From the Mayor's Desk - 28 January 2025

Published on 28 January 2025

Goondiwindi Region Australia Day Award winners are pride of our community

As I drove along the Texas/Yelarbon Road to attend the Australia Day celebrations in Texas on Sunday, I was taken by the pride of many locals flying the Australian Flag in celebration of our nation. We had the privilege of recognising outstanding individuals and community groups during the Australia Day Award Ceremonies in Goondiwindi and Texas this year. Congratulations once again to all the recipients from across the region, who, alongside their fellow nominees, have been recognised for their remarkable contributions to the Goondiwindi Region. From dedicated volunteers to young people excelling at their chosen sports, our Australia Day nominees are the community members who help to make our region such a wonderful place to live.

I hope that everyone was able to celebrate with family and friends, and take a moment to reflect on the history of our nation and how we can all work together to ensure that everyone feels included and valued in our great country.

There was no Australia Day citizenship ceremony this year, as there were no community members waiting for conferral. However, I was delighted that our December ceremony saw a record-breaking 16 new citizenships. Please join me in welcoming the newest citizens to our region – we are excited to have you as part of our community.

Readying for relocation and expansion of Care Goondiwindi

Last week, I had the opportunity to travel to Brisbane with Care Goondiwindi’s CEO, Tracy MacDonald, and Director, Kerry Corish, to meet with the Minister for Disability Services, the Hon Amanda Camm MP, and James Lister MP. Our discussion focused on the Crisafulli Government’s commitment of $2 million towards the relocation and expansion of Care Goondiwindi. We eagerly await the anticipated schedule for the project and know that community members will share this support. Care Goondiwindi is an essential service provider in our region, and this expansion will allow them to better serve our community.

Uzbekistan cotton delegation in Goondiwindi shows region is global leader

Along with my fellow councillors, I was delighted to welcome a delegation from Uzbekistan in Goondiwindi last week, with representatives from Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Agriculture and the President’s Office in attendance.

Over the past eight years, several local businesses have generously exported expertise, materials and equipment to Uzbekistan to support the growth and productivity of the country’s cotton farming industry. It was fascinating to learn that over 25% of Uzbekistan’s nearly 37 million population work in the agriculture sector, servicing the increasing demand of its surrounding Central Asian market and a very young and rapidly growing population.

This visit is a powerful testament to the Goondiwindi Region’s recognition as a global leader in cotton growing. I would like to extend a special thank you to Mr. Peter Corish AM for his invaluable work on this project and for accompanying the delegates. I look forward to furthering the conversation on opportunities for knowledge-sharing and exploring future partnerships in the cotton industry and agricultural sector in general.

Goondiwindi Water Park topped up for summer

As announced last week, Council ordered additional water to raise the water levels in the Goondiwindi Natural Heritage and Water Park from approximately 1.17 metres (which is near the minimum safe level) to between 1.4 and 1.5 metres. This increase is just enough to enable locals and visitors to enjoy skiing throughout the summer, while keeping the water at a low enough level as is necessary for maintenance work over the winter to prepare the park for next season.

I’d like to clarify that each community in our region has its own distinct water source and allocation. The water ordered for the Water Park (from Boggabilla Weir) is entirely separate from any other town’s water allocation. For full transparency, Council publishes the bore blending rates for each month on our website. For example, in December 2024, the bore blending rate for Texas was 0%.

I remind residents that this Council has been very active in drought-proofing our various towns’ water supplies and we are now one of very few regions in Queensland that enjoy the privilege of backup supplies, due to huge investments (around $5 million) in drinking water security over the past few years. All drinking water in the Goondiwindi Region exceeds the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines and at time of writing, Council has not recently received any complaints about water quality. As always, I encourage residents to contact us directly if they have specific concerns.

State Government pause on wind farm approvals is a win for local communities

I have long advocated for wind power developments to undergo approval processes consistent with other land uses, like mining, gas and agriculture. So last week, I welcomed the Crisafulli Government’s announcement that it will temporarily halt and review current assessment and approval processes around wind power generators (wind farm) developments.

This means that no new (or expanding) wind power projects without current approvals can be assessed or approved until the new rules have come into place - effectively a moratorium. Goondiwindi Regional Council has been at the forefront of driving this change, which I believe is necessary to provide greater certainty for residents and industry alike.

Council has previously loudly voiced its concerns about the lack of consultation and engagement with our local community around the planning and the impact of these projects and the failure to build an effective framework of positive broad community legacy and local economic benefit from the post construction phase.  

Queensland Health JEV update

I want to thank our local medical community for their support following the announcement of a case of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) apparently contracted by a visitor to the Yelarbon district this past fortnight. The JEV vaccine is now available at medical centres, hospitals and some pharmacies in Goondiwindi, Inglewood and Texas, and is free to Goondiwindi Region residents (a medical professional fee may apply).

Council will now continue to support Queensland Health with monitoring and testing of mosquitoes in the area, but Queensland Health has advised that there are no effective vector control measures (e.g. fogging) available due to the type of mosquito that carries JEV. Fortunately, most cases of JEV do not present with any symptoms but as always, if you are concerned, please consult a health professional.

It’s important to note that JEV is not transmitted from person to person, but rather through the bite of an infected mosquito, which has a limited flight range. While Yelarbon residents are currently identified as the highest priority for the vaccine, I encourage any concerned residents to contact their local medical centre or pharmacy for more information.