April 11, 2022
Nanango Stags president Rebecca Jackson is the third candidate to announce she will be standing at upcoming South Burnett Regional Council Division 1 by-election.
southburnett.com.au spoke to Mrs Jackson at the Fitzroy Hotel bottleshop where she works three days a week.
“The South Burnett as a whole needs a fresh direction,” she said.
Mrs Jackson said she was worried that Council was focussing too much on the little things and not the big items.
“We need things here to keep the young people in the South Burnett. In five years, we probably won’t have a power station. What will Nanango and Kingaroy do when all these people leave?” she said.
“I understand our roads are pretty bad but we also need to start planning for the future.
“We have got Swickers; we have got PCA but look what happened to Murgon when the meatworks closed!”
Mrs Jackson said she first started thinking about running for Council six months ago.
“I had a conversation with my husband Drew about it back then,” she then.
She spoke to Roz Frohloff – the former Division 1 councillor – to discuss the pros and cons of running.
The former councillors told her about the abuse she had received during her term, including being spat on – but that has not put Mrs Jackson off running.
“It was probably (last Monday) that I made up my mind that I would stand, and I told Drew and he said go for it,” she said.
“I am a pretty straight up and down person. What you see up front is what you get.”
Mrs Jackson moved to Nanango when she was just four years old.
“My Dad was working at the mine,” she said.
She went to school at St Patrick’s primary school and Nanango State High School.
The current Council term expires in March 2024 so whoever is successful in the Division 1 by-election will only serve a short term before they face voters again.
“I know I can’t achieve much in 18 months but maybe I can open up everyone’s eyes,” Mrs Jackson said.
One major issue on Mrs Jackson’s mind is the current homelessness crisis in Nanango and the rest of the South Burnett.
She would like to see temporary housing installed on the old Tarong camp site on the D’Aguilar Highway which she believes is still probably connected to power and water.
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The Nanango Tourism and Development Association (NaTDA) will be holding a “Meet The Candidates” night from 6:00pm on Thursday (April 14) in the Long Hai Room at the Nanango RSL Club.
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