Cape York Weekly FREE – #134 | Tuesday, May 16, 2023
Editor Matt Nicholls: 0477 450 558 | editor@capeyorkweekly.com.au Picture: Chris Hobson Photography
PRIDE COMING TO WEIPA
The Northern Pride will play a Country Round game in Weipa, it was announced on Sunday. The Pride, which has built a strong Weipa and Cape York connection, will host the Sunshine Coast Falcons on July 15. Fullback Julian Christian will be one of the players to watch in the Andoom Oval clash, with a sell-out crowd predicted. Full story – Page 7
Council flips on power position By SARAH MARTIN
A CONTRITE Cook Shire took just days to reverse a decision that stallholders would no longer get access to power at the local markets after a barrage of complaints.
Council CEO Brian Joiner, mayor Peter Scott, and five of the six councillors – Robyn Holmes, Peter Burns, Marilyn Morris, John Dessmann and Ross Logan – fronted up to a public meeting on Saturday as a result of the backlash.
However, most of the tension had been defused a day earlier after the council released a statement saying it was no longer going to remove access to power. The decision, which went “viral” on Cooktown’s social media pages
last week, stunned stallholders and roadside food vendors, who were left contemplating closing their businesses after being notified of the change via letter on May 9, with no previous consultation. Continued – Page 2
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TMR goes to ground over PDR
THE mismanagement of the Archer River bridge project is starting to be felt across the Cape as PDR sealing projects are put on hold as a result of the cost blowouts. Cape York Weekly has made a number of attempts to line up an interview with Minister for Transport and Main Roads Mark Bailey, but he hasn’t taken up the opportunity to answer the community’s questions. It’s a sure sign that things are not going well with the upgrades to the Peninsula Developmental Road, which has lost all momentum after years of steady gains. Most of the fault can be attributed to the two projects at the Archer River. Both the construction of the new bridge and the southern approaches have hit setbacks. Western Australian company Decmil won the tender to build the approaches but didn’t get the job finished before the wet season and won’t be returning. Sources told Cape York Weekly that Decmil decided that the cost of breaching its contract with TMR would be less than the cost of returning to finish the job. In a statement, a company spokesperson said: “Decmil has no outstanding contractual obligations relating to the Archer River Project and further queries regarding the project’s situation should be directed to the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads.” When TMR was asked about Decmil, it simply ignored that part of the question. Continued – Page 3
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