Charters Towers Regional Council re-establishes ratepayer listening post, Rural Industry Advisory Group
A mini-parliament of rural residents will be created after the Charters Towers Regional Council voted to re-established the Rural Industry Advisory Group (RIAG). Here’s why.
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A mini-parliament of rural residents will be created after the Charters Towers Regional Council voted to re-established the Rural Industry Advisory Group (RIAG).
Council announced the RIAG was back on Tuesday, October 22, but there were already rumblings around the water trough due to ‘expressions of interest’ the council advertised in August, searching for landowners willing to be part of the group.
The last RIAG was closed in June 2020.
The RIAG will consist of four to 16 rural landowners who will be selected by council to sit on the advisory group and offer feedback on issues such as roads, disaster funding, biodiversity plans, and more.
The region has been split into four equal ‘quadrants’ to ensure equal geographical representation – Q1 runs from Dotswood to Valley of Lagoons, Q2 include everything west of the Gregory Development Rd, Q3 includes everything south of Pentland and Balfes Creek, and Q4 includes the Burdekin Dam and Ravenswoods areas.
Those who’ve already been placed on the new RIAG include Marionvale’s Andrew and Toni Burke, Burdekin Down’s Blair Knuth, Red Hill Station’s Kylie Stretton, Patrick Scharf from Khartoum Past Co, Wilandspey Station’s Carl Martel, Pajingo Station’s Jenny Black, Neil Angus from Dawsonvale, Liz Miller from Grass Hut Station, and Judith Costello from Fanning Downs Station.
Mayor Liz Schmidt, council CEO Martin Drydale, and councillor Steven Plant will also be apart of the RIAG.
Mr Plant emphasised the importance of rural representation in council’s decision making.
“Through this group, we are ensuring that rural voices are not only heard but considered in the critical decisions that impact their livelihoods,” Mr Plant said.
The RIAG, and whoever is chosen to sit on it, will meet once every two months (six meetings in total per year) to provide recommendations to council.
Council is still searching for interested landowners.
If you are interested in representing your quadrant, please email executiveservices@charterstowers.qld.gov.au
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Originally published as Charters Towers Regional Council re-establishes ratepayer listening post, Rural Industry Advisory Group
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