Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority board director accused of potential conflict of interest

A board director for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has been accused of a potential conflict of interest over public funding directed to companies working on crown-of-thorns starfish culling.

 Margie McKenzie said she had left the room during
any Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority discussions
 about crown-of-thorns starfish.

Margie McKenzie sits on the board of the authority and also owns a company called Gempearl with her husband, Col McKenzie.

More than $20m in taxpayer funds was spent by the reef authority on killing crown-of-thorns starfish, which preys on coral.

According to reports by the ABC, the money was directed to two not-for-profit companies that then subcontracted the culling work to Gempearl.

Col McKenzie is also linked to the two companies that subcontracted the work – the Reef and Rainforest Research Centre, on which he serves as a board member, and the Association of Marine Park Tourism Operators, as its executive director and company secretary.

Read the story from The Guardian by Lisa Cox - “Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority board director accused of potential conflict of interest.”

Safety, lack of proper lanes, turn many off cycling, says city counci

Fears over safety, potential conflict with cars and pedestrians, and poorly planned bike lanes discourage many from getting on a bicycle, Melbourne City Council research has found.

Lord mayor Sally Capp and councillor Nicolas Frances
Gilley, the chair of the MCC's transport portfolio.

The city council will on Thursday release a discussion paper on cycling that will help inform its next transport strategy, due out by the end of this year.

Read the story Clay Lucas from The Age - “Safety, lack of proper lanes, turn many off cycling, says city council.”