By Amanda Wright
Amidst the flurry of campaign posters and eager constituents, three distinct figures emerge, each carrying a story as colourful as a Shoal Point sunset, each vying to be our region’s next Mayor.
First in the lineup is Greg Williamson, a name familiar to many, not just for his tenure as Mayor but for his roots deeply embedded in Mackay's community. Yet, few know of his formative years spent amidst the disciplined ranks of the Air Force cadets. It was there, under the wing of military mentors, that Williamson learned the values of leadership, discipline, and service—lessons that would shape his approach to public office and civic duty.
Opposing Williamson is Laurence Bonaventura, a man whose Italian heritage infuses every aspect of his being, from his fiery passion for community to his unwavering commitment to family. But beyond the allure of his ancestry lies a lesser-known tale—a tale of adrenaline-fueled escapades tearing through rugged rally tracks. Bonaventura's time behind the wheel wasn't just about speed and skill; it was a testament to his resilience, his daring spirit, and his unyielding pursuit of excellence—a spirit he now brings to the forefront of his political campaign.
And of course there's Steve Jackson, a towering figure whose presence on the rugby league field once struck fear into the hearts of opponents. But beyond the roar of the crowds and the thunder of tackles lies a man of depth and determination. Jackson's journey from the rugby pitch to the political arena speaks volumes about his character—a character forged in the crucible of competition, teamwork, extensive small business ownership and unwavering commitment to his community.
As these three candidates stand poised on the brink of history, Mackay braces itself for a showdown unlike any other. With each contender bringing a unique blend of experience, heritage, and passion to the table, the stage is set for a mayoral race that promises to captivate hearts, minds, and ballot boxes alike.
Steve Jackson
Northern Beaches road issues – what can council do to ease the congestion?
It's a tough situation because it's a state road and the state needs to fix the problem. I spent four years in Canberra and as we know Canberra is roundabout city. That roundabout in Richmond where the golf course is, it's a tough intersection. You need the same amount of cars coming out of the Northern Beaches as there are going back in for the traffic to flow, otherwise the cars that slide around Golf Links Road stop that flow of traffic coming from Bunnings. Maybe the quick fix in that situation is a set of lights, on timers, that have the through traffic going through more frequently than the cross traffic does. We can talk overpasses and bridges, maybe a bridge from Blacks Beach to Slade Point, but the quick solution would be traffic lights at that intersection.
Pioneer / Burdekin Pumped Hydro - tell us how you feel about this project.
We haven’t hidden the fact that our team oppose the hydro dam. We know we need renewable energy, maybe in another place. I would hate to see a 65m wall bust, there would be no Mackay left. I love that pristine valley. As a young man I used to go to the Chalet to watch the World Hangliding Championships. A Skyrail like they have in Cairns, to drop of the mountain bikers and then take people to the Chalet for lunch, I’d much prefer that to build tourism than the hydro project. We need tourism for growth. We need to ignite pride and empower growth.
Activating the Pioneer River - what does this mean for the CBD?
We’ve turned our back on the Pioneer River forever, yet it’s the gem to the crown. It’s one of only two blue water rivers in Queensland. Wouldn’t it be incredible to see something similar to Brisbane’s Eat Street there. Perhaps close River Street to traffic and have boutique restaurants and shops lining the river. I think we’ve missed the boat. We used to have raft races down the Pioneer. I’d love to see more activity like jet skis. Look at the Strand and Yeppoon, let’s use those areas as examples. In 20 years time, why not a water park on the Pioneer River?
Can rates lower without a significant cut to services?
We’ve been told that we’re irresponsible and it’s impossible to lower rates. I understand the cost of everything going up every year, I’ve been in business for 26 years. We need to run council like a business. We need to tighten belts. I teach 14-year-old kids in my chicken shop, that if they save me 1 cent, they save me $1,000. It’s not about the money. It’s about the thought process to save that money. So what kind of wastage is there in the day-to-day workings of council? I would get a very good accountant to do an independent internal audit to understand the day-to-day spending. We don’t want to cut services, we need services. I think we need to look at alternative income streams for council other than rates.
What do you hope to achieve in the next term of council if you're elected as Mayor?
Firstly we need to work out what the ongoing debt is. My strength is being a leader of a team. I’ve coached rugby league, and while some will argue sport has nothing to do with business, it does. The foundations of success are the same principle. If something’s not working you need to look at the top. It’s no secret there’s a fractured council there at the moment, we need to fix that and work together at the top. When we collectively vote on something, we all need to work together.
Why should we vote for you?
While my foundation is rugby league, I add strings to my bow every day. Whatever I’ve loved I’ve been good at. Give me enough time, I’ll be good at the job of Mayor. I’ll keep building relationships and knocking on doors. I won’t stop. I’m in a great position in life, I have a beautiful family who support me. I’m part of a team, Jacko’s Team Mackay First that backs me all the way. I want to pull the weight of Mackay forward. I love Mackay with a passion and I don’t want to leave a legacy of failure. I want people to say, that bloke that was Mayor, he did a good job.
Greg Williamson
Northern Beaches road issues – what can council do to ease the congestion?
TMR have said from their traffic surveys that the numbers don’t meet the requirements for duplication of the Mackay Bucasia Road, which is no joy for those living in the Northern Beaches. My view has been to signalise that intersection where the roundabout is at Habana Road and Golf Links Road. It’s about taking realistic steps that aren’t hugely expensive to deliver an outcome for the people using that road on a daily basis. We’re also investing in the Northern Beaches and Stage one of the Northern Beaches Community Hub has started. That will be the community centre and play areas. Stage two will see a library and then stage three will be an aquatic centre and possibly a day hospital, so we’re looking at ways of taking traffic off the road by having more facilities in the Northern Beaches itself.
Pioneer / Burdekin Pumped Hydro - tell us how you feel about this project.
In terms of the future for Queensland energy, we have to admit that hydro schemes and all the other schemes of green energy production need to be looked at. There's no doubt that this is the right project, it's just in the wrong location. We do not want this at the top end of our Pioneer Valley. You have to ask yourself the question, the report that was meant to go before Parliament in July, why was it put off until after the election? Either they’re not ready or there’s some stuff in that report that they don’t want people to hear before the election. Then there’s the cost, an estimated 12 billion, but it’s more likely going to be 30 billion. People are saying that’s too much money.
Activating the Pioneer River - what does this mean for the CBD?
There are only two blue water rivers on the eastern seaboard of Australia, I believe, and we've got one of them. And it's a beautiful river. Now, it’s the first time in a long time where people can see the river from River Street and not just old warehouses. We’ve put a nod to the heritage by using some of the old warehouse timber in what we’ve built along the riverfront for families to enjoy. The pontoon has been talked about for 20 years and that’s just been installed. Our long-term plan is to have community interaction right along the river from Paxton’s to the boat ramp. If you think of the Strand in Townsville, that’s the long-term vision right down to Billington Esplanade, but that will take time.
What is a common question voters have been asking during pre-poll?
One thing voters have been confused about is that with the mayoral vote it’s optional preferential, so you don’t need to put 1,2 and 3. You can just put 1 for the person you want as Mayor if you like. There’s also been some talk about divisions, and that’s a state government decision. So our council would need to take a vote on whether we think divisions would benefit our community and then pass that to the state government for approval. But it’s still not clear to me that rural people would benefit from divisions. The bulk of the people who live in the 42 communities in the Mackay region live in the urban areas. Divisions might be easier at election time but I don’t think the region benefits.
What do you hope to achieve in the next term of council if you're elected as Mayor?
We’ve got a lot on the go and that’s why I’m seeking another term. We’ve just opened stage one of the mountain bike trails which have been highly endorsed by those who have ridden them so far. Once you add that adventure trail from Eungella to Finch Hatton, it will be a world-beating area. We’ve got the waterfront which we’ve discussed, once we get on with that we can move down towards Billington Esplanade. There’s the momentum with the Northern Beaches Community Hub, it’s about attracting money to progress with those stages, plus the Mirani Heritage Precinct which will be a great addition to the valley. And the Sarina CBD beautification. There’s a lot going on.
Why should we vote for you?
I think I've proven over the last eight years as Mayor that my heart's in Makay. The record will show that our economic responsibility has been right there. For eight years, the average rate increase has been 1.6%. So, despite what some say, our rates are not the dearest in Queensland. When I came to Council in 2016, we were the dearest rating Council in Queensland. We're about middle of the pack right now. We started off with $173 million in debt. By the end of this June, we'll have $40 million in debt. So, we've carved a huge $130 million of our debt balance. I want to keep doing the job that I'm doing because I know that we've got things to deliver.
Laurence Bonaventura
Northern Beaches road issues – what can council do to ease the congestion?
The first point is to continue to lobby state government for improvements. Duplication is probably a long way off. There could be improvements around some of those access points onto Mackay Bucasia Road and some of the roundabouts. Option two, there are two parallel routes, one down Dawson Boulevard, which could be connected, and the other one is at Norwood Parade through Kerrisdale. The issue with both of them is one comes out at Golf Links Road, one comes out at Mackay Habana Road. Therefore, you could push the congestion back onto Makay Bucasia Road and actually make no improvement to our traffic times at all. I really think we need to look at in our new planning scheme, ensuring that we have ample commercial land allocated in the Northern Beaches, because we need people to be able to live and work and play in the area without driving into town.
Pioneer / Burdekin Pumped Hydro - tell us how you feel about this project.
I think council needs to be in there now working with those residents that are going to be directly affected should the area around Netherdale inundate and the two dams at the top of Eungella happen, because they're the ones directly impacted and I do fear for their mental health. To lose 40 or 50 families out of that area will not only impact Netherdale but the surrounding area as well. What we need to do is look at talking with the people from Queensland Hydro and see if there's an alternative for those people who want to stay in the valley to achieve that. I think we need to be doing that now, because if Queensland Hydro decides to go ahead, we could be too late to put all that other planning into place and be ready to assist them in that transition.
Activating the Pioneer River - what does this mean for the CBD?
There are some very big plans to activate the Pioneer River and go right out to Town Beach. It's something we've got to do in stages and I believe what we have done thus far is ample to create a real interest in the region. What’s been done at the River Wharfs is great but it hasn’t really achieved that self-activation of families taking their fish and chips creating crowds of people on the riverfront. So we need to stop and take a look at what needs to be done. I think we take a look at the area between the bridge and St Patrick’s church. I know the Mackay and District Italian Association is keen on developing that area, something small that could activate quite easily, like a wood-fired pizza oven for pizza nights with music. In terms of bringing life into the CBD, let’s talk to developers and build the existing building up, to include a few levels of accommodation up the top, commercial offices on the second floor and boutique stores on the ground. That will bring a community back into town where they will want to live, grab a coffee, go to the bakery, grab their produce, all in the CBD. And then walk to the river for pizza night.
Can rates lower without a significant cut to services?
I know people talk about reducing rates and there are council candidates out there preaching that they're going to lower rates. That's a fallacy. It's just not possible to do that. Having spent time on council and understanding the system, it is not possible when you've got cost of living going up at a very rapid rate. The costs that we'd have to cut out on what's getting done as a council every day would be horrendous. There'd have to be so many services that would have to close, there'd be so many employees that we'd have to put off because we just couldn't afford to do anywhere near what we're doing at the moment. Operational costs are one of those high expense items that we have as a council and it is just not possible to cut them.
Why should we vote for you?
To wait four years is too late. We need to do it now. We need to really start looking at change because to wait another four years and to run on a constant, the current system we're running I think is very dangerous. To jump into something unknown with another team is also very dangerous because they have no background in how the Council runs. I bring the background, I bring the understanding and I certainly bring the honesty and the willingness to work with anyone that's elected to Council. I certainly would like to encourage people to give me their vote and let me have a go.
Caption: Mackay Life Editor Amanda Wright sat down with Laurence Bonaventura, Greg Williamson and Steve Jackson to ask the mayoral candidates a final set of questions before hte local elections on March 16. Photo credit: Hannah McNamara
