2024 South Burnett council election: Seth Schuback to run for Div 4

Local water quality is one of the top issues for 21-year-old Seth Schuback, who will contest the South Burnett council seat left vacant by Kirstie Schumacher on March 16.

Seth Schuback is running for South Burnett Regional Council Division 4.

A former Kingaroy State High School student has put his hand up for election to the South Burnett Regional Council in Division 4, currently held by Kirstie Schumacher who will run for mayor in March.

Seth Schuback is only 21-years-old but believes he has what it takes to run for council and credits his dad, Peter Schuback, for inspiring him.

“My father has run for politics before … he was a big supporter of the hands-off policy at school regarding bullying and a massive pusher for removing asbestos in dozens of buildings across the towns he’s lived in,” Mr Schuback said.

“I just want to help make a change like my dad did and I’m just thinking a bit of local politics could be the way to do that,” he said.

Although Mr Schuback moved to the area with his family from Hervey Bay during high school, he has been actively engaging with the issues he sees by watching council meetings and talking to people in the community.

“I want to improve the quality of the local water in the area, it’s a massive issue here in the local community … the water situation for the outer towns as well.”

Seth Schuback is running for South Burnett Regional Council Division 4.

He also wants to protect water from the large bat colonies, particularly in Blackbutt.

“There’s a government grant called the flying fox grant … which is the state government giving funding to local councils to give funding to people to put filters on their water tanks.

“In the short term, the best we can do is make sure people have filters, upgrades to their gutters, we don’t want anyone getting sick from the bats being in town.

“Everything based around improving water quality and water amenities. Currently the water in Kingaroy is causing a bit of a stir,” he said.

He also hopes to be able to work with the chamber of commerce to encourage more business development in the region.

Seth Schuback was inspired by his father, Peter Schuback, after he ran (unsuccessfully) for Hervey Bay council. Photo: Alistair Brightman / Fraser Coast Chronicle.

Although Mr Schuback lives in Goodger, located in Division 3, he explained he’s running for Division 4 as he spends more time there.

“I may not live there exactly but Goodger is on the very edge of Division 3 and it’s not really acknowledged at all by the Division 3 candidates.

“I currently work at the South Burnett radiology as a medical receptionist … I thought I would run for the area that I spend a lot of time in.”

Mr Schucack also has a small side business developing board games, called Fun-Gui-Games, which are sold online and at Gamez Knight in Kingaroy.

“I design board games and publish them and card games … and a little bit of writing on the side.”

He also worked for the Queensland Police Service as a protective service officer from 2021 to 2022.

Mr Schuback addressed his young age and believes it allows him to see the world in a “slightly different way.”

“In a democracy there are many people of different ages, groups and ethnicities that live in our society, I think it’s always a good idea to get feedback from all sorts of people and if I can add a different perspective into the council, I think that would be a positive.

“There is that lack of experience which I can’t really compete with, obviously someone with 10 years on me is going to have more experience, that’s just how age works.”

If he isn’t successful he hasn’t ruled out running again in the future depending on how the region does.

“It depends what the next council does … if they manage to fix the major concerns in the region, I might not,” he said.