FNQROC Update - May 2013

By: Executive Officer, Darlene Irvine...

The holiday's over!

Wow, Day 1 after five weeks leave and it is straight into it with our 100th Board meeting on 15 April 2013, and it wasn't a little one! We had an update from Advance Cairns and a presentation from Chris Mills from the newly formed Economic Development Queensland (EDQ). Mr Mills then broke away to have a workshop with Planners and Economic Development Officers. We then had an update from AEC Group on its progression of the Queensland Water Regional Alliance Project – Alternative Business models for our urban water supplies. We also had the cutting of the cake at morning tea to celebrate our milestone.

Here's a photograph of the FNQROC staff who attended the 100th meeting...from left Travis Sydes, Darlene Irvine, Scott Britton, Sandra McCormack, Gerard Read and Steven Cosatto, and to the left, our celebration cake!

Also on my first day back we also welcomed a new FNQROC team member...Scott Britton. Scott is the new Regional Infrastructure Project Coordinator (Gerard Read leaves us on 30 June) and comes with excellent knowledge and skills from the waste sector and DTMR, and he also has financial/commercial credentials. Scott's first task is to tackle Asset Management in meeting the Board's highest priority.

We also will say a farewell to Frederick Marchant in May as his contract comes to an end. Fred has progressed excellent work in the field of streetlighting, and in pulling together information and linkages for the Regional Mountain Bike Strategy push. I do believe Fred will be out and about working with Councils on the Tablelands and on the Cape.

FNQROC staff members were very busy while I was on leave – particularly Steve with the bitumen tender which now has been advertised, and I thank all of them together with Cassowary Coast's CEO Terry Brennan for supporting them.

State Government round table discussions

We pulled together a dossier of documents from our Strategic Directions for the State Government's round table discussions:

NDRRA - focussing on collaborative workshops to improve the process
Building the capacity of ROC's - focussing on State Government benefits with no 'skin in the game'
Regional Mountain Bike Strategy
Collective Procurement - actions the State Government can undertake to support councils
Natural Landscapes - alternative management models

It also should be noted that within our Strategic Directions we have amendments to the Vegetation Management Act and alternative funding mechanisms to manage our natural assets. These have not been added to the table as action is occurring in these areas.