Mayor's Column: Longreach Leader 4-12-2020
After a busy week that featured Council meetings, the launch of our Desalination Plant in Ilfracombe, and the Outback Business Forum – I had another busy time in Brisbane last week with a series of important meetings. I was there primarily in my capacity as chair of RAPAD, but I took the opportunity to have meetings with a few of our key stakeholders while I was there. We also held our annual ‘Friends of RAPAD’ event which is a great opportunity to connect and build relationships with ministerial and departmental decision makers.
At the event it was my pleasure to launch a fantastic regional initiative, the Western Queensland Get Ready Flip Book. It’s a free flip book that residents can keep on their fridge containing vital disaster preparedness information. Five local governments have been involved in the production of this excellent resource – a great example of local governments working together to find shared solutions to shared challenges.
The flip book was developed by Council’s Disaster Management Coordinator, Craig Neuendorf, and our Community Development Administration Officer, Donna Rowlands, with assistance provided by staff from each of the four other Councils. Craig’s position is part funded and split between five councils – Barcaldine; Barcoo; Blackall-Tambo; Longreach; and Winton – these five Councils make up the Longreach Disaster District. I must congratulate Craig and Donna on a job well done.
The Get Ready Flip Book addresses the most common disaster events which occur in the Central West: flooding; severe storms; bushfires; heatwaves; as well as pandemics. It features photos from each of the five Council areas depicting the various disasters we experience in our region. The flip books will be sent to every household in the five council areas – so keep an eye out in the mail for it.
There were more accolades for our team this week when it was announced that Council had been elected as the winner for the Central Queensland Region in the LGMS Risk Excellence Awards for 2020/21. The award is in recognition of our response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as we took a risk-based approach by documenting our learnings through reviewing and updating our risk registers and business continuity plan in accordance with our risk management framework. I am very proud of how our entire team, led by CEO Mitchell Murphy, responded to the challenges of the pandemic earlier this year. This award is worthy recognition of their outstanding efforts.
Council was proud to host its annual Community Christmas Concert in Edkins Park this week. I was unable to attend, due to a conflicting commitment, so I must thank the Deputy Mayor, Cr Leonie Nunn, for standing in for me on the night. I’m told the event was a good opportunity to showcase local talent and catch up with friends at the end of what has been an eventful year. Apparently people enjoyed all the goodies from the different community food stalls, plus the mix of Christmas Carols and other performances as well.
Next week we have our last Council meeting of the year in Isisford on Thursday. We alternate our Council meetings between our communities and it’s a valuable opportunity for Councillors to get around the region and see how things are going. Like all of our meetings it will be open to the public, so I encourage you to join us if you’d like to come and see how our decisions are made. If you’re in Isisford but can’t make it to the meeting, we’re inviting the community to join us at 10:30 for morning tea and the chance to check out the repairs we’ve made to the Outer Barcoo Interpretation Centre. Don’t forget you can find our public agendas published in full online – as well as our minutes.
Until next time, please don’t hesitate to contact Council directly on (07) 4658 4111 (24hrs), or email assist@longreach.qld.gov.au. You can also find email and phone numbers for each of my fellow Councillors and I on our website at longreach.qld.gov.au/elected-members.