Council

Chris Oldfield. The community spirit of Tatiara District Council was on show last week when its monthly meeting was held in Padthaway’s sporting complex. Some of the many key issues raised included road safety, a lack of child care and wishes for a school hall and pool. The issues were raised by Padthaway Primary School’s Years 5 and 6 class.

Toowoomba Regional Council’s ambitious and cost-saving plan to power most of the city’s wastewater treatment plant with gas captured from the city’s nearby landfill is a step closer to reality ... Cr Sommerfield said the energy re-use project would allow the gas-fired generator to supply up to 70% of the power to run the Wetalla Water Reclamation Facility, along with ongoing environmental benefits.

The Lockyer Valley and Somerset Water Collaborative is calling on the State Government to release the available supply of untapped recycled water to ensure water and food security for Australia’s Salad Bowl, preventing future supply being imported canned vegetables.

Following its public campaign to get a child care director in Julia Creek, McKinlay Shire Council is now trying to get a new GP to live in the community. The otherwise burgeoning town is emphatically seeking a new doctor at its brand-new health facility.

Hughenden and the Flinders Shire region attracted a record number of tourists in the last financial year, according to new data released by the council. A total of 27,467 visitors came through Flinders Discovery Centre from July 2021 to June 2022, an 11 per cent increase on the previous year and a huge 42 per cent increase on 2019-20 during the travel restrictions of the pandemic.

Patricia Gill. The Shire of Denmark is reviewing local laws concerning the keeping of cats with a limit of two animals older-than-six months per household being considered in an effort to curb the feral population. The Shire will also have more power to restrict the movement of cats and those that cause a nuisance ... consultation is underway on the proposed rules which the Denmark Shire Council will likely consider in September.

The Narrandera Shire Council will formally object to the closure of the National Bank branch at Narrandera and will review its banking arrangements following the procurement of a new enterprise management system later this financial year. The bank advised that the decision to close in October was predicated on a decline in physical transactions conducted in the branch...

On Friday 5 August, a SETA member raised the alarm on a motion to be voted on by Eurobodalla Shire councillors. The motion was titled “Eurobodalla Shire Council supports an end to native forest logging in Eurobodalla Shire.” ... In the lead up to and on Tuesday, 9 August 2022, the Eurobodalla Shire Councillors have spent significant time dealing with the Greens party deputy mayor, Alison Worthington’s motion to end native forest harvesting in the shire.

Clarence Valley Council's Tourism team ... presented Clarence Distillery co-owner Adam Freeman with the 2022 North Coast Local Tourism Hero Award for the Clarence Valley. The many ways  this Yamba business epitomises 'local' - which led to their nomination - include ... great collaborators who often work with other local businesses to showcase products from the region ...

Last week’s meeting of The Southern Downs Regional Council was told that Black, Little Red and Grey-headed Flying-Foxes are native species that are seasonal visitors to the Southern Downs. The animals typically arrive in the Southern Downs in spring, occupying three roost sites until the onset of cooler weather in late autumn/early winter.

Developer wants seniors to take root on land that used to be farmed. A 2.5ha property at Geneva on the edge of Kyogle may be rezoned to allow six units for seniors to live in ... The proposal includes keeping the existing house as a hub and creating six residential lots targeted towards seniors.

Emma Pritchard. A project team has been appointed to oversee the $263.8 million redevelopment of Grafton Base Hospital (GBH), after the Minister for Regional Health Bronnie Taylor, and NSW Deputy Premier Paul Toole met with Member for Clarence Chris Gulaptis and members of the Grafton Base Hospital Community Committee (GBHCC) earlier this month. Mr Gulaptis said the NSW Government’s investment in the major redevelopment of GBH will provide new facilities and upgraded clinical services to transform health outcomes and experiences for patients, their families, and staff into the future.

Samuel Davis. Sly grog swindlers peddling cask wine and spirits are fuelling a spate of senseless and violent acts in western Cape York, angry community leaders say ... “The sly grog has been bobbing up for the last three weeks. There are people not turning up to work, threatening managers ... What is our community coming to? At the end of the day, it’s about personal responsibility": Pormpuraaw Aboriginal Shire Council CEO Edward Natera.

Toowoomba Regional Council has endorsed seeking Ministerial approval to remove regulations to aid new housing supply. TRC Planning and Development Committee chair Cr Megan O’Hara Sullivan said this was part of four measures Council would use to simplify and speed up the approval process for new housing across the Region.

The Transport Administration Amendment (Rail Trails) Bill 2022 alters the Transport Administration Act 1988 to provide a streamlined process that may enable regional rail trails where and when the community wants them. Minister for Cities and Active Transport Rob Stokes said the Bill unlocks opportunities for communities and fixes outdated and onerous legislation that required a change to the Act for each rail trail.

Mayor of Tweed Shire Chris Cherry said it was crucial government, associated agencies and the community learn from the findings of a major flood inquiry and focus on ways to improve our response to disasters in the future.

Hard-to-detect leaks will be found without excavation works or loss of water supply ... expert technicians will be hunting for water leaks throughout more than 600km of the Tweed’s water supply pipes ... Aqua Analytics will use advanced acoustic technology to pinpoint leaking water in about 85% of the supply network pipes ...