From the Mayor's Desk - 14 January 2025

Published on 14 January 2025

Let me start this edition by wishing everyone a belated but very happy New Year and hoping that everyone had an enjoyable, restful holiday period. We have a big year ahead of us at Council with some very important projects underway, so I’d like to update you on just some of what’s going on behind the scenes at Council for 2025:

Inglewood Casa Mia Opening

I am so pleased to be able to invite residents to the Casa Mia Opening Ceremony and Open Day on Saturday, 22 February. It’s been four years since the original nursing home was closed by Churches of Christ Care in October 2020, and subsequently acquired by Council. I am pleased to inform the community that the newly renovated independent living facility is almost complete and ready to provide affordable housing for eligible seniors in our Inglewood community.

I extend my sincere thanks to the steering committee in particular, for their years of work and dedication guiding this project on behalf of the community – and they should be very proud to see the facility finally repurposed and reopening its doors.

Please join us for the official re-opening at 9 AM, followed by morning tea (provided). The facility will be open to explore until 12 PM.

Goondiwindi Main Street Streetscaping progress

Council has engaged an external consultant to progress the Goondiwindi Main Street Streetscaping project to the stage of full costing and design in 2025. Numerous community consultation opportunities have already taken place for this project around prioritising community requests, and further community consultation will take place this year as we get closer to a final design. This long-term project is about ensuring the Goondiwindi CBD continues to be regarded as a growing, successful and attractive place to live, work, visit and invest.

Inland Rail EIS available for consultation soon

Following meetings with the Queensland Coordinator General, we are finally expecting some progress with the Inland Rail project. Residents can expect the next stage to take place very soon, when the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be made available for public consultation. Council has also been advocating for some amendments to the process of voluntary land acquisition where a property is partially impacted by the corridor, and we expect this to occur this year. After years of frustration and uncertainty for impacted residents, improving this process will be a significant win.

Tougher statewide crime laws

We expect 2025 to usher in tougher crime laws in Queensland, promising to make a real difference to safety across the state. In our region, some bespoke local solutions around juvenile crime prevention will also take place this year, alongside improved resourcing around the supervision of repeat juvenile offenders locally.

The Director-General of Youth Justice and Victim Support, Bob Gee, along with the Queensland Cross-Border Commissioner, Ian Leavers, have been huge advocates for improvements specific to the Goondiwindi Region and I wish to thank them for their support as we tackle this issue together.

Inglewood Macintyre Sports Complex project

2025 will be a big year for Inglewood residents as works are expected to commence on a brand-new, purpose-built gym and community group storage facility at the Inglewood Macintyre Sports Complex. We will continue to work closely with community groups to ensure the upgrades maximise Council’s investment and that the site meets multiple user needs. Meanwhile, Council is also inviting any residents with ideas about the future of the Inglewood Recreation Centre – including leasing or sale options – to get in touch. Expressions of interest have been extended until March 2025.

Telstra advocacy

In late 2024, Cr Susie Kelly (who holds Council’s Technology portfolio) and I met with representatives from Telstra to advocate on behalf of the community regarding the sub-optimal performance of mobile coverage following the 3G network closure in October. Telstra informed us that there have been some issues across the nation since the 3G shutdown. As we know, many local customers have experienced issues since early last year, as Telstra prepared for the shutdown. Telstra has assured us that it is working to rectify the concerns – so please continue to report any relevant issues to telstrasthqld@team.telstra.com to be actioned by Telstra. Telecommunications and voice calls are essential to the modern livelihoods of individuals and businesses, and Council will continue to advocate on behalf of residents for restored levels of connectivity.

Goondiwindi childcare advocacy

Late last year, I had the opportunity to meet with TAFE Queensland’s General Manager for the South West Region, Kate Venables, to discuss the childcare training needs in the Goondiwindi Region. I want to thank Kate for her proactive approach to supporting solutions in this sector.

Firstly, I am pleased to confirm that Council has recently participated in discussions with local Goondiwindi childcare operators about expanding an existing facility and the potential development of a new centre. Furthermore, Council is advocating for opportunities to accelerate the completion rates of the 30+ people currently studying childcare locally across several vocational providers, including utilising local training solutions.

Childcare is an essential component of any thriving community, and its limited availability is an issue that impacts both families and businesses across the region. Council will continue to support the community and providers as we work towards solutions.

Local Australia Day Celebrations

Australia Day is fast approaching, and I would like to encourage community members to celebrate what is great about our wonderful country. Please join us to applaud and recognise the local citizens who have been nominated for an Australia Day Award for their community service and achievements this year at the following ceremonies:

Goondiwindi: 6.30 AM Breakfast, 8.30 AM Awards Ceremony – Goondiwindi Town Park
Texas: 9 AM Breakfast, 10 AM Awards Ceremony - Texas Heritage Centre & Tobacco Museum

Texas and Inglewood office hours

Finally, a reminder that I will be available again 2025 for appointments from Council’s Inglewood and Texas offices from 9 AM - 12.30 PM as below. The days may vary, due to occasional changed circumstance I encourage you to make an appointment to discuss any Council-related matters on 07 4671 7437.

Texas: Second Tuesday of the month at the Texas Cultural Centre
Inglewood: Fourth Friday of the month at the Inglewood Civic Centre
Goondiwindi: By appointment.