Cairns Hillbilly Watch

Cairns Hillbilly Watch claims to be an outlet for the TRUTH in Cairns and further more: "the blog everyone reads but admits to no-one." The link to this website is http://www.hillbillywatch.com/2013/08/aquis-environmental-terms-of-reference.html. I stumbled across this little gem whilst searching for a virtual network that would keep me both entertained and provide me with plenty of examples of how power is used and quite often abused online.  It seems that within this blog its creator John Mackenzie, a controversial local radio presenter, wields the ultimate power in that he chooses the topic and quite often guides the direction of discussion.

The blog attracts a full spectrum of opinion- those from the extreme left and right of political persuasion, to locals who are directly affected by what is being put on the table. It gives the general public a voice and a place to vent their frustrations on local issues. Also the performance, or lack thereof, of leaders within the Cairns community and further afield are explored.  In this sense the contributors to the blog are empowered by the opportunity to argue their point upon issues they closely relate to.

One of the most interesting points of conversation at present is the development of 300 acres of farmland into a 4.2 billion dollar mega resort and casino. It threatens to divide the community and relocate the economic centre from the Cairns CBD to outlying Yorkeys Knob, a beach community 10 km north.  It is argued quite venomously between bloggers that the swiftness of approval has been assisted by dodgy deals between local and state politicians and the developer.  Many people are feeling let down and misrepresented as described by Allen (2003):

             Then there are those unsettling moments when you find yourself on the receiving end of a blunt      
             decision or insensitive instruction taken by some far-off government agency or impersonal
             corporation and can only begin to wonder where such powers really come from, let alone who
             lies behind them.

I am confident Cairns Hillbilly Watch will be a good source of empowerment for myself as a blogger,  because I have close financial and family ties in the region.

Reference List

Allen, J. (2003) Lost Geographies of Power. Oxford, UK. Blackwell Publishers Ltd, a Blackwell 
              Publishing Company. 

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Cairns Hillbilly Watch (2013) retrieved from:
http://www.hillbillywatch.com