South Burnett council demands answers as Wide Bay, Flynn, Maranoa candidates overlook the LNP-stronghold

‘Our votes count as much as those in the leafy city suburbs’: Candidates for Maranoa, Wide Bay and Flynn have been questioned on their election promises to constituents, as community leaders say not a single key commitment has been made.

With the countdown on till Australia’s federal election, the South Burnett Regional Council has expressed concern the region’s safe seat status has left its residents snubbed.

Mayor Brett Otto revealed on Wednesday the council has contacted the candidates for the federal seats of Maranoa, Wide Bay and Flynn - all LNP strongholds - and challenged them to “front up and tell us what they will do for the families and businesses of the South Burnett”.

“In the federal election campaign so far, we have not heard a single commitment about upgrading services and infrastructure in the South Burnett,” Cr Otto said.

“This is frustrating. Our votes count as much as those in the leafy city suburbs, but the campaign trail hardly ever reaches us.”

Cr Otto said the South Burnett region is in desperate need of federal funding, from transport to water infrastructure and medical specialists to telecommunications.

“We’ve seen a number of announcements in the federal budget recently right across Australia, and many across regional Queensland, but not one for the safe seat of Maranoa or Wide Bay,” he said.

“I’m hoping that Flynn, being a closer marginal seat, will see greater attention, but overall I believe it should be a process of fairness and equity whereby the resources are allocated on the basis of need, not on the basis of politics.”

Each candidate has been sent a copy of the council’s Federal Government Advocacy Action Plan, which lays out the region’s key needs including:

• An increase in the agricultural water supply and reliability;
• Continued Commonwealth investment in major connecting freight routes;
• Increased funding for the region’s road network;
• Support for renewable energy projects, investment in the food manufacturing and processing sector, and improved use of the Kingaroy Airport;
• Investment in QCN fibre, a purpose sited ABC rebroadcast tower, and at least two new mobile phone towers.

Cr Otto said the council’s top priority remained mental health, with staggering rates of suicide across the South Burnett and Cherbourg continuing to grow.

“We put to the Federal Government about 12 months ago a submission for a $3 million mental health program under their mental health plan, which involves a headspace, a mobile team of low intensity counsellors, and youth mental health hub,” he said.

“We’ve had no response at this point in time.”