The 2019 Queensland Budget was never going to set the world on fire

Wow, what a week. The Indigenous Leaders Forum here in Cairns, Queensland Day and a State of Origin win in the first game of the 2019 Series

New research released this week shows that, for all the talk of local councils being “on the nose” and the continued political assaults on local government from vested interests, the public is more satisfied with the sector than it was last year.

With the federal election campaign all but done and dusted, local government in Queensland has a much better idea about where the major parties stand on our policy proposals.

A matter of days out from the federal election it is pleasing to see issues that really matter to local communities are finding their way into the campaign narrative.

Next year will mark 100 years since the LGAQ became the industrial voice of local government in Queensland, a fact of which we are mightily proud.

The world is converging rapidly into a data driven, analytics led, hyper knowledge existence. We are all on the same journey whatever our role or calling in life.

Irrespective of one’s religious views or credo, each faith has its seasons. Easter is one of those signposts for reflection.

With the Federal election scheduled for 18 May. The Australian Local Government Association and the LGAQ were straight out of the blocks, pitching our 7-point plan with the prime ask a restoration of financial assistance grants to 1% of federal taxation revenue.

Why the numbers say everything from the meeting on Tuesday.

No other government sector in this State or indeed, across the nation, has absorbed as much policy and administrative reform over the past decade as local government in Queensland.

In public life you are often confronted with difficult choices, knowing full well the consequences could be significant and long lasting. But ultimately if you stand for principle the right choice is obvious.

A week of intense pressure from the LGAQ and member councils on the Palaszczuk Government has produced results.

The Palaszczuk Government has flagged major changes to the system of voting that operates in the local government sector.

This week was all about Big Data and our analytics team, LG Sherlock. We are deadly serious about implementing the highest standards around the use of data and building trust with the broader community.

As the floodwaters receded in Townsville, there were countless stories of people doing their utmost to help neighbours cope with the disaster.

Meeting nature's epic challenges includes doing the impossible in the most hazardous conditions and working unbelievable hours.

One of the issues that councils need to keep a weather eye on is governance.

Welcome to 2019 for what will be a seminal year in local government.

In James Taylor’s famous words, I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain. So has much of Queensland recently. It’s been a tumultuous end to a tumultuous 2018.