Graeme Scheu, Mayor of Goondiwindi

MAYORAL MESSAGE

Graeme Scheu, Mayor of Goondiwindi

It’s so rewarding to see the hard work, dedication and vision of an entire community recognised. That’s exactly what happened here in Goondiwindi earlier this year when we were named the best country town in Queensland.

The town was the cover star of the Weekend Australian and led a feature in which Bernard Salt, Australia’s leading demographer, ran the data and revealed the most liveable towns in each state and territory. Goondiwindi was named as Queensland’s pride and joy.

It’s so rewarding to see the hard work, dedication and vision of an entire community recognised. That’s exactly what happened here in Goondiwindi earlier this year when we were named the best country town in Queensland.

The town was the cover star of the Weekend Australian and led a feature in which Bernard Salt, Australia’s leading demographer, ran the data and revealed the most liveable towns in each state and territory. Goondiwindi was named as Queensland’s pride and joy.This is, of course, old news to me. I’ll admit I may be biased, but to have an expert like Bernard Salt crunch the numbers and put it down on paper – well, you can’t argue with that.

To be recognised alongside towns like Margaret River in WA and Katherine in the NT is a real honour. So what makes Goondiwindi - a town of just 6,000 people - so successful?

From a council point of view, it has long been the belief of the Goondiwindi Regional Council that the best avenue for economic development in a regional area is to ensure the provision of excellent regional services. Having the necessary infrastructures in place capitalises on our rich farming country and ensures a lifestyle that makes our district a very desirable place to live and work. As such, Goondiwindi is emerging as a vibrant regional hub.

But the key to our region’s success goes beyond that: it’s the hard work, attitude and optimism of our community. This is not something that just happens in a few years under one certain council. It’s in the dedication of our volunteers, the can-do attitude of our businesses and the passion of our service groups and sporting clubs that create such a wonderful social atmosphere in the region.

Take, for example, the recent IPEWA SWQ Branch Conference hosted by the Goondiwindi Regional Council. The two-day conference brought together 140 people and was one of IPEWA’s most successful regional events.

But what’s more, we were able to raise an unprecedented $5,420 for MS Queensland through raffles, donations and a remarkable charity auction sponsored by local business SMK Consultants Pty Ltd. The participation and generosity of our community really shone through and the auction’s main prize – a framed picture of our mighty Macintyre River – was proudly bought by Sean Rice of Proterra Group, a local familyowned business.

So, that’s where the Goondiwindi region is now: we’re proud to be known as regional Australia at its best. So where do we go from here?

I believe there are four major requirements for regional areas like Goondiwindi to continue to grow: power, water, connectivity and logistics. I want to focus on the last two points in regard to our region.

With the opening of the nearby Wellcamp Airport in Toowoomba and the continuing improvements in digital communications, we are better connected than ever. The NBN and point-to-point wireless connections will be a major part of our growth, and the region is urgently calling for more investment into connectivity and communications so we can keep up to speed.

For a long time, a major setback for regional areas has been the out-migration of young people. But we are happy to see a reversal in that trend. The Goondiwindi region is rich in innovation and we find ourselves, for example, at the forefront of the mechanisation and computerisation of broadacre farming. Exciting new technologies being developed in our agricultural industries will no doubt play a large part in drawing more young people back to live on the land in the future.

Goondiwindi is located at the junction of five major highways. As the gateway to NSW, we are able to supply a vast area deep into the west and north-west NSW. There are massive acres of broadacre farming to the north, south and west of our region and the majority of that produce moves east through Goondiwindi either to export, feed production or feedlots. There’s no doubt that logistics will be key to the future of the district - let’s face it, Goondiwindi should be second only to Parkes as the logistics capital of Australia.

The majority of this freight is currently transported via road, but this is causing a massive problem for road maintenance nation-wide, not to mention the congestion caused in inner-city limits. Container transport has changed the export industry and I have confidence that packaging stations will become the norm in regional areas as the container market expands.

The inland rail will move freight between Melbourne and Brisbane.

This is where Inland Rail comes in – and with it, the potential to really open doors to better and cheaper logistic services.

The Inland Rail will stand on its own two feet with freight movement between Melbourne and Brisbane, but it is the rail corridor with one single-gauge rail system that will allow freight to be moved economically from point to point. The benefits of this are endless to rich agricultural regions like ours.

There are still a number of obstacles facing the project (such as the design of floodplain crossings) but none that cannot be overcome with best-practice engineering.

However, a major hurdle remains in securing a long-term option for direct entry into the Port of Brisbane. We need all levels of governments to work together on this option. Cooperation is essential as the current freight line from Acacia Ridge into the Port of Brisbane is compromised by the already-established suburban rail network. Brisbane’s cross-river rail is essential for the future of the urban area - but equally essential to regional Queensland is the entry of freight into the Port of Brisbane.

Goondiwindi Regional Council has long been a strong supporter of the Inland Rail and recent meetings with both federal and state ministers have reconfirmed that position - but things are still a way off in finalisation. The Inland Rail will be more than ‘just’ an interstate rail project and the benefits for every region of Queensland is enormous as we strive for better freight relief for those wanting to export products.

This is an opportunity that regional Queensland simply can’t miss.

The Weekend Australian named Goondiwindi Best country town in Queensland.