Douglas Shire Ratepayers Association

It has been a long time since I have had anything interesting enough to put on this blog.

Tue 11 Oct 1910

The history of Ratepayer Associations in the Douglas Shire is indeed a long one, at least four years before World War 1 if the newspaper article above is anything to go by.

Little else has emerged since then except for some concerned citizens who tried to stop the de-amalgamation of the Douglas Shire from the Cairns Regional Council in 2013. Locals were outraged that we were amalgamated in the first place and voted for de amalgamation about 2 to 1. A ratepayers association was formed but was lost in the overwhelming support from the FOD (friends of Douglas) for de amalgamation.

The Douglas Shire was born again. Slowly but surely the wave of support has turned and the present day council does not enjoy the support it once had. This is how ratepayers associations are started and so it is that today Tuesday 21 January 2020 a newly formed association will start with its media releases. 

There can be nothing but good come from this for our ratepayers, particularly about a third of them, who cannot vote in local government elections, but are the backbone of our tourism industry by supplying strata titled accommodation.

Read more about the Douglas Shire Ratepayers Association: www.douglasratepayers.org.au

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