DOZENS of innovative new sensors have been installed across the Toowoomba Range to help detect land movement and provide valuable information to Queensland Rail engineers to help improve safety.
Queensland Rail’s Acting Head of Regional Scott Cornish said the devices, known as ‘Kurloo’ sensors, were designed and manufactured in Brisbane to help detect real-time risks to the rail corridor.
“We’ve been exploring how innovative technology can identify land movement on the Toowoomba Range, which is incredibly important in helping us minimise disruptions to passenger and freight services that use the West Moreton Line,” Mr Cornish said.
The location of the ‘Kurloo’ sensors on the Toowoomba Range. IMAGE: Queensland Rail
“The ‘Kurloo’ systems were placed on one embankment during significant rainfall events last year and helped our engineers retrieve invaluable land movement data from areas they were unable to access.
“Following the successful trial, 35 newly upgraded devices have been installed on nine embankments to monitor the impact heavy rainfall has on the mountainous territory and reduce unplanned closures of the West Moreton system, which provides an important link to the Port of Brisbane.”
In addition to this technology, Queensland Rail is investing $37 million in the Toowoomba Slope Stabilisation Project to ensure the safety and reliability of the rail network.
“By trialling new effective innovations, we can help support traditional activities and be better informed about risks in the environment and target investment accordingly, paving the way for more safe and reliable network operations,” Mr Cornish said.
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By using cutting edge technology, ‘Kurloo’ can measure real-time displacement, giving daily readings with an accuracy within 3mm which helps inform Queensland Rail teams when inspections are required.
‘Kurloo’ technology co-founder and CEO Lee Hellen said long-term the technology will continue to collect accurate displacement data.
“This will enable engineers to make better-informed decisions about the stability of a structure or landform,” Mr Hellen said.
“By collecting accurate data on displacement, geotechnical engineers can have more certainty and confidence when undertaking qualitative assessments, enabling risk mitigation initiatives to occur more quickly and preventing further movement or degradation on site.”
HUGELY popular workshops providing small business owners with expert guidance on how to leverage the power of social media will next month return to the Western Downs thanks to Shell QGC’s Business Navigator program and the Western Downs Regional Council.
The free workshops, hosted by renowned marketing, social media and small business coach Tracy Sheen, will be held in Chinchilla and Dalby from March 13 to 16, and are open to small business owners of all levels of social media experience.
The ‘Stepping Up Your Social Media’ sessions with Tracy are back by popular demand.
Tracy, an award winning author who has 30 years of experience as a small business digitisation coach, held workshops throughout the Western Downs last October which were praised universally by those who attended.
Tracy Sheen, renowned marketing, social media and small business coach, hosting workshops in the Western Down last October. IMAGE: Supplied
Tracy said the upcoming round of workshops would have an even greater offering of tips and strategies to help business owners and entrepreneurs make the most of a range of social media business tools.
“A lot of what I do is to help up-skill foundational users – people who aren’t really familiar with social media at all,” she said.
“One of the more popular workshops we’ll being doing is about those basics, and then we’ll be doing a bit more of an advanced one which will cover paid advertising, boosting posts and things like that.
“We’re adding a couple of other workshops into the mix as well – one about Canva, which is a design tool for business owners, and the other one will be on social media strategy.”
“The Strategy workshops are really about building community, how you build a marketing strategy, asking ‘what are you trying to achieve by posting and using social media?’ and ‘what’s the difference between organic and paid social media reach?’ It’s about how to develop a call to action – that type of thing,” Tracy said.
“In the Canva workshop they’ll be creating some tiles to use on social media and in the paid advertising workshop they’ll be learning what’s working right now in terms of boosted versus paid campaigns and what business owners are better off putting their time, energy and money towards.
“Canva has what’s called a ‘Freemium’ model which starts off free and goes into paid versions, depending on how much you want to go down the Canva rabbit hole.
“It allows you to really get a consistency of brand across all of your marketing. They have pre-designed templates for Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, for brochures, flyers – you name it. You can just go in and add your own brand, colours, fonts and images, and create that continuity of messaging across your platforms.”
Tracy Sheen began her career in business technology more than 30 years ago and, as a previous employee of Telstra and Optus and contributor on David Koch’s Building Business program, has been involved in the Australian launch of revolutionary technologies such as SMS text messaging and the iPhone.
As a social media and marketing coach, she’s conducted about 2,000 workshop and webinars around the country and authored The End of Technophobia, which won awards for Australian Business Book of the Year and Best Technology Book in the 2021 Australian Business Book Awards.
She said despite the internet being part of everyday life for more than two decades, most business owners were among the demographic who were not “digital natives” growing up with the internet.
“About 63 percent of ABNs registers are over the age of 45, so we didn’t grow up with tech, tech happened to us,” Tracy said.
“A lot of the business which I work with in regional areas might be involved in agriculture, or an industry where they’ve not felt as thought they’ve needed to tap into social media before now.
Tracy Sheen, who has 30 years of experience in small business digital marketing coaching. IMAGE: Supplied
“There might have been a lot of word-of-mouth in doing business, and it’s only now that they’re saying ‘hang on a minute – I need to diversify where my clients are coming ‘ or ‘I need to understand where marketing is going’.
“I lot of them might have their own personal Facebook page but they’ve not actually used it in a business sense, so they don’t understand what the difference between a personal page and a business page, what the anatomy of a post looks like. There’s still a lot of people who don’t understand hash tagging or tagging others in posts.
“The Social Media for Beginners workshops are probably still the most popular workshops that I run across the country.”
Tracy said she was looking forward to returning next month to the Western Downs, were her previous workshops reflected a collaborative and enthusiastic community of local small business owner and entrepreneurs.
“The workshops are very practical. They’ve got to come expecting to work,” she said.
“I’m a big believer that you should imbed learning while you’re there, and there’s no stupid questions.
“We have a lot of fun, it’s very engaging. I like to know exactly who’s in the room and what sort of business they’re in, so that as we progress through the workshop I’m able to give practical examples and really ‘hot seat’ people to really understand what it is that we’re doing and who they’re able to create that content for while they’re there.
“The one thing I loved about the Western Downs was the sense of community. Once we got into the room it was really great to see how everybody was willing to pitch in and help each other.
“Even in some of the workshops where people were starting from a really low base, we had more experienced people getting up to help them out. By the end of some of the sessions we had everyone following each other and starting to mention and tag other businesses on their posts.”
Feedback from guests at Tracy Sheen’s previous round of workshops in the Western Downs:
Business Navigator Western Downs is supported by Shell’s QGC business and delivered by Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise. The social investment program, supported by Shell’s joint venture partners Tokyo Gas and CNOOC, contributes to a strong and diverse economy within the Western Downs.
The program was developed in consultation with Western Downs business communities, who indicated that a strong, diversified economy was important to them; Business Navigators was designed to support and enable local small business to grow sustainably.
If you operate a Western Downs-based small business and would like some support to grow your business, visit www.navigatorwesterndowns.com.au. For more information on how the Business Navigator program could assist.
A METRO news weather presenter turned Agtech entrepreneur has set her sights on revolutionising how Australian farmers use weather forecasting to minimise risk and maximum profits.
Jane Bunn said she was inspired to develop her own weather forecasting platform after being asked by viewers, particularly in regional areas, what weather app she used personally.
She said she had to confess, she didn’t use any and couldn’t recommend one.
“I’ve got three minutes each night and no matter how much I beg and plead with the news director, I rarely get any more and when sport goes long, I get cut,” Bunn told the Caller.
“So I’m familiar with trying to get the right message in as few a words as possible across – so that you know exactly what happened.
“There’s so much good data out there now – let’s actually apply that and get it into a way that you can actually take advantage of it.
“Then let’s get it out to as many people as possible and then that should at least help a lot of Aussie farmers boost their output.”
Jane Bunn explaining her online weather forecasting platform.
Bunn, 7 News Melbourne’s weather presenter and a meteorologist, started her career at the Bureau of Meteorology and said while she loved that job, she grew frustrated with the media.
“They would change the words of the forecast and change the meaning of the forecast without realising they were doing it,” she said.
She said after many frantic phone calls to journalists to correct the their language, she decided to “take out the middle man” and become a television weather presenter herself.
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Now she’s launched Jane’s Weather – an online forecasting tool which combines global weather models with local observations to produce tailored weather forecasts and insights, such as frost risk, spraying conditions, evapotranspiration to schedule irrigation and growing degree days to plan crops.
“You can say, I planted paddock A on this particular date, I sprayed it on this date so then all of that forecast data is applied to your specific numbers, and so the answers you get out the end is exactly for your farm,” Bunn said.
“We’ve got frost risk which goes through hour by hour and when we get the data coming in from your farm, it will be tailored to that particular area. So it will show you which corners you’ll see it first.”
Bunn said the platform could have wider applications than just farming – potentially benefitting any business where decisions are influenced by weather conditions.
“I would love it if every farmer in Australia, and everyone on a construction site and everyone in mining and everyone making their own energy – even in logistics – would go, ‘I don’t know how I operated before I had Jane’s Weather, because this has changed so many things about what we do for the better.'”
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Jane’s Weather was among more than 20 exhibitors this month at a special showcase at Toowoomba’s Agtech and Logistics Hub.
The event was the culmination of GroundUp, an accelerator program run by the Agtech and Logistics Hub in conjunction with the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), to support businesses looking to take their technology to the next level.
Agtech and Logistics Hub director Thomas Hall said it was great to give GroundUp participants the opportunity to collaborate with industry and present their products and services to potential customers to refine market fit.
“The showcase is a fitting way to end GroundUp, a program designed to drive innovation in the grains sector, with a focus on being grower-led to find real solutions for on-farm problems,” Hall said.
GRDC’s senior manager for the Northern region, Gillian Meppem, said it was fabulous to see individuals and organisations coming, not just from agriculture, but Ag-adjacent industries, to solve the problems of grain growers.
“It’s not innovation for innovation’s sake – we’re innovating to solve the problems, to assist Australian grain growers to remain productive and profitable,” she said.
Southern Queensland’s protein sectors will share best practice and encourage collaboration across the beef, pork, poultry and dairy industries at the Protein conference in Dalby on March 22.
Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise (TSBE) facilitates the conference, which is expected to attract local producers, business owners and industry representatives.
TSBE Food Leaders Australia (FLA) General Manager Justin Heaven (pictured below) said he was excited to present an outstanding program of industry leaders who will commentate sustainable food supply chains.
TSBE’s Justin Heaven at last year’s Protein Conference. IMAGE: Supplied
“Everyday we get one day closer to our 2030 carbon neutral deadline, but the time is now to introduce measures to ensure no net release of greenhouse gas emissions are released into the atmosphere from 2030,” he said.
“With sustainability at the forefront of discussions, the Protein 2023 speakers have been carefully curated to include representation from decision makers along with producers on the ground.
“Panel session themes are biosecurity, sustainability, animal welfare, new energy project, shedded systems production improvements and demystifying carbon markets and net zero.”
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Mr Heaven encouraged anyone who works in the protein sector to attend TSBE’s Protein conference, to ensure the region maintains its strong reputation.
Compass Group Australia’s Head of Sustainability, Simon Jackson, is one of this year’s speakers who will share valuable insights into Australia’s paddock to plate processes.
“Getting protein on plates is changing as we decarbonise our menus. Understanding the complexity of global emission reduction strategies and the known challenges of ruminant animal emissions, whilst balancing consumer demand is something we are constantly reviewing,” Mr Jackson said.
“Our targets are bold and require a ‘Shift’ in how we consume protein. To achieve these targets, measures need to be implemented every step of the way.
“This will be a marathon, not a sprint, but being in the know now will greatly benefit those within the protein sector in years to come.”
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One of this year’s keynote speakers is The Sustainability Consortium Director of Retail Amy Scoville-Weaver, who is leading the current and future direction for retailer support.
“Sustainability needs to remain at the forefront of all discussions involving food supply chains,” she said.
“A healthy environment ensures the health of business and long-term economic growth – and we now have the innovation we need to make change accessible and meaningful across the food product industry.
“I look forward to sharing my findings and experiences with producers and key personnel.”
THE three family members who executed two police officers and a civilian at Wieambilla in December subscribed to a radical Christian belief system known as “premillennialism” and had throughly planned their murderous ambush, investigators have revealed.
Nine weeks after Nathaniel, Gareth and Stacey Train gunned down Tara police constables Rachel McCrow and Matthew Arnold, as well as the Trains’ neighbour Alan Dare, police have provided a significant update on their investigations.
At a media conference in Brisbane, QPS Deputy Commissioner Tracy Linford said analysis of “many, many documents” uncovered at the Trains’ property north of Tara, including text messages and emails, body worn camera and CCTV footage, and more than 190 statements to police had found the three killers acted alone and were driven by “fundamentalist” Christian beliefs.
Tara police constables Rachel McCrow and Matthew Arnold, who were victims of the Train family’s shooting ambush at Wieambilla in December
“All of that analysis has provided us significant information and understanding about what drove the motivation of the Train family members on that day,” Dep. Comm. Linford said.
“Our assessment has concluded that Nathaniel, Gareth and Stacey Train acted as an autonomous cell and executed a religiously motivated terrorist attack.
“What we’ve been able to glean from that information is that the Train family members subscribed to what we would call a broad Christian fundamentalist belief system known as premillennialism.
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“It’s a belief system that comes from Christian theology. Its basic interpretation is that there is a belief that Christ will return to the earth for a thousand days and provide peace and prosperity, but it will be preceded by a time of tribulation, widespread destruction and suffering.
“What we’ve been able to illicit from all the material that we’ve examined, particularly Stacey’s diary notes, is that we think a range of different things helped to contribute to their belief in this system – the Covid pandemic, climate change, global conflicts, social disparity – all those kind of things.
“Early speculation around the motivation of the Train family members was that it centred on sovereign citizen ideology.
“That’s understandable because some of the behaviour of the Train family members was similar to what you see with sovereign citizen members, being they had withdrawn from society, they were isolated, they were making plenty of comments about anti government sentiment.
“But in all the examination of the material we can’t find anywhere where the Train family members declared themselves as sovereign citizens.
“While the behaviour was similar in some respect to sovereign citizens, we don’t believe this was connected to a sovereign citizen ideology. We believe it’s connected to the Christian extremist ideology.
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“We can see that they do see the police as monsters and demons. We don’t believe this attack was random or spontaneous. We do believe that it was an attack directed at police.
“On the property there were camouflaged hideouts where we believe periodically one of the three family members would lie in wait.
“There was camouflaged clothing, there were multiple erected barriers. Some of those were dirt mounds, some of those were logs, other steel barriers.
Dep. Comm. Linford said six firearms, three compound bow-and-arrows and a number of knives were located at the property.
QPS Deputy Commissioner Tracy Linford speaking to media in Brisbane
“At the address they had CCTV footage. The gates were locked. We even found that they had mirrors in trees. We suspect that was to alert them if vehicles were travelling down the road. They had radios. We even located a trap door under the house which might have enabled an easy escape.
“I was to stress, there is absolutely no evidence at this time that there is anyone else in Australia that participated or assisted in this attack.
“We are not looking for anyone else in Australia.”
She said investigators were continuing to prepare a report for the coroner.
Historic legislation will be introduced in State Parliament next week to create a five-member Truth Telling and Healing Inquiry, similar to a royal commission, and a First Nations Treaty Institute.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk outlined the plan as part of an update on the Path to Treaty in Brisbane today – read her full keynote speech here.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk delivering the keynote speech in Brisbane today. IMAGE: Supplied
SUPPLIED | Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk
It’s not something I generally promote or practice, but, buried in my distant past, I am, in fact, a lawyer.
And buried in Australia’s past are some very troubling matters in law. Especially when it comes to Treaty.
I first read the historian Henry Reynolds’ books while studying documents relating to our colonial history in the British Library in London. I was reading court documents I had not read or even heard of at school in Australia.
I have never forgotten what I discovered.
Deep in these documents were directions from the British Colonial office to “make Treaties.”
Reynolds points out the contradiction of the British treatment of indigenous peoples in Canada, Northern America and New Zealand with what happened in Australia.
In those countries, the possession of lands by First Nations peoples was recognised and was negotiated.
There were Treaties between the Crown and the peoples of those nations. Some were better than others.
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The British Colonial office had insisted on them especially following the Tasmanian massacres but no Treaty was ever entered into here.
The question is, why? The right to property is a basic tenant of British law.
As we Australians know, even the theft of a loaf of bread back in the day could result in the most extreme of punishments ensuring a one-way passage to Australia.
So how, Reynolds argues, do we explain the theft of an entire country?
He found that the British had relied on a description from Joseph Banks during Cook’s expedition of ‘an unoccupied, sparsely populated land.’
This notion of an unoccupied land was upheld in court cases and Privy Council rulings all through the 1800s despite much evidence to the contrary coming from Australia.
It suited the times.
And we remained ‘terra nullius’ until Eddie Koiki Mabo and the landmark High Court ruling decided differently in 1992.
Again, I read the judgement in another library, this time at the University of Queensland as a law student.
As Premier I have had the deep honour to visit Eddie Koiki Mabo’s resting place to pay my respects to a man who fought for his rights and his people.
Reynolds is not everyone’s cup of tea but I think we can agree, Australia was not empty when the First Fleet arrived and there is no evidence Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander peoples gave up their lands willingly.
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Reynolds contends a one-sided war raged whose atrocities and crimes on both sides were recorded and remarked upon at the time.
The idea of Treaty, then, is not new. In fact, there is evidence colonists argued often for a Treaty.
George Arthur, Governor of Tasmania, begged the then Colonial Office to establish Treaties.
It was ‘a fatal error’ he said not to have one. He was ignored.
When John Bateman first settled at Port Phillip, he made an attempt to buy the land from Aboriginal people. The NSW Governor quashed it in October 1835.
In 1836, Colonel PC Irwin of the Swan River colony that became Perth said “Treaties should be negotiated between the parties as a measure of healing and pacification.”
He too was ignored.
Treaties have been established over centuries and provide people of those nations, like New Zealand, a shared sense of identity and pride that we should have too.
But all efforts to establish one in this country have died in a desert of ignorance and indifference where they have stayed for more than 200 years.
Well I am here to tell you, friends, that ends now.
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Next week, I will introduce to Parliament, legislation that will enshrine a Treaty with Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples forever.
It establishes:
The First Nations Treaty Institute and outlines its powers, functions and composition
A five-member Truth Telling and Healing Inquiry which has elements of a Commission of Inquiry but is customised to have a culturally appropriate, non-adversarial approach
It builds on the Path to Treaty we embarked upon together that includes:
A $300 million Path to Treaty fund guaranteeing at least $10 million a year for the institute
Formation of the Interim Truth and Treaty body to co-design the Path to Treaty legislation and
Establishment of a path to treaty office, government treaty readiness committee and Ministerial Consultative Committee to build capacity across government agencies.
We are serious and we are determined. As we all know, Story is everything.
For tens of thousands of years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have told their stories.
The process of ‘Truth Telling’ is a way for us to use Story – to deeply understand our past, to acknowledge the enormous hurt, pain and suffering but, most importantly to build a better future together.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and First Nations wellness worker Aunty McRose Elu. IMAGE: Supplied
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It is important to acknowledge that we have been brought to this moment only because we have been carried on the backs and shoulders of giants too numerous for me to mention today.
There are also those whose names history may not record.
But we must never forget.
All the aunties and uncles.
The cousins and families.
The countless thousands removed from their homes and subjected to innumerable cruelties.
Stolen wages. Forced adoptions. Deaths.
These people are gone. But their stories remain.
To the eminent panels and working groups whose work has led us to this moment: our profound and grateful thanks.
This includes former Treaty Advancement Committee Members Mr Mick Gooda, Emeritus Professor Michael Lavarch and Sallyanne Atkinson AO.
A further seven members were also selected to join the body, following a statewide expression of interest process:
Dr Bianca Beetson, Ms Seleena Blackley, Mr Aaron Fa’Aoso, Ms Marg O’Donnell, Mr Ray Rosendale, Ms Natalie Siegel-Brown and Ms Cheryl Buchanan.
I thank you all for your work.
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It is a source of great personal pride to me and the Labor Party that our government includes so many MPs with First Nations heritage including the first Aboriginal woman ever elected to the Queensland parliament and appointed to the Cabinet Leeanne Enoch, the first woman ever elected from the Torres Strait Cynthia Lui and Lance McCallum, a proud Gubbi Gubbi man and Member for Bundamba.
I will never forget the embrace, or the tears of joy shared when we gathered to sign a Statement of Commitment with Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples on the Speakers Green last August.
As the statement says, this journey is not for the timid.
But each generation is called to face its challenge.
And its opportunity. I believe this is ours.
We have the chance to finish unfinished business. To put wrongs right.
To finally come together as one, united State, with mutual respect and absolute dignity for our diverse cultures and identities.
As the Uluru Statement from the Heart says: ‘a fuller expression of Australia’s nationhood.’
Friends, none of us pretends the months ahead will be easy. Each state must confront their own pasts.
As a nation, now is the time to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in our Constitution.
And a Voice to be heard. It is an opportunity we cannot waste.
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The Path to Treaty signals to the rest of Australia and to other nations that Queensland is ready and willing to confront that past and to listen to the painful stories that need to be told.
But we cannot right the wrongs, without recognising those wrongs. We must look deep within our hearts, and acknowledge the discrimination and the prejudice that our First Nations people were subjected to.
200 years ago there were over 250 indigenous languages in Australia. Now only sixty of those languages are considered healthy.
We listen in awe and wonder to the stories of the dreaming, in the knowledge that these same stories have been told on our lands for 60,000 years.
This is the shared heritage we want to showcase to the world when we host the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage is unique. It is a gift to all Australians and to the world.
And we have this opportunity to change our story and walk together into a much brighter tomorrow. That is what we hope to achieve through the Treaty process.
To mark the end of one chapter and begin another. So no Australian child in the future needs to be surprised about all that they will learn about our past.
To quote Oodgeroo Noonuccal:
“To our father’s fathers – the pain, the sorrow
To our children’s children – the glad tomorrow.”
Such is the power of story. If we have the courage to tell it. Respectfully and together.
A TOOWOOMBA migrant employment service is helping solve workforce shortages in regional Australia, connecting motivated jobseekers with country businesses desperate for long-term staffing solutions.
The Mulberry Project’s latest success was matching two young South Sudanese men with employment and training opportunities in the south west Queensland town of Goondiwindi.
It recently took a group of its participants on a road trip to the region, after local business leaders identified job vacancies across a wide range of industries.
Goondiwindi Communications director Trent Murray said he’d been looking for a solution to his staffing issues, and with almost every business in the area needing staff, he wanted to try something different to find people willing to relocate to the region, about 350kms west of Brisbane.
The Mulberry Project participants and staff meeting Goondiwindi employers. IMAGE: Supplied
“We were doing the same thing over and over and it was just not working – everyone was struggling,” Murray said.
After meeting The Mulberry Project group, Murray said their work ethic was something he hadn’t seen for a long time.
“These guys were really keen. They’ve got some excellent candidates that are probably overqualified – the roles they’re getting are very mundane compared to what they’ve studied, but they’re able to use their skills out here and they’re looking to set up a life out here,” Murray said.
“They’re the people I was very interested in targeting – they’ve already got the want to move here.”
Liai and Akol are preparing to move to Goondiwindi. IMAGE: The Mulberry Project
Murray has offered one young man an apprenticeship in electronics and communications and played a key role in helping another find work, so the pair could move to the town together later this month, even inviting them to join a local AFL practice.
“We did a drive around, showed them the sights, what sports are they interested in – just to give them a taste of what it would be like to live out here. That’s our big sales pitch – the way of life out here.”
The Mulberry Project had humble beginnings as a migrant gardening initiative back in 2016, helping new arrivals improve their English and learn new skills, particularly in food production, to address underemployment within migrant and refugee communities on the Downs.
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Seven years on and founder Louise Noble has just been named one of four finalists for this year’s AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award.
“We’re doing entry level programs and then skilled migrant programs into agriculture and agribusiness and that’s been fascinating,” Noble told The Caller.
“I think there’s a lot of factors that have led to a situation where the pathways into those careers are quite broken.
“The service delivery from employment services is very fragmented and so employers are kind of at (their) wit’s end to know where to go to find people.”
Louise Noble at Mulberry Project headquarters at the Toowoomba Showgrounds
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“Some businesses – some communities have thought the only way to solve the workforce crisis is to import communities from outside Australia.
“I suppose what we’re saying is, that we’ve already got plenty of people in Australia.
“They’ve got additional barriers so they need support getting into employment but they’re very motivated, as long as you can build their confidence and the necessary skills, and connect them to employers.”
Noble said she liked to think of The Mulberry Project as a “continuity of care” approach to employment, stressing how important social support networks were for migrants moving to places like Goondiwindi for work.
“Making new people feel really welcome, I think is critical to success,” she said.
Participants of The Mulberry Project working on gardens at Toowoomba Showgrounds
Noble acknowledged the state government’s Diverse Queensland Workforce Project as a step in the right direction towards making the most of the skills new arrivals bring with them.
“I think now is the time to think critically about the way we do transition people and I think there’s a good argument to be made for developing the equivalent of a graduate program, but for migrants,” Noble said.
“The systems that they’re using in agriculture, in broad acre, in all industries now are highly complex – there’s even a greater need for skills than there was.
“We can’t afford not to do this.”
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The winner of the AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award will be announced early next month. The other three finalists are:
Emma Black, from Kingaroy, whose real-time analysis and insights software for livestock producers is generating certainty across the supply chain.
Emma-Louise Gibbons, from the Sunshine Coast, who is using Australian-farmed insect protein to sustainably produce a line of dog food and treats.
Kate Lamason, from Cairns, whose vertically-integrated production model has brought tuna canning to Australian markets.
COMMUNITIES within the Western Downs affected by ongoing bushfires in the region can now access disaster assistance.
Devastating fires have destroyed property, forced residents from their homes and burnt through thousands of hectares of land around Tara, Fairylands, Myall Park and Montrose, leaving many households without power.
Federal Minister for Emergency Management Murray Watt said the Australian and Queensland Governments were working together to support recovery efforts through the jointly funded Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).
“I recognise that this is an extremely stressful time for evacuated residents currently in temporary accommodation,” Watt said.
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“Through the DRFA we are able to offer those most affected some peace of mind by providing assistance to help meet their immediate needs.
“A range of assistance is now available to support community recovery such as immediate personal hardship payments to cover the costs of essential items for individuals and families, as well as funding for operational response activities.”
Bushfire smoke seen from the Miles township. IMAGE: June Bond
Queensland Minister for Fire and Emergency Services Mark Ryan said the fires escalated quickly on Sunday afternoon, 12 February.
“Due to adverse weather conditions, these fires have been very difficult to contain,” Ryan said.
“Hours of water-bombing operations and hundreds of Fire & Rescue Service and Rural Fire Service personnel continue to make a heroic effort to bring these fires finally under control.
“As always, our Fire & Rescue Service and Rural Fire Service personnel did a remarkable job of protecting communities and I commend them for their efforts to date.
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“We are monitoring the situation as it unfolds and will continue to work closely with the Commonwealth should other communities need disaster assistance.
“The funding available through the DRFA will provide personal hardship assistance to those severely impacted by these bushfires.”
Information on disaster assistance can be found on the Australian Government’s Disaster Assist website at www.disasterassist.gov.au and the Queensland Reconstruction Authority’s website at www.qra.qld.gov.au.
Property damage from bushfires at Miles. IMAGE: Ken Brown
HARVEST season is underway on the Granite Belt with the first “pick-your-own” event of the year on this weekend, at one of Applethorpe’s family-owned orchards.
Eastern Colour started offering people the chance to pick their own apples and strawberries at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, after seasonal labour all but disappeared overnight.
Third generation grower Nathan Baronio told the Caller, while access to workers had significantly improved, the “pick-your-own” weekends had become an important way to help close the gap between farmers and metropolitan consumers.
Fresh apples picked straight from the tree on the Granite Belt. IMAGE: Supplied
Baronio said he was initially “blown away” by the lack of knowledge people had about Queensland’s apple and strawberry seasons.
“I always believe you’re part of the problem, unless you’re part of the solution,” Baronio said.
“I think it’s important for people to understand where their fruit comes from and what’s involved in producing that fruit.
“The feedback is always really positive – people love to have these special experiences with their families.”
Southern Queensland Country Tourism has identified “immersive experiences” such as fruit picking, as a key pillar for the region’s tourism industry into the future.
Visitors exploring the orchards at Eastern Colour. IMAGE: Supplied
“Whether that’s staying on the farm, picking on the farm, mustering on the farm – doing a tour, riding a horse – they’re fully immersive and they do multiple things,” CEO Peter Homan said.
“They immerse you in the experience, but also in the region. Our biggest issue is we don’t have enough of them.”
Homan said people had been looking for more “natured-based” tourism experiences, particularly since the pandemic.
“We just don’t have enough of them and people love them. It’s the memory people take away with them,” he said.
Apples and strawberries from Eastern Colour. IMAGE: Supplied
For those planning to get their hands dirty at Eastern Colour this weekend, Nathan Baronio said the quality of this year’s strawberry crop was excellent, with a focus on growing for taste rather than a longer shelf life.
“The size is a little smaller, but the flavour is fantastic. We had a very cool spring but the plants are very happy,” he said.
“The proof is in the flavour.”
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It’s a similar story for apples, despite it being one of the latest seasons Baronio has ever seen.
“The fruit is sizing up really nicely – I always believe Stanthorpe has the best flavoured apples in Australia,” he said.
“The Pink Ladies are going to be a special crop – the trees have a bit of hard work ahead of them in this heatwave but there’s going to be a lot of Stanthorpe pink ladies coming out for sure.”
Apples ready for picking at Eastern Colour. IMAGE: Supplied
With the threat of summer storms and hail presenting huge risks to production and profits, Eastern Colour has been moving its strawberry crops undercover, with one of the largest protected cropping operations in Australia.
“I don’t think growing strawberries outdoors is going to continue much longer,” Baronio said.
“Once upon a time there was enough profit in farming you could weather a storm – these days wages, fuel, packaging – everything’s going up considerably.
“It just means there’s no room for error – you’re at the top of your game or you’re out of the game.”
A CONTINGENT of Western Downs police officers will take part in the Queensland Bulls Masters Melon Bash T20, held traditionally on the Thursday of Chinchilla Melon Festival and which will this year honour the region’s two local police officers killed in December.
Officers Peter Reimers from Jandowae Police Station and Col Harvey from Dalby will be joining the host Chinchilla team, while officers Craig Loveland and Justin Drier from Chinchilla will don a Maroon jersey and play for the Bulls Masters alongside the likes of cricketing greats Jimmy Maher, Nathan Reardon and Michael Kasprowicz.
Maher, a former one day international batsman and foundation managing director of the Bulls Masters, said the organisation regularly supported charity initiatives that it would be fitting for the team’s return visit for the Chinchilla Melon Festival Big Bash to honour the region’s fallen police.
Tara-based police constables Rachel McCrow and Matthew Arnold, and civilian neighbour Alan Dare, were gunned down by murderous conspiracy theorists on a property south of Chinchilla in December. Chinchilla police Keely Brough and Randall Kirk narrowly escaped the ambush.
Bulls Masters founding managing director Jimmy Maher and (inset) celebrating during is professional playing days. MAIN IMAGE: Code Sports
“It’s a fundraiser for local cricket and sport and we thought, with the terrible tragedy that happened out there in December, this could be cricket’s opportunity to try and do something locally to raise some money for the Queensland Police Remembrance Fund,” Maher said.
“Cricket is our vehicle, and we use the profile of past players to try and get out to regional areas predominantly and try to make a difference, whether that’s via fundraising or helping to get kids participating in local sport, or via school visits or hospital visits.
“We’re all going to be donning blue ribbons in recognition of the police and the great work they do, and it’s very exciting.
“We’ve always been very well supported in Chinchilla and we’re looking forward to getting back out there. There’s always heaps of kids that seem to really enjoy getting out and enjoying cricket.
“It’s great that a small community like Chinchilla can get behind the event and have a good time and support a good cause.”
The Caller understands Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll has been invited as a guest of honour for the event. A QPS spokesman said, as per policy, they could not confirm the commissioner’s schedule ahead time for security reasons.
Sports Minister Stirling Hinchliffe will also be in attendance.
Money raised from the event will be donated to the Queensland Police Service Remembrance Fund, as well as the Chinchilla Junior Cricket Association.
Cricket mad cop Sergeant Peter Reimers from the Jandowae Police Station. IMAGE Karel Brownhall
Peter Reimers, who’s been Jandowae Police Station’s sergeant since moving to the region from Caboolture in 2021, has been a cricket tragic since the age of nine and has played extensively at representative level.
He is yet to join a local club, but said he was proud to be padding up again alongside some of his colleagues for the exhibition match in honour of Constables McCrow and Arnold.
“We’re very much looking forward to the Big Bash, a fundraising event for Rachel and Matthew. To be a part of that is very special and hopefully a lot of people will get behind it,” Reimers said.
“I actually played with Nathan Reardon a long time ago so it will be good to catch up with him again.
“I’ve got three little kids under the age of three so it’s been a bit difficult to commit to a full season recently, but I’m hoping to join a club next year.
“We can’t wait to get out there and be part of this special event on Thursday.”
The Big Bash T20 match will be held at the Chinchilla Rec Grounds on Thursday evening. Gates open at 4pm and proceedings will begin with a kids’ coaching clinic. The main T20 match will begin at 6pm.
Entry is $5 for adults and free for children under 18.
