The peak body for Queensland’s local councils has welcomed the establishment of a Cross-Border Commissioner to help deliver our border communities the liveability they deserve.
Premier Steven Miles announced in Parliament this week that Queensland Police Union president Ian Leavers would be the first Cross-Border Commissioner.
The establishment of a Cross-Border Commissioner follows continued advocacy by councils and mayors, including Goondiwindi Regional Council Mayor Lawrence Springborg and the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ).
LGAQ Chief Executive Officer Alison Smith said councils had been asking for a Cross-Border Commissioner to help remove government obstacles to improve policing, access to health services and labour rules.
“We’d like to thank the Premier for establishing the Cross-Border Commissioner, and for his acknowledgement of the work that councils and the LGAQ have done over several years – including during the challenging Covid period - to make this happen,” Ms Smith said.
“We will continue to advocate to help refine the model to make sure it delivers on its promise, to strengthen the legislation to ensure the role is centrally-based within the State Government and has the powers to deal with typical cross-border issues like health, crime and labour rules.”
For more information, please contact:
Dan Knowles, Media Advisor