March 1, 2024
Goomeri and Kilkivan residents expressed their discontent with the current Gympie Regional Council – and solar farms – during a sometimes fiery “Meet The Candidates” night on Thursday.
The forum, held in Goomeri’s Hall of Memory, was organised by local resident Graeme Gosse who also compered proceedings.
Mr Gosse said he was “just an interested resident” but expressed a desire to see change in the Council.
He invited the three candidates for Division 6 and the three Mayoral candidates to speak (see audio files, below).
Each was allowed five minutes before a short question and answer session was scheduled.
The three Division 6 candidates were Glastonbury resident Warren McEwan, former Kilkivan Shire councillor Brian Thomas and Sexton resident Dave Golding.
The three Mayoral candidates were incumbent Mayor Glen Hartwig, former Gympie councillor Mark McDonald and former soldier and truck driver Naomi Wilson.
NB. Current Division 6 councillor, Deputy Mayor Hilary Smerdon, was not present; he has moved to the coast and is standing in Division 1.
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The first section of the night went smoothly, with the Division 6 and Mayoral candidates briefly introducing themselves (although at least one of the mayoral speeches went for much longer than five minutes).
But when the microphone was handed over to the audience, the issues of concern became very clear, and the questions and answers flowed for more than 90 minutes.
Topics covered included:
- The fact that sitting councillor Hilary Smerdon had moved out of the area several months ago. Several speakers accused Cr Smerdon of abandoning Division 6, however Mayor Hartwig was quick to defend his Deputy Mayor and the work he had done for the region, including getting the swimming pool fixed. There were some heated exchanges between Mayor Hartwig and former Gympie councillor Mark McDonald.
- “Black glass” ie. solar farms, taking over the region and turning it into a “renewables rubbish dump”. Mayor Hartwig said he was the only councillor to have voted against the initial Material Change of Use application for the first solar farm at Woolooga. He said that when this farm was approved by the other councillors, a precedent was set which meant further applications could not be denied without risking expensive Planning Court legal cases which Council would lose. This sparked more exchanges between Mayor Hartwig and Mr McDonald over who was to blame.
- Kilkivan Action Group organiser Katy McCallum challenged the candidates over their position on the Borumba Pumped Hydro project and accompanying transmission lines. There were calls from the stage and the floor for a change in both the State and Federal governments.
- Flood preparedness and the urgent need for flood monitoring stations on Boonara Creek. A flood management workshop will be held at Goomeri Library next Tuesday (March 5) from 8:00am.
- Council’s future support for Kilkivan’s “Ageing In Place” project.
- The quality of town water in Goomeri. Compere Graeme challenged one of the candidates to drink the town water (but he already had as it had been left in a container on the table in front of him!)
- The lack of maintenance on the Murgon-to-Kilkivan section of the Kingaroy-Kilkivan Rail Trail
- The lack of soap and paper towels in Goomeri’s public toilets – even during the COVID-19 pandemic – but a sharps container was in place for drug users
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Division 6 Candidates
In the order they spoke …
Mayoral Candidates
In the order they spoke …
Questions From The Floor
