CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
Sunshine Coast property developer Raphael Simbly-Hassatall (68) is well known within the local business community for his raw political opinions.
Obviously over last few years, his hot-headed political rants have mostly been dedicated to his burning hatred for the Queensland Premier – especially after she decided to close the state borders during the pandemic and shut off his supply of downsizing southern baby boomers looking to spent their life savings on a three-bedroom luxury townhouse built on the flood plains of former swamplands.
But even as a multimillionaire, the fact that he carries an immovable set of clearly conservative Sky News-driven political leanings does not mean he lacks empathy.
He’s a man of values, and a man that champions the increasingly uncommon concept of common sense!
That’s why he detests racism, of any variety, especially the type of racism that causes our entire political system to spend a couple months not focusing directly on him.
“Why are we even talking about this?” Says Raphael, in reference to the upcoming National Referendum which will decide whether Australians believe Indigenous Australians should be constitutionally recognised as the first people of this land.
There’s something about constitutionally recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people that doesn’t sit right with Raph.
“It’s creating two classes of Australians…” says the man who has made a career out of jacking property prices in once working class coastal communities by building thousands of timber composite townhouses that cater only to upper class retirees.
However, Raph is lucky enough to live in a part of the world that only has two newspapers – all of which are owned by the Murdoch family, who are vehemently opposed to even the slightest political emphasis on minimising disadvantage in Aboriginal communities – Raph can sleep well knowing that he’s not the only person who shares these views.
“Even the Aboriginal people I’ve spoken to are voting no” says the man who divides his time solely between his Noosaville developers office, his 3-story family home in Noosa heads, his mistress’s bungalow in Peregian, and his exclusive members only golf club on the river.
