• Fourth and final Mackay Isaac Whitsunday Regional Community Forum of 2023
• Successful outcomes include support for the Queensland Police Service
• Expressions of Interest open for residents to participate in 2024-25 forums

Queensland Police Service (QPS) recruitment has been supported by the Queensland Government’s Mackay Isaac Whitsunday Regional Community Forum, which meets for the last time for 2023 at Airlie on Monday.

The forum presented an opportunity to enhance workforce attraction and retention, and members had investigated supporting QPS recruitment through partnering with Queensland Rugby League (QRL) for enhanced digital and in-person opportunities in regional and remote communities.

This led to the QPS working with the QRL, with an agreement in place for three years. 

As part of the agreement with the QRL, police attend local QRL games and sponsor the referees’ jersey through the seasons, and the QPS looks forward to enhancing this partnership for the next QRL season.

Housing accessibility and affordability, and regional infrastructure and service delivery are the priorities of the Mackay Isaac Whitsunday Regional Community Forum Action Plan.

Forum members will visit the TAFE Queensland Whitsundays campus and tour the new TAFE Queensland Aquaculture Centre of Excellence.

Presentations include Queensland’s $89 billion Big Build, workforce attraction and retention, and an overview of the Regional Community Forum Action Plans.   

Quote attributable to the Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries and Minister for Rural Communities Mark Furner:

“The Mackay Isaac Whitsunday Regional Community Forum members have provided great knowledge and insights about the region, and it has been a pleasure working with them.

“Thank you to the members for their wonderful work in the past two years - the region is stronger for their input.”

Quote attributable to the Minister for Housing Meaghan Scanlon:

“Working with forum members, we were able to outline their priorities for the region. “With their valuable advice, we’ve been able to get a number action items underway and completed.”

Quote attributable to the Mackay Isaac Whitsunday Regional Community Forum Chair, Assistant Minister for Education Julieanne Gilbert:

“Thank you to the forum members for their great support and engagement throughout 2022 and 2023 and I look forward to working with the new forum members.”

Quote attributable to Mackay Isaac Whitsunday Regional Community Forum member Brianna Baggow:

“The discussions have been focused and have led to actionable solutions for regional priorities. The experience gains further value because the Ministers relay these insights back to the Premier, enhancing the forum's impact.”

Quote attributable to Mackay Isaac Whitsunday Regional Community Forum member Clinton Begg:

“The forum presents an ideal platform to generate ideas to meet community needs.

“Seeing a particular pressing matter for our community come to life after a conversation you’ve engaged in months ago, is a tremendous moment because you know that the Ministers and government representatives attending the Forums have taken that information, gone away, thought about it further, created a policy and implemented it.”

Background

The forum is the eighth and last for the 2022-23 members. Expressions of Interest for Macky Isaac Whitsunday residents who would like to participate in the 2024-25 series of forums can be made at Regional Community Forums | About Queensland and its government | Queensland Government (www.qld.gov.au)

Forum member Mr Clinton Begg is available for interview – please email [email protected].

• The forum is chaired by the Assistant Minister for Education Julieanne Gilbert.
• The Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries and Minister for Rural Communities Mark Furner, and Minister for Housing Meaghan Scanlon are also attending. 
• The Macky Isaac Whitsunday Regional Community Forum is one of seven to be held in regional centres across the state, with similar forums for Central Queensland, Darling Downs South West, Far North Queensland, North and North West Queensland, Western Queensland, and Wide Bay Burnett Fraser Coast. 
• The Regional Community Forums are supported by the Office for Rural and Regional Queensland.

ENDS