From the Mayor's Desk - 9 November 2021

Goondiwindi Region contains COVID cluster, proving success of high vaccine rates and protecting the state

This week, I think we’re all breathing a collective sigh of relief.

Let me start by saying that I could not be prouder of our community: in the face of an imminent COVID-19 outbreak, we’ve been able to swiftly and successfully - to date - contain the virus, protecting not only ourselves, but also the rest of Queensland from the Moree cluster.

Our state-leading vaccination rate – currently 83.6% fully vaccinated and 93.3% partially vaccinated as of Sunday [7 November 2021] – has been the subject of high praise by authorities, experts and commentators across Australia. It was particularly gratifying to see how our community’s vaccination effort was rewarded last week as the Queensland Premier decided not to require a local lockdown, despite the positive cases.

This most recent incident was perhaps the first real test case in Australia of how COVID will impact and move through a highly vaccinated community. Of all the cases diagnosed in the Goondiwindi hospital, not one was fully vaccinated. Please let that message sink in. All were either unvaccinated, or had only recently received the first dose. The evidence is crystal clear that two doses of the vaccine impart extremely high protection. If you are among that 6% who have still not been vaccinated, this is especially pertinent: state borders will open on the 17th of December, if not before, and you will be at increased risk. Not only is that a personal risk, but you will risk extra pressure on our local health facilities, whose staff have tirelessly been going above and beyond in trying to protect our community in recent months.

I urge you, get your vaccine now if you haven’t already: https://covid-vaccine.healthdirect.gov.au/eligibility?lang=en

Goondiwindi Region – Increased Flood Risk

This weekend saw high rainfall across much of the region, with the likelihood of more to come. This may result in some localised flooding - I advise everyone to check road conditions before travel in the coming days and remember: if it’s flooded, forget it. It’s a saying for very good reason – floodwaters hide the underlying road condition and you never know what might be submerged underneath.

I encourage you to bookmark the Goondiwindi Region’s Disaster Dashboard as your one-stop-shop for the latest, up-to-date information about local road closures, weather warnings, river heights and more: http://dashboard.grc.qld.gov.au

With our storage and rivers near capacity, the Goondiwindi Region is facing increased risk of flooding this summer. Council and the Local Disaster Management Group are monitoring for a flood event if we get more rain in the catchment areas across the region as predicted.

If your ability to access services is dependent on roads that may be subject to flooding, you need to be prepared now. Make sure you have the resources you need, such as water, food, medications, pet supplies and emergency kit, ready at hand, and don’t forget a plan for any livestock. There are some excellent resources to help plan what you need to prepare before a severe weather event on the Get Ready Queensland website: https://www.getready.qld.gov.au

Local Government conference and Remembrance Day

Finally, COVID and rainfall aside, I was able to attend the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) conference this fortnight. I was invited to present on Goondiwindi’s proposal for a small scale hydrogen facility to be co-located at the wastewater treatment plant. On behalf of our Council, I was also privileged to accept the most prestigious award handed out at the conference, The Butch Lenton Award, named in honour of the late Mayor of Winton. Council received this award and associated bursary for the innovation of establishing our border self-access e-gates.

I was also honoured to open the Remembrance Day – RSL Exhibition in the Goondiwindi Library, in recognition of the contribution and talents of the extended RSL families who support our servicemen and women. This wonderful exhibition is open to all for the rest of the month and I encourage all community members to attend, and perhaps spend a quiet moment in reflection.

I would also urge all residents to attend their local Remembrance Day services or pause for a moment to reflect.

Inglewood Aged Care meeting

The Inglewood Aged Care Steering Committee had its monthly meeting and was pleased to welcome guests from Southern Cross Care, who own and operate residential aged care facilities. They provided us with some excellent insights. Following on from this meeting and coupled with our recently commissioned report, committee members are increasingly confident that we will have a proposal to put to our community in the first half of next year. Council will, in effect, become the owner of the facility on behalf of the community, when the lease is transferred to us on the 19th of this month. Council does not have the resources to operate the facility, but this will allow the opportunity for a community-run or commercial model of care.