General News
24 June, 2025
Mayor will not say sorry
CAIRNS Mayor Amy Eden is refusing to apologise for remarks she made on ABC radio that she had conducted “social inquiry checks” on people who had complained about a proposed rate increase for retirement village residents, declaring she “can see them enjoying the lagoon” and other places in the community.
“I’ve done a couple of social inquiry checks online of some of the complainants and I can see them enjoying the lagoon and all the free offerings down at the esplanade,” Cr Eden told radio host Charlie McKillop on June 3.
“Ratepayers pay for that. Everyone needs to contribute, and whether you use it or not, it’s having the access,” she said.
In a letter, Oak Tree Retirement Village resident Judy Holzheimer called on the mayor to publicly apologise for the remarks.
In response, Cr Eden wrote to Mrs Holzheimer acknowledging her concerns about the comments made on the ABC on June 3. “However, I do not agree with the interpretation presented in your correspondence and will not be issuing a public apology or retraction,” she said.
“The reference I made to ‘social inquiry checks’ was a casual and general observation – referring only to publicly available content voluntarily shared by individuals on social media.
“No private data was accessed, no formal investigation occurred and no constituent was targeted.
“ … my comment (clarified by the council) was made in the context of public engagement and was not intended as a personal judgment or dismissal of any resident’s concerns.
“It is common practice – across sectors and in civic life – to observe publicly available content as part of understanding community sentiment.”
Cr Eden said in a recent letter to a newspaper a resident noted: “Fair play – the tax office and Centrelink routinely do social media checks to investigate if people are exploiting the system. Car manufacturers do social media checks to review warranty claims. Social media is a two-way street”.
“I remain committed to respectful community dialogue – even when views differ – and thank you for the opportunity to respond,” she said.
Mrs Holzheimer said “far from being casual or general, the mayor’s actions targeted elderly complainants”.
She said even more concerning, in her defence for using social media checks, the mayor justified her actions by citing the letter about the tax office and Centrelink doing social media checks.
“This justification implies that the mayor is seriously equating elderly, concerned residents with welfare cheats which shows a disturbing lack of judgment and sensitivity,” Mrs Holzheimer said.
“Does she not realise that honesty and trust are core values for elderly residents?,” she said
“To imply that they are ‘exploiting the system’ is yet another insult from a mayor unwilling to acknowledge that her remarks were inappropriate and deserving of an apology.”
