Mayor's Message - Council Connections 16 January 2019

Happy New Year everybody! May it be full of happiness, success and all that you hope for.

Council staff are all back at work, however I would like to convey my gratitude to our skeleton crews that worked throughout the Christmas period in keeping the essential services going, enabling the rest of staff to take a well-earned break.

Ingham Picture Theatre

The Ingham Picture Theatre, operated by Ingham Disability Support Services is calling for the community’s support. The theatre is experiencing low attendance numbers and numbers are not viable in supporting hiring of new releases.

The sad reality is that without the support of our community the theatre, which has been an integral part of our Shire for over 50 years, may face closure. As a community we need to get behind our local theatre before it’s too late.

The theatre does a lot for our community, not only through showing new release movies, but also by hosting travelling theatre shows and by giving our local schools, dance, drama, music and sporting groups a platform to perform.

We need the Ingham Picture Theatre, and right now they need you.

The Ingham Picture Theatre supports the community with local jobs, and creates a social hub and venue for all members of our community.  Independent cinemas have been an enduring part of Australia's social fabric for over a century and remain the heart of the community.

For more information on what the Ingham Picture Theatre has to offer, including to find out what’s on screen now, visit their website www.inghampicturetheatre.com.au.

Image: The JL Kelly Theatre has been operating in the Hinchinbrook Shire for over 50 years.

Halifax Flood Levee Funding

The recent announcement by Minister Cameron Dick of a $390,000 commitment to raising the Halifax Levee is a commitment to fund the work, if relevant approvals are secured, and does not mean that raising of the levee has been approved.

You must remember that since 2014 legislation has been in place mandating an approval process for the construction and maintenance of levees. These approvals also apply to works designed at increasing the height of any levee.

A critical aspect to the granting of any approval is the determination that such work will not have any deleterious effect elsewhere.

As we are all aware, major problems occur when the flood behaviour is changed by levee construction. Protection of one area causes problems in other areas and this has been an ongoing matter of concern to many people for quite a while. I do not want to see these problems perpetuated or increased.

The process now will be for the Herbert River Improvement Trust (HRIT) to lodge an application with Council as the assessment manager for development approval and such application will need to be supported by modelling and good science addressing the issues outlined above.

Cr Ramon Jayo

Mayor