The Paroo Shire covers a large area of south west Queensland adjoining the NSW border. The town of Cunnamulla is located approximately in the middle of the shire on the banks of the Warrego River at the crossroads where the main inland highways travelling north/south and east/west meet. There are three smaller towns in the Shire, Wyandra to the north, Eulo on the Paroo River to the west and the opal mining town of Yowah to the north-west famous for the beautiful opal gemstone found within the “Yowah Nut”.
It is also home to seven traditional owner groups, the Kunja, Kooma, Kullilli, Mardigan Budjiti, Murrawarri and Bidjara. The shire is rich in natural beauty and known for its many species of birdlife. It is also the site of archeological digs where extinct megafauna such as the Diprotodon, a large marsupial, has been discovered. Agriculture is our main industry with most rural properties running a mixture of cattle, goats and sheep for wool and/or meat.
The Cunnamulla Fella statue sits proudly in the centre of town and has become a must have photo opportunity for visitors. The statue represents the typical ringer from the region in the 1950’s as portrayed in the well-known song the Cunnamulla Fella written by Stan Coster and made famous by the legendary Slim Dusty.
CBD business allows easy community access
I’ve been in local government four and a half years, having been elected at a by-election in September, 2017 and becoming the Deputy Mayor. I was subsequently elected Mayor at the 2020 local government elections. I became involved in local government following a number of approaches from members of the community and seeing an opportunity to help make a difference to our community’s future through being part of local government.
When not at the Council office my time is spent at my retail business. Being one of the shire’s small businesses gives me an insight into how our local economy is faring and my presence in the CBD allows members of the community easy access to catch up with me most days.
The key challenges for Paroo
Our key challenges are being sustainable into the future, improving digital connectivity across the shire, housing and embracing the opportunities of a changing environment are some of our key challenges.
Like many other Councils, we rely on government funding to provide for infrastructure so planning is not straightforward when the project is reliant on a successful outcome from a suitable funding stream which may not be readily available.
In order to allow economic development to progress within our towns and throughout our agricultural sector the introduction of new technology is essential and the Council has embarked on projects to start and meet that need. We are also developing our tourism industry with the establishment of a Hot Springs, Riverwalk and River Boat Cruise Project to be completed this year.
The Council is working on a three year project to attract skilled migrants to the shire. Increasing the population, expanding the business sector and attracting people with skills that are currently in short supply are the major goals of this project.
Local Government successes.
In early 2020 the Paroo Shire received flood damage to many of its Shire roads. Over the two financial years from July 2020 to June 2022 we have been carrying out repair work under Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements, a REPA project with approved work of up to $49M. At the start it was decided that this work if possible would be undertaken by local contractors and Council roadwork teams. That decision resulted in seven local contractors who were pre-qualified suppliers tendering for numerous work packages, providing local employment opportunities and retaining the economic benefits within the Shire. There was a further unforeseen benefit when Covid-19 restrictions and border closures were put in place that the work was able to be carried out without delays due to only local contractors being involved and that also reduced the likelihood of the pandemic being introduced at a time when it hadn’t spread to our region. This has been a large roadworks project for a small rural/remote Shire to undertake and whilst we still have a few more months till completion, it certainly has been a success to date.
What being a councillor means
It allows me to be part of the decision making that shapes the future of the Shire and being able to help members of the community or local organisations with their issues through information or advocacy.
Also seeing the positive affect on the local community when Council achieves successful completion of significant new infrastructure that will service the community for many years to come, like the Civic and Community Enterprise Centre ($6.2M) and the Waste Water Treatment Plant ($9M). Both of these project were funded by the Queensland Government and officially opened in March, 2021
However being in council is not all plain sailing -sometimes working within Local Government can be frustrating. It can be a slow process to achieve outcomes, particularly if it involves change.
Hopefully the future will bring a closer working relationship between the Council and the Paroo Shire community; Sustainable development and innovation to grow the Shire whilst maintaining its culture and environment; and Continuous improvement to its liveability.
