Bundaberg Community Cabinet
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Premiers message
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Avoca State School students with Premier Bligh.
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Model ship builder Bob Hillier presents Premier Anna Bligh with a model of the HMS Bounty, captained by William Bligh between 1787 and 1789.
I was delighted to be in Bundaberg for this, my 18th Community Cabinet. Giving Queenslanders the opportunity to have one-on-one contact with ministers, department heads and me is a high priority for my Government.
It was great to talk with so many people about a wide range of issues both at the public forum and in deputations. This Community Cabinet was a record breaker, with 193 formal deputations.
There were so many highlights, including receiving Bob Hillier’s beautiful gift of a model of the HMS Bounty, and my visit to Avoca State School.
I received a letter from the students of the Junior Seagulls and Junior Galahs classes requesting help with a vegetable garden they are planting. I dropped in to see the students and presented them with seedlings for their garden. Congratulations Seagulls and Galahs, and to your teachers Mr Richardson and Mrs Slocomb on this wonderful initiative.
Thank you for making us so welcome in Bundaberg.
Anna Bligh MP
Premier of Queensland
Turtle numbers rising
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Queensland Parks and Wildlife Senior Ranger Robert Thompson, Ranger in Charge of Mon Repos Cathy Gatley, Department of Environment and Resource Management Chief Scientist and world turtle authority Dr Col Limpus and Mon Repos Ranger Gemma Haley.
Premier Anna Bligh and Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability Kate Jones announced some encouraging statistics for endangered loggerhead turtles nesting in eastern Australia.
‘From the mid-1970s to 2000, the numbers of nesting loggerhead females in eastern Australia plummeted from 3500 to 500,’ Premier Bligh said.
‘Since 2000, the previous long-term decline has reversed and is beginning to climb. It’s expected loggerhead female numbers would be more than 600,’ she said.
The data was compiled by the Department of Environment and Resource Management Chief Scientist and world turtle authority Dr Col Limpus.
Announcements
Better facilities for boaties
The Miara Road boat ramp at Yandaran has reopened after a Queensland Government-funded $185,000 upgrade. Bundaberg Regional Council carried out the work on the boat ramp, located on the north bank of the Kolan River.
Transport Minister Rachel Nolan also opened the reconstructed Queen Street boat ramp and trailer parking facility during the Community Cabinet. The $435,000 work was funded by the Boating Infrastructure Capital and Maintenance Program.
A floating walkway alongside the Burnett Heads Boat Harbour has also been completed as a cost of $340,000.
Bundaberg’s clean marina
Premier Anna Bligh and Minister for Transport Rachel Nolan have presented Bundaberg Port Marina management with the nationally recognised Clean Marina accreditation.
The accreditation acknowledges the marina’s high standard of environmental management and practices.
Bundaberg bridges honour pioneers
Minister for Main Roads Craig Wallace has announced the names of six newly completed bridges in the Bundaberg region, as part of the Queensland Government’s Q150 bridge-naming program.
The new bridge at F E Walker Street on the Bundaberg Ring Road will be called the Wedge-leaf Tuckeroo Bridge, named by the Wildlife Preservation Society.
Also named were five new concrete bridges built as part of the $126.5 million Southern Queensland Accelerated Road Rehabilitation Program.
The Gregory River bridge on Goodwood Road will become the Leeson-Oliver Bridge (after the Leeson and Oliver families); the Cockatoo Creek Bridge will be named the Noel Ross Bridge (after a Bundaberg bridge builder); the Littabella Creek bridge will honour the Gamblin family; the Mullet Creek bridge will honour the Neubecker family; and the Yandaran Creek bridge will be named the Buchbach Bridge.
Fire services boost for Wide Bay-Burnett
Fire services in the Wide Bay-Burnett region have been enhanced with the establishment of an Elliott Heads Auxiliary Fire Brigade, a $65,000 Elliott Heads Fire Service upgrade and a new fire and rescue appliance for Bundaberg Fire Station.
Elliott Heads is experiencing a population boom, and these new services will cover Elliott Heads, Coral Cove and Innes Park as well as provide support to the Bundaberg area.
Two new ambulances, three more to come
Minister for Emergency Services Neil Roberts has handed over two new Mercedes 318 Sprinter ambulances to the Bundaberg station, with three more vehicles on order for the Wide Bay region.
The new ambulances, valued at $180,000 each, are equipped with the latest technology, including new Stryker stretchers and stair chairs with increased weight capability.
Sunflower and mustard power for Austchilli
Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability Kate Jones has presented a $53,000 rebate cheque to Austchilli from the State Government’s ecoBiz program.
Auschilli will grow sunflower and mustard to power machinery for the production of chillies and sugar cane.
The company hopes to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by up to 350 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents each year through this project. They estimate that 85 per cent of their diesel usage can be substituted for bio-fuel.
Powerful Lady Elliott Island
Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability Kate Jones has officially opened the Lady Elliott Island Eco Resort’s Hybrid Solar Power Station.
The solar power station, consisting of 130 square metres of solar panels, battery packs with 48 cells, inverters and a new generator, has cut the resort’s annual power costs by 75 per cent.
Their long-term goal is to run the resort entirely on solar power.
Tableland Road upgraded
Work on the $700,000 upgrade of Tableland Road, south of Baffle Creek, has begun.
The one kilometre upgrade allows for strengthening of the road surface, bitumen sealing, increased visibility, signage and line-marking, to cater for increasing traffic volumes on the highway.
The project is due to be completed by October.
Smart assessment for councils
Bundaberg Regional Council is rolling out a new electronic development assessment system, Smart eDA, developed by the State Government in consultation with the Local Government Association of Queensland, councils and industry.
Smart eDA will speed up the application process and reduce costs for the council and industry. The Bundaberg Council is only the second local government in Queensland to adopt the system.
Keeping it aboveboard
A public forum to discuss the new green paper on Integrity and Accountability in Queensland was held in Bundaberg following the Community Cabinet meeting.
Attorney-General Cameron Dick, Queensland’s Integrity Commissioner Dr David Solomon and Professor Charles Sampford from the Queensland University of Technology Law and Justice Research Centre led a discussion on how accountability and transparency in public administration can best be achieved and maintained.
The Bundaberg forum was one of nine held across Queensland between 25 August and 15 September. Apart from Bundaberg, forums were held in Toowoomba, Sunshine Coast, Townsville, Cairns, Mackay, Gold Coast, Rockhampton and Brisbane.
Premier Anna Bligh also hosted two online forums on integrity and accountability in Queensland on 2 and 7 September 2009.
Last updated Monday, September 28, 2009
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