FUTURE prospects for Mossman’s beleaguered sugar industry have turned from dire to promising at the eleventh hour, as creditors today voted overwhelmingly to engage with a renewable energy company proposing a $26 million investment to revive the district’s vital milling facility.
At a meeting which anxious stakeholders feared would result in the mill’s operator, Daintree Bio Precinct, being liquidated, a Newcastle-based renewables company offered a solution to back milling operations for four years while it builds a bioenergy manufacturing plant to sustain operations long term.
The Caller has been asked temporarily not to name the company. The Caller has approached the company for comment.
Mossman sugar industry stakeholder protesting yesterday in Cairns for support funding. IMAGE: Supplied
Creditors of Daintree Bio Precinct were informed by its administrators today that the company believes it can establish a profitable biofuel venture that would save Mossman’s 560-worker sugar industry.
Fifth generation Mossman cane grower and Australian Cane Farmers Association spokesman Jack Murday (pictured) said the outcome of the creditors meeting was a major relief for farmers.
“It’s been such a roller coast of emotions. There’s still a bit to go, so we don’t want to celebrate too early, but we’re feeling a lot better than were we were this morning when it looked like liquidation was the only option,” Murday said.
“We’re still short on some of the details but the administrator put up the proposal and creditors voted it through.
“It will now go to a shareholder vote and then creditors will have to sign off on the final terms of the agreement.
“(The renewables company) is proposing significant investment over the next for years and their objective is to bring region’s cane production right up to make the mill viable in the short term.
“The second stage is value adding with gas into bio energies.”
Since 2019 there have been various proposals to convert the Mossman sugar mill into a producer of renewable biofuel, an energy source created using waste products from milled sugar cane.
A separate company, Helmont Energy, is another renewables producer which has designs on generating bioenergy at Mossman, provided the company can reach an energy offtake agreement with the Queensland Government.
CLICK BELOW IMAGE TO VIEW EARLIER STORY
INSET: Agriculture minister Mark Furner and CANEGROWERS Mossman chairman Matt Watson
The Caller reported earlier this week how there were grave fears for Mossman’s economic survival if its sugar industry, which employs 20 percent of the district’s workforce, were to come to an end.
The Queensland Government yesterday announced a $12 million “care” package aimed at attracting a viable buyer to take the mill over. Premier Stephen Miles and ministers had been in Cairns for a cabinet meeting when they were met by protestors asking for support.
Should a private investment offer be unsuccessful, Miles said the $12 million would instead be used to help the Mossman workforce transition away from the sugar industry.
Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick meeting sugar industry stakeholders following the government’s announcement of a $12 million support package. IMAGE: Government media
Murday said the last minute government and private funding would give the Mossman community and it’s 130-year-old sugar industry hope for the future.
“The issue has been over the past few years, when the mill was going on a year-to-year basis, that the growers have had no confidence, so we’ve struggled to justify making the investment in our crops with that uncertainty.
“That has in turn affected the mill’s production and its bottom line, which has made it less viable. It’s been a bit of a downward spiral.
“The injection of funds and a vision toward the future is great for growers’ sentiment, and the whole Mossman community.”
I have been a councillor at the Western Downs for four terms with the last two as Deputy Mayor.
I will also draw on life experiences outside of council, born and raised on a property, my family owned and operated the Condamine Hotel for around 30 years and we now run a multigenerational cattle and farming enterprise.
I am a life member of Condamine Cods rugby club and last year had the pleasure of coaching the Codettes 7s Rugby team.
This experience provides me with not only an understanding of our communities but a clear vision of what it takes to be a successful team of councillors.
It would be an honour to be Mayor, a role with challenges and a huge responsibility, a role which is importantly about leading a team that delivers for the Western Downs.
Leadership is the defining characteristic of every great organisation or team. It would be my role to create the conditions to enable our organisation to perform – boardroom, staff and community.
Those who know me understand that I’m not too complicated, and if elected Mayor my leadership will be very similar.
My first priority is to lead a united team. A united team will achieve great outcomes. It can be rugby, rugby league, netball – it really doesn’t matter – a marriage, a family… Working together as a team is the ingredient and a non negotiable.
Western Downs mayoral candidate Andrew Smith (right) with his family, proudly of Condamine
The Western Downs region is a growing economic powerhouse with a very diverse economy. It is important that we take every opportunity that is good for our region and to do that it is critical that council is well organised and united. That has been the recipe for success as a council over recent times.
The role of Mayor is to lead the council team, my success as a Mayor will be judged heavily around the council team being united and respectful with the freedom to share their views.
We have an amazing region with so much opportunity. If our team is together, that will go a long way towards helping our region to be the best it can be.
But this is not a time to sit back and be satisfied with what we have achieved, so I look forward to working side by side with our newly elected council and community to capture the opportunities that come our way.
We have a wonderful region full of amazing people who make their patches, which are fantastic places to be.
If elected Mayor:
I will lead a united team
I will lead a team that builds on our strong diverse economy
I will lead with strength, compassion and humility
I will lead a team that works alongside executive and the community to make the Western Downs the best it can be.
AS WE COME towards the end of another term, I am extremely proud of the achievements this council has managed to achieve in the past 4 years. I share a deep sense of fulfilment and joy reflecting upon the experiences and opportunities that have enriched our shire over this time.
I respectfully seek your endorsement as Councillor in the upcoming Local Government elections. I am dedicated to promoting openness, accountability, integrity, and a common-sense approach in representing our community. My commitment to fairness and equity across our shire, as well as support for economic strength and development, underpins my candidacy. I am determined to efficiently address and resolve issues in a favourable manner.
With a wealth of Local Government experience, a proven track record of advocating for improved infrastructure in both, our towns and rural areas, and a strong dedication to community service and local success, I am well-equipped to serve our community. I pride myself on being open, honest, and approachable, and possess extensive knowledge of the Western Downs community.
Western Downs Regional Council election candidate, Cr George Moore
The last term has been a remarkable journey, marked by valuable lessons, growth, and unforgettable memories as we faced and overcame the challenges posed by extreme weather events, including droughts, floods, and fires. I am filled with a deep sense of fulfillment and compassion as I reflect upon the experiences and resilience of our communities and the opportunities that have enriched our shire during this time.
The achievements of our council over the past four years reflect the positive progress we have made. The evolution of our Council into a financially strong and robust organization, delivering high-quality services and projects to our communities, is a source of pride. Notably, the substantial improvements in major infrastructure and the successful implementation of the $180 million flood recovery roads works program, the largest ever approved in the history of Queensland, are testament to our dedication to progress by our staff and local contractors. I thank you for your patience in this regard as there is still a lot of work to be undertaken. and I sincerely appreciate your patience as we continue to work diligently on this endeavour. Most of this program has been delivered by local businesses in our region, further contributing to our community’s growth and resilience.
I believe that improved transport networks and the security of water will remain a strong advocacy topic well into the future as we seek addition funding from State and Federal Governments.
One of my prouder moments within my portfolio of roads reflects democracy at work and highlights the gradual pace of change in government. Early in this term, it was evident that the funding provided to the Western Downs Regional Council by the State and Federal Government was insufficient and required substantial increases to deliver safe and productive roads. We took delegations from the Western Downs to the highest levels of Government, including motions to the Queensland Local Government conference and the Australian Local Government conferences, advocating for increased funding for roads. Witnessing the announcement from Infrastructure Minister Catherine King MP last year, committing to doubling the funding for Roads to Recovery for local councils will go some way towards the funding which is required.
As an elected representative, it is crucial to develop close working relationships with both sitting and opposing members of the State and Federal government. This relationship is vital for acquiring the resources our region needs, and its importance cannot be underestimated. Experience in the board room is important.
Thank you for considering my request for endorsement. I am dedicated to serving our community with experience compassion and integrity and look forward to the opportunity to further discuss my vision for our shire.
Please consider me as you cast your vote,
Vote one George Moore
Follow Cr Moore’s campaign online via his Facebook page.
A BIG season is underway for the Dalby & District Jockey Club as its new committee prepares for the club’s first TAB meeting for the year, being held this Saturday, March 2, at Dalby’s renowned Bunya Park Racecourse.
The annual GJ Gardner Newmarket Race Day will this year support a charity drive by the Dalby Rotary Club, which is raising money for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
“Rotary has organised several sponsors to support their RFDS fundraiser and it’s great to have the club join us for the first time with such a great initiative,” said Dalby Jockey Club president Bart Turner (pictured).
“They’ve almost booked out a whole marquee, so no doubt it will be a great event for them. It’s something new for us. We’re hoping to have around 500 or 600 people there on Saturday.”
Tickets remain available for this Saturday’s meeting and can be purchased online at the GJ Gardner Newmarket Race Day trybooking page. See the event flyer below for further details.
Several new local faces were inducted into the Dalby Jockey Club committee at the club’s season launch this month, which Turner said was a show of confidence for the future of thoroughbred racing in Dalby.
“We’ve got a really good young committee this year and there are a lot of new young faces,” he said.
The Dalby Jockey Club has nine race meetings scheduled on its 2024 calendar, including seven TAB meetings. IMAGE: Dalby Jockey Club
“It’s great because they come in with new ideas, they’re enthusiastic, they want to get involved and it means that those of us who’ve been involved in the club for a while don’t get too set in our ways.
“Young crowds in general have really taken to the Dalby Jockey Club in recent years. Our Rugby Race Day in November has become our biggest event.
“People come from all over the place. We’ve had people from Townsville in the north to Coffs Harbour in the south, and we’ve been getting up to about 1,700 people at the track.
Dalby’s Rugby Race Day in Novembers has become the club’s biggest annual event. IMAGE: Dalby Jockey Club
“Our big race days are great not only for the race club but the whole town. All the motel rooms are booked out, the pubs fill up after the races and all the cafes are busy the next morning.”
The Dalby Jockey Club has nine race meetings scheduled on its 2024 season calendar, seven of which are TAB meetings, including the Plough Inn Dalby Cup race day in August.
A RURAL community in Far North Queensland this week faces economic disaster, as lobbyists plea for a $10 million State Government support package they say would be enough to save its 130-year-old lifeblood industry from the brink of collapse.
Creditors will meet on Thursday to decide on the future of Far North Milling, the troubled company which operates Mossman’s sugar mill and which is relied on by 20 percent of the town’s workforce.
Poor yields in recent years blamed on unfavourable weather, rising input costs and low sugar prices have put the local mill in a dire financial situation, despite having received $45 million in federal and state grant funding since 2019.
Mossman’s sugar mill has been operating since 1894. IMAGE: Supplied
Far North Milling and its parent company Daintree Bio Precinct were placed in voluntary administration in November amid millions of dollars worth of debt and consecutive years of operational loss.
In a report issued last week, administrator John Goggin recommended creditors liquidate the companies at this week’s meeting unless a third party steps in to salvage Mossman’s historic sugar milling operations.
“This would be disastrous for Mossman,” Port Douglas Shire mayor Michael Kerr (pictured) told the Caller.
“It would absolutely decimate this area. We’ve just gone through a major natural disaster so we’ve already lost over $90 million in tourism in the last few months.
“The sugar industry brings in about $180 million a year into the economy in this region, so it’s really going to hurt if we lose that as well.
“The consequences are dire because not only will the sugar industry be affected, but hundreds of workers around Mossman – the plumbers, the engineers, all those people that live in town that assist the mill that have businesses.
“All of those people have wives and children that go to the schools and work in other businesses. If their main income is lost through the sugar industry closing down, that’s a lot of people leaving Mossman.”
Mark Furner, Minister for Agriculture
Agriculture minister Mark Furner told the Caller that Far North Milling’s developments would be watched closely this week, while encouraging any interested parties to engage with administrators as soon as possible.
“I recognise the significant impact that the closure of the mill would have on the growers, mill workers, local businesses, and the broader community,” Furner said.
SUPPORT OUR JOURNALISM: Click here to become a member
“The Queensland Government will work closely with the Mossman community to provide support through this difficult process.
“The Government’s response to these developments is under careful consideration and we hope to be in a position to announce that response next week.
“The Queensland Government has provided $22 million in support to Far Northern Milling and related entities since 2019.”
The Mossman sugar mill employers 130 workers, while the local industry supports 560 jobs. IMAGE: Far North Milling
The $10 million pitch
Sugar industry peak bodies Queensland Cane Growers Organisation (CANEGROWERS) and Australian Cane Farmers Association (ACFA) have been pleading desperately with the State Government to underwrite the Mossman sugar industry’s 2024 and 2025 harvest seasons.
ACFA spokesman Jack Murday, a fifth generation Mossman cane farmer, said a government bailout of $5 million per season for 2024 and 2025 would enable the local mill to cash in on soaring sugar prices, which bounced back mid way through last year’s harvest.
Sugar price in Australia since 2019. SOURCE: indexmundi
“The reason we got to this stage is because last year’s crop was down over the whole northern region by 15-20 percent due to weather,” Murday (picture below) said.
“You take that off the bottom line and it’s almost the exact hole that we’re in now.
“The growers are the ones who are losing out because we have put this year’s crop in the ground, we‘ve spent $12 million establishing this crop and there is $40 million in cane sales that would be lost (if the mill closes down).
“If we don’t get this crop off, the vast majority of farming enterprises will fold and 560 direct jobs will be lost – that’s 20 percent of the Mossman population.
“We’ve seen a large increase in the price of sugar in the past 12 months, so it’s possible that this season and 2025 are viable, but they’re still in a financial deficit.”
CANEGROWERS Mossman chairman Matt Watson said farmers in the region had been sacrificing significant percentages of their sugarcane revenue to prevent the mill from shutting down, making already challenging recent seasons more difficult.
“Since 2019, Mossman growers have been paying a $2 per tonne Sustainability Levy to ensure the Mossman Mill could continue crushing. That’s more than $7 million that growers have contributed to mill operations,” Watson said.
“On top of this, local growers have already invested $12 million to establish the 2024 crop. It is critical that this crop is harvested and processed so that growers can recoup this investment and maintain their future financial viability.”
CANEGROWERS Mossman chairman Matt Watson. IMAGE: Supplied
Viability in renewable energy
For the past three years a bold plan has been afoot to convert the Mossman sugar mill into a producer of biofuel, a renewable energy source created using waste products from milled sugar cane.
Biotech startup Helmont Energy believes it can create an economically sustainable business on the Mossman mill site, generating biodiesel to supplement an exisiting scheme which powers remote communities across Cape York.
“The key project hurdles centre around the future of the Mossman Sugar Mill and the ability for the project to obtain an offtake agreement for the renewable fuel product,” Helmont Energy director Mark Jonker told The Cairns Post earlier this month.
Vegetative waste matter from sugarcane milling is used to create renewable biofuel. IMAGE: Far North Milling
Helmont has expressed strong interest in partnering with the mill in a renewable energy venture but hasn’t been prepared to spend capital on the mill to underwrite its 2024 and 2025 seasons.
“The critical part here is the state government agreeing to go into an off take agreement with Helmont Energy and for some reason or another they have just refused to do that,” Federal MP for Leichhardt Warren Entsch told the Caller.
“These guys have done so much and they’ve gotten so close but you need that last little bit to get over the line.
“Given that investment has been there, I think it’s disappointing that they are not prepared to finish the marathon.
“You’ve got a partner there in Helmont that already has funding capacity to be able to make this project work but they can’t make it work unless they’ve got an off take agreement with the State Government.”
SUPPORT OUR JOURNALISM: Click here to become a member
ACFA spokesman Jack Murday said State Government invesment for a further two years would buy enough time for the biofuel project to become established and would also contribute to the government’s long term rewewable energy targets.
“Early indications suggest that it would be profitable and there’s a lot of private money there to get it off the ground,” he said.
“The plant is predicated to be a $300 million capex build, which is huge, but once the feasibly study is done, it’s bankable and it’s a lot easier to get private money.
Mossman sugar mill. IMAGE: Supplied
“The private bio energy groups have said that they’re willing to help the mill transition to a bioenergy hub, but they’re not interested in propping up the sugar mill.
“We can’t rely on that sugar price staying up there, so the longer term future is bioenergy.”
Port Douglas Shire mayor Michael Kerr added: “We’re certainly hoping that the state government will step up and invest in the sugar industry because if this is a successful transition to the biofuels that will affect the sugar industry throughout the whole state.
“It’s going to cost both state and federal governments a lot more to transition to something else. These two companies – they’re international companies, they’re not little players so they’re already established in what they do,” he said.
“The best alternative model is to invest in this industry and the benefits would be far more than just Mossman. Once this is up and running it will show a model that other mills can look at.”
PROUD Western Downs resident Greg Olm, who has 16 years of experience in local government, has announced his nomination as a candidate for the Western Downs Regional Council (WCRC) in next month’s election.
Greg spent eight years as a member of the former Chinchilla Shire Council before serving a further eight years a councillor for the Western Downs Regional Council, following Queensland local government amalgamations in 2008.
Greg was in charge of the all-important Works portfolio on the Western Downs Regional Council, travelling the length and breadth of the region to inspect roads and bridges and consult with rate payers and residents.
Greg Olm, candidate for the Western Downs Regional Council
“I really think I can return to council and offer something more to the community,” Greg said.
“I’ve very community-minded and I’m keen to get back out there and do something that’s close to my heart. I enjoy talking to people, seeing a bit of country and getting the job done.”
It was through his encouragement and advocacy that the new bridge at Burncluith was named the Stan Wolski bridge, a welcome tribute to former Chinchilla shire councillor, Stan Wolski.
“I really enjoyed the Works portfolio. At the end of the day, when you put a bit gravel on the road you can see where you’ve been and you’ve got something to show for your work.”
Greg has conducted a small farming and grazing business on the Western Downs since 1982, having grown up in farming. He was also employed for 33 years in the grain industry.
People who have had the opportunity to know him, either personally or through council consultations, have said he is extremely reliable, will listen and “gets on with the job.” This has gained him enormous support both inside and out of council.
“Greg Olm is a lifelong resident of the Brigalow and Chinchilla area and has served as councillor on both the Chinchilla and Western Downs councils,” said Bill McCutcheon, former mayor of the Chinchilla Shire Council.
“He knows and understands the problems and concerns of the residents on the Western Downs.”
Former Chinchilla News and Murilla Advertiser owner David Fuller, current WDRC councillor and 2024 re-election candidate Peter Saxelby, and Phillip Keating of Keating Keatings Funerals and Keating Hardware, are among Western Downs locals who have expressed their support for Greg’s nomination.
Greg and his granddaughter, Grace, on compere duties at the Brigalow Charity Bush Carnival
Many will know Greg as the voice behind the microphone at the annual Brigalow Charity Bush Carnival, where over the past five years $50,000 has been donated to various charities, including $10,000 last year to LifeFlight.
Initially, he was a competitor at the first bush sports held in 1960 before joined the committee in 1985 and serving as either president and spokesperson for the past 39 years.
Others will know Greg for his cooking, having taken out the Reserve Champion Cake at the 2023 Chinchilla Show and walking away with a number of prizes in the jams, pickles, cakes and lemon butter.
Western Downs council candidate Greg Olm
Greg is vice-president of the Chinchilla committee Friends of Illoura, which has recently taken delivery of a bus and trailer for the Illoura Village aged care home. The committee was successful in raising $297,588 for this project.
In addition, Greg has judged the Chinchilla Rotary Club barley competition on several occasions.
Throughout his public career and charity work, Greg was always lovingly supported by his late wife Gwenda, their four children, and grandchildren.
When Gwenda died of cancer seven years ago Greg threw himself into raising money through the Cancer Walk for Life initiative and other related fund-raisers.
Follow Greg campaign to be come a councillor for the WDRC via his Facebook page.
THERE are renewed calls for funding to flow to regional areas as Australia’s housing squeeze tightens its grip and forces pressure across government to do more, and quickly.
With the housing issue particularly nuanced, the Caller wanted to better understand the complexities through a regional Queensland lens.
But even when drilling into it, the potential solutions will be different depending on your geographic location, according to government lobbyists.
The Regional Australia Institute (RAI) has called for 40 per cent of the federal government’s $10 billion National Housing Australia Future Fund to go directly to regional areas.
The call, which was met with little support from within parliament, was among a suite of new policy, investment, and innovation recommendations from the National Regional Housing Summit recently held in Canberra.
“Look, it isn’t an easy one,” RAI chief executive Liz Ritchie (pictured) said.
“Because our sense is that there’s a reluctance to carve out percentages, that there’s a sense of enabling competition to play its way through the process which is alarming and concerning for us because invariably, some of our regional constituents probably won’t be able to compete in ways that others with larger resourcing can.
“So all we can continue to do is highlight that when it comes to that particular fund.”
There was also the proposal to see a town planning taskforce established, which would travel to under-resourced local government areas across regional Australia to fill skills shortages blamed for delaying development.
“The mobile planning squad was really well received (by attendees),” Ritchie said.
“I think understanding that solving the skills challenge in the short term will relieve some of the bottlenecks.
“This is something that was put on the table and will be seriously considered.”
[adrotate group=”7″]
Further detail, including where the allocation of funding would come from or how staff resourcing would be achieved is yet to be worked out.
However, Ms Ritchie argued that without new approaches, the housing issues across Regional Australia would continue to be a “chicken and egg scenario” with communities unable to fill employment vacancies and grow local infrastructure.
In regional and remote areas, house prices are hitting record levels and getting closer to the city market, with median values over $605,000, RAI analysis shows.
“It’s why the Institute prosecutes a broad and holistic strategy to rebalance a nation through our Regionalisation Ambition Plan, for which housing has a strong place.”
Crunching the numbers on ambitious political policy
Economist Peter Faulkner, who resides on the Cassowary Coast in Far North Queensland said achieving drastic changes to the National Housing Australia Future Fund would be a particularly hard sell to the government, with competing political ideologies and elections at play.
“If this is a population versus accommodation balance then there’s an issue in the metropolitan areas as well, because there’s a lot of people there,” he said.
“So you can’t simply say, ‘Oh, we’re going to solve the problem in the regions – that’s clearly not enough.
“Apart from any other reason, most of the voters live there so that’s not going to happen.”
Despite his lack of enthusiasm for this particular idea, Faulkner praised the event’s organisers for continuing to maintain political pressure on the issue.
“As somebody who lives and works in the regions, anything that highlights the region’s is a positive,” he said.
“Most of the recommendations that they talk about [in their discussion parer] are opportunities for positive policy change.
“Most of them you can’t disagree with so the issue really is how is any of this possible?
“That is the question.”
[adrotate group=”7″]
Local councils carrying the financial weight of future proofing communities
Pointing to numerous case studies presented at the national summit, Ritchie said local councils were coming up with creative solutions to meet their unique needs.
One of those highlighted was the council-led home building grant worth $20,000 to attract new residents to the Quilpie Shire.
“Certainly from a Queensland perspective, the CEO of Quilpie (Justin Hancock) did a beautiful job in advocating for his region,” she said.
“And opening the eyes of other decision makers and leaders at the conference around some of those very unique challenges that only rural and remote communities face because of the way financing is set up.”
The question of exactly which level of government is responsible for housing is becoming increasingly unclear given the issue continues to be managed differently across Shires, yet with the assistance of local government, state government, and federal government funding and grants.
Shadow housing minister Michael Sukkar, speaking at
Richie also flagged a proposal voiced by Shadow Housing Minister Michael Sukkar (pictured), following widespread acknowledgment by delegates that it was council’s who were currently carrying a big chunk of the financial burden and town planning responsibilities.
“[He said] we need to bypass the state [government] and hand the money where it’s most needed to local governments,” Ritchie told the Caller.
“And, you might call that controversial but I think the point he was trying to make is that the money needs to go to the hands that need it.
Faulkner said the role of council and its financial responsibilities was largely misunderstood within the community, arguing residents “couldn’t have it both ways with cheap rates as well as ample infrastructure”.
“As one example, the Cassowary Coast has phenomenally high rates and genuinely quite low service levels,” he explained.
“Part of the reason is we have incredibly high rainfall, which means we have more bridges and culverts per capita than anywhere else in the country and they have to be maintained so that’s a huge expense.
“We have a very large geographic footprint, which means we have a lot of roads, many of them unsealed which means there’s a lot of road maintenance and sewerage maintenance and water maintenance, and all of the infrastructure that comes with having a very widely dispersed population.”
Ritchie said about 350 people attended the one day event both in person and virtually, including delegates from the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) as the national voice of local government.
Roughly 18 of Australia’s 537 councils were represented in person on the day, according to the event’s official attendee list.
“It was really brought home through the vast attendance base how diverse and nuanced the markets are,” she said.
“And so, you have to target those right solutions to the right places.
“You can’t just say “we’re going to bring forward a national grant system”, because it will have perverse outcomes.”
THE STATE OF THE REGIONAL HOUSING MARKET
* The median value of all dwellings in regions jumped by 54 per cent to $605,780 between March 2020 and December 2023, compared to a 29 per cent increase to $832,193 in the cities
* Rental vacancies are worsening, dropping to 1.2 per cent in September
* While capital city rents fell between 2020 and 2021, the height of COVID-19 lockdowns, regional rents continued to increase
* Flats or apartments make up just two to three per cent of the total housing stock in some regions, compared to 42 per cent in metro areas
* Monthly building approvals continue to decrease, a similar trend to the capital cities
* Population movement to the regions is almost 12 per cent above pre-pandemic levels
* The regions gained 166,000 new residents in the latest Census period
Source: The Regional Australia Institute’s national regional housing summit discussion paper
CONFUSION in the community around the role of local government and its responsibilities has emerged as a key concern among Southern Queensland council candidates, who are experimenting with creative ways to combat disengagement and connect with voters in the lead up to next month’s election.
The Caller went looking for what campaign strategies are resonating with rate payers, and while locals can still expect plenty of tried and true methods like corflute signs, door-knocking, billboards and letter box drops, there are plenty of candidates looking to put a twist on tradition and offer something new.
Toowoomba candidate Andrew Reeson. IMAGE: Country Caller
Meeting voters “where they’re at”
Political newcomer Andrew Reeson (pictured above) had heads turning from day one of the campaign in Toowoomba, thanks to one of his corflute slogans which refers to him as the ‘Leather Guy from the Market’ – having become a regular at Toowoomba Farmers’ Market selling handcrafted leather goods over the last five years.
Speaking to the Caller wearing a campaign t-shirt which plays on the lifelong mispronunciation of his last name, Reeson’s campaign creativity also carried over to his decision to host a series of community events including a free barbecue, kids activities and skate lessons, and a community bike ride.
“We had about 100 bikes there, and it was a tonne of people who would never go to a political event but I deliberately did something that engaged with their existing interests, something that would genuinely be a good day out for families,” Reeson said.
“So there’s incentive to go rather than trying to convince those people to go to a political event.”
Andrew Reeson is using community events to engage with voters. IMAGES: Supplied
Reeson told the Caller he was passionate about “engaging people where they’re at”, which was why door-knocking would also be a key strategy for his team.
“There’s a few reasons why people feel disengaged. Part of it is dissatisfaction with the current council, and successive councils, not just this current one,” he said.
“There’s a feeling that we are stuck, that change can’t really happen and that elections don’t change much and so people aren’t engaging because they feel like there’s just no point.
“I think a lot of the problems we have as a society come back to that disengagement – it’s not that people don’t want good things to happen they just don’t have the capacity to show up at community forums and Q&As and go and search through 30 people’s different websites.”
Goondiwindi Council candidate Julia Spicer. IMAGE: Supplied
It’s a sentiment shared by Goondiwindi Regional Council candidate Julia Spicer (pictured above), who said for any good community engagement you “go where the energy is”.
“The energy for this is not likely to be found at 7 o’clock at night through the week, to come and listen to 10 people,” Spicer said, referring to traditional “meet the candidate” events.
“So whatever I’m going to say at the council things, I’m going to do a video and put it on my socials.
[adrotate group=”7″]
“We’re unlikely to see many young, family people turn up to our ‘meet the councillor’ or ‘meet the candidate’ events because they’re all at night – they’re all on a school night.
“Then we go, younger people in the community aren’t interested, or whatever the story is that we tell ourselves about that, but really we’re not helping ourselves to get them engaged because we pick some of these terrible times of the day and night to run these community events.”
Spicer joked that she might just turn up at the region’s small schools during school pick up times, because that was the kind of place you could quickly engage with voters, face to face.
“I think we need to go back to basics around how we really communicate and share stories and do things,” she said.
Spicer, a well-known local business owner and Queensland’s Chief Entrepreneur, told the Caller she wouldn’t be using any corflute signs because of the cost and environmental impacts, but that she was still trying to balance the need for “traditional ways of campaigning that suit a really traditional and conservative community”.
For those candidates who do stick with corflute signs, the big questions are what to put on them and where to display them, for maximum effect.
Andrew Reeson said he tried to simplify his key issues into two or three word slogans, with some really specific topics such as “Shaded Playgrounds” and “Sustainable Development” to appeal to a wide range of voters.
Toowoomba candidate Trevor Manteufel said his slogan “It’s time for common sense” was hitting the mark with locals, but it was the location of his signs he felt people were particularly taking notice of.
“It’s cutting through and the point with my signs, is that I’m getting a majority of my signs on private property,” he said.
“I’ve got over 120 in Toowoomba already on private property with another five to put up this afternoon, so it is working.”
Toowoomba candidate Trevor Manteufel putting up corflute signs. IMAGE: Supplied
Campaigning, but with a side of myth busting
Several candidates expressed surprise at how often they were being asked about issues which weren’t the responsibility of local government.
“Some of the questions I have been asked by members of the community are about responsibilities that should sit with the state and federal government and it’s clear to me that in regional areas like ours, there are a lot of gaps in service delivery that the other levels of government really do need to be take accountability for,” South Burnett Mayoral candidate Kirstie Schumacher (pictured below) said.
“It is making it difficult as a candidate in the local council, in the closest level of government to the people, you are often questioned and challenged about things that are way out of your control.
“There is a lot of mistrust in the different levels of government and people are feeling like they have been let down and that has been an interesting insight.
Kirstie Schumacher with one of her Mayoral campaign billboards in the South Burnett. IMAGE: Supplied
“For some people in our community, meeting a candidate is perhaps the only interaction they have with any form of government and so that does worry me in some ways because the people representing regional areas really do need to be part of our community and taking responsibility for these challenges that we’re facing.”
“If I think about the majority of conversations that I’m having with people there is still a lack of connection between what Council does, and what community thinks they do,” Spicer said.
“Sometimes there’s that perception, and this would be in heaps of other small towns as well, where you’ve got to be retired from business before you can join council.
“And I’ve been – no no – you’ve still got to be hungry while you’re around that table, right. You need to be ambitious and want to challenge the status quo.”
Why does this election campaign feel different?
Four weeks out from the March 16 poll and there is general consensus amongst many Darling Downs candidates that so far, the campaign has looked and felt very different from local election battles past.
It was an exceptionally slow start with fewer people than usual putting their hand up to run, and only a handful of Toowoomba candidates actively campaigning from the day the election was called on January 29.
Several candidates including Toowoomba Deputy Mayor Rebecca Vonhoff have only announced their candidacy in the last week, and many others including high-profile Toowoomba businessman Gary Gardner, waited until nominations closed on Monday to confirm their intention to run.
“The main comment that people have is that it doesn’t seem like much is happening – there’s not as many candidates running, a lot of people are saying they haven’t heard anything, we don’t know who any of these people are,” Andrew Reeson said.
Kirstie Schumacher on the campaign trail. IMAGES: Supplied
Kirstie Schumacher (pictured above) announced her intention to run for South Burnett Mayor in August last year and six months on, she has her own theories as to why fewer people might be putting their hand up.
“It’s a very big job and often a thankless job and it concerns me that more people aren’t considering being part of it,” she said.
“I think perhaps, we need to think about the way in which we as residents in our communities, treat our councillors. They are members of our community, just like us, and they are doing their best often in really challenging circumstances.
“You are putting your name, your reputation and your money on the line in an effort to try to help and be part of something bigger and better for your community and I think that’s often misunderstood as well.
“It’s not because they don’t want to be involved, I think in some ways it’s fear of what they may have to put up with if they are elected, and that worries me.
“We really do need to support our local candidates and I would just encourage your readers, if they meet someone running for council, you may not agree with their policies or their stance but please be polite, please be respectful.
“It doesn’t take much to be kind to each other and it makes all the difference on the campaign trail.”
**If there’s a local government election story you’d like us to know about, email caitlin@countrycaller.com.au
A SOLDIER turned artist, author and advocate is on a mission to “humanise PTSD” through compelling photographs which capture the raw experiences of veterans.
Mike Armstrong was already an accomplished artist when he embarked on a military career which spanned more than two decades, including operational deployments to East Timor, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
And while he had an intense passion for both, it wouldn’t be until after he was hospitalised for post-traumatic stress disorder that these worlds would collide for the first time.
But in trying to find an answer to exactly what the psychological injury felt like, the retired Army signals officer found his latest muse.
[adrotate group=”7″]
“I said it’s like being encapsulated in molasses,” Armstrong said.
“It’s the slowing of my mind, it’s the slime on my body.. dragging me down.
“Heavy and dark like sticky molasses that you’re trapped in.
“And then I thought “that’s a fabulous shoot idea, I want to do that.”
And he did. Once out of hospital Armstrong shared his vision with a fellow veteran who volunteered to be the subject of this artistic expression.
The experience for those involved has been cathartic and liberating, Armstrong said.
“When you look at the series of works of an individual what you’ll see is them go through that process of entering into the darkness of their experiences and then cleansing themselves of that weight of it, and the lifting of that burden.
“And that’s the hope that I want people to walk away with – knowing that it doesn’t define you.”
Self-described as “death by a thousand cuts”, Armstrong’s PTSD diagnosis in 2020 came as a complete surprise to him.
Upon reflection he now attributes it to 15 years of “compounding events” and living with bouts of depression and chronic pain.
“Defence thrives on a disassociation sort of lifestyle, and dissociation as a lifestyle choice is not great,” he said.
“It’s important when someone’s in a high stress situation for them to disconnect their emotional responses to be able to deal with the stresses at hand which is appropriate.
“But then we get back [to everyday life] and we don’t process.”
[adrotate group=”7″]
Forming a better understanding of the natural human response to stress and trauma is at the heart of what Armstrong hopes to leave as a legacy of his project titled ‘Voices of Veterans’.
So compelling was Armstrong’s work that the photographic installation art received personal endorsement by Governor-General David Hurley and his wife, who are credited by Armstrong as the force behind its debut at the National Press Club last year.
Now, it’s Toowoomba’s turn to host the exhibition which will be showing at UniSQ’s Art Gallery from February 26 – March 29 and is open to all to attend.
Veterans photographed as part of Mike Armstrong’a ‘Voices of Veterans’
Armstrong said he hoped the event would act as a conversation starter for the broader community, and even be that nudge someone may need to seek help themselves.
“There’s no trauma Olympics as far as I’m concerned and PTSD shows that trauma is wide and varied,” he said.
“But the experience of living with PTSD is quite universal.”Armstrong plans to continue showcasing the exhibition nationally, accompanied by community building activities.
CONSTRUCTION of a 125 MW solar farm on Queensland’s Western Downs, backed by the world’s fifth largest company, has begun feeding renewable energy into the national grid.
Vena Energy partnered with global technology giant Amazon, founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos (pictured), to deliver the Amazon Solar Project Australia – Wandoan.
The project comprises 250,000 photovoltaic solar panels and is expected to generate enough electricity to power 60,000 Australian homes.
WATCH: Aerial views of the Amazon Solar Farm – Wandoan
“Amazon is on a path to power our operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025, and we’re proud to deliver new solar and wind projects in Australia, driving strong sustainability outcomes for our customers and local communities,” said Ken Haig, Head of Energy and Environment Policy, Asia Pacific & Japan, Amazon Web Services (pictured).
“For more than a decade, Amazon has invested billions of dollars in Australia, and today’s announcement demonstrates our continued investment in Australia’s future.
“As the world’s largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy, our investment in our renewable energy projects, including the Wandoan project, helps deliver clean energy to local grids, creates new jobs, and supports local businesses.”
Amazon Solar Project Australia – Wandoan is owned and operated by Vena Energy and is a part of the company’s broader Wandoan South Project, approved for 650 MW solar and 450 MW battery storage.
Construction of the facility supported 220 jobs and 30 percent of workers were local to the Western Downs region.
The project has brought Amazon’s total investment in renewable energy in Australia to $467 million, and brought Vena Energy’s total renewable energy portfolio in Australia to 407 MW.
Vena’s portfolio includes the 100 MW/150 megawatt-hours (MWh) Wandoan South Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), the first utility-scale battery in Queensland and one of the largest in Australia.
“We are thrilled to mark a significant milestone in our ongoing commitment to sustainable energy with the successful commercial operation of the Amazon Solar Project Australia – Wandoan,” said Nitin Apte, CEO of Vena Energy (pictured).
“As Vena Energy continues to lead the way in the renewable energy landscape in Asia Pacific, this Project exemplifies our dedication to creating a cleaner, more sustainable future for Australia.
“By harnessing the power of over 250,000 solar photovoltaic panels, the Project in collaboration with Amazon, not only generates clean energy but also fosters local economic growth, creating jobs and supporting businesses.
The entire Wandoan South Project will provide in excess of 1,000 gigawatt-hours of renewable energy annually to the Western Downs region.
This project includes the Amazon Solar Project Australia – Wandoan, the proposed Wandoan South Solar 2, and ancillary support from Queensland’s largest utility scale battery, the Wandoan South Battery Energy Storage System.
Queensland energy minister Mick de Brenni said: “As leaders in Australia’s clean energy transition, Queensland is committed to partnering with international business and industry to deliver local growth.”
“This announcement by Amazon and Vena Energy is further testament to the viability of our state for investment in renewable energy,” he said.
