Mount Isa News October 2022
Latest Mount Isa News & Events
Teams Up to the Challenge
As proud winners of the 2021 Local Government Managers Australia Queensland Rural Management Challenge, Mount Isa City Council will both host and participate in the challenge in 2022.
Two teams of four Mount Isa City Council staff will be among dozens of professionals testing their expertise, innovation, and collaboration in real time during the challenge on Wednesday, October 12.
The annual event attracts entrants from Local Government organisations across the North Queensland region.
Teams are formed to intentionally bring together staff from diverse areas of the organisations.
Svitlana Cernoia, an Asset Management Officer and entrant from Council’s Team Veela, said: “The team has members who work in parks, assets, environment, and regulatory services. I know I’ll be outside of my comfort zone and day-to-day role, but it’s a great opportunity to grow our leadership and problem-solving skills which helps us better serve the community.”
Based on the Australasian Management Challenge, the Rural Management Challenge is an innovative development opportunity that tests individuals and teams on a broad range of skills and knowledge of local government.
Participants are presented with various tasks that mimic real-life activities and challenges which executive leaders deal with daily and must develop solutions in timed competition with other entrants.
Mayor Danielle Slade said: “On behalf of Council we wish both of Council’s teams all the best for this year’s challenge. I trust that all participants will have a valuable experience that can be shared with their co-workers and gain a fresh insight and energised perspective.”
Council CEO David Keenan said: “The annual Rural Management Challenge is a unique opportunity for staff to move out of their comfort zone in order to develop future leaders and I look forward to hearing from both of Council’s teams post-challenge on their growth and experience.”
Concerns Aired at Hearing
Mayor Danielle Slade and Deputy Mayor Phil Barwick both spoke at the Mount Isa hearing for the Inquiry into the decriminalisation of certain public offences, and health and welfare responses. The hearing was held on Tuesday, October 4, at the Ibis Styles Mount Isa.
Also in attendance were Councillors Peta MacRae, Mick Tully, and Kim Coghlan. Other speakers included Will Blackley from the Mount Isa Community Justice Group, and Commerce North West President Emma Harman.
Cr Slade said there were often long wait times to access rehabilitation services in Mount Isa, and many of the people living rough around the city are from out of town. A lot of people are leaving dry communities elsewhere and coming to Mount Isa just to access alcohol.
We are dealing with people with severe and very chronic addictions. I haven’t seen this before, where people are just passed out on the street. It’s just new to Mount Isa and it’s very concerning.
All of the agencies involved are doing the best they can, there’s no doubt about that, but whatever they’re doing isn’t working. There needs to be more of a response with the State and Federal Governments working together with local Councils, local agencies, and Traditional Owners.
Cr Barwick said decriminalising behaviours such as public intoxication would soften police responses and exacerbate the issues Mount Isa is experiencing.
In meetings we’ve had in the past, we’ve been advised that 60% – more than half – of serious crime in Mount Isa happens amongst a couple of hundred people who are publicly drinking in the riverbed, Cr Barwick said.
This goes on day-in, day-out here. Out of that comes a whole range of other social problems caused by this supply of alcohol into this section of the community. Similar hearings have previously been held in Mareeba and Cairns, with hearings later held in Townsville and on the Gold Coast.
The Inquiry into the decriminalisation of certain public offences is being run by the Queensland Parliament’s Community Support and Services Committee, members of which are Chair Corrine McMillan MP, Deputy Chair Stephen Bennett MP, Michael Berkman MP, Cynthia Lui MP, Mark Robinson MP, and Robert Skelton MP.
Mount Isa News by Councillor Paul Stretton
The changeover for the collection of residential wheelie bins will come into effect on October 1, and there are a few things that the Council would like residents to be aware of.
Firstly, from that date, residential bin collections will be carried out by JJ Richards, and will generally begin at 6am.
To ensure your bin is emptied, it’s recommended that you put it out for collection the night before.
It’s important to note that collection dates and routes will remain the same following the changeover.
However, one big change is that scheduled bin collections that fall on public holidays will be carried out from that date.
It’s also important to not overfill your bin – the lid should close normally – and, when placing it for collection, keep it two metres away from obstructions such as trees, cars or poles.
On the Biosecurity front, the team has recently been taking steps to address the feral cat issue, placing traps around problem areas.
Council’s Rural Lands Officer has made contact with stations and landholders in preparation for delivering a wide-scale Vertebrate Pest Control field operation for the Mount Isa area in October. Biosecurity management plans have also been implemented on multiple properties in preparation for the potential outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease.
The Environmental Services team is working on a 10-year Biodiversity Strategy and recently held a workshop with stakeholders to determine the key environmental and biodiversity issues in the region, and to act as an information-sharing collaboration event.
A landholder survey was also advertised across a range of channels, with the aim of engaging with the community to understand environmental and biodiversity issues affecting landholders within the region, and received a strong response.
The team has also been busy with its Community TreePlanting Project, which involves the planting of 10,000 trees by the end of 2023, improving the amenity of open spaces, increasing shade, and improving air quality in the process.
Mount Isa News by Mayor Danielle Slade
I was pleased to be able to speak on behalf of Mount Isa City Council at a recent public hearing that’s part of a parliamentary inquiry into the decriminalisation of certain offences, such as public drunkenness.
There was a good turnout for the public hearing and I thank everyone who put forward their verbal and written submissions.
It was an excellent opportunity to inform the parliamentary committee of the challenges that our community faces on a day-to-day basis, and the impact that decriminalising offences such as public drunkenness would have now and into the future, such as an increase in crime and vandalism.
It’s been a big month of advocacy for the Council. I recently caught up with Environment Minister Meghan Scanlon and talked about the waste levy, recycling and the Materials Recovery Facility, and asked the State Government for support in these areas to ensure Mount Isa ratepayers aren’t impacted by recycling.
I also went to Cloncurry for the NWQROC board meeting, where nine councils caught up with Assistant Minister for Local Government Nikki Boyd and Senator for Northern Australia Susan McDonald, and talked about some of the challenges Mount Isa is facing, including the Census, which doesn’t seem to be accurately capturing our current population data. This is important, as funding and resources, such as police and health, are based on this data.
I also got to catch up with Senator for Queensland Anthony Chisholm, where I got to talk about airfares, housing, crime, tax zone allowance, and more opportunities for young people in Mount Isa.
On October 10, Council held its Welcoming Cities Workshop at the Civic Centre.
The workshop was designed to capture the experiences and stories of feeling welcome and connected in Mount Isa, and asked attendees to provide their feedback on what they love about Mount Isa, why does Mount Isa feel like home, and how they feel connected to this city. It follows on from becoming a committed member of the Welcoming Cities Network in mid-2021.
Latest Information
• Help shape Mount Isa’s economic future by providing your input for Council’s new Economic Development Strategy. The quick five-minute survey can be found here: www.surveymonkey.com/r/MountIsaEDS.
Council has commissioned consultants SC Lennon & Associates to prepare Council’s new Economic Development Strategy. The strategy will provide a plan of action to help the Council and its partners support economic growth, by providing a sound pathway to prosperity for residents and businesses.
• Council was pleased to be able to provide two trainee staff members to the PCYC Mount Isa recently to assist the PCYC in delivering its school holiday program during the September break. The staff members worked at the PCYC Mount Isa three days a week – Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays – from September 20-29.
• The 2023 Mount Isa Australia Day Awards nominations are now open. Show your appreciation for those who make outstanding contributions to the community by nominating a local for an Australia Day Award. Submit your nomination today online at www.surveymonkey.com/r/BW55HT9.
• Rate notices for the period ending 31 December 2022 were issued on Monday 10 October 2022, with a due date for payment by 4.30pm on Wednesday 9 November 2022. If you have not received a copy of your notice by 21 October 2022, please call Council’s Revenue or Customer Services team on 4747 3200 to obtain a copy of your notice.
• The 2023 Mount Isa Australia Day Awards nominations are now open. Show your appreciation for those who make outstanding contributions to the community by nominating a local for an Australia Day Award. Submit your nomination today online at www.surveymonkey.com/r/BW55HT9.
• Rate notices for the period ending 31 December 2022 were issued on Monday 10 October 2022, with a due date for payment by 4.30pm on Wednesday 9 November 2022. If you have not received a copy of your notice by 21 October 2022, please call Council’s Revenue or Customer Services team on 4747 3200 to obtain a copy of your notice.
Mount Isa Events
-The Great Northern Clean-Up
Date: Saturday 8 October 2022
Time: 7.30am-11.30am
Where: Tom O’Hara Park, Moondarra Drive
-Apex Rock Pop Mime Show
Date: Friday 14 October 2022
Time: 5pm
Where: Tony White Oval, Railway Avenue
-Boarding Schools Expo
Date: 14-15 October 2022
Time: 12.30pm/1.30pm
Where: Entertainment Centre, Buchanan Park
–YPA Community Services Ball
Date: Saturday 22 October 2022
Time: 6.30pm
Where: Mount Isa Civic Centre, 23 West Street
-Moondarra Splash Come-and-Try Day
Date: Sunday 23 October 2022
Time: 9am-4pm
Where: Lake Moondarra
Latest Updates
-Ceremony For Miners
The Miners Memorial Day ceremony was held on Monday, September 19, in front of the Civic Centre, and was attended by more than 50 people.
The ceremony was led by Miners Memorial Advisory Committee Chair Tony McGrady, with Mayor Danielle Slade giving a speech.
The morning included a Welcome to Country, reading, prayer, minute’s silence, and wreath-laying.
Queensland Miners Memorial Day is held on September 19 each year.
This date marks the anniversary of the state’s worst mining disaster, where 75 miners lost their lives in a coal mine at Mount Mulligan in 1921.
-Newest Australians
More than 30 conferees took the Australian citizenship pledge at the Civic Centre on Saturday, September 17 – Australian Citizenship Day – and officially became Australian citizens.
They originally hailed from countries including the UK, the Philippines, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, South Africa, and Sri Lanka.
The ceremony was led by Mayor Danielle Slade, with Deputy Mayor Phil Barwick presenting the certificates, and Kalkadoon representative Auntie Hazel Munro providing a Welcome to Country. Lenita Woodsbey sang the National Anthem.
-Submission To Inquiry
Council will be making a submission to a Queensland Parliamentary Inquiry into decriminalising public intoxication and begging offences, and health and social welfare-based responses.
As part of the inquiry process, members of the Community Support and Services Committee will be holding a public hearing on Tuesday 4 October at the Ibis Styles Mount Isa, from 10am-12.30pm.
Council has registered to speak at this public hearing and has also offered to give committee members a tour of Mount Isa.
At Council’s recent September Ordinary Meeting, Deputy Mayor Phil Barwick said Council had put together a strong submission to the inquiry.
“I think it does point out our challenges quite well. It needs to be recognised that Mount Isa is in a very unique situation, dealing with cross-border challenges that the Northern Territory aren’t dealing with terribly well, and that’s causing issues for our city here,” Cr Barwick said.
“So hopefully those things are picked up during this review by the committee, and they won’t decrease the number of powers that police have to at least attempt to try to control the problem.”
Councillor Peta MacRae said: “I think it’s important that we don’t decriminalise these offences, because it’s just decreasing the powers that police have to act with people acting in an antisocial way. We see a lot of instances of this around Mount Isa and in our CBD at the moment, so the last thing we want is police not being able to do anything about it and taking their powers away even further.”
Council’s submission mentions how Mount Isa is a destination for large numbers of transient people, predominantly from the Northern Territory, and that many of them sleep rough in the Leichhardt riverbed: The amount of rubbish that is generated and deposited in the riverbed is significant, with Council spending over $80,000 last year to pick up rubbish. There are real concerns relating to contamination.
–Cloncurry Meeting
Mayor Danielle Slade and Deputy Mayor Phil Barwick were in Cloncurry on October 6 and 7 to attend the North West Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils’ (NWQROC) board meeting. They are pictured with Queensland Assistant Minister for Local Government Nikki Boyd MP.
Queensland Senator Anthony Chisholm – who met with Mount Isa City Councillors and senior Council staff on Wednesday, October 5 – attended the board meeting, responding to NWQROC’s briefing note. The group received an encouraging response to its pre-budget concerns regarding funding cuts to Local Government programs.
Doomadgee Aboriginal Shire Council CEO Troy Fraser also raised questions with the Senator about his role as Assistant Minister for Education on issues relating to Federal Government funding under Closing the Gap initiatives, and the State Government reporting on achievement of program milestones
–Graduation
Congratulations to the latest graduates of the Myuma Group’s Dugalunji Prevocational Training and Employment Program, with the graduation ceremony held on Friday, September 23. Deputy Mayor Phil Barwick was pleased to attend to represent Council.
Since the Prevocational Training and Employment Program began more than 15 years ago, it has trained close to 1000 young people, enabled them to obtain certifications and competencies in dozens of different courses, and helped them to secure fulltime local jobs in areas including general construction, civil construction, and mining.
Many who have completed the Program go on to be accepted into Glencore’s Indigenous Employment Program, ultimately leading them to gain fulltime employment at Glencore’s local operations.
–Livestreamed Concert
Orchestra in the Outback is coming to The Stack – upstairs at the Mount Isa Civic Centre – on Saturday, October 15, from 7pm. Get your tickets at www.eventbrite.com.au/e/orchestra-in-the-outback-tickets-433218647637.
Watch the Queensland Symphony Orchestra take on two master composers – Beethoven and Dvořák – in this thrilling live-streamed concert featuring renowned violinist Guy Braunstein, who will perform as soloist and conductor in Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, one of the most beloved works for violin and orchestra.
This will be followed by exuberance on an even larger scale as the Queensland Symphony Orchestra performs Dvořák’s 8th Symphony, a high-spirited spectacle of orchestral excellence.
Broadcast direct from QPAC’s acoustically superb Concert Hall to the Mount Isa Civic Centre, this livestream experience is not to be missed. This experience will be set against the backdrop of a local art exhibition, showcasing the talent of our community.
–Event Planned
Members of Project 1000 – deputy principals from six Mount Isa state primary schools – recently met with Mayor Danielle Slade to seek Council support for a community “starting school” event in November. The event will celebrate the excitement of early-learning experiences and starting school in Mount Isa. Then, to secure fulltime local jobs in areas including general construction, civil construction, and mining.
Many who have completed the Program go on to be accepted into Glencore’s Indigenous Employment Program, ultimately leading them to gain fulltime employment at Glencore’s local operations.
