Financial sustainability, housing and roads will be the key focus of an historic new partnership agreement struck between the Queensland Government and Queensland’s rural and remote councils.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Local Government Steven Miles and Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) President Mayor Mark Jamieson today signed the Rural and Remote Councils Compact, pledging to amplify the voice of these communities on the State Government stage.
The compact aims to improve outcomes for the state’s 45 rural and remote councils and their local communities by enhancing engagement between both levels of government.
It will initially focus on three key issues of importance to these councils: financial sustainability, roads and housing.
Deputy Premier Miles said the Queensland Government was committed to working with councils to better address the challenges facing rural and remote communities.
“At the last election, we made a commitment to work closely with the LGAQ to finalise a Rural and Remote Councils Compact. We have delivered on that commitment,” Mr Miles said.
“This Compact will improve the focus on our rural and remote councils and ensure they have a louder voice for the Government to hear.
“I am looking forward to seeing the benefits it can deliver for those communities.”
Mayor Jamieson said the signing of the Compact represented a critical first step in improving the lot of rural and remote Queensland communities.
“Councils and the State Government are united in our goal to improve the quality of life for Queensland’s rural and remote residents through greater recognition of the unique challenges and opportunities these communities face,” he said.
“The Rural and Remote Councils Compact aims to ensure the realities facing these communities – like small populations, funding and policy uncertainty and the tyranny of distance – are better understood by State Government decision-makers so future policies can be better tailored to meet their needs.
“The key issues facing these councils right now include financial sustainability, roads and housing so it is only right that addressing these issues be the initial focus of the Compact.
“I want to thank the Deputy Premier and the Queensland Government for working with the LGAQ and our member councils to make this Compact a reality.”
Mayor Jamieson gave special thanks to the five rural and remote Mayors and Councillors – all members of the LGAQ’s Policy Executive – serving as guardians of the Compact, Flinders Shire Mayor Jane McNamara, Western Downs Region Mayor Paul McVeigh, Cook Shire Mayor Peter Scott, Diamantina Shire Mayor Robbie Dare, and Balonne Shire Councillor Robyn Fuhrmeister.
“These five community champions have been instrumental in shaping this Compact and ensuring it focusses on the areas of most importance to the communities it is designed to assist,” he said.
“They will continue to play a key role in guiding the Compact going forward.”
The Rural and Remote Councils Compact will complement the existing Partnership in Government agreement struck between the LGAQ and the Queensland Government and provide a platform to ensure issues of priority for these communities are properly considered by the Government when developing policies, programs and legislation.
The Compact states that it will formalise a “robust, respectful and enduring partnership between the parties that is underpinned by common objectives and strives to achieve the full potential of Queensland’s rural and remote communities”.
A Rural and Remote Councils Policy and Legislation Committee will be established –including government representatives and the five Rural and Remote members of the LGAQ’s Policy Executive – to oversee the implementation and operation of the Compact.