There's always a relationship - whether antagonistic or cozy - between property developers and local councils. There's also an important and legitimate revenue stream that comes to councils when new property is coming on stream. Strewth! suggests that there could be trouble in Hervey Bay as the boom dries up.

Has the Hervey Bay development bubble burst? That’s the feeling of one builder who’s leaving town after work practically disappeared in the space of a week.

The bloke, who has to remain nameless, claims he has been flat out for the past few years but then, about a week ago, the jobs just dried up, in particular big apartment projects. Many of these, he says, have been mothballed.

Candidate for councillor in the Fraser Coast Council, Russel Felton, makes his pitch. Cross-posted from Strewth!

“My name is russell felton i am running in the upcoming election i just wanted to tell some of your readers a little about my self.

i ran my own business in hervey bay for many years .i am 45 married have three daughters , when devolopers are building new housing estates i will push for them to build playgrounds not just leave parkland we have a lot of young families moving to the region,in hervey bay we need to build the water park a.s.a.p and maryborough maybe run concerts and entertainment in the brolga theatre and other events for our teenage children.

This is the latest big story from Strewth! , one of the best little blogs in Queensland. Reposted with permission. Wide Bay's Water Commission woes have been a hot topic over there lately - more citizen journalists at work for you!

The confidential review of Wide Bay Water Corporation, that was buried by the Hervey Bay City Council and cost the job of the  Chief Executive Officer who commissioned it, has found the water utility is costing ratepayers up to $4 million a year in duplicated services and that the council has become a “rubber stamp” for its operations.

Furthermore, rather than the promised rich dividends it was supposed to pay the council, WBWC has never come even close to the returns outlined in its corporate charter and has performed so poorly that it is returning only about half of what it was supposed to and will fall even further behind over the life of its financial plan..