The Douglas Shire’s uniqueness will be lost. The Douglas Shire is made up of coastal, village and rural communities who share similar ideals of environmental excellence, sensible development and a non-urban living environment. Many of these ideals are decidedly different from those of Cairns City, with whom we are being forced to amalgamate.
The Douglas Shire’s approach to growth and sustainability will be compromised.
The Douglas Shire has applied tough town planning restrictions in order to limit development to designated areas.
The Douglas Shire’s natural environment may be threatened.
The Douglas Shire is characterised by clean beaches, pristine rivers, World Heritage-listed rainforests, open spaces and protected rural landscapes. These are preserved by local shire laws and customs that are more stringent than those of our neighbouring shires.
Amalgamations are fundamentally undemocratic and unhealthy. Read The End of Local Government by Kenneth Wiltshire of The Brisbane Institute.
The Douglas Shire’s rates will increase.The Douglas Shire Council has proven itself to be fiscally responsible and sustainable. Its general rates are $800 per annum lower than Cairns.
The Douglas Shire’s tourism industry will suffer. Local industries and residents have worked very hard over many years to establish the “Port Douglas/Daintree” brand which brings substantial benefit not only to the Shire, but also to the rest of FNQ and the Queensland economy.