Local Connections - A Mayoral Networking Event

Premier of Queensland, the Honourable David Crisafulli MP and Executive Councillors; Members of Parliament; Directors-General and Commissioners; Council Mayors and CEOs from every corner of our State; President of the Local Government Association of Queensland Mayor Matt Burnett and CEO Ms Alison Smith; distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen.

I begin by acknowledging the Original Custodians of the lands around Brisbane, the Turrbal and Jagera people, and pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and to any First Nations people here this evening.

I was delighted to receive the invitation from Alison to join you this evening for the prelude to the Local Government Association’s Civic Leaders Summit, which gives me a valuable opportunity to renew contact with many of you and to meet a few Mayors, face-to-face, for the first time.

Tonight is also an important opportunity for Queensland’s local and State government leaders to make or renew vital connections and share challenges and solutions, particularly following the recent weather events.

During the extreme weather of the past six weeks, I have been in awe of your actions as Mayors and CEOs, and the support provided by the State Government, as record-breaking floods hit North and Far North Queensland, and again in the past week as Tropical Cyclone Alfred has made his unwelcome presence felt here in the South-East.

I visited North Queensland after their floods and am now planning visits to the impacted areas in South-East Queensland.

The promise I made when sworn in as Governor was to serve, acknowledge and support Queenslanders wherever they may live, and to bolster the pride and sense of connection people across our state so richly deserve.

As part of my commitment to serve, it is vital I understand the impact of disasters on your communities and learn what I can do to support you in your recovery, so I thank you for your assistance in facilitating that.

Due to the amazing efforts of Mayors, Councils, CEOs and their staff, in partnership with State Government agencies, Police, SES and Emergency Services, and so comprehensively led by the Premier and the Queensland Disaster Management Committee, loss of life has been minimised, although I – as you do – mourn the loss of lives in Ingham due to the floods there.

The regular official visits I make to your local government areas are part of my commitment as Governor for all of Queensland, and while I have not yet been able to travel to all 77 LGAs, I am on track to do so, and I am similarly confident of fulfilling my pledge to visit all Queensland public hospitals and health services during my term. I again thank you and your staff for helping to make it possible.

I am also grateful to local governments for the assistance they have given me and my office towards fulfilling another of my key pledges as Governor: to visit and support Indigenous communities and promote the importance of education and literacy for all Queensland children.

These visits have been inspirational, and I once again thank those councils represented here tonight who have helped me and my husband, Graeme, to gain a thorough understanding and appreciation of the issues that confront our First Nations people.

Further, as Governor, I am the proud Patron of more than 170 community-based organisations, many of them active in your local government areas. As you know, several of them, particularly those in the health, welfare, and emergency services sectors, play a critical role in the response and recovery to weather events like those we have seen in recent weeks, including the Red Cross, Foodbank, Surf Life Saving Queensland, and Volunteering Queensland.

Queenslanders may be famously pragmatic and resilient in the face of natural disasters, but recent events have really tested the resolve and resources of many communities. I wish you well as recovery continues and thank you for the leadership you have provided. Thank you.