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Majority Clearout At MBRC As New Council Takes Office

On Wednesday 22^nd April our new Mayor and 12 Local Councillors officially took office with seven of the thirteen Council positions having new representation.    

The newly elected Mayor and Councillors could not meet as a group due to social distancing requirements.

Councillors took the Declaration of Office in front of CEO Greg Chemello, on a rotation spaced 15 minutes apart.

The new Moreton Bay Regional Council is:

(Newly elected representatives highlighted)

Mayor: Peter Flannery

Division 1: Brooke Savige

Division 2: Mark Booth

Division 3: Adam Hain

Division 4: Jodie Shipway

Division 5: Sandra Ruck

Division 6: Karl Winchester

Division 7: Denise Sims

Division 8: Mick Gillam

Division 9: Cath Tonks

Division 10: Matt Constance

Division 11: Darren Grimwade

Division 12: Tony Latter

“This is an important day for our region and I congratulate the councillors on being elected to lead our community at a time when leadership is needed most,” Mayor Flannery said.

“Having met with all our councillors to discuss their priorities and ideas for our region, I’m pleased that they are collectively focussed on the immediate need for financial support and economic recovery, as our region fights to come back from coronavirus.

“I’m very pleased to have six returning councillors bringing their experience back to the chamber, and six new councillors bringing fresh ideas with them.

“I’d particularly like to welcome our three new female Councillors – Jodie Shipway (Div 4), Sandra Ruck (Div 5) and Cath Tonks (Div 9) – increasing female representation in our team of 12 up to five alongside Brooke Savige (Div 1) and Denise Sims (Div 7).

“I also want to thank the community for putting their faith in me to lead through this uncertain time.

“When we started this campaign, we didn’t know we’d be hit with the global pandemic that is COVID-19. So, locals have certainly made the right choice in electing an experienced councillor and a safe set of hands. That’s critically important at an uncertain time like this.

“I promise locals that my door and the door of every councillor you have elected will always be open to people who have their hearts in this community and have ideas on how we can get through this challenging time together.”

“We may be living in uncertain times and no one knows what the world will look like on the other side, but between the experience of our returning councillors and the fresh ideas of our new councillors, I think we already have the foundations for success.

“My door will always be open to anyone who has ideas on how we can do things differently here in Moreton Bay Region.”

Mayor Flannery said that the community had to be at the heart of every economic, strategic, and stimulus decision they make in the Chamber and he has committed to leading an open and accountable Council that’s united in its focus on economic recovery.

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On Wednesday, 19th February, Laurence Christie and Keith King of the Mango Hill Progress Association, met with Fire & Emergency Services Minister Craig Crawford and senior planning officers of the Emergency Services Department in Brisbane to push for a Fire Station to be built in Mango Hill/North Lakes.

The specific aim was to convince the Minister to put aside land now for a future Fire Station while that land was still available.

Emergency Dept Planners advised the Association that the Mango Hill and North Lakes communities are serviced by a ring of Fire Stations at Petrie, Redcliffe and Bracken Ridge with an Auxiliary Station at Deception Bay.

Minister Crawford was appraised of the many years of concerns of the Association that despite the existing Fire Stations, in two recent fires in North Lakes (2016) and Mango Hill (Oct 2019), fire appliances had arrived within the bare minimum set time for arrival (15 minutes). In both cases, the houses had been almost totally destroyed.

The following points were raised by the Association at the

• The Mango Hill / North Lakes population has grown rapidly from 9068 in 2006 to 30,105 at the 2016 Census with a projected population of 70,000 by 2036).
• Along with the increasing density of houses, traffic congestion on our highways, the Mango Hill Progress Association considers that the need for a local Fire station is now essential and should be considered for inclusion in forward planning capital works programs for new Fire Stations.
• The Emergency Services Department should purchase a site for the Station while land is available.

At our AGM, later that night, Chris Whiting advised members that he considered that the “seed had been planted” and that he was confident that the case put forward by the association was a solid one which he would continue to push for within State Government.

The Mango Hill Progress Association will continue to advocate for a Fire Station in Mango Hill/North Lakes and thanks our local State members, Chris Whiting (Bancroft) & Steven Miles (Murrumba) for organizing the meeting with Minister Crawford.