FNQROC Update - November 2013

Darlene Irvine, Executive Officer...

Ever get the feeling you have been really busy but don't feel like you have achieved much?  We are currently shuffling the decks a little internally and externally with the vision of being able to mitigate some internal risk and broaden our support for Councils.

Vacancies in FNQROC – Shuffling the Deck

As advised in the last newsletter, Scott Britton has left us and we advertised the position of Regional Infrastructure Project Coordinator.  After further thought and discussion we have decided to move Steven Cosatto into this position and recruit another Regional Procurement Coordinator so we have some redundancy in the procurement realm which is proving more and more beneficial for Councils.  Applications for this position have closed and we have shortlisted these for an interview.  Over the next six months we will learn and train each other.  Multiskilling across FNQROC portfolios allows us all to support the technical working groups to continue the great work of Councils collectively.

Urban Water Quality Management Project – Reef Rescue Funding

For some time now, FNQROC and Terrain NRM have been representing the region on the Reef Urban Stormwater Management Group (RUSMIG). Members of this group include Bundaberg, Gladstone, Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville and Cairns (via FNQROC and Terrain NRM).  While we all have similar and differing priorities there has been a lack of focus (until now) on urban water quality management particularly for the tropical areas.  For my part, I am keen to see a focus on Water Sensitive Urban Design Guidelines suitable for this region (note for engineers; in SEQ there is now a "Save the Swale" push).  This group, mainly through the efforts of Chris Manning at Townsville City Council, has managed to attract $850,000 through Healthy Waterways for this project.  FNQROC and Terrain hosted the first workshop for this project in Cairns last month.  A more defined scope and brief is being developed by Healthy Waterways and this will be forwarded to all Councils to garner their involvement.

Any Council officers keen to be an active participant in this group and project should let me know.

NAMS Plus 2 Training

The Roads Alliance Board awarded us 50% funding for IPWEA NAMS Plus 2 training which was held in Cairns last week.  This training normally only occurs in the major cities, which due to total costs, prohibits attendance by many FNQ Council officers.  The training was timely for many Councils as Asset Management becomes more of a focus (particularly with the Queensland Audit Office), and with the pending introduction of ISO55000 in April 2014.  The training was well received by all who attended, and is reported on in more detail in Steven Cosatto's section below.

Researcher Partnerships

I had the surprise pleasure of presenting at the USQ Local Government Research Collaboration Symposium in Brisbane last month.  Half way through this day I had to change the tone of my presentation as the partnership work which is occurring across South East Queensland and Local Governments at a National Level is quite surprising.  While there is still the issue of peer uptake versus practitioner uptake, there are examples of this occurring.  As a result, I have provided some of our strategic priorities to Ben Menadue, Research Business Manager at JCU, to see if there are any areas in which we may be able to collaborate.

NQ Local Government Association 

I was also asked to present at the NQ LGA meeting in Cooktown.  Again, this is something I would not normally have attended but I was surprised by the opportunities it presented for FNQROC.  My presentation theme was on the benefits FNQROC has achieved together with the secrets of our success (aka dealing with frustrations).  Of particular benefit was that the Minister for Local Government and the local State Member were in attendance and hopefully are now fully aware of the hurdles Councils need to go through to achieve great results.  (I am also hopeful this will aid in both our funding applications submitted recently for Improving Financial Management and Sustainability).  What was even more enjoyable was spending some time with Councillors I don't see very often.

Tidy Towns Awards - Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire Council

I was thrilled to learn Wujal Wujal was awarded the Environmental Protection category at this year's Tidy Towns awards.   The judges said "the Wujal Wujal Bush Foods Revegetation Project and the Bloomfield Valley Horse Management Plan are outstanding programs which brought together social, economic and environmental outcomes".  The Horse Management Plan was facilitated by FNQROC Regional Natural Asset Management Coordinator Travis Sydes and successfully addressed the feral horse problem in the valley.  Well done to all.

All the Coordinators have also been quite busy and I will leave it up to them to update you on their past and future activities.