23/10/2026
🏛️ A productive three days at the 130th Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) Annual Conference in Cairns, joining mayors and councillors from across Queensland to progress the issues that matter to our communities.
There was a good mix of practical policy, advocacy and broader discussion about the challenges and opportunities facing Queensland.
A few highlights for me included:
🛣️ Updates on roads, freight and transport, including the rollout of Bruce Highway upgrades and the infrastructure regional Queensland relies on.
💰 Premier David Crisafulli’s announcement of reforms to local government depreciation, providing councils with a more practical and flexible approach to managing assets and long-term financial sustainability.
🤖 Some thought-provoking discussion about the opportunities to use AI and technology to improve productivity and service delivery.
📊 Political and economic insights from Antony Green and David Koch, providing some broader perspective on the environment councils and communities are operating in.
🇦🇺 A special moment marking 125 years of the Australian Flag, with Speaker of the House of Representatives Milton Dick MP joining delegates for its ceremonial unfurling.
We also debated and voted on motions covering disaster recovery, regional workforces, infrastructure, housing, community safety and a range of other issues that will now help shape LGAQ’s advocacy to state and federal governments.
With 77 councils representing very different communities, the value is in sharing ideas and speaking with a stronger collective voice where our interests align.
For me, the focus is always on what we can take from these conversations and bring back to the Whitsundays — stronger advocacy, better ideas and better outcomes for our communities.
