From The Mayor's Desk - 30 August 2024

Published on 30 August 2024

After years of advocacy, we have a significant milestone for the region: the establishment of the Queensland Cross-Border Commissioner role.

This week, Council welcomed the new Queensland Cross-Border Commissioner, Ian Leavers, who will be crucial in assisting to address the unique barriers border communities face. I am urging everyone to have realistic expectations for the Commissioner in relation to juvenile crime. The Queensland government is responsible for urgent law reforms to ensure consequences for offenders and requires the courts to prioritise the safety of law-abiding citizens over offenders.

Council has also requested that the Queensland government provide the Commissioner with all necessary tools and resources to succeed in his role. This role extends beyond juvenile crime to encompass border challenges like schooling, electricity rebates, firearm licences, business licensing, agriculture trade, professional accreditation, and health. On behalf of the community, I have offered the Council's full support to the new Commissioner. I'm confident that his practical approach and willingness to tackle challenging issues will work in our favour.

Queensland Country Tourism Networking night

Participating as a panel member in the recent Queensland Country Tourism Networking evening in Goondiwindi was a pleasure. There is a well-known saying that a rising tide lifts all boats. A collective effort can increase visitor numbers, boost the local economy, and showcase the region's rich agricultural heritage. I thank Queensland Country Tourism for organising the event, encouraging this collaboration, and their work behind the scenes to attract tourists to the Goondiwindi region and the broader Darling Downs. To those operators in attendance, it was heartening to hear the positivity from visitors to the region genuinely appreciating the locals that say hello down the street and the excellent service, in addition to the clean and tidy towns; it is a credit to all residents and tourism operators.

Kindon Isolated Children's Parents' Association trivia night a success

I had the pleasure of attending the Kindon Isolated Children's Parents Association (ICPA) trivia night last weekend. ICPA is a voluntary parent body dedicated to the educational needs of all geographically isolated children, helping to advocate to ensure that these young persons are not disadvantaged because of where they live. Congratulations to all involved; it was a very entertaining evening. Thank you also to Jamie and Anna Tait for hosting it at their home.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Texas Greenup Masonic Lodge members for their unwavering support of our seniors

On behalf of the Council, I want to express our deep appreciation to the Texas Greenup Masonic Lodge group for their unwavering dedication to our community. Their years of service managing Council’s ten units at the Greenup accommodation for vulnerable seniors have been invaluable. We understand their decision to step back and will work to find a solution that continues the high standard of care for current residents. We extend our heartfelt thanks to all the local volunteers who have been part of this important work.

Inglewood Ordinary Meeting and Community Meeting

This week, we hosted our Ordinary Council meeting and two community workshops in Inglewood. It was a pleasure to have students from St Maria Goretti and Inglewood State School join us at the Council meeting. We thoroughly enjoyed sharing information with them about disaster management, transparency of decision-making, and how the Council operates.

We also welcomed residents to attend community consultation sessions on various topics, some of which are covered in this edition of From the Mayor's Desk. I thank all the residents who came along. The community forums provided a valuable platform for Council to engage directly with residents, sharing important information about upcoming projects and initiatives. By discussing the challenges and costs involved, Council aims to foster a deeper understanding of the community's needs and encourage active participation in shaping its future.

The future of the Inglewood Recreation Centre

The 2021 floods and subsequent heavy rain in the Inglewood area have significantly damaged the floors in the Inglewood Recreation Centre. This community asset was a hive of activity for decades, from basketball and squash to school socials and roller skating to a movie theatre and more.

However, the Inglewood community now has the Inglewood Civic Centre, Inglewood Macintyre Sports Centre, Inglewood Bowls Club, and Inglewood Golf Club available for hire for local activities and functions.

The estimated cost for Council to restore the Inglewood Recreation Centre flood-damaged floor, bring the whole building up to current building standards, and address issues like nesting birds is at least $890,000.

As per the existing Macintyre Sports Complex masterplan, Council intends to work with community groups to establish a larger purpose-built gym shed at the Macintyre Sports Complex. The Inglewood Macintyre Sports Complex masterplan also identified a need for additional storage, a refurbished kitchen, air conditioning, and more. Residents are also requesting some improvements to the Civic Centre, including improved workshop facilities, additional parking and upgrades to the kitchen and courtyard area.

Added to the current scenario is the under-utilisation of these community spaces, with only 16 bookings at the Inglewood Civic Centre and 3 casual bookings for the Macintyre Sports indoor area in the last financial year. Therefore, we need to consider the future of the Inglewood Recreation Centre and whether funds can be better spent at the Macintyre Sports and Civic Centre sites. The community forum participants agreed that repairing and restoring the Recreation Centre to be a ‘general purpose’ community facility is not viable, the money would be better spent at the Sports Complex and Civic Centre.

The community forum participants supported that the next step should be for Council to undertake an expression of interest process with the general public for an alternate use of the Recreation Centre. This could be storage facilities, commercial offices, or a community group that wants to own it. An expression of interest process will allow any commercial entity or community group to submit a proposal to Council for future use of the Inglewood Recreation Centre. Unless we ask the community, we don't know what other options may be on the table. Council will provide more information about this process in the coming months. I encourage residents and businesses to consider what is possible at this site.

Free RV Camping in Inglewood discussed at the Community Forum

The floods of 2021 identified a significant risk to the region with the existing free RV campsite near the Inglewood Macintyre Brook bridge. It is a high flood-risk area, and in times of flood, our SES resources are already at total capacity, preparing for the evacuation of the locals. Further investigations also identified that the existing site does not lawfully permit free camping. Council has explored the possibility of establishing a free campsite with another community group; however, this has yet to materialise into a viable option.

The alternate plan is to establish free RV camping sites within the olive trees directly adjacent to the Inglewood Bowls Club. If it goes ahead, the development would require a small number of trees to be removed. The general discussion at the community meetings was that free camping provides significant economic benefit to our community, the proposed location is outside of the immediate flood risks, and no concerns were raised about the location.

Council needs to comply with the same rules as others regarding approvals for this type of activity. Therefore, the next step is to submit a Development Application, which will include further opportunities for public consultation from community members.

Inland Rail continues to pursue outcomes for the Queensland portion of the line

I met with the Chair of Inland Rail this fortnight to discuss our ongoing cooperation. The next step in the process is for the Queensland Coordinator-General to consider the Inland Rail Environmental Impact Statement and provide guidance and certainty on the way forward. With the project already approved through to the border, Queensland residents and businesses need certainty from the Queensland government about the future of this project.