From 28 May to 2 June, Queensland Councils and their local communities will celebrate Local Government Week 2007 with the theme ‘Roads – Driving Queensland, Pathways to Progress’. This year’s celebrations take on a special significance after the Queensland Government’s shock announcement on 17 April that it is imposing forced amalgamations on the State’s 157 Councils.
Australian Local Government Association President, Councillor Paul Bell, said he was stunned and appalled when Premier Peter Beattie and Local Government and Planning Minister, Andrew Fraser, announced the establishment of a Queensland Local Government Reform Commission, which will spend only three months imposing new boundaries for Councils across the State.
“Despite the actions of the State Government, Councils will take the opportunity to participate in Local Government Week and showcase their significant contributions not only to road construction and maintenance but the community at large,” Councillor Bell said.
Councils will coordinate many activities for the week including Council open days, mystery bus tours, morning teas and the coordination of school excursions to major road works projects.
In conjunction with Councils, the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) will again be running a number of statewide events to assist in the week’s celebrations.
A popular colouring competition, run annually, is already under way, with a subject picture How to Take Care Around Road Works. Competition winners will be announced on 21 May.
In line with the roads theme, a Funky Street street naming competition has been introduced for the first time.
Queensland high school students have the opportunity to come up with names for two streets and explain why they chose those names. The student with the most creative names will win a cash prize and will travel to Brisbane to accept a certificate and actually name two streets in a newly constructed Queensland estate. The QM Property Group has generously donated the street naming rights.
Business breakfasts, staged successfully for the first time last year, will give government and private industry specialists the opportunity to come together and discuss key transport, road safety and road construction issues.
The launch of the week will be cohosted by the Brisbane City Council at its new Brisbane Square location, designed as a key social and cultural hub for the city.
Local Government Week is coordinated by the LGAQ and sponsored by the Department of Main Roads, the Department of Transport, RACQ, the Queensland Police Service, Australian Local Government Women’s Association, Dial Before You Dig, Goodyear-Dunlop, Beaurepairs and Local Government FOCUS.
