges

Residents have expressed concerns also about the TCC and local Councillors being "purposefully ambiguous" about whether the extra 50 electronic objections lodged by objecting residents have been received by the planning assessment officer.

Photo: Thuringowa Brass Band

These additional objections could prompt a procedural adjustment to the development application to satisfy local residents and community groups, who just want a reassurance from the Council that their members will not be worse off from the development.

Councillor in Division 5, Mr. Russ Cook said "there is no guarantee" that the resident's concerns have been lodged as required under the Sustainable Planning Act due to an unverified anomaly in the submissions process.

Submissions must be lodged within a set timeframe and completed using the correct documentation, and if further unexplained delays occur, residents are concerned the technical issues could be an inconvenient justification for the development to proceed without proper public consultation.

Development process under question

Colliers International sold the property under instructions by the TCC and now the Council Planning and Development office is fielding objections regarding the initial material change of use and subsequent housing development application.

With the commercial interest of the TCC not only wanting to see the sale completed smoothly but its ongoing commercial lease interest at the premises, residents are concerned their interests to the community might be conflicted.

As their submissions are not guaranteed to be received by the TCC and their objections have been dismissed, they are feeling ignored, and allegedly thwarted by TCC and Council representatives, to serve the financial and political interests of the TCC and Councillors.

In the absence of sufficient answers to the questions by the residents and community groups, all of which have not been directly consulted, the integrity of development process is left wanting, impacting the confidence of residents have in the TCC and Councillor interests.

Deputy Mayor and Councillor Les Walker said, "The development fits well with the City Plan". Mr. Walker was contacted to answer questions from the community about the resident's concerns but did not respond.

Global financing ethics

Concerns have also been raised about the proposed business structure of Eastbrook Medical Centres and its links to "social investment" corporations in the United Kingdom, Europe, and the United States.

The collapse of the "Big Society Bank" and the "social investment" initiatives under the ex-Brittish Prime Minister, David Cameron's administration are alleged to be behind the Eastbrook Medical Centres. What could this mean them being behind the old Thuringowa Council development?

Mr. Cameron resigned as Prime Minister of Great Britain after the people voted by referendum to exit the European Union due to concerns about the cultural and social problems arising in that country.

How to stay up-to-date

Further reading:

Guide to 22 knockout marketing tips to sell a home

Guide to selling a luxury home

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Townsville governance organisation structures damaging to investment pipeline

Townsville Enterprise acting vicariously for the Townsville City Council, is boasting about the significant economic stimulation that the Adani project, rail and port upgrades, military deal with Singapore, solar energy projects, stadium project and the "Smart City Deal" are going to inject into the local economy.

Although a noticeable inflow of jobs could occur during the construction of these mostly industrial and infrastructure projects, the majority of the stimulus and ongoing gross domestic product (GDP) will occur in districts outside of the Townsville City boundaries.

Adani's coal operations are located in Central Queensland, west of Mackay, and the port is located in Bowen as part of the Whitsundays district. Even the proposed military base for the Singapore Army is located in the Charters Towers district, not Townsville.

Although Townsville can claim Adani's head office in the city, once again relatively low ongoing jobs and employment is derived from the mostly management and administration positions.

With the anti-coal movement alive and kicking, including Australia's banks, advocating against Adani's coal interests, these jobs could still be under serious threat.

Moreover, the "value add" criteria codified in the Smart City Deal, is the formula from which all future majority federal and state government funding is linked.

Private capital investments in projects outside Townsville's economic zone such as Adani's coal mine, would not be worthy of critical federal and state infrastructure stimulation in the Townsville rate payer districts.

The Smart Cities Plan and "City Deal" contract was signed by Council, State and Federal Governments in December 2016. Because of this Darwinian decision, Townsville's civic policies are being hijacked by individuals career agendas within the Townsville Enterprise leadership focusing and advocating on projects outside the "value-add" parameters of the City Deal.

The Townsville Enterprise focus is "Townsville North Queensland" and not the Townsville districts, meaning its real focus is on council districts across North Queensland rather than an exclusive agency of Townsville City Council and the ratepayers of the City. In addition, the Townsville City Council is seemingly incapable of formulating or delivering commercial enterprise initiatives.

The lack of real funding for Townsville districts in the recent Dumb federal budget could wipe out property owners, is evidence of the very convoluted organisational model of Townsville Enterprise, Townsville City Council and various advisory boards being established to direct Smart City initiatives.

If Townsville Enterprise is allowed to continue a convoluted agenda, in light of new smart technologies in government, energy, transport and manufacturing, it will be economic suicide for Townsville district property owners and residents.

Unless restructured urgently in line with Smart Cities funding eligibility, international entrepreneurship and global enterprise investment pathways, Townsville districts will be neglected in future federal budget initiatives.

Townsville Enterprise CEO, Patrica Ocallaghan provided a statement to the Townsville Bulletin confirming the federal budget did not address any of the priority initiatives identified in their pre-budget wish list, but pledged to continue working with the federal government on the Smart City Deal.

Property owners and rate payers are being fooled, as the current disjointed governance organisational framework is cementing Townsville as a social welfare dependent district, instead of fostering major industrial and infrastructure projects with the federal funding criteria set by the "City Deal" contract.

This federal budget in the context of the "City Deal" contract, is driven by "value-add" initiatives and it is biting property owners where it hurts the most, with reduced cash flows and valuations. This market and government dysfunction could force further value decline in property investments.

With this fresh analysis undertaken by TREN, the property owners and stakeholders of Townsville North Queensland can forge a conclusive understanding of the impacts from the federal budget from local real estate investors and owner-occupiers. 

Do you have an opinion about the federal budget? The TREN community wants to hear your story.

High profile politician buys Townsville shopping complex

Image: Mr Dutton and wife Kirilly Dutton 

Australia's federal Immigration Minister, the Hon. Peter Dutton has purchased a multi-purpose retail, medical, consulting and office space complex in the Edison Plaza shopping centre at Wulguru, just off the Flinders Highway south-west of Townsville.

The suburb has been earmarked by TREN as one of the hotspot locations in Townsville with its proximity to the army base, university, Cluden Park horse racing, commercial retail including Bunnings, Woolworths and variety stores, heavy industry transportation facilities, the Stuart correctional centre and the proposed 25,000 resident development of Elliott Springs.

Image: Edison Plaza Wulguru

The Edison Plaza complex is adjacent to the Wulguru State School. The commercial property is reportedly netting approximately $104,000 per annum with a current vacancy of approximately 10 percent. Fully tenanted, the complex has a nominal net yield of approximately $140,000 per annum.

The property was marketed and sold by Elders commercial agent, Glenn Adair with a 752m2 floor area on nearly 1 acre of land. The Edison Plaza complex includes eleven tenancies with 52 onsite car parks and drive-through access.

Image: Google Maps, Wulguru, Townsville

This investment brings the couple's property portfolio to five properties across Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory with the most audacious being the property at the Gold Coast's Palm Beach for $2.3 million.

Mr Dutton is an ex-police officer mainly working in the drug squad for Queensland Police. He was elected to federal parliament in 2001 as the member for Dickson, a suburb north of Brisbane. He famously unseated then Australian Democrats Leader turned Labour Party member and MP, Cheryl Kernot.

In his maiden speech to parliament, Mr Dutton said; "As a police officer, I have seen the best and the worst that society has to offer. I have seen the wonderful, kind nature of people willing to offer any assistance to those in their worst hour, and I have seen the sickening behaviour displayed by people who, frankly, barely justify their existence in our sometimes over-tolerant society."

Described by a former flatmate that "not everyone loves him, that's for sure". He is also described as being smart, charming, funny, astute, duplicious and articulate.

The Edison Plaza property was a sale by private treaty for $1.1 million and was on the market for nearly a year and a half. Mr Dutton and his wife Kirilly paid $760,000.

The couple has two sons, Tom and Harry, and daughter, Rebecca. The couple reside in their family home at Camp Mountain, north of Brisbane and are not expected to relocate to Townsville, North Queensland.

Townsville at War with "Getup" extremists moving on Townsville

GetUp staff and National Director, Paul Oosting
Image: Thanks to The Mercury

Extremist environmental campaign organiser, Getup, their associates the Australian Conservation Foundation and corporate backers, such as businessman Geoff Cousins, have taken up a war footing against North Queensland businesses and citizens with the placement of advertisements for three field coordinators on the ground in regional Queensland.

The aim of the political lobbyists is to manipulate the minds of "constituents" in the region. Backed by global media and the extreme left movements, while shifting the focus away from their diminishing support for climate change and unvetted asylum seeker policy, they have 100 percent directed their resources onto the higher profile and socially sensitive Great Barrier Reef, a key pillar in their national political agenda.

But really their sights are fixed on the destruction of the Adani coal mining companies, the Carmichael mine, and any organisation or representative in favour of the projects such as the Mayor of Townsville, Jenny Hill, Queensland Premier, Anastacia Palaszczuk, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and the Pauline Hansen's One Nation Party.

Queensland MPs, Premier Anastasia Palaszczuk, Adani CEO and Mayor Jenny Hill announce Townsville as Adani coal mine headquarters
Image: Thanks to ABC (Port of Townsville)

All of whom have backed the projects and the $1 billion low-interest loan through the Northern Australia development fund.

Responding to the community's call to take urgent action on creating jobs, the bipartisan political approach is seeking to cut serious crime, such as the wasteful deaths of two innocent grandmothers, and improving the lifestyle assets of the community and build new water infrastructure.

The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) reported this week that "The power and reach of the Adani Group are legendary in India. But the group's subsidiaries have also faced allegations of involvement in fraud and corruption, environmental destruction and labour exploitation."

SMH reporters Nick McKenzie, Richard Baker and Peter Ker commented that "A recent ABC investigation into the conglomerate focused on ongoing investigations by Indian authorities, widely reported by the Indian media, into alleged money laundering and tax fraud by Adani subsidiaries." The investigative trio then went on to say, however, that "The federal resources minister described the ABC report as "fake news" and said the allegations were untested."

The primary aim and conditions on the $1 billion funding are to be invested in a major rail infrastructure corridor from the mine site to Abbott Point, south of Townsville.

In this new and disturbing announcement by Getup to deploy three field organisers to the region, their aggressive nature and covert tactics of the campaign have become apparent. 

Targeting their own members, lobbyists, funding institutions and courts, now they are directing resources towards "constituents", the people, who are mostly unaware of the extreme left lobby organisation and the coercive pressure campaign being brought upon the 200,000 citizens of the City.

By and large after failing in the political and legal arena, Getup is going to attempt to wake up the electorate with protest, propaganda and further promiscuity, asking the voters of Townsville and every marginal seat in Australia to vote in favour of the Great Barrier Reef over "dirty coal", or cause politicians and the Adani company to back down.

On a national election level, the green vote from the capital city seats of Melbourne, Adelaide and Hobart are powerful. Yet the source of program paralysis under the Rudd and Gillard governments.

Queensland is a different proposition with two country politicians, one regional and one ex-liberal candidate controlling the balance of power in the Queensland parliament, meanwhile, Getup's political campaign so far against Adani has failed. 

Image: Getup website advertisement

At least that is what one would think given the federal court rulings upholding the approvals for the mine. But Getup doesnt get it!

They said they are; "developing, refining and implementing a community campaign that engages volunteers and shifts the minds of constituents around the Great Barrier Reef and Galilee Basin coal mines", including "getting members out for regular field tactics; including events, stunts, community stalls and letterboxing." as shown on their campaign's website.

Image: Getup website advertisement

As rampant unemployment and bankruptcies have traumatised the population of the largest population centre in North Queensland with 25,000 people exiting the City due to a jobs recession, the anticipated pain and suffering of its people are expected to continue on the actions of the Getup executive team led by National Director, Paul Oosting.

This time, instead of the unemployment being caused by unintended economic consequences from declining commodity prices and the Global Financial Crisis, the citizens' continued pain could be attributed to the irresponsible and malicious actions of an extreme political lobbyist group seeking to acquire more power and control on global cultures, and centres of western democratic power.

Getup, formed by Jeremy Heimans and David Madden as a politically left movement to ambush and cajole the two-house majority government of Prime Minister John Howard in August 2005. They cut their teeth obstructing political parties, even at the expense of their own integrity, opposing the Gillard government's carbon tax which most ordinary people thought was favourable to their own environmental agenda, reducing carbon emmisions.

Since then they have developed the most powerful environmental political lobby organisation in Australia using military-style tactics to disrupt opposition supply, sabotage their assets and manipulate the media.

They use unfounded and time-discredited science and "fake news" to maintain the bleeding hearts of over 1 million followers and win more cultural and social support to "maximise their power". The point of political leverage is the May 2018 State election and the 11 marginal seats in Queensland.

Despite the favourable arguments put forward for the Adani coal mine and recently proposed coal-fired power station to be built in North Queensland, supporting sustainable industry and employment opportunities, the upcoming 2018 election could hinge on less than 1000 votes to bring the usually left-leaning Labour Party into coalition, should they regain power beside a kindred green movement.

Getup's Miriam Lyons said; "For example, it would take just 532 votes to change the outcome of the seat of Forde in Queensland."

The fully paid position description of Getup's Field Coordinator, astonishingly similar to the structure of a military operative, will be located on the ground in Townsville. The audacious and very calculated outline of the type of individual they aim to attract is described in their job advertisement.

Image: Getup website advertisement

Back in 2015 west of Casino in New south Wales, Getup creative director Simon Duncan-Watt was allegedly captured trespassing by a security camera installed by the mine site operator.

In an unrelated matter, Metgasco said: "security camera equipment at three sites was damaged last weekend." Metgasco alleged an intruder visited a number of well sites, removed batteries and memory cards from the cameras and disabled the equipment." (Scott Harlum, Northern Star).

Getup's operatives admitted, "I undertook these actions as I feared that no government agency was out to protect the public and landowners."

Brendan Pearson, CEO of the Minerals Council of Australia said; "the anti-mine campaign amounts to 'futile grandstanding' that will only delay job and business opportunities for thousands of Australians."

From a real estate perspective, the threat to economic recovery and negative attention directed toward Townsville due to the green agenda, even though rebuffed by the federal government and the Townsville Bulletin's Editor in favour of Adani and a new coal powered station, could cause further uncertainty and damage to the increasing confidence in the business community.

For the majority of Townsville and regional Queensland communities seeking a favourable change in their economic prospects from the god-gifted coal resources and associated mining infrastructure projects in their backyard, which have already received unprecedented environmental scrutiny and approvals, the Getup campaign along with the discredited green and extreme left movement could be facing the final nail in the coffin of an ideology already failing and losing influence.

As late as 2016, Getup in their own submission lobbied to have all political donations over $500 made public and all foreign donations to political parties to be banned, then for the inquiry to learn that Getup had themselves accepted $300,000 in foreign donations.

This most disruptive and insensitive campaign to cripple Townsville's and regional Queensland's hopes for a better future by an undemocratic political non-profit organisation, with a dodgy financial and moral past, has become very personal to lots of locals, their families and thousands of their sympathisers.

Townsville's clean energy war; $400 million solar energy investment set to divide interests

Image: Thanks to Townsville Bulletin

What feels like a drop of water on ancient stone carving out the future geometry of the earth's rivers and streams, the mass sum of Townsville's solar energy projects is making less than a drop in the national energy market even with the launch of the $155 million Sun Metals Solar Farm project, 15 km south of Townsville.

The Korean-owned Sun Metals project comes on the back of the $250 million solar farm announced for construction on a disused mango farm in the Upper Ross last year, about 20 km south-west of Townsville. A facility of this capacity is expected to add 450,000 photovoltaic modules, which will deliver clean energy to 50,000 households.

Over half a dozen clean energy power stations have been built across North Queensland in the past two years. Yet these power stations add less than 1% to the national energy market.

Combined with the existing small-scale 1350 residential and commercial installations (although not supplying wholesale spot prices) across the City, solar energy is boosting Townsville's electricity capacity steadily enough that the perceptions of victory by non-fossil fuel proponents could have inspired right-wing politics to parade a fist full of raw coal through federal parliament this week.

The additional solar capacity at Sun Metals will be connected to their existing 33/132 kV substation to supply power to their refinery, offering incidental net inflow capacity to the power network. However, their reliance on wholesale power will be reduced by up to 116 MWac as the extra one million solar panels being used will cover 130 hectares. This type of project is what is slowly reducing demand for consumption on the 540 trillion watts feed into the national energy market. 

Image: Thanks to Inhabitat

The real estate investors in Townsville have to be wondering what the impact of these larger scales energy projects will have on the economics of accommodation and the cost of power supply in the broader community. After all, households and small business that are impacted by energy prices are also critical players in the recovery of the property market more broadly.

The truth is these installations will have a negligible impact on retail power capacity and minuscule effect on prices. History might suggest that where a large investment in solar power equipment occurs, the retail price of electricity increases to make up for downward pressure on supplier cash flows. But while the demand for existing infrastructure maintenance overheads and replacement costs continues, prices have continued to rise in excessive of the annual Consumer Price Index (CPI).

The Queensland Energy Minister, the Hon. Mark Bailey has made his pitch for more renewable energy projects flying in the face of federal conservative politics and local Townsville business leaders calling for urgent action on building a coal-fired power station in the region.

Premier Hon. Annastacia Palaszczuk with Queensland Energy Minister, Hon. Mark Bailey
Image: Thanks CourierMail.com.au

Grandstanding on surpassing his election promise of supporting 40mW of renewable energy by announcing the fact that 300mW was delivered as part of his Solar150 policy, Mr Bailey is banking on competition and more solar production, the cost of which has reduced by as much as 80% since 2009 the State Minister claims.

Independent customer satisfaction researcher and rating business, Canstar Blue, said that location is a major factor in electricity pricing. "The amount (price) energy companies charge for power is dependant on a number of factors, the location being one of them."

The independent rating company also identified that the "Queensland Productivity Commission found that deregulation would boost competition and potentially lower electricity prices - and it's easy to see why when you compare average costs in Brisbane with those in Victoria, the most mature energy market in Australia. But so far overall prices show no sign of coming down, so it's important to find the best deal of the bunch currently on offer."

Queensland has the highest concentration of electricity suppliers in Australia, and over 50% of the capacity and demand is serviced by government-owned black coal-fired power stations. What's more, Queensland has a surplus of supply making the State a net exporter of electricity to other states.

Energy prices are set by the retailers and the free market. Energy is still regulated across the board in regional and rural Queensland. However, only if use is below 100mW. This stops in June this year and the $500 million Community Service Obligation (CSO) paid by the State government to subsidise distributors like Ergon and limit energy pricing will be passed on to consumers. South-east Queensland has had deregulated pricing since July 2016.

Although a federal labour's carbon price was to blame, the Newman government realised at the LNP election loss, increased electricity prices on households are political suicide, especially aggressive increases which putting a price on carbon caused.

The sensitivity of price increases in a recession-ridden economy like Townsville, quite possible under a utopian clean energy agenda, means catastrophe at the ballot box is inevitable for pro-futurist politicians like Mr Bailey. Unless the $500 million SCO subsidy is renewed, prices are indirectly regulated for the benefit of regional Queensland in addition to the regulations that end in this June.

However, Mr Bailey would find it difficult to justify politically why the $500 million CSO subsidy is renewed come July 2017. Because you would assume the government will be serving the people to keep retail prices down so Ergon need not increase their costs in regional Queensland.

Trusting deregulation and the influx of retailers in regional Queensland would reduce prices to offset the CSO cuts and increased competition to the majority government-owned power generators, is inconsistent and unlikely with location constraints reported by the independent rating company, Canstar Blue. Townsville is hotter than Brisbane and power leakage, being great distances from base-load generators, is costing the State $130 million dollars per year in lost energy.

But a $1 billion federal Northern Australia low-interest loan to a consortium of private and Chinese investors, who are now otherwise paying 6-10% interest on borrowings, would reduce the demand on taxpayers for government subsidies, practically eliminate wastage by power leakage, reduce the spot price of wholesale power by adding healthy spot price competition in the generator market, and serve the economic interests of North Queensland.

With a combined clean coal/carbon offset revegetation program to achieve carbon reduction targets, an additional 100-200 mW capacity could put downward pressure on electricity prices with a new base-load power station. But most importantly, it would deliver North Queensland the necessary industrial muscle needed to secure its economic prosperity and lessen the need for subsidies from taxpayers.

As the Upper Ross and Sun Metals investments and future clean energy investments like them continue, the clean energy sector will inevitably seek to protect not just their ideology but their growing investor cohort seeking to secure and protect their ROI in the energy markets. Demand for energy has been steadily reducing as residential and commercial solar projects like Sun Metals come online and the Australian manufacturing sector has dwindled.

The battleground between old money and new money (green certificates) is set to evolve into all-out warfare in the boardrooms and dare it to be said, in the unemployment centres of Townsville unless a sensible decision can be made by a rebellious climate industry to pragmatically serve the wellbeing of the entire community desperate for short-term mining and industrial jobs.

"The Sun Metal project is set to commence in April 2017 and create 250 jobs in the construction phase as one of the largest solar farms in Australia", winning contractor Dr Paul Dalgleish, Managing Director and CEO of RCR Tomlinson said. Sun Metals reports that an extra 100 jobs ongoing will be employed but this is due to the investment of another $150 million increasing zinc production capacity by 20 percent. Sun Metals currently employees a total of 300 locals. To put this into perspective, Townsville is seeking to create 20,000 new jobs in the next 5 years.

So Townsville is in a serious quandary on solar investment just as it is in big data, artificial intelligence and robotics, technologies that are likely to eliminate demand for processing labour despite the political headliners of job creation during construction.

It's like the people are constantly being sold a cute puppy; cuddly and soft at first but we never stop looking for the stolen shoes in the yard. And it has been recurring like a bad nightmare or the American "groundhog day" for the past 6 years. Some would argue longer as politicians have become experts at breaking promises and pulling the wool of over voter's eyes.

Further reading:
Turnbull trio caught with smoking gun

There is a growing sense with the rise of One Nation and Trump that the extreme left has deposited so much social progress in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane post the Howard-era, that the entire green movement in Queensland backed by Mr Bailey is selling Townsville a cuddly pup and the drip of small broadly dispersed solar farms as industrial power stations.

Employment for the construction of new technologies is temporary while skills and expertise in facilities maintenance, fossil fuel processing, business administration and technology programming are recurring and more sustainable. Not to mention however new skilled jobs that will be created in the digital economy offsetting industrial job losses. But these jobs are what is driving capital city growth and tearing the heart out of regional towns, where time and time again, talented trainees or graduate students move to the capital cities.

Townsville needs industry and business that creates sustained employment for existing residents and sufficient employment for population growth, but the clean energy campaigners and smart technology campaigners by their nature are ardent in their beliefs of saving the planet and rescuing ignorant climate change-denying people from themselves.

What the jealous and emotional teenager thinks and what the parents think are by nature two very different values, at least the circumstances are perceived differently, and the argument about right and wrong can become destructive and even threaten relationships.

Instead of finding common ground, the arguments are based on who has the higher moral ground. One being to feed and secure the entire family and the other resist and fight for the freedom of ideology, which less than a decade ago, had control of the balance of power in federal parliament with the independents.

And it all comes down to power and control of everything. With such utopian and extreme mindsets playing the game, the wellbeing of the people is being defined around electoral affluence and the movement of the lobbyist elite, as Mr Bailey felt the need to deny his association with "latte sippers" and "champagne drinkers" in a recent statement. This is not the identity of solar users as he defended. But the reality of green campaigners and protesters hanging out on Brunswick Street in Fortitude Valley, or trendy boutique villages around Yeerongpilly in their cycling paints to plot their next alliance is happening.

The opposition to these movements is bearing fruit in the United States where left-wing aggression is headline news. District and federal judicial officers are blocking the highest traditional authority in the system, the President of the United States. While in Australia the right-wing One Nation Party and Pauline Hansen may become a serious contender as the third major party in Australia the way things are going.

Moreover, Townsville has been blessed with both clean energy and cleaner fossil fuel resources on our doorstep yet the ideologies and political leveraging of fail-safe governance and political extremism are crippling the opportunities of the Townsville economy and the prosperity of this region's people.

Nearly 5.70-kilowatt hours per square metre of solar irradiation exists under the skies of Townsville producing practically zero CO2 into the environment. A massive asset to the local economy and the most abundant levels anywhere in the world. The sunshine state is alive and well. Of course a smart inclusion in any energy strategy for a nation and city over the next millennium.

The Galilee Basin is blessed with the best quality coal in the world and over fifteen mining companies actively seeking to bring it to the global market, including Adani's new Carmichael mine, whom by some accounts may be in receivership any day now due to excessive company debt through its Indian operations.

The CO2 emissions of the Galilee Basin coal are the best product compared to domestic and international standards, producing 1.1 tonnes of CO2 per megawatt hour of electricity generated, some 30% fewer emissions than Indonesian coal.

Image: Thanks to ABC

The fossil fuel industry, right-wing politics and Townsville's own News Ltd press, is lobbying for the $16.5 billion Adani coal mine project to proceed urgently along with a new coal-fired power station to be built in Northern Australia.

Meanwhile, the chief executive of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), Oliver Yates, says coal-fired power would be "an inappropriate investment in exposing taxpayers to". Even the rules governing the eligibility of clean coal as an investment for the CEFC makes coal an unacceptable risk to taxpayers. Yet the Australian Energy Regular confirms Queensland's fossil fuel power stations are keeping the lights and cooling systems going across the nation during peak hours and excessive heat waves.

While federal and local politicians are seeking to manage affordability and their appeal to the electorate, the increasing power of the anti-carbon emissions movement and clean energy capital raising bodies like the CEFC is overwhelmingly unfavourable to a politically dispensable economy like North Queensland.

Most credible scientists and commentators are saying the cost of building coal-fired power stations, even carbon capture plants, compared to solar and renewables far outweigh the economic benefit to the community.

But saying that to a jobs-hungry community like Townsville still getting used to being weaned off projects stimulation and a government funded economy, is nearly impossible. Just as the people of the rust belt of middle America gleefully elected the most unelectable President in Donald Trump, because they were sick and tired of becoming irrelevant to centralised control during an era of globalisation.

Lacking vision in energy policy, meaning supporting any form of coal production, is tantamount to threatening the entire nation's future. This is the rhetoric of southern splinter journalists, incensed with utopian climate protection ideology and a dogged determination to prove sympathetic scientists right.

And the reality of this point of view is that Townsville's economy, unfortunately, could reflect the experiences of the people of South Australia where "blackouts" and industrial scarcity is a way of life, while Townsville is promised jobs only to find out they are mostly casual, part-time or fixed-term contracts and perpetually being sold a cute puppy.

Further reading:
Industrial space critical to Townsville smart city future

Get used to the fact the attitude of the left and the environmental movement is here to stay. Just as the attitudes of the politically correct advocating on behalf of racism, feminism, socialism, capitalism, etc. are here to stay. Ideas and what we think is a god-given right. Anyone with a twitter account has political influence and there are plenty of authoritarian voices with scientific profiles in their resumes actively claiming an ology, ism, doctorate, ist to their name.

Perhaps a poor attempt at humour, but given a platform, conscientious people will continue to influence and disrupt politicians, courts, corporations and people seeking to derive their living from an industrial system built on fossils. For an ordinary family in Townsville seeking a good life, the fossil industry is their only prospect of income, which will continue to be the case for many decades to come despite technology advances.

A new global order is fighting for supremacy and Townsville is in the heartland of the battle for power and control over resources, even self-determination, futurist ideology and utopian safety and security, neither of which are disconnected from the immediate pain and suffering of the community.

Meanwhile, the paralysis of governments, institutions and agencies incapable of agility is likely to continue in the immediate future, impacting the certainty of jobs and economic opportunities for a bright City seeking to advance its claim as the largest economy in northern Australia.

With the prospect of further delays in all industrial fossil extraction projects - dam building ventures included, and any industry business dependent on fossil fuel energy, further protests, court action and political grandstanding will remain important tactics by highly organised and sufficiently funded clean energy campaigners.

Editorial attention by News Ltd supporting a coal-fired power station in the local Townsville Bulletin is a real measure of the frustration being experienced by a community with massive economic promise in what has become a perpetual "go and no-go" zone in the climate change and clean energy fight across the world.

With the question still open as to the future viability of all coal and fossil power energy solutions in North Queensland, Townsville's aspirations to develop industry and jobs will be plagued with further uncertainty unless the citizens rise up and get behind pragmatic political and business leadership seeking to secure the funding promise of the $5 billion Northern Australia development fund.

If recent history and events are anything to go by, it is difficult to see a strong, proud and caring regional community like Townsville lay down and let jobs and opportunities pass them over because of left-extremism has gained momentum with a green army under the stewardship of capital city elites dictating "it's the way things are around here."