17/06/2026
Gympie Regional Council
The Comments Were Disabled. The Questions Werenât.
A few questions for the Mayor.
Not because I expect answers.
But because every statement seems to create three new questions.
I originally raised concerns about intimidation, threats of ongoing fines, photography of my business premises, transparency, accountability and the conduct of council officers.
Curiously, the public response seems to focus almost entirely on me.
The public was originally told that I was fined for failing to comply with licensing requirements.
The Mayor now explains that the infringement notice was issued because I allegedly failed to provide name and address information.
So which version should the public believe?
And if the infringement notice was never for licensing non-compliance, why has there been no public correction?
Apparently the reputation of a small local business is not important enough to warrant a clarification, and correcting public record is optional.
The Mayor says Council worked to support my business.
Excellent.
Can we see the support?
Can we see the reports, recommendations, advice, guidance, pathways, action plans or documented assistance that demonstrate this support?
Because according to the same response, Council allegedly knew from the beginning that the kitchen was too small for its intended purpose.
Which raises a fascinating question.
If Council already knew that from the outset, what exactly was being pre-inspected?
What was the objective?
What was inspected?
What recommendations were made?
What pathway was offered to help The Longhorn obtain a food licence?
Or was the outcome already known before the process began?
And while weâre asking questions, perhaps the Mayor can explain another curiosity.
Why were four council officers required to attend a private property that was not trading to the public and had not lodged a food licence application?
What exactly was the risk that justified such a response?
What complaint was being investigated?
Who authorised the attendance?
And if this was simply part of Councilâs commitment to supporting small business, I am sure many new cafĂŠs across Gympie would be interested to know whether this level of attention is routinely provided to every start-up business.
The Mayor also personally visited The Longhorn Lounge.
Interestingly, during that visit none of these alleged concerns were raised with me.
No discussion about an unsuitable kitchen.
No discussion about alleged food safety concerns.
No discussion about complaints.
No discussion about unauthorised food sales.
Yet somehow these issues later became important enough to feature prominently in a public newspaper response.
Funny how that works.
Another question.
My complaints concern the conduct of council officers.
Those officers report to Council administration.
So why is the Mayor publicly responding to operational complaints instead of the CEO?
Has the CEO investigated my complaints?
If so:
Who conducted the investigation?
What evidence was considered?
What findings were made?
Where is the report?
If not, how was the Mayor able to publicly conclude that council officers acted appropriately?
Which leads to perhaps the most important question of all.
What investigation was undertaken before council officers were publicly defended and my concerns were publicly dismissed?
Because from where I stand, the complaints appear to have been ignored, the questions remain unanswered, and the person raising concerns appears to have become the focus of the story.
The Mayorâs response gives every impression that council officers deserve the benefit of the doubt.
I am simply wondering when a small local business receives the same courtesy.
These are not attacks.
They are questions.
After all, if everything was done correctly, the answers should be easy.
Shouldnât they?
And I am still waiting for documentsâŚ
