This blog is open to any who wish to comment on Australian society, the state of the environment or political shenanigans at Federal, State and Local Government level.
On Tuesday 30 March 2010 a community meeting was called at Yamba to discuss opposition to multinational McDonald's move to establish a 24 hour drive-through food franchise in that coastal town.
The meeting was well attended and the crowd spilled out of the space and onto the street.
Yamba Chamber of Commerce, Valley Watch and Coast Care all spoke out against the McDonald's development application, as did local residents and some small business owners.
A number of Clarence Valley shire councillors attended the meeting and it was obvious that they had already started to receive emails lobbying against the fast food giant's plans.
The meeting convenor invited anyone who supported having a McDonald's in Yamba to the microphone to put forward their views. No-one came forward.
In 2009 no Yamba restaurant, cafe or small take-away food business was listed on this file. However the multinational fast food company McDonald's was mentioned six times.Three times under management by franchise operators and another three times under its own Australian management.
Examples of official findings regarding these outlets:
Fail to take all practicable measures to eradicate and prevent the harbourage of pests - live cockroaches observed on the premises
Fail to maintain the food premises to the required standard of cleanliness
Fail to take all practicable measures to eradicate and prevent the harbourage of pests - live cockroaches observed in the food preparation area
Fail to take all practicable measures to eradicate and prevent the harbourage of pests - Customer complaint of fly found in burger. Several flies found in food preparation area
No wonder that McDonald’s new fast food outlet in Yamba doesn’t appear to be doing a roaring business during peak tourist season on the Clarence Coast:
It's McDonald's new Favourites Combo - being promoted as a lunch meal for one, which contains almost the entire daily recommended calorie and fat intake.
Tania Ferraretto, a dietician for 17 years, said she would never recommend anyone eat the calorific meal.
She said a person's required calorie intake was variable depending on age, gender and activity level but that the average adult needed about 2000 calories per day.
"This McDonald's meal is a huge proportion of that," Ms Ferraretto said. The meal is also dangerously high in saturated fat - containing a whopping 24.4g.
"That's more saturated fat in one meal than you need in one day," Ms Ferraretto said.
"Saturated fat increases the risk of heart disease and high cholesterol.
"I think it's completely irresponsible and ridiculous to promote a meal like this, especially in the current climate with obesity being such a problem."
The promotion hit South Australian stores on January 25 and will only be available until March 2.
In the middle of the promotional period, the Cancer Council released results from a national survey which revealed one in four high school students were overweight or obese and 51 per cent had tried a new food or drink in the past month that they had seen advertised.
McDonald's Hindley St store manager Yihong Hu said the Favourites Combo promotion was proving to be popular…….
Photographs taken of branded litter within one metre of and one quarter of a kilometre from McDonald's fast food outlet in Treelands Drive, Yamba, 13 January 2011.
Perhaps Clarence Valley shire councillors Comben, McKenna, Howe, Dinham, and Simmons might like to recall that when considering the Yamba community's rejection of the Westlawn development application on behalf of McDonald's Australia, they dismissed the thought of any litter problem because of a promised daily 'litter patrol'.
Clarencegirl sent me these pics of McDonald's branded litter in Treelands Drive within 100 metres either side of this hamburger joint's driveway at 11am on Monday 20th December 2010. Not yet open a month in this small coastal town and this is how McDonald's Australia and the franchisee say Merry Christmas?
What is truly mind boggling is that McDonald's litter is now turning up near the corner of Baker Street and River Road, Maclean - at least 16 kilometres away as seen by this pic of what was picked up there by a local at around noon on 21st December 2010.
And this final pic is of litter retrieved from Admiralty Park in Yamba - a good 5 minutes walk from messy Maccas.
FIVE Clarence Valley Councillors need reminding of who they represent.
I would like to make a comment in regard to Cr Pat Comben's McDonald's opinion and the general McDonald's issue.
First of all, congratulations to the three young men from Yamba, who along with the Yamba Chamber of Commerce, stepped outside their comfort zone and drove the "No McDonald's" campaign.
Community campaigns and lobbying at a grassroots level take great courage, time and effort and usually come with a steep learning curve. To the uninitiated who blindly believe we have numerous rights soon find out that a lot of those rights are, in actual fact, constantly being eroded away by our very own local, state and federal governments and corporate greed.
We also had the Yamba Chamber of Commerce, who represent the local Yamba business community and has an obligation to its members, also involved in this campaign. Nobody knows or loves the Yamba business community better than they do and council's "Yes" decision is a slap in the face to them. The chamber would have not gone down the campaign road unless it had the support of its own members.
What I find interesting from a community perspective is those people involved in trying to save the Grafton and Maclean hospitals must be shaking their heads and wondering how to harness the energy of those 6000 people who made their feelings known about McDonald's in Yamba when they can only muster a couple hundred for their issue.
The good news is we need to be reminded there are numerous examples from around the world and Australia that people power is still alive and well and can move mountains, stop wars, affect change and bring governments and companies to account. The trick is to inspire people to stop being armchair critics and apathetic and become involved in their community.
Now for Cr Comben's comment. A former Queensland Cabinet Minister in the Goss era, Cr Comben obviously hasn't read his own "councillor guide", published by the NSW Department of Local Government in co-operation with the Local Government Association of NSW and the Shires Association of NSW when elected to Clarence Valley Council.
Cr Comben's comment: "The view of some individuals that councillors or any elected representative must vote as the majority of the ratepayers or electors wish... is not a requirement of Australian democracy", maybe that is how Queenslanders think and do things, however, it appears that is not the preferred style within NSW.
Excerpt 2.1 - Roles and Responsibilities of a councillor: "To represent the interests of residents and ratepayers, provide leadership and guidance to the community, facilitate communication between the community and the council. A councillor's role as a democratically elected representative provides an essential link between the community and council."
In my humble opinion, CVC and the five councillors who voted "yes" have been negligent in their duty of care to the Yamba constituents and the Yamba Chamber of Commerce involved in this matter by not enabling the Local Government Act 1993, which contains important mechanisms to enable a council to more formally consult with its community.
For example, a council may conduct a poll on an important issue to get an understanding of the community's views on a matter. Consultation is a mechanism to assist councillors to understand and incorporate the public will and community concerns into decision-making.
From the outset, CVC knew this was a contentious issue. Surely it would have been in the public and community interest to conduct a poll, public meeting or at the very least an education campaign as to what legal framework was available that could have been adopted to assist the Yamba community to resolve this issue in a more amicable fashion.
Any Google search will uncover the ongoing Australian Hamburger Wars, as town after town resists the idea of multinational fast food giant McDonald's in their midst and suburb after suburb complains about the litter and anti-social behaviour associated with McDonald's stores.
There is a subtext to the fight between residents of one small Australian town and the McDonald's Corporation over its development application for a 24hr drive through store in Treelands Drive, Yamba on a commercial property currently valued at $2.7 million.
In the face of strong opposition from the townfolk McDonald's Australia is trying to paint itself as not receiving a fair go. Additionally it is rumoured that connections of the corporate landowner are 'confiding' that this commercial development is needed to help that company meet its own financial obligations to investors because it is currently experiencing difficulties in some vague unstated fashion.
While in 2009 the landowner released an annual report and fund update which indicate a reasonably healthy financial status, with a predominately commercial, retail and investment property portfolio valued at $312.6 million, $13,392,541 in non-direct property assets, an 8% vacancy rate on par with the rest of the country and, on-going monthly distributions to investors despite what the global financial crisis did to other Australian property trusts (fund members received or were entitled to receive distributions of $11,519,064 for the period ended 30 June 2009).
So in fact what we have here is a large multinational playing the bullied orphan child for public consumption and a successful investment corporation alleged to be privately donning beggar's rags in an apparent effort to sway local opinion and presumably the votes of Clarence valley shire councillors.
McDonald's Australia, the Westlawn Group and Scott Campbell all want a McDonald's store in Yamba. The Yamba community says NO to that. Tell Scott so at: scampbell@licensee.mcdonalds.com.au
Posted by YambaProud on 15/04/2010
No thanks!
Mr Scott Campbell, please do not open a McDonalds restaurant in Yamba, our community does not want it.
The following was posted on Menu Mate at the webpage titled McDonald's Family Restaurants (Ballina) on 25 May 2010 and a copy sent to me: Reviewer Name: EK Title: McDonald's stay away from Yamba! Comments: Dear Mr Campbell, I know a McDonald's restaurant in Yamba was approved last week by the local Council but the majority of Yamba residents DO NOT want it. Why do you want to come to Yamba when it is quite clear you are not wanted here. Please take back your application as most people will be boycotting it and you will not make any money. To date this post is failing to display on the webpage in question. Hhmm........ However, the call to boycott any McDonald's eat-in and drive through fast food outlet in the small NSW North Coast town of Yamba continues. While planning issues and councillots' votes refuse to die in The Daily Examinerletters to the editor on 11 June 2010 (twenty-five days after Clarence Valley Council development consent): Valley Watch on Maccas decision THE issues addressed by Valley Watch were not anti-McDonalds per se - they were mainly based on the inappropriateness of the intensified use of this particular site and the resultant adverse effects on local residents. The zoning allows some uses 'with consent', meaning planners and councillors must take into account all the issues; it does not mean mandatory approval, a fact, which escaped five of the seven councillors voting on the DA. A "refreshment room" is allowed in the zoning. The definition does not include drive-through facilities, which the applicant claims is an ancillary use. An accepted definition of ancillary use is that the area is subordinate or incidental to the dominant use (example being: accommodation for nurses on a hospital site). As the drive-through will operate when the restaurant is closed, we do not believe it meets the accepted definitions of ancillary use, and is therefore not allowed in the zoning. The fact that this commercial zoning abuts a residential area, the extra traffic that will be generated in the already planned Community Health Centre and Performing Arts Centre opposite, the increased traffic in residential streets, the adverse effect of lighting on surrounding residences, and the increased noise generated by this development as opposed to a retail outlet operating normal trading hours, were totally inadequately addressed in the planning report and by the majority of councillors. Crime prevention was mentioned in the application, but it was not properly addressed in the report. Councillors and planners were given many instances of increased anti-social behaviour and litter problems at other McDonalds outlets, but the issue was not addressed in the planning reports (Cr Margaret McKenna suggested Yamba residents could pick up the rubbish on their walks). We thank Crs Tiley and Hughes, who voted against the development, and express our disappointment in the other councillors' lack of understanding of the issues and the inadequate information provided to them in the planning reports. RONWYN LOPEZ, Valley Watch Inc secretary
There were probably many Yamba residents muttering “I told you so” under their breaths after reading this in The Sydney Morning Herald on 10 August 2014:
Sales at McDonald's have recorded their worst results in over 10 years.
Global sales at the fast food giant dropped 2.5 per cent in June and July.
Not since March 2003, when global sales plunged 3.7 per cent in consecutive months, has the world's biggest restaurant chain suffered such losses.
Australia is part of McDonald's Asia Pacific Middle East and Africa operation, which was the worst performing sector in the second quarter of 2014. Its sales declined 7.3 per cent.
After similarly disappointing first quarter results, Australia was singled out as a poor performing market in April…..
One aspect of the Australian psyche the multinational fast food chain, McDonald’s, never grasped – if you force yourselves on our communities we tend not to buy your product.
In particular I suspect that the amount of national publicity the Telcoma protestors managed to garner is beginning to impact on many household fast food choices around the country.
Which makes one wonder if the fast food giant’s McDelivery trial will also fall flat on its face in Australia.
Yamba residents have posted on Facebook, blogged, written letters to editor, taken out newspaper ads, worn their opposition on T-shirts, signed petitions in their thousands and made submissions to Clarence Valley Council by the 23 April 2010 deadline, in order to oppose the McDonald's Australia development application for a 24 hour eat-in and drive-through fast food outlet in Treelands Drive, Yamba.
There is at least one site inspection, planning committee meeting and a monthly council meeting to go and, as yet it is still not clear that those shire councillors who have been quietly supporting McDonald's (and its politically connected backers) have even paused to think what around 80 per cent community resistance means for the future of local government in the Lower Clarence.
With only eight of the nine shire councillors eligible to consider this application, Mayor Richie Williamson will also be risking his reputation and possibly any political future he may hope for if the ballot is so tight that he must use his casting vote.
As more than one former shire councillor would be able to recall - Yamba never forgets.
A
Queensland McDonalds franchisee has been ordered to pay $1000 in
compensation to a worker denied toilet and drink breaks.
Tantex
Holdings, which operates six of the fast-food restaurants, has been
ordered to pay former employee Chiara Staines compensation by the
Federal Court on Monday.
In
its published reasons for the decisions, the court found Ms Staines
had been denied a 10-minute paid drink break on all but three
occasions while working at a Queen St Mall restaurant in Brisbane
from May 8, 2017 to June 15, 2019.
McDonald's
staff have been entitled to paid 10-minute drink breaks under
McDonald's Australia Enterprise Agreement 2013, which was approved by
the Fair Work Commission on July 24, 2013.
According
to the agreement, all employees are entitled to a 10-minute drink
break when they work a shift between four to nine hours.
If
they work more than nine hours, staff are entitled to two 10-minute
breaks.
This
is in addition to a meal break if working longer than five hours.
Ms
Staines told the court her work was fast-paced, hot with a constant
smell of food and the environment was stressful and demanding,
physically and mentally.
"Ms
Staines was denied a short respite from, what was by its nature, a
mentally and physically demanding job," Justice John Logan said.
Brisbane
businesswoman Tanya Manteit-Mulcah is the sole director of Tantex
Holdings, which conceded it had not provided Ms Staines with the
allowed breaks.
"The
drink break for which clause 29 of the Agreement provided was a
workplace right," Justice Logan found.
"So,
too, for reasons explained above, was a right, within the bounds of
reasonableness, to pause for a drink of water or to go to the toilet
during a shift a workplace right."
This
matter appears to have been before the Federal Court
- Fair Work Division for the last nine and a half months.
Maud up the Street wants to know if she has the first 'official' pic of branded litter from the newly opened McDonald's hamburger joint in Yamba. Maud reckons on the third day of Maccas opening its door she followed a trail of tossed litter down one of the streets leading straight to this store.
Hot on the heels of Maud's pic came this one from a Yamba resident who picked it up in Admiralty Park - at least half a kilometre away from Macca's new outlet.
Clarencegirl sent me evidence of this bit of branded litter picked up from the vacant lot opposite McDonald's fast food outlet and she tells me that she has heard that clusters of Macca's litter are now turning up in front yards on the outskirts of Yamba. Well done, Ronald McDonald - you're living up to your lousy and very messy reputation! And please write a reminder note in block letters on your Neanderthal foreheads, all those Clarence Valley shire councillors who voted to impose this architectural and social eyesore on a very reluctant Yamba community.
UPDATE: This cluster of branded litter ran in a trail from outside McDonald's in Treelands Drive, Yamba and on through to Telopea Steet at about 10.30 am on Sunday 19 December 2010 according to the Yamba resident who picked it up.
North Coast Voices recently heard from a resident of New Norfolk in the Derwent Valley, Tasmania, with news that the Rockefeller Group had lodged a development application with Derwent Valley Council for a 24 hour fast food outlet in that town and that this was thought to be on behalf of McDonald’s Australia.
The Derwent Valley shares many characteristics with the Lower Clarence Valley where McDonald’s opened another of its fast food outlets in December 2010 in the face of opposition from many Yamba residents.
As Mr. Rockefeller is currently a board member of the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry he can presumably be contacted at email admin@tcci.com.auor fax 6420 7541 if any reader wishes to let this developer know what they think of a McDonald’s 'restaurant' in a relatively small town dependent to some degree on tourism based on early Australian history and the natural environment.
Please feel free to discuss in the comments section of this post.
It's one minute to midnight for the small NSW North Coast town of Yamba. Will the town prevail or will the foreign multinational subsidiary McDonald's Australia?
BY THE end of today, the people of the Clarence Valley should know if a McDonald's fast food outlet will be built at Yamba....
Now it is time for the councillors to decide.
This afternoon the seven councillors who have not declared a pecuniary interest will vote on the application....
Councillors yesterday declined to say which way they would vote, saying they would go into this afternoon's meeting with an open mind.
Deputy Mayor, Cr Jim Simmons, said while he had no comment before the meeting, he could see several issues with the development.
"The increased traffic to Treelands Drive is a concern of mine, however, I feel that the opening hours of the business are unjustified," he said.
"The midnight opening hours have the potential to create social problems.
"It will be interesting to listen to the debate and I will be making my decision in the chamber."
The deputations presented at last Tuesday's Environment, Economic and Community Committee meeting changed Cr Craig Howe's opinion on the matter.
"Before last week's meeting, I was sitting on the pro-McDonald's side of the fence," he said.
"The deputations that were presented were very good and drew attention to several potential issues.
"The applicant has done everything correctly. The application was made for a business to be operational in an area that is correctly zoned. We need to make a decision that will be in the public's best interest. That decision is not always popular, but will hopefully be right in the long run."
Councillors Ian Dinham and Pat Comben also declined to give a definite answer, saying that they wanted to hear all of the pros and cons and wanted to consider all of the information before they cast their vote.
Cr Ian Tiley refused to comment, saying he preferred to keep all debate confined to the walls of the chamber.
Councillors Sue Hughes and Margaret McKenna were unavailable for comment as The Daily Examiner was going to print.....
The West Australian on5 July 2010 reports on McDonald's Australia in 2010 - the same multinational championed by a majority of Clarence Valley shire councillors in the face of significant opposition from residents in the small NSW North Coast town of Yamba:
A major union wants maternity leave for migrant workers, labelling allegations that a McDonald's assistant manager was sacked after refusing an abortion a "disgusting abuse of human rights".
The Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association said 457 visa workers should get the same entitlements as local residents, which included the right to up to 12 months' unpaid maternity leave.
National secretary Joe de Bruyn said migrants should be allowed to remain in Australia during the leave, with the guaranteed right to return to their jobs.
He also called for migrant workers to get 18 weeks paid maternity leave under the Federal Government scheme when it was implemented next year. Mr de Bruyn rejected claims the move would undermine the spirit of the work visa, which was to fill skilled job vacancies where there are no locals available.
"Every worker should get the same entitlements, otherwise it is discrimination," Mr de Bruyn said.
It follows claims that Rechilda Moll-Sequitin, a Filipina who was brought to WA on a 457 visa to work at the McDonald's Mindarie restaurant, was forced to have an abortion before being eventually sacked because she refused to abort a second pregnancy.
Court documents show the woman alleges that she was told she would lose her job and be sent back to the Philippines if she did not have an abortion, so she terminated the pregnancy in September 2008.
"If these allegations are true, it is an absolutely disgusting abuse of human rights," Mr de Bruyn said.
ISA Group migration agency has recruited up to 60 workers for McDonald's restaurants in WA and about 150 nationally.
Every big developer operating in Australia, particularly foreign multinationals, has an enabler. Sometimes in is the federal or state government of the day, some times local government or a landowner, sometimes a paid lobbyist and, sometimes it is all five.
The McDonald's Australia Ltd move to establish a 24 hour drive-through and eat-in fast food outlet in the small coastal town of Yamba at the mouth of the Clarence River is probably being eased into being by three out of five of these categories.
Almost every Clarence Valley shire councillor who has bothered to make a statement in relation to the development application has opened the door wide enough for later weasel-worded retreats and a vote for this highly inappropriate proposal and, Clarence Property Corporation Ltd(part of the Westlawn Group) as owner/manager of the land to be developed is quite happily supporting McDonald's.
Now in this day and age it is hard to shield individuals having control of land behind a corporation blind. Indeed its the fashion these days for them to trumpet their identities.
So here are the men responsible for allowing McDonald's a foot in the door in a town in which many of the residents are opposed to this glorified hamburger joint's entry:
It is doubtful that McDonald's Australia would be proceeding this year if it were not for these individuals (who can justifiably be described as predominantly out-of-towners) placing the company's bottom line above the best interests of a coastal community.
The Agreement not only fails to satisfy the no disadvantage test, on various levels it significantly compromises industrial standards that would be expected for agreement-reliant employees..... I do not believe the employees could be considered to have genuinely agreed to the Agreement. I would dismiss the application for that reason alone.... I propose also to direct that a copy of this decision be forwarded to the Fair Work Ombudsman, given the evidence suggesting the applicant or its licensees, or both, may have been underpaying some employees. So who exactly are McDonald's 80,000 employees Australia-wide? They are predominately under 21 years of age, female with an English speaking background, work as casuals in the multinational's 780 fast food stores and most are paid the percentage rates for juniors. McDonald's opened its first Australian store in 1971.
McDonald's workforce taken from the Fair Work Australia decision:
Male employees: 37,200 (46.5%)
Female employees: 42,800 (53.5%)
Employees from non-English speaking backgrounds: 28,800 (36%)
Employees who are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: 2,400 (3%)
Employees with disabilities: 2,400 (3%)
Employees who are not otherwise categorised: 46,400 (58%)
This is the editorial from The Daily Examineron Saturday 8 May 2010 selectively reports:
THE good people of Yamba might need to get used to having a McDonald's fast-food outlet in their town.
Council officers, in business papers to be presented to Clarence Valley councillors on Tuesday, say there are two options for the development.
Their preferred option is to approve the application, but have suggested it could be refused on 'good grounds'.
It is hard to see what those 'good grounds' might be.
Since McDonald's lodged its development application in March, many in Yamba, including the chamber of commerce, have raised concerns about the impact it could have on existing businesses.
Others have raised concerns that a multinational fast food outlet does not fit with the village feel of Yamba.
As council staff correctly pointed out in their assessment of the application, these are not grounds for the council to knock back the DA.
"Council has generally never considered a perceived competition between businesses as valid grounds for objection," the council report says.
It also points out that 'decisions about brands or other ethical issues associated with the type of businesses within a community' was not a role for local government.
Much as some community members might object, that is the right approach.
We have seen with applications in Wooloweyah and James Creek the huge cost council can face when councillors vote against their officers' recommendations.
They should vote in support of the DA, much as it might go against the grain.
What the editorial did not point out was that the planner's report is sufficiently concerned about the anti-social behaviour that McDonald's 24hr fast food outlets attract that its recommendation to Clarence Valley Council is worded thus:
It is likely that the proposed 24 hour operating hours could result in an adverse impact to the locality by an increase in noise to adjoining properties from traffic, patrons and operation of plant equipment. With regard to acoustic amenity and given the proposed new use of the site adjoins a residential zone, a reduction in operating hours from 24 hours would reduce the potential for adverse amenity impacts to nearby noise receivers, and in particular the residential allotments along the western boundary of the allotment. Negotiation with the applicant has sought a reduction in the proposed 24 hour operation to 6am – 12am, seven (7) days a week. This will help mitigate any problems associated with noise and anti social behaviour that may occur from a 24 hour license.......
OPTIONS
Council may:
1. Approve Development Application DA2010/0203 subject to the conditions
outlined in Schedule 1 including:
- A reduction in the 24 operation hours to 6am to 12am; and
- A reduction in height of the pole sign from 10 metres to 9 metres (the maximum
building height permitted by the DCP for business zones).
2. Refuse Development Application DA2010/0009 for good reasons
Option 1 is the preferred option.
The report also noted that:
Of the individual submissions received 25 supported the application and 455 were opposed.....
the primary issues raised by the submissions include:
- Competition and loss of revenue to existing businesses
- 24 Hour operating times and associated noise and potential increase in anti
social behaviour
- Increase in Litter/waste
- Increased traffic impacts, road and pedestrian safety
...accompanied by a prospect of a resultant overall adverse effect upon the extent and adequacy of facilities available to the local community if the development be proceeded with..
In other words, reduction in consumer choice can be an issue Clarence Valley shire councillors may properly consider in their deliberations.
Yet one wouldn't be aware of that if going to The Daily Examiner for information.
One would have to be deaf, dumb and blind not to have noticed that Yamba (a small coastal town at the mouth of the Clarence River on the NSW North Coast) is coming out strongly against the McDonald's Australia Limited application to build a 24hr eat-in and drive though fast food outlet in Treelands Drive.
So it was rather amazing to find that McDonald's only gave the ABC a short written statement after refusing to have a spokesperson interviewed for a segment on ABC North Coast Radio's Sunday Morning program out of Newcastle on 2 May 2010 - citing a belief that the ABC would not give the corporation a fair hearing.
The mind boggles as to why it would state something so blatantly untrue. Unless it was attempting to get the radio presenter to over compensate it its favour during that on-air segment or was looking to curry a sympathy vote from Clarence Valley shire councillors.
Yamba went public in the media last week about its opposition to the McDonald's Restaurants move to establish one of its fast food outlets in Treelands Drive.
A Facebook page was also created called NO to McDonalds in Yamba.
Shortly thereafter another Facebook page sprang up, YES to McDonalds in Yamba (snapshot above). This page looks suspiciously like it was created by the multinational food franchise, its publicists or a company employee or two - perhaps even their family members.
It has all the hallmarks; links to the official company website and multiple promos for McDonald's goods and activities.
However, like the Hamburgler, the page hides behind a mask and doesn't openly declare its creator's identity.
Update:
Just after the above post was published the YES to McDonalds in Yamba page posted this:
Noticed something so fun today, some people think this site (page) has been setup by McDonald's Australia......
I am a local who has lived in Townsend, Yamba and Maclean for plenty of years. I have family up and down the Clarence Valley and my Parents have been local residents for 13+ years.
So NO this isn't a corporate site. It's a personal FAN site which is pointing out all the POSITIVES!
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The Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 19
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
[Adopted and proclaimed by United Nations General Assembly resolution 217 A (III) of 10 December 1948]
Hi! My name is Boy. I'm a male bi-coloured tabby cat. Ever since I discovered that Malcolm Turnbull's dogs were allowed to blog, I have been pestering Clarencegirl to allow me a small space on North Coast Voices.
A false flag musing: I have noticed one particular voice on Facebook which is Pollyanna-positive on the subject of the Port of Yamba becoming a designated cruise ship destination. What this gentleman doesn’t disclose is that, as a principal of Middle Star Pty Ltd, he could be thought to have a potential pecuniary interest due to the fact that this corporation (which has had an office in Grafton since 2012) provides consultancy services and tourismbusiness development services.
A religion & local government musing: On 11 October 2017 Clarence Valley Council has the Church of Jesus Christ Development Fund Inc in Sutherland Local Court No. 6 for a small claims hearing. It would appear that there may be a little issue in rendering unto Caesar. On 19 September 2017 an ordained minister of a religion (which was named by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in relation to 40 instances of historical child sexual abuse on the NSW North Coast) read the Opening Prayer at Council’s ordinary monthly meeting. Earlier in the year an ordained minister (from a church network alleged to have supported an overseas orphanage closed because of child abuse claims in 2013) read the Opening Prayer and an ordained minister (belonging to yet another church network accused of ignoring child sexual abuse in the US and racism in South Africa) read the Opening Prayer at yet another ordinary monthly meeting. Nice one councillors - you are covering yourselves with glory!
An investigative musing: Newcastle Herald, 12 August 2017: The state’s corruption watchdog has been asked to investigate the finances of the Awabakal Aboriginal Local Land Council, less than 12 months after the troubled organisation was placed into administration by the state government. The Newcastle Herald understands accounting firm PKF Lawler made the decision to refer the land council to the Independent Commission Against Corruption after discovering a number of irregularities during an audit of its financial statements.The results of the audit were recently presented to a meeting of Awabakal members. Administrator Terry Lawler did not respond when contacted by the Herald and a PKF Lawler spokesperson said it was unable to comment on the matter. Given the intricate web of company relationships that existed with at least one former board member it is not outside the realms of possibility that, if ICAC accepts this referral, then United Land Councils Limited (registered New Zealand) and United First Peoples Syndications Pty Ltd(registered Australia) might be interviewed. North Coast Voices readers will remember that on 15 August 2015 representatives of these two companied gave evidence before NSW Legislative Council General Purpose Standing Committee No. 6 INQUIRY INTO CROWN LAND. This evidence included advocating for a Yamba mega port.
A Nationals musing: Word around the traps is that NSW Nats MP for Clarence Chris Gulaptis has been talking up the notion of cruise ships visiting the Clarence River estuary. Fair dinkum! That man can be guaranteed to run with any bad idea put to him. I'm sure one or more cruise ships moored in the main navigation channel on a regular basis for one, two or three days is something other regular river users will really welcome. *pause for appreciation of irony* The draft of the smallest of the smaller cruise vessels is 3 metres and it would only stay safely afloat in that channel. Even the Yamba-Iluka ferry has been known to get momentarily stuck in silt/sand from time to time in Yamba Bay and even a very small cruise ship wouldn't be able to safely enter and exit Iluka Bay. You can bet your bottom dollar operators of cruise lines would soon be calling for dredging at the approach to the river mouth - and you know how well that goes down with the local residents.
A local councils musing: Which Northern Rivers council is on a low-key NSW Office of Local Government watch list courtesy of feet dragging by a past general manager?
A serial pest musing: I'm sure the Clarence Valley was thrilled to find that a well-known fantasist is active once again in the wee small hours of the morning treading a well-worn path of accusations involving police, local business owners and others.
An investigative musing: Which NSW North Coast council is batting to have the longest running code of conduct complaint investigation on record?
A which bank? musing: Despite a net profit last year of $9,227 million the Commonwealth Bank still insists on paying below Centrelink deeming rates interest on money held in Pensioner Security Accounts. One local wag says he’s waiting for the first bill from the bank charging him for the privilege of keeping his pension dollars at that bank.
A Daily Examiner musing: Just when you thought this newspaper could sink no lower under News Corp management, it continues to give column space to Andrew Bolt.
A thought to ponder musing: In case of bushfire or flood - do you have an emergency evacuation plan for the family pet?
An adoption musing: Every week on the NSW North Coast a number of cats and dogs find themselves without a home. If you want to do your bit and give one bundle of joy a new family, contact Happy Paws on 0419 404 766 or your local council pound.
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Peter Burge 
Paul Rippon 
