September 11, 2020
South Burnett Mayor Brett Otto has presented State MPs with copies of the region’s strategic priorities during a visit to State Parliament on Wednesday.
Mayor Otto said the SBRC’s “2020 Advocacy Action Plan” was “a planned, co-ordinated and resourced approach to facilitate action and result, aligning with Federal, State and Council’s corporate strategic policy documents”.
The action plan calls for urgent investment to give rural and regional councils “a fair go” and give communities “the same opportunities and living standards as those living in our cities”.
It details Council’s six priority areas which it believes will not only help the local area but also assist Queensland:
- Water for the future – including the development of an economic road map that will focus on creating jobs to prepare for the closure of the Tarong Power Station, assessment of the practical viability of Barlil Weir, construction of a water recycling plant at Swickers, assessment of urban water needs until 2037, strategies for Blackbutt irrigators and assessment of Gordonbrook Dam as a future irrigation water source.
- Road networks – including sealing the Maidenwell-Bunya Mountains Road, bridge upgrades and Mundubbera-Durong Road improvements.
- Financial governance and asset management – including a review of the way the State Government distributes Federal Assistance Grants.
- Regional and economic development – including investigating further development opportunities to expand the usage and development of Kingaroy Airport.
- Mobile black spots / data communications – including expanding mobile phone coverage and transforming Kingaroy into a “smart country hub” with QCN Fibre.
- Works 4 Queensland and other government economic recovery initiatives – support for continued flexibility in programs to allow councils to deliver projects which meet individual community needs.
Download Council’s 2020 Advocacy Action Plan (8Mb PDF)
