From the Mayor's Desk - 2 February 2021

Last week I had the privilege of participating in this wonderful regions Australia Day Awards and Citizenship ceremonies. Congratulations go to all the nominees and winners of our local Australia Day Awards, it is truly a remarkable region to live in.  I also participated in the local Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) Australia Day Achievement awards.  The awards recognised the dedicated QFES personnel that help protect our communities by fighting devastating bushfires, helping us to recover from severe storms, and rescuing people from home fires and floodwater.  The awards were also extended to all those businesses across our region that support QFES by allowing employees to take unplanned leave to undertake QFES duties.  Without their support the region would not be as responsive to emergencies.  I also had the honour of hosting a Citizenship ceremony, welcoming six local residents.  For these residents it was their aspiration to make this great nation home and call themselves Australians.  I anticipate that many involved in these events, like me, left with an appreciation and gratefulness for where we live and the opportunities that we have, proud of our community. 

It’s been hard to miss the locusts across the region in recent weeks.  We have hatching nymphs [immature locusts] as well as hoppers getting about and they pose a real risk to our agriculture sector, as well as the attractiveness of our regional towns.  The Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries have scheduled a visit to our region this week to assess the scale of locusts.  This data is critical to informing an appropriate control response for our rural properties, taking into consideration the density of the locust population, as well as lifecycle.  For town residents with a locust problem, I urge you to also take action and visit your local garden supplier to assist with controlling the locusts and prevent further breeding.

Despite recent rainfall across much of the Goondiwindi region, there has been a lack of good rain run-off into the catchment areas.  Unfortunately we can’t predict what rain we will get over the next six months, and therefore water restrictions remain in place in Goondiwindi, Yelarbon and Texas.  Water security remains a high priority for the region, in particular the vulnerability of Inglewood’s supply.  Coolmunda Dam is a significant water storage asset for Inglewood residents, however when the Macintyre Brook runs dry, the water can’t reach the town and there is no alternate water supply. At our Ordinary Council meeting last week, Council approved the drilling of up to three test bore sites in Inglewood.  The three sites will be up to 350m in depth and have been selected based on over 100 initial test points in the area.  Whilst there is no guarantee of viability of the sites, Council remains committed to looking for alternate water sources for Inglewood, which is the last town without water security.

Whilst on water security, Council recently successfully commenced trails for one of the two new bores in Goondiwindi, blending a small percentage of water from the Gubbermunda aquifer into the town’s normal river supply.  The lightly blended supply is treated to exceed Australian water quality standards, and residents should expect no difference in taste, smell or appearance.  These bores have been a significant investment into the future of the region and I congratulate all stakeholders from previous and current Councillors, staff and State agencies for their contribution to this outcome.

Hon. Councillor Lawrence Springborg AM
Mayor
Goondiwindi Regional Council