From the Mayor's Desk - 24 November 2023

Cross-border commitment

Council’s CEO, Carl Manton and I were pleased to head to the Moree Plains Shire Council (MPSC) recently to meet with Mayor Mark Johnson and General Manager Kelvin Tytherleigh where we signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to strengthen our cross-border shared communities. 

Over the years, Council has formed a strong relationship with MPSC which has presented opportunities for shared advocacy and collaboration on issues that are typically important to our cross-border communities such as disaster management, education and training, coordination of services and shared infrastructure needs. I’m pleased to say that our relationship with MPSC is the best it has ever been.

Both councils are committed to working together to advocate to State and Federal governments on a range of issues including for better infrastructure such as roads and services and facilities for our integrated communities and regions.  Already we have seen encouraging signs of success with an increased police presence and family intervention programs to assist and support with community safety and also improved departmental cooperation in other areas.

Housing Action Plan

Goondiwindi Regional Council is committed to fostering incentives and initiatives to address housing challenges. The Queensland government is seeking the development of a Local Housing Plan, to analyse a range of factors impacting the housing supply in our local government area and to identify opportunities to increase supply.

Several forums have been facilitated across the region over the past two years, encouraging conversations, and planning processes to attract investors and identify other housing solutions.  As a result, Council have been proactive with a range of initiatives including fee reductions and rebates offered.

Council is also dedicated to presenting and advocating solutions to the State government that can benefit the Goondiwindi Region. To further involve the community, an online survey has been set up, allowing residents and business owners to share their thoughts and ideas on housing solutions. To participate, please follow the link https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2BZPTYV, or contact Council’s Economic Development team to discuss.

Reminder of the use of skip bins throughout the Region

It’s been brought to Council’s attention that the skip bins located throughout the region like at Whetstone Pocket Weir and Stanthorpe Inglewood Road are being filled with commercial waste products and other unwanted items when the purpose of these bins is solely for domestic waste. I’d like to remind all residents that illegal dumping of items in these bins such as old wire, timber, and large household items like lounge chairs and other rubbish piled around skip bins cost ratepayers money to remove and dispose of.

Each bin is clearly marked for general waste only, and as illegal dumping in the region continues, Council is forced to increase our investment in enforcement measures such as camera hotspots.  These cameras are equipped with advanced technology to detect any suspicious activity and capture evidence to identify those illegally dumping as published in a media statement earlier this year.

Council is committed to keeping the region clean and reducing the cost to ratepayers and encourages residents to report illegal dumping to the state reporting tool - Report it | Environment, land and water | Queensland Government (www.qld.gov.au)

School graduation ceremonies

School graduation and presentation ceremonies are well underway, and it was my honour to attend the Goondiwindi State High School graduation and St Mary’s Catholic School Awards night this fortnight. It’s been wonderful to see the great results, enthusiasm and pride among the students and their families as they conclude the school year – congratulations to all. The Goondiwindi Clontarf Academy end of year awards was held recently, and I was very impressed with the program for Indigenous boys. We have been very fortunate to have this program in our region. Under the leadership of Luke and Buddy, there has been a lot of success with high attendance rates, employment, and traineeships, it is a credit to this excellent program.

Surat Basin Carbon and Capture project

Last week I participated in a meeting held by the Queensland Farmers Federation with other representatives from concerned councils and primary producers to discuss a project near the Surat Basin at Moonie. The Glencore trial Carbon and Capture project aims to permanently store liquified carbon dioxide (CO2), taken from the Millmerran Power Station to a test injection site near Moonie. The CO2 will then be injected into the precipice sandstone aquifer, around two kilometres below the surface in the deepest Great Artisan water layer.

Our Council remains opposed to the principle of injecting CO2 into the Artesian water basin as primary producers utilise that water supply. Numerous users have regulated water entitlements to provide for livestock such as cattle, sheep, goats, and agricultural crops. Injecting into the aquifer can result in adverse effects if a primary producer were to pump from the same aquifer. For example, the dissolved CO2 could degas and head up a nearby bore into the atmosphere where it came from, which would defeat the intent of the project; or the water could become very acidic.

However, I see no problem in capturing CO2 and storing it in alternative locations, such as disused gas and oil wells in Western Queensland that would be better suited for this project.