Gladstone Regional Council Dinner

Member for Gladstone, the Honourable Glenn Butcher MP and Mrs Theresa Butcher; Gladstone Regional Council, Mayor, Councillor Matt Burnett and Mrs Jessi Hyne; CEO, Ms Leisa Dowling and Mr Dennis Dowling; business and community leaders; distinguished guests.

I begin by acknowledging the Original Custodians of the lands on which we are gathered, and pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and to any First Nations people here this evening.

Graeme and I are delighted that you have been able to join us for dinner and I thank you all for welcoming us so warmly.

First, I thank Mayor Burnett and his staff for the support they have given to the Office of the Governor in organising this visit at one of the busiest times in Gladstone’s annual calendar. As a true ‘local’, he has been invaluable in guiding Graeme and me through our first experience of Gladstone in ‘party mode’.

At my swearing-in in 2021, I made a pledge to be a Governor for all of Queensland and to visit each of the 77 Local Government Areas in our vast State, and I’m so excited our first official visit to this region has coincided with the most exciting time of the year!

For me, these visits are one of my favourite parts of my role as Governor because it is through conversations at meetings, events, and shared meals like this that I can hear, firsthand, about local successes and concerns, and develop a greater understanding of each community.

Although my role as Governor is strictly impartial and apolitical, the information and insights I gain through this direct contact enable me to support and advocate for Queenslanders, wherever they may live.

I know that many of you are also committed advocates for the communities and organisations you represent and I take the opportunity to thank and commend you for all that you do.

Gladstone Regional Council is providing such strong leadership in shaping the future of this expanding region, and with the backing of local industry, businesses and community leaders like you, is doing a wonderful job turning the challenges such rapid growth can present into opportunities, releasing new land for housing, advocating for state‑funded affordable‑housing initiatives, and partnering with industry to attract skilled workers.

All of those actions, combined with Council’s capital-works program, will strengthen the local economy and improve liveability for families, as will the initiatives taken by the Queensland Government to address health service gaps and make Gladstone a more self‑reliant regional health hub.

It has been immediately clear to Graeme and me that this region is thriving, and that it has fully embraced the opportunities offered by the Harbour Festival and the Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race.

These major events do much more than make a quantifiable contribution to the economy of the city and the region; they bolster Gladstone’s sense of pride as a city, and help produce a vital sense of stability, continuity and shared community purpose in a world that is now characterised by uncertainty and rapid change.

The Gladstone region can be justifiably proud of what it does so well every Easter weekend, showing the rest of Australia – and indeed the world – what can be achieved when long-term community commitment and collaboration is combined with a bold local government vision to redefine the city and the region.

Thank you again for joining us tonight.