https://www.whitsundayrc.qld.gov.au/

Mayor Ry Collins - Whitsunday Regional Council, 83/85 Main Street, Proserpine (2026)

18/06/2026

✅ Budget 2026/27 Adopted

Yesterday Council adopted our 2026/27 Budget — a responsible budget focused on balancing the needs of today while preparing for the future of one of Queensland’s fastest-growing regional communities.

Over the past year we’ve worked hard to improve transparency, strengthen financial discipline and reduce Council’s underlying General Fund deficit from around $12 million to approximately $3 million. This budget continues that journey while investing more than $180 million into the capital infrastructure and services our communities rely on every day.

Some key points include:

🔹 Average general rate increase of 4%
🔹 $46.5 million for roads, buildings and footpaths
🔹 $39.8 million for water and sewerage infrastructure
🔹 $17.9 million for waste and recycling services
🔹 $16.3 million for parks, pools, playgrounds and cemeteries
🔹 $10.4 million for libraries, customer and community services, grants and events
🔹 Continued delivery of the Cannonvale and Collinsville Community Hubs
🔹 More than $50 million in housing-enabling infrastructure through Build Whitsundays in Bowen, Proserpine and Cannonvale.
🔹 Continued investment in economic development, NRM and community programs.

This budget reflects a Council that is looking inward for efficiencies, living within its means and focusing on delivering results for our community. It recognises the cost-of-living pressures facing households while ensuring we continue to invest in the infrastructure and services needed for a growing region.

The Whitsundays has a big future ahead — and this budget helps ensure we’re ready for it. 🌴

16/06/2026

🏆 Airlie Beach does it again!

A huge congratulations to Airlie Beach on being crowned Queensland's Best Small Tourism Town for the fifth consecutive year at last night's Queensland Tourism Industry Council - QTIC Top Tourism Town Awards. 🌴👏

This recognition doesn't happen by accident. It's a credit to the incredible efforts of our tourism operators, local businesses, workers, volunteers and Tourism Whitsundays, who work every day to showcase the very best our region has to offer.

Airlie Beach continues to be one of Australia's most iconic tourism destinations and a worthy gateway to the Whitsunday Islands and Great Barrier Reef.

Congratulations to everyone involved and fingers crossed as we now look towards the national awards later this year. 🤞🏆

🌴☀️

14/06/2026

Last night was a night of legends, laughs and a lot of love from our community. ❤️

It was a privilege for Mel and I to attend the Whitsunday Su***de Prevention Network - WSPN Legends Night fundraiser at 360 On Flagstaff, overlooking a beautiful Bowen evening.

A real highlight was hearing from guest speakers Michael Kimpton and McQuilty ‘coco’ Quirke who shared powerful and inspiring stories of overcoming extraordinary personal adversity. Their honesty, resilience and unique perspective left a lasting impression on everyone in the room.

Mental health and su***de prevention remain significant challenges for communities right across Australia, which is why it is so encouraging to see emerging leaders from across the Whitsundays stepping up, supporting one another and taking action.

A huge congratulations to legends WSPN President Matt Stokes, Jenn Lowcock and all involved for delivering such a fantastic event, and thank you to everyone who attended and supported this important cause.
Together, conversations like these help build stronger, more connected and more resilient communities. 👏

***dePrevention ❤️

13/06/2026

Last night we celebrated the incredible diversity that helps make the Whitsundays such a special place to live at the Whitsunday Multicultural Festival on the Bowen Foreshore. 🌏🎉

With more than 6,000 residents born overseas, the Whitsundays is proudly multicultural, and events like this are a wonderful reminder of the cultures, traditions and stories that enrich our region.

There was fantastic food, music, dance and entertainment throughout the evening, with the Pacifica Nations cultural performances a particular highlight that really got the crowd going. 👏

I also successfully avoided the snake show, although when a lei was placed around my neck I was briefly concerned I was about to be recruited into the dancing as well! 😄

A huge thank you to the organisers, volunteers, performers, stallholders and sponsors including North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation and the Queensland Government who made the event possible. Most importantly, thank you to our community for embracing the values of inclusion, respect and connection that make the Whitsundays such a welcoming place to call home.

🌏❤️

12/06/2026

It was a pleasure to attend this afternoon’s ‘A Stitch in Time’ exhibition at the Proserpine Entertainment Centre, Whitsundays as part of council’s Social Seniors initiative . 🧵🎨

The exhibition showcases a collection of wonderful artworks created by seniors from across the Whitsundays, each sharing stories, memories and moments from their lives through textile art.

Our seniors are valued members of our community, and programs like this play an important role in reducing social isolation, building social connections and bringing people together to share their experiences in a creative and engaging way.

It was great to see work from right across the Whitsundays, a big congratulations to everyone who contributed their work and came a long in support(including birthday boy Logan). A special thank you also to Sue and her team for bringing this fantastic exhibition together and supporting our seniors across the region.

The talent on display was impressive and the stories behind the artworks made it even more special. 👏

11/06/2026

Great to run into Jay and Dave from Triple M Mackay & The Whitsundays in Cannonvale this morning. 🎙️🌴
Always good to have a chat about what makes the Whitsundays such a fantastic place to live, work and visit, and there’s certainly plenty happening over the next few months.

Thanks for the chat gents! 👏

The Jay & Dave Breakfast Show

11/06/2026

💡 THINKING BIG: Abbot Point

When people think about Queensland's resources industry, they often picture mine sites hundreds of kilometres inland.

The reality is that while the resources may be dug out there, they leave Queensland through places like Abbot Point right here in the Whitsundays.

Recently our Council went to meet with the team at Abbot Point Operations and get the opportunity to go behind the scenes at one of our region's largest economic generators and employers. The scale is simply incredible.

⚫ Almost 35 million tonnes exported annually
🌏 Coal shipped to 17 countries around the world
👷 Around 200 direct employees
🔧 More than $50 million spent with local contractors each year
💰 Billions in economic activity and royalties helping fund schools, hospitals, roads and services across Queensland

Standing beside reclaimers the size of high-rise buildings, travelling along a jetty stretching almost 2 kilometres out to sea, and watching giant shiploaders fill some of the world's largest vessels really brings home the scale of this operation.

Yet what impressed me just as much was the environment.

After more than 50 years of operation, the area remains home to remarkable natural assets including the Caley Valley Wetlands, turtles, gt’s and manta rays around the jetty - not just surviving but thriving, and stunning views across the Whitsunday islands, Bowen to the south and Guthalungra to the north. It's a place that demonstrates industry and environment can coexist when managed well.

Abbot Point is a critical piece of Queensland's economic infrastructure and a major reason our region continues to punch above its weight.

So when measuring the contribution of the Whitsundays' resources sector to Queensland's economy, I guess we can also say...

Queensland, you're welcome. 😉🌴

10/06/2026

A great morning at Merinda State School celebrating First Responders Day. 🚔🚒🚑

It was fantastic to see local police, firefighters and paramedics sharing their experiences with students and giving an insight into the important work they do serving our community every day.

A big thank you to our emergency services personnel, Principal Williams and the school team for a great event and the invitation to attend. 👏

🚔🚒🚑

09/06/2026

One of the very best parts of being Mayor is welcoming new Australians to our community. 🇦🇺

Today at the Proserpine Entertainment Centre, Whitsundays we held a record citizenship ceremony, officially welcoming 65 new Australian citizens.

What I love about these ceremonies is the diversity of stories they represent. Some of our newest citizens have only recently arrived in Australia, while others have been part of the fabric of our community for decades — including two recipients who have called Australia home for 60 years and 44 years respectively before taking this final step in their journey.

It was particularly special to confer citizenship on my neighbour Alex, and Whitsunday Regional Council staff member Kelly and her husband Shaun, who became an Australian citizen alongside their two children.

The Whitsundays is home to people from more than 40 nationalities, and today’s ceremony was another reminder of the diversity, opportunity and community spirit that make our region so special.

Congratulations to all 65 of our newest Australians. We are proud to have you as part of our community and proud to call you fellow Australians. 👏🇦🇺

09/06/2026

I don’t often comment on Federal or state policy decisions, but the Federal Government’s proposed changes to disaster recovery funding arrangements (DRFA) have the potential to be a significant blow to communities across regional Queensland, including the Whitsundays.

Like many North Queensland communities, we know all too well the importance of disaster recovery support. Whether it’s Tropical Cyclone Koji earlier this year, major monsoonal flooding events, or Cyclone Debbie almost a decade ago, recovery doesn’t happen overnight and in some cases continues for many years.

There are elements of the proposed reforms that I support. Streamlining access to funding, reducing red tape and improving efficiency should always be welcomed.

However, any changes that ultimately reduce funding available to disaster-affected communities should be approached with extreme caution.

Without replicating what others have said on this issue, a lens of concern I’ll pose is not simply about fairness or equity. It’s about productivity, and that should be high in the national interest.

The Greater Whitsunday region is one of Australia’s most productive regional economies, generating over $140,000 in GRP per person each year — almost double the national average. That productivity supports services Australians rely on every day, including healthcare, education, welfare and the infrastructure that supports our nation.

When disaster strikes, recovery funding isn’t charity. It is an investment in restoring the productive capacity of regions that help drive the Australian economy.

Australia has a massive productivity challenge. We won’t solve it by making it harder for some of our most productive regional economies to recover from natural disasters.

Regional communities already face the challenges of distance, higher costs, ageing infrastructure and often waiting longer for major infrastructure investment than our metropolitan counterparts. What we have been able to rely on is a disaster recovery system that helps communities get back on their feet when they need it most.

I respectfully ask the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Federal Government to carefully reconsider any changes that would reduce funding support for disaster-impacted communities and ensure regions like ours are not left uncertain and wondering to what level they will recover when the next major event occurs.

Nita Green - Senator for Queensland
Senator Anthony Chisholm
Corinne Mulholland
Murray Watt - Senator for Queensland

Mayor Ry Collins - Whitsunday Regional Council

18/06/2026

16/06/2026

14/06/2026

13/06/2026

12/06/2026

11/06/2026

11/06/2026

10/06/2026

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09/06/2026

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