
News

WQAC Delegation to Brisbane and Canberra
Representatives from NWQROC joined WQAC colleagues as part of delegations to State and Federal government in March 2023.

NWQ Represented at Housing Summit
NWQROC Chair, Mayor Jack Bawden, attended the Queensland Housing Summit hosted in Brisbane on 20 October 2022.

Kennedy candidates have their say at NWQROC event
Three candidates contesting the seat of Kennedy at the upcoming federal election participated in a Q&A session hosted by North West Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils in Mount Surprise yesterday.

WQAC2022 Assembly Communique
“Out West Where the Stars are Brightest” was the theme of the 2022 Western Queensland Alliance of Councils (WQAC) Assembly where a record 205 delegates, sponsors, government and industry participants convened at the Charleville Town Hall from Wednesday 9th to Friday 11th March.

Roads, connectivity, housing: Western Qld leaders assemble to focus on building blocks for the future
More than 180 delegates including leaders from across Western Queensland and senior State and Federal government representatives are set to gather in Richmond from 17 – 19 May for the 2021 Western Queensland Alliance of Councils (WQAC) Assembly.

NWQ top issues and opportunities on monthly board meeting agenda
Connecting via Zoom this morning, NWQROC held its monthly board meeting.
Local leaders from across the nine councils of NWQROC came together for our monthly board meeting.

Bumper agenda in McKinlay for NWQROC board meeting
It was a full house for our monthly Board meeting over the past two days in Julia Creek.

Key appointments for NWQ leaders - region in good hands
North West Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils board has re-elected Carpentaria Shire Mayor Jack Bawden as its Chair. Elected as Deputy Chair is Flinders Shire Mayor Jane McNamara.
Cr McNamara will also represent North West Queensland following her election as Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) Policy Executive for 2020-2024.
Richmond Shire Mayor John Wharton AM, has been re-elected as the Chair of the North West Queensland Regional Roads and Transport Group.

NWQROC keeps up momentum during COVID-19 as board meeting goes online
Our first board meeting post-local government elections took place today with the board welcoming two new Mayors, Cr Philip Curr, McKinlay and Cr Danielle Slade, Mount Isa.
With COVID-19 bringing our plans to host the meeting in Mount Isa to a halt, we moved our meeting online to cover a full agenda of more than four hours.

Election needs to go ahead: NWQ leaders
With the Queensland local government election day only four days away, the organisation of the eight councils of North West Queensland has called for the current election to continue.
Executive Officer of the North West Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils (NWQROC), Greg Hoffman PSM said: “As the world moves to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, now more than ever we need certainty in our local communities and local government leaders empowered to make the decisions and provide the support their residents need.“
“NWQROC urges the Electoral Commission Queensland (ECQ) to continue with the election – but it must ensure that the safety of its polling staff, electors and candidates is its top priority,” Mr Hoffman said.

News from the North West - Summer 2019
Welcome to the latest edition of News for the North West as we wrap up 2019 and look forward to what we’ll be getting up to in 2020. There’s a lot that’s happened in 2019, now where to start?
It wouldn’t be a lie to say it’s been a busy and challenging year. With flood recovery, federal election campaigning and more. Read more about what we've been up to in 2019 and what's ahead in 2020.

News from the North West - Spring 2019
Welcome to the latest edition of News for the North West.
We’ve covered some significant ground since our last newsletter. With our Federal Election campaign wrapping up in May, we continue to plan for the future and make progress in securing a fair regional deal.

NWQROC on the road to regional solutions
The North Queensland Livestock Industry Recovery Agency (NQLIRA) held a series of stakeholder events across Northern Queensland throughout August and September. The sessions look to inform the development of a strategy for the long-term recovery and resilience of areas affected by the 2019 monsoon trough.

Bush Councils Convention 2019
The Bush Councils Convention 2019 was held in Roma on 6 – 8 August by the Local Government Association of Queensland. It proved to be an impressive two days with a great event that highlighted the strengths of our regional councils and provided a valuable platform for productive conversations.
Our Mayors once again proudly represented our region, continuing their drive to deliver a fair regional deal for the North West.

Meetings set strategic direction towards 2020
NWQROC Regional Deal Campaign on path to State Election 2020
North West Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils (NWQROC) is continuing its drive for fair government investment in our region as it prepares to hit the campaign trail once again ahead of the State Election on 31 October 2020.
The development of a State-focussed strategy inline with our recent federal campaign got underway at the NWQROC board meeting in Julia Creek on 30-31 July 2019. The momentum gained from our federal campaign keeps pace as we continue to engage with relevant Commonwealth and State departmental officers about a Fair Regional Deal for the North West.

NWQ Mayors welcome election responses from parties
The nine mayors from North West Queensland would like to thank the people of Townsville for supporting their mates in the North West, as the two major and three cross-bench parties commit their support for North West Queensland and agree that a strong Townsville needs a strong region.
The mayors met in Townsville on 9-10 May and invited parties and candidates to take the final opportunity to formally respond to their request for a better regional deal before the Federal Election.

Mayors unite to bring campaign to Herbert
Nine mayors from North West Queensland have united to fight for a fair regional deal, bringing their campaign to the electorate of Herbert with a clear message for candidates - a strong Townsville, needs a strong North West Queensland.
The mayors chose to meet in Townsville (9-10 May) inviting parties and candidates to take a final opportunity to formally respond to their request for a better regional deal before the Federal Election.

Region-wide response critical to Northern recovery say flood affected Mayors
The collective force of leaders from across flood-hit northern Queensland have made their mark in Canberra as they push for a united regional recovery response.
The delegation including Townsville Enterprise, the Regional Organisation of Councils from North and North West Queensland (NQROC and NWQROC) are joined by peak industry bodies at Parliament House. The two-day meeting schedule (Tuesday 19 February to Wednesday 20 February) with key Cabinet and Shadow Cabinet ministers including Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack MP and opposition leader Bill Shorten MP.
Where we come from, we stick together, and neighbours help one another. That’s why we’re working with Townsville and wider North Queensland - we have a shared challenge and we should look to shared solutions for now and into the future.

Leaders from across Northern Queensland start road to recovery in Canberra
Leaders from North West Queensland are in Canberra this week as part of a united Northern Queensland delegation meeting with our nation’s leaders to continue to push for recovery support following the devastating flooding events across the state’s north.
Burke Shire Mayor, Cr Ernie Camp, Mount Isa City Mayor, Cr Joyce McCulloch, and NWQ Regional Organisation of Councils Executive Officer, Greg Hoffman PSM, will join Townsville Enterprise, North Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils and peak industry bodies.
The delegation will take a united message from the North to Parliament House seeking immediate action on the economic rebuild of communities across North Queensland and North West Queensland in the wake of one of the most devastating natural disasters we have seen in recent memory.

NWQ Leaders deliver pre-budget submission to Canberra
The leaders of North West Queensland have delivered a submission to the federal Treasurer ahead of the 2019-20 Budget as they continue their push to secure a fair deal for the region.
Each hardworking local in North West Queensland (NWQ) contributes $176,000 per capita to the national economy – nearly three times more than elsewhere in Queensland at only $66,000.
Despite this significant impact on our nation’s economy, we don’t see the return on investment we deserve.
Without fair investment from Canberra and Brisbane in infrastructure, communications and community our small, local communities can’t keep delivering this massive contribution that our whole nation benefits from.