Latest news with #NickDametto
ABC News
02-07-2025
- ABC News
Long wait for Mount Spec Road repairs angers Paluma, Hidden Valley communities
The residents of a small Queensland community that endured extreme flooding are at "breaking point" after being told it could take years to repair a crucial road, a tour operator says. The record-breaking downpours in February damaged parts of Mount Spec Road, which is the main route into Paluma and the Hidden Valley. Locals in the two townships have already grown frustrated by the need for an approved permit to use the damaged stretch. Hidden Valley Cabins operator Kurt Harlow used the road to bus visitors in before the landslips in February. Alternative routes are time-consuming and are largely only suitable for four-wheel-drives. Mr Harlow said the damage to the road had led to a drop in visitors and that tourism operators had "reached breaking point". "There's talks of the Queensland government saying that they want Queensland to be the leader in tourism for 2045," he said. Mr Harlow said other major rain events had washed away large sections of the road, but they were replaced within weeks. He was concerned red tape was delaying the work on Mount Spec Road and questioned whether more traffic should be allowed through. "There's all these ridiculous policies put in place on how the road is maintained," Mr Harlow said. "We've had the permit to access the road for the last couple of months, but driving on that road, there's nothing wrong with it at all and there's no reason for them not to allow access for light rigid vehicles." Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto said action was needed urgently. "Paluma residents deserve answers," he said. "If you don't address this problem – not in the coming years or months, but in the coming weeks – there's a real threat that these businesses will not exist." This week state Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg said there was no time-frame for repairing the road. "We're not talking weeks — it will most certainly be months, if not years," he said. Mr Mickelberg said work was underway to assess multiple landslips that effectively needed to be tied together with "special geotechnical rods". "We … need to have the workforce available to do that, " he said. "We also have to be able to design it all and do all the geotechnical work to ensure that it does meet the needs. "It's a very complex environment." Mr Mickelberg said residents and businesses would be updated on the progress of repairs.
7NEWS
22-04-2025
- Politics
- 7NEWS
Nick Dametto risks fine over beer breach in Indigenous community with alcohol restrictions
A North Queensland politician could find himself in hot water over a cold beer in an Indigenous community with alcohol restrictions. Nick Dametto, the state member for Hinchinbrook, uploaded photos of himself enjoying Good Friday with friends on Curacoa Island, near Palm Island. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Queensland MP comes unstuck by his own social media post over a cold beer. In one picture, the Katter Party politician is seen holding a can of full-strength beer with an alcohol percentage of 4.2 per cent, while other people in the photos appear to be holding pre-mixed drinks. The controversial laws are enforced in remote and discrete Indigenous communities across Queensland, restricting or banning alcohol entirely. In the Palm Island Aboriginal Shire, people can only carry alcohol with a concentration of less than 4 per cent and are restricted to 11.25 litres per person on foot, or per vehicle, boat or aircraft, regardless of the number of people in it. When contacted by 7NEWS, Dametto said he had made an 'honest mistake' and did not realise outskirt islands around Palm Island were included in the Alcohol Management Plan. 'I think this is a really good opportunity to turn this into an educational piece,' he said. 'I can understand why some people have become angry about this but, at the same time, there should be more signage on the islands.' The Hinchinbrook MP believed the restriction on full-strength alcohol was 'not well-known' and said the group had 'no more than about three drinks per person'. 'We were planning actually to be on Orpheus Island up until about lunchtime (and) unfortunately the weather was blowing a south-westerly, which made it very dangerous to anchor up there,' he told 7NEWS. 'We were only out there with a small amount of alcohol and enough food to keep us going for a couple of hours.' Andrea Kyle-Sailor, a former councillor who helps Palm Island residents facing court, including for breaking alcohol restrictions, believes Dametto's explanation does not pass the pub test. 'The excuse of honest mistake is not normally, well never, accepted by the magistrate for our people,' she said. 'I would have thought that the Member for Hinchinbrook would be aware of the alcohol restrictions.' $60,000 fine Kyle-Sailor said visitors to the shire should be aware of the rules, which were easily accessible on council and state government websites. 'It's all there at your fingertips - get on your phone, have a look, see what the restrictions are... take the time to have a look,' she said. She said people charged with possessing illegal alcohol in the restricted area were often fined a few hundred dollars for their first offence. The maximum penalty is currently $60,487. Dametto said he would 'take his poison' if he was fined but maintained his mistake should be turned into an education piece 'rather than trying to crucify someone at Easter'.
