Dinner in support of Regional Queensland

Representing the Minister for Local Government and Water and Minister for Fire, Disaster Recovery and Volunteers, Ms Sally Webster; LifeFlight Chair, the Honourable James Elder; Mayors and your guests; Secretary for RSL Queensland, Group Captain Iain Carty CSM (Retd); Queensland Ag Shows CEO, Ms T'aire Olsen and Board Member Mrs Margie Webb.

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 our First Nations guests around the table here tonight.

Graeme and I are delighted to welcome you to Government House for this special dinner in support of regional Queensland, and to honour remarkable people — like yourselves — who help shape and strengthen communities across our vast state.

We appreciate that you have travelled some distance to be here this evening, allowing us an opportunity to thank you for your dedicated service to our regional communities, and to reciprocate the generous hospitality you have shown us as we’ve travelled the length and breadth of the state over the past five years.

During this time, I have accomplished my goal of visiting all 77 Local Government areas — plus Weipa Town — fulfilling a promise made at my swearing-in, in November 2021, to be a Governor for all Queenslanders: to serve, acknowledge and support Queenslanders wherever they live.

Most recently, Murweh Shire Council helped facilitate my visit to Charleville Hospital, fulfilling another pledge: to visit every public hospital in Queensland, to express gratitude to our frontline healthcare workers for their hard work and dedication.

As Governor, it has been a privilege to visit every nook and cranny of the State, to spend time with everyday Queenslanders, to better understand the opportunities and challenges they face.

Graeme and I have seen first-hand that living and working outside of our major centres can be demanding. Responding to the pressures of distance and navigating the complexities of decentralised service delivery are constant challenges, as are securing funding for the replacement of vital infrastructure, recovering from extreme weather events, or grappling with cost-of-living pressures, the need for affordable housing, and concerns about community health and safety.

Despite these challenges, regional Queensland makes an immense contribution to the prosperity of our state, with local communities demonstrating a capacity to meet challenges head-on, with optimism and unity.

Your leadership is central to that strength: navigating distance, limited resources, competing priorities and day-to-day demands; encouraging economic vitality and community wellbeing; and standing at the frontline in times of natural disaster to advocate for recovery and ensure no community is left behind. For this, and for so much more, I offer my sincere thanks.

These visits have also reinforced the importance of the organisations that are such regular and significant features of regional life — including RSL Queensland, LifeFlight and Queensland Ag Shows — and the vital role played by Queensland’s Department of Local Government, Water and Volunteers in supporting councils as they serve their communities.

Tonight’s dinner enables me — along with Graeme — to formally thank you, on behalf of all Queenslanders, for your exceptional leadership of — and unwavering commitment to — your communities and our state. 

And I also want to recognise the contributions of your partners, families and friends, who support you in your busy and complex roles.

I look forward to continuing to engage with local governments and regional communities later this month when I attend the Local Government of Queensland’s annual conference in Cairns, which marks two incredible milestones — 130 years of the LGAQ and 150 years of the City of Cairns.

In the meantime, we hope you enjoy the hospitality of Government House and tonight’s dinner, made from the very best Queensland-sourced produce, of course!