WATCH out south east Queensland.
The terrific ten have formed and they’re set on ensuring the south west gets their share of government-funded infrastructure projects.
The group – otherwise known as the Council of Mayors for Darling Downs and South West Queensland – formed on Monday thanks to a unanimous decision of ten regional mayors.
The mayors – representing Toowoomba, Goondiwindi, Quilpie, Western Downs, Balonne, Bulloo,
WATCH out south east Queensland.
The terrific ten have formed and they’re set on ensuring the south west gets their share of government-funded infrastructure projects.
The group – otherwise known as the Council of Mayors for Darling Downs and South West Queensland – formed today thanks to a unanimous decision of ten regional mayors.
The mayors – representing Toowoomba, Goondiwindi, Quilpie, Western Downs, Balonne, Bulloo, Southern Downs, Murweh, Maranoa and Paroo shires – cover a stomping ground equivalent to a whopping 23 per cent of Queensland.
It’s a regional powerhouse designed to make state and federal governments listen, according to the group’s initiator and elected-chair, Toowoomba Regional Council Mayor Paul Antonio.
Mr Antonio said the strength of the South East Queensland Council of Mayors had helped secure state and federal backing for a number of major infrastructure projects in the area such as the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing.
This strength was something he said needed to be applied in the south west.
“The thought occurred to me that we ought to get together as a group of mayors and do something as a far better lobby group for south west Queensland,” Mr Antonio said.
“There’s a real strength in terms of using this group as a lobbying tool.”
Mr Antonio said issues such as the western and south western rail lines, as well as upgrades with likes to road infrastructure were high on the priority list to ensuring these regions’ needs are met.
“That’s just the beginning - there’ll be so many other things that bring broader benefit right across the region,” he said.
“This is not just about Toowoomba.
“This is about taking an opportunity to cover a broader area and the power that comes with area to get things done.”
Mr Antonio said the cluster played a pivotal role as it represented regions that produce a quarter of the state’s cattle herd and 75 per cent of Queensland’s grain and pulse crops.
“We can’t guarantee we will fix every problem but we can guarantee that when we go to the table in Canberra or Brisbane there will be some power behind what we say,” he said.
Balonne Shire Mayor Donna Stewart was excited about what she believed would present a “united and strong voice” for the regions.
“It’s not that we’re disjointed, but because we’re so sparsely populated we don’t have the representation in governments for them to understand our needs,” Ms Stewart said.
“And so this provides an opportunity for us to have a strong voice in accessing the people we need to promote our needs.”
Quilpie Shire Mayor Stuart Mackenzie said the sheer size of this Council of Mayors would assist in seeing key issues such as rail and communications were addressed.
“Having this number of mayors covering such as vast region one a regular basis is pure gold in terms of getting the right messages through to the people that matter.”
Mr Mackenzie said the western shires had previously struggled to help decision-makers realise the level of support for major matters.
“It’s a hard thing to argue against when ten mayors are coming out – who in effect represent all the people in their region – I think it’s hard to resist that,” he said.
The group’s next meeting is set for November 5 in Roma.
