From the Mayor's Desk - 6 July 2021

Setting ourselves up for success: from the Goondiwindi vaccine clinic to Inland Rail and Council’s 2021-22 Budget

I’d like to start this fortnight’s column with a huge shout out to every single resident who attended the Darling Downs Health (DDH) Pfizer super clinic at the Goondiwindi Hospital over the last week. We had a phenomenal turnout, with 3,002 members of our community throughout the cross-border region receiving the vaccine - 726 attended on Wednesday alone with extended hours. This is a tremendous effort and I want to thank each and every one of you who made the time to do the right thing by our community. To put it in perspective, in this one week alone, more doses were delivered in the Goondiwindi clinic than the total administered in any other town in the Darling Downs bar Toowoomba. Let’s recognise what an incredibly fortunate position this puts us in.

I understand DDH have advised they will be back in Goondiwindi for the second round of the Pfizer vaccine clinic in late July-early August. If you have already booked for your second dose, please double-check your appointment date and time to make sure you get fully vaccinated while the clinic is in town. Otherwise, the COVID-19 vaccine remains available in our local medical centres and I strongly encourage you to speak to your GP about what option is best for you.

The vaccine, along with continued vigilant hygiene practices, is an important step towards protecting our community as we begin to adapt to life alongside COVID-19. Unfortunately, another part of this ‘new normality’ may continue to include, temporarily at least, border declarations and lockdowns in nearby LGAs. Council will continue to closely monitor any updates that may affect our community – meanwhile, I must thank residents once again for their patience and cooperation regarding the dual passes now required for crossing into  Queensland and New South Wales. In such a close-knit border community, these restrictions are a frustrating but important part of keeping our communities safe. I encourage you to keep up to date with any relevant Queensland restrictions at: www.covid19.qld.gov.au/government-actions/border-closing.

On a different matter, the next Inglewood Aged Care Steering Committee meeting will be held next Monday, 12 July at 5 pm in the Inglewood Customer Service Office boardroom. We will report to the community about the preliminary meeting held with Peter Vincent, the Managing Director of Aged Care Management Australia recently engaged by Council as an expert aged care consultant, along with other recent matters. Everyone is welcome, and encouraged, to attend. Please RSVP to Debbie at delliott@grc.qld.gov.au or 07 4652 0216 in the first instance so we can manage numbers with COVID-19 restrictions.

Next, I met with the Queensland Coordinator-General Toni Power this past fortnight to discuss Inland Rail. It is the Coordinator-General’s role to ensure all interested parties have the opportunity to submit feedback on large-scale infrastructure projects such as Inland Rail to assist the state government with its decision-making. At this recent meeting, Council reiterated its continued advocacy for separated crossings (such as underpass or overpass) on the region’s main Council and state roads. Council has also been working productively with the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) to make sure flood mitigation strategies are addressed, and the Coordinator-General gave us confidence that the ARTC is updating its flood modelling (including assessments of the most recent Easter flood event).

In addition, Council strongly outlined its position that the ARTC should provide its own external workers and appropriate housing, such as the workers’ camps currently proposed outside of Yelarbon and Inglewood. This position is based on feedback from local businesses: we already have very low unemployment rates coupled with a tight rental market, in particular. There are lessons to be learned from the way other towns have been impacted by mining projects, for example, and while our region is ready for the many opportunities that Inland Rail may bring, we do not want any additional pressure on our employment and housing markets. Council wants to ensure a considered, thought-out approach that lets us reap the benefits of local spending, while protecting the local economy.

Finally, I was extremely proud to present Council’s Budget for 2021-22 this past fortnight. Council’s total planned operational expenditure will be $38.8 million, with a capital expenditure of $17.3 million. Once again debt-free, and with an extremely competitive rate rise of 2.2% (after the 15% early payment discount), we are the envy of many similar neighbouring LGAs. We were able to achieve hundreds of community projects across the region last year, from upgrading small halls to safety improvements at local parks. I’m pleased to confirm that, once again, Council’s planned expenditure will be shared across every community in the region to set them up for success - from Daymar in the west to Cement Mills in the east.