Mayor's September Update

PAROO SHIRE – the week that was…

It was a pleasure hosting the Border Regional Organisation of Councils (BROC) August meeting in Cunnamulla. The group consists of the twelve local government areas that adjoin the Qld/NSW border from Southern Downs west, five in Queensland and seven in New South Wales who work together to progress common issues.   

The four priority areas for the BROC are:

• Economic Development & Tourism; 
• Liveability;
• Infrastructure; and
• Disaster Management.   

The NSW Cross Border Commissioner is a regular attendee at the meetings and his assistance is much appreciated in navigating through some of the issues. At the meeting it was decided to proceed with working towards the establishment of a Designated Area Migration Agreement across the border region to respond to the current labour market conditions.

The Valuer-General Laura Dietrich together with two officers from her department visited Cunnamulla and met with Council to discuss valuations. Due to the low number of sales of rural properties in the Shire over the past twelve months, the Department has decided to defer carrying out a valuation for Paroo Shire until next year.

Council joined the South West Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils for two days of meetings with the Premier, State Ministers, Directors-General and Advisors advocating on behalf of the south west region. Discussions centred around additional air services to the south west, gravel pit permit renewals, the net zero transition path for SWQ, health, housing, roads, water, waste and more. It was a jam-packed couple of days that resulted in the State Government obtaining a clearer understanding of issues facing our region and how we can work together to achieve desired outcomes. We also pushed to have the bilby recognised as the emblem for the 2032 Olympics.

On Friday Mayor Beresford visited  the Cunnamulla P-12 State School and met Andrea and Greg Huglin of the Noosa Film Academy and see first hand the work they’ve been doing with some of the students including a viewing of the short film the students had made. This is the fourth year the Academy has visited the school and  conducted a workshop on film making and performance. Aside from learning about film making, students are taught how to act naturally in front of a camera and deliver their own dialogue rather than a scripted one, improving their self-confidence whilst learning STEM related subjects in a different way.

Sunday saw the Long Drive for Drought organised by Peak Services come through Cunnamulla and stop for a lunch break on their way to Eulo and then on to Alroy Camping Grounds for the night. It was a great day spending time with the group of Toyota Landcruiser series 40 enthusiasts who help raise funds for Drought Angels, a charity that assists rural producers in times of drought and disaster. Paroo Shire was pleased to provide support for this event.

To obtain more information, please refer to the Paroo Shire Council’s website www.paroo.qld.gov.au where the agenda and minutes of all Council meetings are posted. To subscribe to the eNewsletter group click on News & Events then click on Newsletters and sign up.

Contacting Council – should residents wish to contact Council regarding any matter, whether it’s an enquiry, reporting an issue, making a suggestion or lodging a complaint, please use the email council@paroo.qld.gov.au