Hervey Bay Gossip

Hervey Bay is about to benefit from a new funding initiative from Queensland Transport the Minister announced today.

The funding will go towards the planning of a new 2 lane boat ramp at Gatakers Landing, dredging of the entrance and internal channels at Urangan Boat Harbour and planning to widen the boat ramp at Burrum Heads.

A Hervey Bay real estate agent has been banned for life after he failed to declare he was director of a company that bought a property from one of his employer’s clients.

Fair Trading Minister, Margaret Keech, said Philip John Dickins, of Uraween, committed a serious breach of trust resulting in financial gain.

“When handing down its decision the Commercial and Consumer Tribunal described him as ‘devious’,” Mrs Keech said.

“The penalty handed to Mr Dickins should be a warning to others in the industry that agents will not get away with deceiving their clients.

“Mr Dickins was the director of Caltowie Nominees Pty Ltd when the company bought a Point Vernon house for $200,000.

“As the director of the purchasing company, he illegally charged the vendor commission on the sale. The company sold the property less than a month later for $230,000.

“He knew it was illegal for a person acting as a real estate agent or sales person to gain a beneficial interest from the sale of property on their books, unless full disclosure of the interest was first made clear to the vendor.

“Vendors should not be out of pocket as a result of this kind of deal. The client should certainly not have to pay commission to the person or company who is buying the property.

“Mr Dickins was prosecuted under the Property Agents and Motor Dealers Act 2000, losing his registration certificate and paying more than $3,000 in fines and costs.

“Mr Dickins withheld the details of his dealings from his employer, who was the licensee of the real estate office.

“His employer became aware of the suspect dealings during an internal audit, and lodged a complaint with the Office of Fair Trading.

“Laws are in place to protect consumers from this kind of unprofessional conduct.”

If you’re looking for something to enjoy apart from the Whale Festival this weekend then why not head down to the Boat Club and enjoy some time at the exhibition that three local artists are putting on.

The exhibition opens tonight at 6pm in the auditorium at the Boat Club and runs through until midday on Monday. Tomorrow evening there’s a dinner starting at 6pm at the Boat Club and tickets are available from the exhibition organisers,

Money raised by the exhibition is going to help support the Forget Me Not orphanage in Nepal. So there’s a chance to see some great local artwork and help support a very worthy cause.

The Queensland Police Service and online marketplace eBay have teamed up in a world first initiative which will help protect consumers rights online, Minister for Police Judy Spence said today.

“As with all transactions, consumer protection is vital and the Queensland Police Service and eBay are at the forefront of consumer protection in cyberspace,” Ms Spence said.

“In the past if a consumer had a complaint when an item they purchased on a site like eBay didn’t arrive or was not what was described, they often made a complaint straight to police.

“In many cases police found that if the consumer contacted their online auction site or the seller directly their complaint could be easily handled without police involvement.

“So the Queensland Police Service has launched a website which will direct consumers who have a complaint to eBay’s dispute resolution processes.

“Police expect this initiative will settle around 70% of disputes without police becoming involved.”

Ms Spence said police will direct anyone with a complaint back to the eBay website at www.ebay.com.au to check the terms of sale, deal directly with the seller, raise a dispute with eBay or file a dispute with PayPal if they used that online payment method.

“On most occasions the matter will be resolved however if the consumer is still not happy they can then report the matter to Queensland police.”

“Queensland police have also set up a website to direct people on how to make a complaint at www.police.qld.gov.au/onlineauctionfraud.”

eBay Australia Trust and Safety Director Alastair MacGibbon said while the overwhelming majority of transactions on eBay are trouble free, eBay is delighted with the proactive approach taken by Queensland police to address issues when they arise.

“Where matters are being investigated by Queensland police, eBay will provide information including victim details, complete background information of the person under investigation and advice on what may be required for any search warrants,” Mr MacGibbon said.

“eBay’s ability to help law enforcement in this way means that any attempt to commit wrongdoing on eBay can be more easily dealt with than other more traditional forms of offline crime.”

It’s interesting to see how some people perceive the local government mergers that are about to take place here in Queensland.

In an article entitled ‘Mergers introduce margins of error’ in today’s Australian Greg Roberts suggested that here on the Fraser Coast Hervey Bay “would be swallowed up by Maryborough”. I’m not sure that’s how the people of Maryborough see this merger.

But then if you read the article you might see it’s not entirely clear that the author has all his facts straight he refers to Hervey Bay as a shire … perhaps that’s why our council is called the Hervey Bay City Council.

It’s Whale Festival time here in Hervey Bay and that means that the coming weekend is filled with some great fun for the whole family.

Friday 10 August

Whale Festival Launch from 6.30pm to 10.30pm at The Bayswater, Peppers Pier Resort. Tickets are available from The Bayswater.

Saturday 11 August

Whale of a Time - 2pm to 8.30pm at the Seafront Oval, The Esplanade Pialba. It includes stage entertainment, market stalls, rides, food and beverages, an illuminated street parade and fireworks.

Sunday 12 August

Food wine and jazz at the Marina from 2pm to 7pm. This event will include the blessing of the fleet and from 7pm the Hervey Bay Jazz Club will present a night of great jazz at the Boat Club.

A new agreement between the Queensland Government and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) will deliver early public warnings about significant emergencies affecting Queenslanders, Premier Peter Beattie said today.

Mr Beattie said the Agreement and Protocol was the first of its kind in Australia and meant Government agencies could now deliver public warnings quickly in times of emergency - be it a natural disaster, public health risk or terrorism situation.

“We learned many lessons out of the devastation of Cyclone Larry and the threat of a tsunami hitting Australian shores earlier this year,” Mr Beattie said.

“While the Queensland Department of Emergency Services has had a similar agreement in place with the ABC for sometime, this new, broader Agreement recognises the response to emergency situations can occur across government.

“Authorised representatives from a range of Queensland Government agencies - including Health, Police and Emergency Services and the Department of Premier and Cabinet - can now call a dedicated 24-hour ABC hotline to deliver urgent public warnings for broadcast on ABC radio. 

“The ABC’s extensive network will allow targeted warnings to be broadcast to affected areas of Queensland, whether it’s statewide, the coastal strip or individual communities.”

Let me preface this story by saying that I too love to ride my push bike but at the same time I’m aware that when riding my bike I must obey the road rules just as if I was driving my car. That means that I keep left, I stop at traffic lights and if a pedestrian is trying to cross the road at a marked crossing I give way to them.

Sadly there are many bike riders who seem to think that they are not governed by the road rules. Here is a story of one who didn’t seem to think that the road rules applied to him. There are several regular morning riders here in Hervey Bay who need to learn the lesson too.

Fair Trading Minister Margaret Keech is warning Sunshine Coast residents not to get taken in by the latest Internet banking hoax.

“Internet users on the Sunshine Coast are being targeted by an email supposedly from the Commonwealth Bank warning customers about the threat of identity fraud.

“The email directs people to a website and asks them to confirm their banking details.

“The email is a hoax.

“If you’ve received a copy, delete it - whatever you do, don’t click on the web link in the email.

“Email scams usually direct Internet users to a website, where you will be asked for credit card or banking details.

“Once the scammers have your personal details, they can empty your accounts or rip off your details for identity fraud.

“To protect your self online:
• never give your net banking or other passwords to anyone else, not even family members or friends;

• only access the official website for your financial institution using your ‘favourites’ or by typing its URL in the address bar of your web browser. Never click any hyperlink in an email;

• follow the security instructions on your bank’s web pages;

• check for a padlock symbol, generally located in the bottom right hand corner of your browser;

• get an effective virus protection program and regularly download the latest version;

• install a ‘firewall’ and keep your security program up-to-date to protect your computer from unauthorised access;

• delete suspicious emails without opening them. Avoid opening suspect attachments, even if the email seems to come from someone you trust; and

• ignore and delete spam, chain and junk emails.”

Mrs Keech said that if consumers are in any doubt, they should contact their financial institution to confirm that the information request is legitimate.

The last flight from Maryborough to Brisbane left Maryborough around 12 months ago but residents might soon be able to fly from Maryborough to Brisbane once more.

The ABC is reporting that Regional Express, a NSW company, will begin flying into Maryborough in October. You can read more about it here