April 22, 2015
A South Burnett trade mission to China may be on the cards.
Mayor Wayne Kratzmann told Monday’s South Burnett Regional Council meeting the region’s peak economic advisory group South Burnett Directions has formed an Agriculture Reference Group with three chief aims:
- To investigate the supply and efficient use of water for farming in the region
- To support Hope Dairy’s effort to set up a state-of-the-art dairy, and facilitate new supply chain opportunities that will flow from that project
- To foster growth in the region’s agricultural exports
In recent years a number of South Burnett agricultural producers have explored trade links with China, and some have forged export ties with Asian markets.
The Mayor said discussions had already been held with Australia’a Trade Commissioner to China regarding a South Burnett trade mission in the near future to investigate export growth possibilities into China, and encourage foreign investment from there.
A similar trip by a delegation from the Darling Downs’ peak economic development group Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise last November had proven so encouraging that group are now planning a week-long follow-up visit in May.
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The South Burnett Regional Council recently purchased an app which measures mobile phone and broadband signal strength and speed capacity in an effort to eliminate black spots.
Mayor Wayne Kratzmann told fellow Councillors at Monday’s Council meeting the app will be used to monitor digital connectivity across the region.
The Council recently submitted expressions of interest to the Federal Blackspot program to remedy mobile and broadband coverage issues in the Durong, Gordonbrook, Bunya Mountains, Tingoora, Wattlecamp and Windera areas.
The outcome of the EOI is expected to be known within the next two months.
Discussions have also been held with Vodafone about their own high-level analysis of black spots in the region, which identified Boyneside, Wattlecamp to the Burnett Highway and Kumbia as three areas in need of more detailed attention.
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The fate of Memerambi Estate is now expected to be known by early June.
At this weeks’s South Burnett Regional Council meeting, Planning Portfolio chair Cr Keith Campbell told councillors the results of a recent offer to property owners to declare the Estate a “benefitted area” were being compiled by Council’s Planning and Land Management section.
The matter will now be referred to the June 3 Council meeting for a decision.
At the Council’s last meeting on April 1, Councillors voted not to draw down a pre-approved $2.1 million loan from Queensland Treasury to fund the cost of building the Estate’s missing infrastructure pending receipt of owners’ responses to the Council’s offer.
The offer expired on March 31.
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A new region-wide Planning Scheme is still in the office of the State Minister for Planning, Cr Campbell told Monday’s meeting.
Once the Minister approves the draft document, it will be put on public display for comments from the community.
After comments are processed, a final version of the Planning Scheme will be drawn up and submitted to the State Government for approval.
The new Planning Scheme, when adopted, will then supercede the four old Shire Planning Schemes used by Murgon, Wondai, Kingaroy and Nanango shire councils which often contained conflicting provisions and caused difficulties for some property owners who had properties in different shires, or whose properties stretched across the old shire boundaries.
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Council planning staff have prepared a draft concept for an upgrade to Kingaroy’s Glendon Street car park.
The $170,000 plan would see besser block walls installed along the car park’s Glendon Street frontage to match those across the road in the Glendon Street forecourt.
The car park’s playground area would be upgraded to include tables and seating that also matched the forecourt, and concrete pathways would be installed in two locations.
Landscaping areas would also be upgraded, along with bench seating at the Glendon Street bus stop.
And the Council’s IT building – formerly the Glendon Street Conmunity Centre – will be rendered and painted externally to blend in with the car park’s new look.
The upgrade excludes the cost of resealing the car park.
In mid-March, Council engineers found reconstruction work was necessary because the car park’s pavement and the adjacent laneway had failed.
The reseal is expected to be undertaken before the end of the year.
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The roof of Murgon PCYC’s squash courts and stadium buildings will be replaced, Property Portfolio chair Cr Deb Palmer told Monday’s meeting.
Council officers are preparing specifications and tender documents for the work.
Repairs to the Murgon Showgrounds grandstand have also been completed, and a quote for repainting the grandstand has been accepted. Work will begin as soon as the contractor is available.
The scoreboard at Wondai Sports Ground has also been measured up, and Council is seeking quotations on the work.
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A number of community and sporting groups are in negotiations with Council at the moment.
The Council is negotiating leases with Nanango’s Ringsfield House, the Kingaroy Youth Park, Kingaroy sporting clubs, the Kingaroy Netball Association, the Wondai Sports Association and Communication House at Wondai, Cr Palmer said.
The purpose of the leases is to formalise the relationship between the Council and groups that use the Council-owned facilities so that each side’s rights and obligations are clearly spelled out.
It’s hoped the leases would help smooth interactions in future.
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Work on the Kingaroy Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrade is progressing well and the 80 per cent design milestone has been completed, Water & Wastewater Portfolio chair Cr Barry Green informed Monday’s meeting.
Council’s staff invested 200 hours in March assessing the design and ensuring the workability of the final plant.
Some concrete structures – such as the inlet and outlet works and the balance tank – are now being built on site.
Similar progress is being made on the Gordonbrook Water Treatment Plant upgrade, where Council staff invested 150 hours in March.
Repaired inlet pumps were also installed at the Murgon Water Treatment last week.
The pumps failed in February when the level of Barambah Creek rose suddenly after heavy rain.
The exact cause of the failure is still being determined, Cr Green said.
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The recent change in the weather is causing plumbing problems for Council and some residents.
Cr Green said that some mains breaks have been occurring since temperatures began dropping.
“There has been a bit of ground movement, and this is causing the problem,” he said.
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Initial construction work on upgraded Waste Transfer Stations at Cloyna, Hivesville, Durong and Brigooda has been completed, but not all are likely to be finished this financial year.
Waste Portfolio chair Cr Kathy Duff said total completion would depend on when Council’s workshop is able to fabricate and install the necessary safety rails, chutes and guide rails.
This is time-consuming work, she said, so all four are unlikely to be completed by June 30.
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Public consultation on the region’s draft Waste Management Plan has drawn a low response.
The draft plan covers the next seven years, during which time the Council proposes to close minor landfills – many of which are already at capacity or will soon reach it – in favour of transfer stations.
Further into the future, it suggests transitioning to larger regional landfills and possibly even a single “super landfill”.
The plan also has provisions to address waste avoidance, waste reduction and recycling, while also concentrating on waste collection, treatment, resource recovery and disposal.
Cr Kathy Duff said that since the plan was made public on February 23 only five submissions had been received.
A report addressing the submissions is expected to be presented to May’s Council meeting.
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A program to bring professional trappers to the region to target areas with high wild dog and pig populations has drawn a very good response, Cr Duff said.
A total of 66 landholders have registered for the free program, which will begin on April 27.
Landholders will meet the trappers on April 24 to finalise details of the project.
The Council will also be running another wild dog and pig baiting program in May.
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Rural Fire Brigades have expressed concern about large fuel loads and potential fire hazards in the region.
Cr Duff told Monday’s meeting she’d recently attended the Mondure Rural Fire Brigade’s AGM where this had been a major topic of conversation.
Rural fire brigades and individual landholders are likely to be undertaking extensive hazard reduction burns over the cooler months to reduce the risk of major fires.
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The Council’s 2015-2016 Budget is progressing steadily and a draft Operating Budget is expected to be presented to Council later this month.
Cr Keith Campbell said next year’s Roads and Drainage Budget has already been finalised, but a further review of the Buildings and Property capital works budget will occur.
Discussions have also been held with Council’s external auditors regarding their audit plan for the 2015 financial year, and they will be starting their preliminary audit in mid-May.
