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A place where you can find and share events that are happening in the Hinchinbrook community.

Council Connections - 4 May 2022

4th May 2022

April General Meeting Update, Rates Payment Incentive Scheme Winner Announced, and Meet the Federal Election Candidates

Electrical Safety

I recently had the opportunity to meet with The Queensland Electricity Commissioner, Mr Greg Skyring and Executive Director of the Electrical Safety Office, Ms Donna Heelan, and was “shocked” to learn that out of 22 incidents involving electricity mishaps in Queensland during 2021, nine occurred in our district.

That is a matter of serious concern. The majority of incidents were associated with power line contact by machinery, and this is a matter we must all be mindful of as we go into our cane planting and harvesting season.

We know that working near power lines can be fatal, so we must ensure that we are aware of our surroundings at all times.

We should also be vigilant at home and in our sheds. The best way to protect ourselves and our families is to ensure that we have safety switches installed on all electrical circuits.

For further information or assistance, please visit https://bit.ly/3LtukyA.

Coconut Denutting

Council will shortly commence public consultation concerning development of a strategy to best deal with legal liability issues arising from the risk of injury from falling coconuts. 

Annual maintenance costs associated with denutting is becoming a significant burden on general rates, having risen from approximately $26,000 to over $100,000 in five years. That cost continues to rise as more and more coconut palms in high traffic areas reach fruit producing maturity.

The risk to Council is that coconuts, by their very nature, fall to the ground once mature, and there is a possibility that a falling coconut may strike a pedestrian or member of the public visiting and frequenting a public space.

The strategy will only apply to public space areas under Council’s control and responsibility and will not apply to private property. Owners of private property have their own obligations to make safe.

Telecommunications Tower to be Installed at Warrens Hill

Council has agreed to lease a parcel of land on Warrens Hill Blackrock to the Herbert Cane Productivity Services Limited (HCPSL) for the purpose of installing a telecommunications tower.

The tower will be used to enhance Global Positioning System signal and connectivity throughout the district, improving the service to the district cane farmers operating GPS systems as part of their farming practices.

Sale of Properties for Rate Recovery

Council has resolved to proceed with the sale of seven properties for the recovery of rates and charges that have been outstanding for in excess of three years, and in a few circumstances, over 5 years.

Rates Payment Incentive Scheme Winner

The latest draw of the Rates Payment Incentive Scheme occurred at Council’s General Meeting held on Tuesday 26 April 2022. 

The winner is Adrianne Paris.  Adrianne will receive $2,000 worth of vouchers that must be spent at local businesses of her choice. Congratulations Adrianne.

Business Basics Grant

Applications for the $5,000 Business Basics Grant open at 9.00am on Wednesday 4 May 2022. 

This grant allows new and emerging businesses to improve their day-to-day operations. For more information including guidelines and eligibility criteria, please visit https://bit.ly/3rWShqm.

Meet the Federal Election Candidates

You are invited to a meet and greet opportunity of the Federal Election Candidates as follows:-

Date:       Thursday 12 May 2022

Time:       5.30pm

Where:    JL Kelly Theatre Townsville Road Ingham

For more information, please contact the Hinchinbrook Chamber of Commerce Industry and Tourism.

Hinchinbrook H2O

Monitor your water use online at https://bit.ly/3vkcTLh. With the click of a mouse, you can now monitor your water consumption anytime, anywhere for FREE!

The Hinchinbrook H2O website provides the tools to help you save water and money, avoiding the shock of large water bills.

Sign up today to receive daily water consumption information. Set email and SMS alerts and be notified of water leaks and high consumption within days of occurring.

#dontwastehinchinbrook App

Having trouble remembering whether your recycling bin is going out this week or next week?

Confused about what item goes into the red and yellow kerbside bin?

Have a damaged bin or a broken or missing lid that needs to be replaced?

Why not join almost five hundred local Hinchinbrook households and download the #dontwastehinchinbrook app, and have these problems solved at the touch of a button.

There are many handy tools to choose from such as a personal bin collection calendar specific to your address and a detailed A-Z guide to assist you in the proper disposal of common household items.

The app also allows you to resolve any waste related issues by submitting requests regarding your bin service directly to Council.

The free app is a collaboration between MAMS Group and Hinchinbrook Shire Council and can be downloaded from any app store.

Council Encourages Hinchinbrook Businesses to Assist in Addressing the Current Skills Shortages

On Friday 1 April 2022, The Hon Alex Hawke MP, announced Townsville Enterprise Limited (TEL) as the Designated Area Representative for a Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) for the North Queensland region to assist in addressing the severe skills shortages that have been stifling economic growth and business activity in the region, including Hinchinbrook.

A DAMA is a formal agreement between the Australian Government and TEL. It provides business owners who have exhausted local recruitment options access to overseas workers, providing flexibility and responsiveness not available through the standard skilled migration programs. Hinchinbrook Shire Council is a member of TEL.

DAMAs are tailored to a region’s unique economic and labour market conditions, and as with all skilled migration schemes, they are only accessible if employers can demonstrate skills shortages and have given priority to Australian jobseekers first.

Council encourages Hinchinbrook businesses to visit the TEL website and make an initial registration of their interest in possibly using the DAMA. There are only four questions to complete to register your interest, and it only takes two minutes.

For further information or to register your interest, please visit Townsville Enterprise Limited’s website www.townsvilleenterprise.com.au/skills-and-migration/.

Need to print the Council Connections page? Click on the link below for the printable version. 

COUNCIL CONNECTIONS - 4 MAY 2022

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