Move pushes boundaries of good sense

THE closer one looks at the more detailed boundary recommendations made by the Queensland Redistribution Commission the more illogical they seem.

The people of Townsville don’t need their suburbs divvied up and bundled into massive electorates with very different priorities.

A classic example of this is the surprise decision to move Palm Island into the seat of Hinchinbrook.

On a map the idea seems logical but it completely disregards the fact that the community has strong social and economic ties to Townsville that have existed for decades.

The move has caught Mayor Alf Lacey completely off guard and must be a kick in the guts for Townsville MP Scott Stewart, who has worked to grow this already strong connection.

While the three Labor seats seem to have refocused more clearly on the Townsville City Council boundaries, there is still much to be desired.

Families in the Northern Beaches face very different issues to farmers up near Ingham, while the city’s growing southern corridor has an MP whose business will take them nearly all the way to Rockhampton.

Voters in the regions will continue to lose faith in their elected representatives if they already feel sidelined by the democratic process. OUR first instalment of the Best Of series has made it clear that Townsville residents really like their pizza.

With its stretchy cheese, mouthwatering toppings and crispy bases, pizza has become the holy grail of takeaway food for hungry North Queenslanders.

The reader response shows the passion for pizza that exists in this city and that is a great thing. So when people see Chris McMahon’s excellent video on the

website, they will realise this is one of the jewels in the crown of our tourism push.