Cr Barry Hughes, NWQROC Chair

Last week, I had the privilege of leading a delegation of the North West Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils (NWQROC) to Brisbane. Alongside mayors and representatives from across our vast region - from Mount Isa to the Gulf, from Cloncurry to Croydon - we brought the voice of the North West directly to the steps of Queensland Parliament.

From aviation to road funding, housing, biosecurity, telecommunications, the CopperString project, and the ongoing challenges of flood recovery - we covered the issues that matter most to our people and our future.

North West Queensland is enhancing its regional appeal and workforce potential with the launch of two new digital platforms – Live North West and Jobs North West.

The Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning, Jarrod Bleijie, officially launched the sites today, as part of a bold regional push to boost population, attract skilled workers, and strengthen economic sustainability.

Cr Barry Hughes, NWQROC Chair

With the recent flooding in the north and south east of the state, our attention once again turns to disaster recovery and resilience. Living with the constant reality of extreme weather events, we’re no strangers to this topic across northern Queensland.

As you’ll no doubt be seeing updates on the latest rounds of funding and disaster relief, it’s timely to highlight to our community the impending changes and risks to these arrangements that could be around the corner.

Cr Barry Hughes, NWQROC Chair

With recent weather events my contribution theme this week is most timely.

We’re encouraged at this time in our region to be seeing our hard work advocating for and securing investment to build resilience against disasters resulting in projects in the pipeline or underway.

This week, the North West Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils welcomed a new approach to building resilience in our communities with Federal Minister for Emergency Management Jenny McAllister confirming successful projects for resilience project funding on 14 February.

Cr Barry Hughes, NWQROC Chair

As Chair of the North West Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils (NWQROC), I am proud to represent a region that is both rich in resources and resilient in spirit. Our communities, spread across vast distances, are the backbone of industries critical to Australia’s economy, including mining, agriculture, and energy.

With the Federal Election campaigning clearly starting to ramp up, it is vital that the unique challenges and opportunities of North West Queensland are firmly on the national agenda.

Cr Barry Hughes, NWQROC Chair

The dust has well and truly settled on the 2024 State Election, with the Ministerial announcements and department reshuffles now complete.

It’s given our group of Mayors from across the 11 councils of the North West time to discuss the outcomes, appointments and the alignment across our priorities as we get our local and regional agendas set for the new year.

NWQROC led a delegation of Mayors and Deputy Mayors to Canberra on 5-6 June ready to advocate for support and investment in the newly released NWQ Enabling Infrastructure Masterplan.

More than $300 million worth of shovel-ready project funding will be sought from federal government ministers next week when a delegation of North West mayors unveil a long-awaited and unprecedented “back to basics” strategy.