STATEMENT FROM THE MAYOR: Local Disaster Management Stood-Up Due To Increased COVID Risk

We are all fatigued by the constant spectre of COVID-19 in our day-to-day lives. Our communities have been directly and indirectly impacted, even though we have not recorded a single known case in our Local Government Area (LGA) nor is their currently one in our  neighbouring LGAs.

The current situation is precarious, given that New South Wales (NSW) has largely lost control of the containment of the virus and has locked down the entire state. That is the reason why we cannot continue to have a 'border bubble' like we were previously privileged to enjoy. The new Border Zone, as recognised and implemented by the Queensland Chief Health Officer, gives residents on either side of the border a degree of movement under very strict conditions not available to others outside the Border Zone in NSW. These current restrictions will be difficult to change until the NSW Government controls the virus and relaxes restrictions.

This current situation has had a dramatic impact on our community, including workers, students and businesses, and will be with us for some time. As difficult as things are now, if COVID-19 comes across the border into our region, the situation and impact on our community could be much worse and place us in lockdown, or more severely limit our interactions.

Our LGA continues to lead the nation with vaccination rates and that is the only real way out of this in the immediate future.

People should not underestimate the seriousness of this virus. While the plan is ultimately to manage it like the flu, it is far more deadly than the flu. In Australia, where international borders have been closed and severe restrictions introduced, COVID-19’s mortality rate is still around ten times greater than the flu.

The sobering statistics out of the USA are that between 2019 and 2020, there were 38 million cases of influenza and 22,000 deaths. There were 39 million cases of COVID-19 and about 240,000 deaths. That's a death rate about 30 times higher than the flu, and the statistics are similar in the United Kingdom.

This would have been Australia too, if it were not for border restrictions and other internal controls.

This is why vaccination is critical, as it reduces the rate of infection and serious diseases, hospitalisation and deaths by up to 90%. If we have to learn to live with COVID-19, we have to be vaccinated.

I’m not sure people realise that the NSW COVID-19 numbers and, more importantly, locations, are up to five days old due to the lag time in testing.

The risk to our region is high and, as a result, the Local Disaster Management Group (LDMG) has been ‘stood up’. This means that on a daily basis there is a meeting between state agencies, local government and other key community/business stakeholders coming together to identify the current risks and issues, and then escalating these through formal reporting channels to the Queensland Government for action. These agencies include the Queensland Police Service, Queensland Health, Queensland Ambulance, Queensland Fire and Rescue and more, as well as Council and other requested stakeholders as required, such as Care Goondiwindi or the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.

Standing up the LDMG has already provided some very valuable information and problem-solving, such as addressing our inability to get hospital operational support staff across the border to keep our hospitals functional.

This all started with one limo driver in Sydney back in mid-June. Now, two months later, there are over 10,000 cases in NSW linked to that one case, and more than 70 deaths. NSW does not currently have this virus contained, and Queensland is locking down its border.

The more people crossing the border, the more chance there is that one of them - and it only takes one - has COVID-19. The aim here is to just slow the movement across the border.

Border regions are bearing the brunt of protecting the rest of Queensland.

Queenslanders are so fortunate to be able to have unlimited numbers at funerals, to be able to go to a coffee shop, and visit our relatives and friends on the coast. We don’t want our whole LGA to be locked down due to a positive case. We don’t want our kids to get this variant of COVID-19. The warning of most concern is that this is now affecting kids and they are getting seriously ill. We do not want this Delta variant in our community.

Council will advocate for restriction clarity on behalf of our businesses and the broader community, as it’s not fair to have uncertainty and a lack of a simple answer. Where there is the potential to provide a solution to the government for very very low to zero risk, we will be at the front and centre of advocacy. However, protecting the health of our residents must come first. This will be the case until everyone in Queensland, including kids who are currently most at risk, have a vaccine available to them. The evidence is clear that a vaccination limits the hospital admissions and deaths from this insidious virus.

I want a harvest at the end of September - our towns and communities are desperate for a good season. However, that means very tight restrictions in the meantime to keep this virus out.

The Queensland Police Service, now accompanied by the Australian Defence Force, will be far more vigilant around the NSW X-pass entry for shopping and medical. The rules are clear: you must only cross for a single purpose and then leave. We support our northern NSW counterparts being given special consideration as part of our community, but this requires you to follow the rules.

As a region, we need to accept that the challenges of border closures and the risks to our communities are likely here to stay for some time.

It is essential that we do not become complacent. We must continue to utilise the Check-In QLD app and QR codes: this, along with vaccinated people and masks, will be one of our best lines of defence if a case does cross the border.

Finally, I want to personally ask every resident to look out for their family and neighbours. The Goondiwindi Region has lots of success stories and tough people doing an honest day’s work. But seven years of drought, recent flooding, mice and locust outbreaks have taken their toll, and now after 18 months of COVID-19, I know some people are at breaking point. As a community, we may not be able to physically see everyone we would like to right at the moment, but please pick up the phone and check on those nearby.