General News
16 February, 2026
Pollies target of crime rally
MORE than 130 people have attended a crime rally at Yorkeys Knob, with residents and business owners calling for mandatory sentencing and greater police visibility on Cairns streets.
The meeting brought together members of the public, business owners and invited speakers to discuss crime concerns and potential responses following recent incidents affecting local businesses.
Business owner Sarah Hinchcliffe said feedback from attendees was positive and the forum was run in a structured way to ensure all questions were addressed.
“All in all, it was the feedback we got that was very positive,” she said.
“Everything was all organised very, very well by Cr Brett Olds (deputy mayor).”
Ms Hinchcliffe said questions were submitted via an app to prevent disruptions and allow for a controlled discussion.
“People had to text in their questions. So that worked really well,” she said.
“Everybody’s questions got answered at the end of the session.” While some questions could not be answered on the night, Ms Hinchcliffe said the forum was an opportunity to raise concerns with elected representatives.
“It was about getting these questions to Bree Jones (Member for Barron River), members of her office were here as well,” she said.
“We all know that it’s a state government issue. They’ve got to make the changes.”
She said the strongest themes to emerge from the discussion were calls for tougher sentencing laws and a greater police presence.
“I think the things that popped up mostly that people want to see were things like mandatory sentencing, a police beat and more police presence on the street,” Ms Hinchcliffe said.
The forum included guest speakers Cr Olds, constitutional lawyer Peter Fitzgibbon and a former assistant police commissioner Paul Taylor.
Ms Hinchcliffe said while no immediate outcomes were announced, the concerns raised appeared to be taken seriously.
“It seemed to be taken seriously,” she said. “I feel like we were definitely heard.”
She said there had been interest from the community in holding a follow-up meeting and the business would be open to hosting it.
