John MacKenzie chats with Chris "Choppy" Close, Rugby League Legend and player for the first State of Origin match in 1980., about the SSO Game 2 decider match tomorrow night.

Don't miss Game 2 at 8 p.m. on 21st June 2023 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.

John MacKenzie chats with Cr. Brett Olds, CRC Representative for Division 9, about the Cairns Regional Council's near-$400 million budget for the 2023-2024 financial year. 

In a heated exchange Division 5's Councillor, Amy Edan, took advantage of her time to speak about her electorate's budgetary concerns by taking shots at her own Unity Team. The meeting was adjourned by Mayor Manning, while chants of "let her speak" echoed from the near-full gallery.

Councillor Olds reminded Councillor Edan not to make her time political and that battles are reserved for council workshops, many of which she did not attend.

The controversial "tenant tax" (an increase in rates specifically targeting investment properties) was officially shut down. Ratepayers can still expect a 5.99% general rate rise.

John MacKenzie chats with talkback caller, Col from Goldsborough Valley, about his experience providing shelter and work for a troubled young person, who had broken into his factory.

John MacKenzie chats with Dr. Paul Williams, Associate Professor in Politics and Journalism at Griffith University, about the latest opinions polls about the "voice to parliament" referendum that Australians will be voting on later in 2023.

The latest polling, as of writing this article, puts the vote at neck and neck. It seems as though support for the Yes campaign has dropped from 53% to 49% within the last week.

Australian voters will go to the polls in a referendum later this year to decide whether to amend the Constitution to include an unelected, Indigenous parliamentary body to advise on policy and lawmaking.

John MacKenzie chats with Associate Professor Severine Navarro, Team Head of Mucosal Immunology at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, about groundbreaking trials of a new treatment for asthma sufferers.

The QIMR Berghofer Institute is appealing for donations to help fast-track clinical trials for a new anti-inflammatory protein that can now be synthesised.

The protein is proving effective to treat asthma and could potentially work to treat a range of other conditions including hay fever, food allergies, and even coeliac. 

John MacKenzie chats with Sergeant Dave Raymond, Officer in Charge of Cairns Dog Squad, to share some stories after he was one of seven officers awarded an Australian Police Medal for exemplary service.

"Sergeant Raymond commenced with QPS on 29 May 1989 and was sworn in as a police officer on 8 December 1989. He has served his whole career in Far North Queensland including service as a general duties officer in Smithfield and Cairns Police Station, Officer in Charge of the Cairns Police-Citizens Youth Club where he was instrumental in its establishment", quotes the media release from Mark Ryan, the Queensland Minister for Police and Corrective Services.

John MacKenzie chats with David Bobberman, CEO of Queensland Seafood Industry Association, about the fear facing Queensland's seafood industry after the announcement that the state government will ban certain net fishing.

Commercial fishers are terrified of the proposal which would see an 800km area of the Northern Queensland coast be shut down to gillnet fishing by the end of June 2027.

David Bobberman was furious that the announcements were made without any consultation with industry stakeholders.

John MacKenzie chats with Dr. Jon Nott, Professor of Geoscience College of Science and Engineering at JCU Cairns, about the latest update on sea level rises and the effects it can have at a local level.

 John Mackenzie wanted to better understand what is truly happening around Far North Queensland, particularly after reports that islands in the Torres Strait are under threat.

John MacKenzie chats with Dr. Terry Goldsworthy, Associate Professor in Criminology at Bond University, about carjackings and violent crimes after Cairns has been revealed as the car theft capital of Queensland.

The increasing rate of car thefts in Cairns, usually committed by young offenders who force entry into victims' homes and destroy any sense of safety in the process, comes as a spate of violent carjackings has been trending in the state's southeast corner.

Dr. Goldsworthy spoke about how around 70% of people living in the Gold Coast "don't feel safe in their own home at night".