Hervey Bay Gossip

Three intersections on Pialba to Burrum Heads Rd are being upgraded at a cost of $1.3 million after requests by locals for improvements to road safety and traffic flow.

Member for HerveyBay and Parliamentary Secretary for Main Roads Andrew McNamara today announced work is underway on upgrades to the Dundowran-Ansons Rd,Crawford Drand Karraschs-Sawmill Rd intersections.

“These are improvements demanded by the community, it has put the projects on the map and Main Roads is delivering.

“Residents called for the road works at a community meeting and while it was understood the upgrades wouldn’t happen overnight, I can give an undertaking the work will be finished within the timeframe set at the forum.

“Rest assured the intersection improvements are being delivered in the way the community wants them built.

“It means better traffic flow and increased safety for motorists and pedestrians.”

Mr McNamara said the intersection upgrades would be finished by the end of July.

Works will include:

·Auxiliary lanes and shielded turning lanes added at all three intersections

·Medians painted at Dundowran Rd and Ansons Rd

·Raised concrete islands and medians installed at Karraschs Rd and Sawmill Rd

“The speed limit has been temporarily lowered and there will be minor traffic delays with construction now in full swing.

“But the improvements to these intersections will be well worth the inevitable inconvenience of road works,” Mr McNamara said.

The Deputy Premier has just announced that two major development companies have been short-listed to submit bids for the redevelopment of the Urangan Boat Harbour, Acting Premier Infrastructure Minister Anna Bligh announced today.

Ms Bligh said Meridien Marinas and the Seymour/Watpac group would compete for the chance to redevelop the boat harbour, one of the most significant tourism developments on the Queensland coastline.

“This exciting development will provide a year-round tourist magnet for the entire Wide Bay region,” Ms Bligh said. “It will complement Hervey Bay’s world-famous whale watching industry and be the new gateway to the Great Sandy Straits.

“And it will generate hundreds of jobs during the two-year construction phase.”

Member for Hervey Bay Andrew McNamara said: “The development will bring great benefits to Hervey Bay and put Urangan on the map for international tourists.”

Binding bid documentation will be forwarded to the short-listed companies early next week. Construction could start as early as 2009 and be completed by 2011.

The Deputy Premier and the local member for Hervey Bay with the plans for the new marina.

The Meridien Group has undertaken a range of residential subdivisions, apartments and retail developments. Between them, the Seymour/ Watpac consortium has undertaken the full range of residential, tourism, commercial and Government developments.

Ms Bligh said the redevelopment would include:

• An expansion of the harbour to the south of the breakwater to incorporate a 200-berth marina.

• A major upgrade of Miller St to create a boulevard entrance to Urangan Boat Harbour.

• A tourism development opportunity utilising existing car park and caravan park lots.

• Significantly enhanced public car parking.

• Creation of a green corridor with walking/cycle tracks along Charlton Esplanade that will connect the harbour with the foreshores and Urangan pier.

• A boardwalk around the inner boat harbour, connecting the new development with existing facilities, including the Hervey Bay Boat Club, boat ramps and car trailer parks.

A shop assistant was stabbed during a robbery at a Foodworks store in Maryborough this morning. The robber was then cornered by police in the carpark and shot dead when he refused to put down his weapon.

Running a fast food outlet or a cafe in Hervey Bay may not be as easy as you might think.

In just a short stretch of the Esplanade at Pialba one has closed, one cafe is on the market and two fast food shops are also up for sale. Bayaroma is currently for sale through Elders Hervey Bay and the two fast food outlets are for sale through Fraser Coast Business Brokers

Being open 7 days a week, even in somewhere as nice as Hervey Bay, would certainly takes its toll.

An arson attack on Favourite Pets in Torquay Road Pialba destroyed a shed that housed 60 pets behind the main shop. None of the pets housed in the shed could be saved from the fire that was lit around midnight last night.

The Beattie Government is cracking down on finance brokers with a new code of conduct to protect Queensland borrowers.

Fair Trading Minister Margaret Keech said a new enforceable Code of Conduct would require brokers to meet new conduct standards in their dealings with clients.

“It’s estimated that around 50 per cent of home loans are negotiated by brokers on behalf of Queenslanders,” Mrs Keech said.

“It’s big business, yet there is no regulation.

“The vast majority of brokers operate ethically. However, as in most industries, the minority of less scrupulous brokers pose problems.

“People are at risk of receiving biased advice where brokers are paid by lenders and of financial loss when the broker’s fees are paid but they are unable to get credit.

“Some unethical brokers may even try to persuade people to borrow more money to drive up their commissions.”

Mrs Keech said the Government was moving now to protect Queenslanders because national regulation was more than two years away.

The Code will:

·Contain disclosure provisions and statement of reasons. This will require brokers to provide specified disclosures about costs and services before negotiating a broking agreement with the client. The disclosures will contain details of the client’s credit needs, as well as a statement of reasons after the credit is sourced explaining why the products recommended satisfy those credit needs.

·Prevent brokers from demanding, receiving or accepting any commission from a client, or potential client, before securing their credit needs.

·Prevent brokers from lodging a caveat over real property to secure a fee, commission or any other amount that is payable;

·Include general behaviour provisions requiring finance brokers to act within the Fair Trading Act 1989.

·Requiring brokers to comply with all Queensland laws relating to confidentiality and privacy.

·Require brokers to establish and maintain an internal dispute resolution process, and inform borrowers and potential borrowers of its existence.

The pressure is really on parents these days to take an active role in helping to keep their kids’ weight down.

Getting the right advice about nutrition for Australian kids is not all that easy but a new website has been launched today that can help parents make the right choices about the best food for their kids. Choice has launched Food for Kids and you can find it by following the link.

The Local Government Reform Commission moved into it’s offices yesterday and plans to get down to business … something that the Government wants but local councils and many residents would rather not happen.

The Commission will consider submissions from the public but if you want to make a submission you only have until May 25 to lodge it. If you want to lodge a submission but you’re not quite sure on how to go about it then you might find Local Democracy, a new website launched by the Local Government Association, to be of some help - sadly it’s no longer online.