Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
I have White Bay Burnett.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Welcome to Iheartlight bay Burnette, your local news fix. I'm
Taylor Larson, joined by Bruce Atkinson.
Speaker 3 (00:08):
On today's show, the trip aiming to ford strong bonds
with China and questions raised over a multi billion dollar project.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Bruce is kicking us off in the southern part of
our region with a story that's been making headlines around
the state.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
There's a push to overturn Gimbee Council's recent decision to
end fluoridation of its water supply. Six of the nine
councilors last week voted to discontinue using fluoride. The decision
ignored a staff recommendation and medical opinion and was prompted
by a petition of just six hundred and fifty people.
Councilor mccurran voted against the move and wants to keep
treated water well.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
The governance around the issue, it's sort of left it
in limbo. We've resolved to not fluoridate the water, but
there's been no ongoing plans to actually remove it, which
endorses council's wishes. So it's my intention to put a
motion to council to rescind that motion and move the
community forward in relation to.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
This issue, he says, some of the people who signed
the petition don't live in the region, some of them
oversees councilor Current believes the silent majority of locals believe
fluoride is a smart health move.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Obviously, you know, it was said that the community had spoken.
There was six hundred plus names on a petition. As
we said before, there was certainly some discrepancies in the
petition received by council. One of our local media publications
has released their own poll and I can certainly advise
you that there's probably double the number of respondents to
(01:35):
that and a large majority are in agreeants to keeping
fluoride in the water. So you know, it's an issue
that is out there. It's not an issue that was
raised at the elections earlier in March this year, or
for that matter, anytime since probably twenty thirteen when it
was last resolved by Gimpei Regional Council to keep fluoride
in the water.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
Meanwhile, a fluoride expert and dentist, doctor Michael Foley, believes
Council's decision is an awful one.
Speaker 4 (02:01):
It's a dreadfully disappointing decision, both from a public health
point of view, because we know that water fluoridation substantially
reduces two decay in children and an adults in the
whole population. Also simply from a financial point of view,
because we know that money spent on water floridation is
repaid many many times over in saved dental costs in
(02:24):
subsequent decades. So on both those counts it is a
really awful decision by Gimbee Regional Council.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
He says it shouldn't be left to councils to decide
on such an important health issue.
Speaker 4 (02:37):
In no other state or territory in Australia do local
governments have the sole decision making power on water floridation.
It's a state or territory government decision. I mean, that's
where the experts in public health are, not in local councils.
Councils are really good, hard working people. It's a tough gig,
but they're not experts in public health or water fluoridationistry
(03:00):
or any of those things. They shouldn't be put in
this decision by state governments.
Speaker 3 (03:05):
Doctor Foley says Queensland has the poorest dental health in
Australia and this latest move one improve the situation.
Speaker 4 (03:12):
In a really complex public health issue. The Council really
should be listening to the experts and in Australia, every medical, dental,
public health and scientific expert body supports water fluoridation. There
are no expert bodies in Australia that do not support
water fluoridation. It's a poor decision by the Council, but
(03:33):
as I said, they should never have been put in
that situation where they're forced to make this decision anyway,
and a petition from a few hundred people I believe,
many of whom don't even come from the region anyway.
I mean, that's really silly stuff.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
Jimpi Mayor Glenn Hartwig voted to end fluoridation. Has since
had a big response from people on both sides of
the debate.
Speaker 5 (03:55):
My personal view is though that we actually we live
in a democratic society and one of the principles are
people's freedom and choice to choose what they ingest, and
I think as a Council we need to look at
this and see if there are options that we can
allow those that don't want fluoride to have that freedom,
but also see what is available to those that do
want extra fluid in a diet, so we can meet
their needs as well.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
The mayor agrees it would have been easier if the
state government took responsibility for mandating fluoridation.
Speaker 5 (04:21):
So I mean, you know, we're always happy to pass
the ball to someone else. Look, I think at the
end of the day, the overarching principle of democracy is
that governments should be out of your life as much
as possible, and we shouldn't be determining and dictating you know,
what you should and shouldn't eat. We give people a
lot of freedom. We give people the freedom to smoke,
and we know that smoking has horrible dental repercussions and
(04:41):
horrible health repercussions. But part of being in a democratic
society we weigh up the risk first the right and
both you know, the AMA and the dental associations. They're
not out there pushing for the abolition of smoking, so
I think we have to be very careful and conservative
when you want to impose or infringe people's rights.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
The Australian Dental Association of Queensland has written to the
Mayor voicing serious concern about the future of fluoridation in
Gibbee and seeking assurances it won't be stopped. The association's
president wants to urgently meet with Glenn Hartwig to discuss
the issue.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
The Bunderberg mayor has visited the town's Chinese sister city
in hopes of boosting trade opportunities. We caught up with
Helen Blackburn while she was in Nanning.
Speaker 6 (05:29):
In terms of China Australian relations, we're not about that.
Sister cities is more about.
Speaker 7 (05:34):
People to people.
Speaker 6 (05:35):
So we work with a nunning government and I meet
with their mayor and that's today as well, and you know,
it really is just about that friendship. And we've got
very similar values in terms of they have agriculture similar
to our agriculture. And obviously it wasn't my idea to
have a sister city that was well and truly way
(05:55):
back in me to Cunningham's time in nineteen ninety eight.
You know, the opportunity to speak with the delegation and
whatever opportunities that sees on the other side, whether that's
tourism opportunities, investment opportunities or export opportunities for Bunderberg region.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Nanning hosted the Asian Expo, when the mayor presented to
more than three hundred delegates from across the broader region that's.
Speaker 6 (06:17):
Man, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates as well
as across China. That presentation that I'll be doing or
talk about the tourism opportunities in our region, talk about
our great export opportunities and the produce and products that
we have from our region, and really just promoting Bunderberg.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
It's the first time representatives from Bundy have been at
the Expo in four years. Mayor Blackburn is hoping the
twenty six year relationship between our cities will reap benefits
for the.
Speaker 6 (06:48):
Only sister city that is being given this opportunity to
speak to this delegation. No other mayor is speaking to
the delegation, just myself is.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
It hasn't been without backlash ratepayers a slamming council's decision
to spend sixteen and a half thousand dollars on airfares
for the mayor, two counselors and an economic development officer.
The mayor has defended the spend, saying she wouldn't normally
accept an invitation just because she was invited, but believes
the ability to showcase the region on the global stage
(07:20):
is invaluable. Aside from the airfares, the rest of the
tab was picked up by the Nanning government.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
After the break a new plan to keep the food
supply chain afloat I Herb.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
White Baburnad I Herb White.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
Baburnad Welcome back to Iheartwiite Bay bern Airtime Taylor Larson
joined by Bruce Atkinson. The Wide Bays workforce is expected
to be the fastest growing region in Queensland by twenty
twenty five to twenty six. By then, more than three
and a half thousand locals will be employed in the
food and beverage manufacturing industry. Sound clunky, but essentially the
(08:01):
sector includes jobs which turn an ingredient into various products,
think like flavored macadamias or even sources. With a four
point seven percent rise in jobs on the Horizon Jobs
Queensland is trying to get ahead. It's worked with local
industry to produce the Wide Bay Food and Beverage a
Manufacturing industry workforce development Plan. It goes through the challenges
(08:23):
of getting labor and how to maximize recruitment. Chair of
Bunderberg Fruit and Vegetable Growers, Jim Randall is hoping it
provides a more stable workforce.
Speaker 8 (08:31):
If I look at the period post COVID through COVID
to now, we had wide variations in availability of labor
and the quality of labor. And ideally this approach should
ensure that we end up with consistent, I guess, stable
and effective workforce for the region. And it's important we
(08:52):
look at it for the region because we want to
make sure that the horticulture isn't stealing from the agriculture,
is stealing from the food and bevery area. So I
think that we're looking for a more stable situation in
terms of labor.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
The blueprint looks at the whole supply chain, starting with farms.
Jim says, we need to think outside the box.
Speaker 8 (09:12):
A lot of the working horticulture is seasonal, so it's
not something that we can build up a local workforce
who can make a career of it, although some do,
of course, and certainly we welcome that. Just as an example,
what I've done is I've looked at places like Woodgate
and Baghara where there's a higher percentage of retirees. I
(09:34):
know that a lot of those guys and women appreciate
six to eight weeks work a year, picking or packing
or whatever. And so over the last ten years, I've
had a crew of about fourteen people who I can
phone at any time and they're very happy to come
in and pick lightchees or avocados. And they're very good
because they come back each year and they know what's happening,
(09:56):
they know the system.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
He does believe there has to be a mix mixture,
though he also relies on backpackers and family members to
add diversity to his operations.
Speaker 8 (10:05):
With the retirees, I don't have to do so much
training because they know what's happening. But with the backpackers,
because they're going around various areas, they can bring in
their learnings from other industries and from similar industries of
working working at different farms.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
Part of the plan, we'll see training programs improve to
meet the industry's needs. The top roles at the moment
of factory process workers, specialist managers, mobile plant operators, business professionals,
and farm workers.
Speaker 8 (10:33):
A lot of that is to do with packing, with
I guess the issue of making sure that we have
quality in those food and beverage auritis, so quality control distribution.
Then I guess R and d all those sorts of
things right from the packing line through the laboratory type work.
It's a message that's coming around things like we need training,
(10:55):
we need to bring managers along with training and management.
We certainly need that stavable workforce. And all those sorts
of issues come through our members as well as other
growers in the area.
Speaker 3 (11:08):
The Queensland Conservation Council wants a commitment Australia's biggest ever
infrastructure project doesn't have a negative environmental impact. The fourteen
point two billion dollar Barumba Pump hydro project near Imbule,
south of Gimbee is expected to start supplying power to
the grid by twenty thirty. The state government project is
yet to receive planning or environmental approvals. I spoke with
(11:30):
Queensland Conservation Council Director Dave of Copeman to get his
thoughts on the project.
Speaker 7 (11:34):
We know that we need to transition to renewable energy
if we are going to be able to miss the
incredible impacts that a warm incliyment will have on people
and our nature. And so what we've been consistently saying
is that we will make a final decision on Barumba
once we've seen the environmental impacts through the environment Impact
Statement and that we expect it to be nature positive.
(11:57):
So if it's to go ahead, it has to be
a win for name sure, as well as a winter climate.
Speaker 3 (12:01):
Is a concern for you. I've announced one hundred and
ninety million dollars recently one hundred and eleven million on
that is to build two workers camps, and I imagine
that would have some impact on the environment knocking down
trees and building a two massive worker camps and hasn't
received federal government approval yet.
Speaker 7 (12:17):
We've been part of the stakeholder work for this, the
stake of Advisory Group for Brumba, and so we've been
briefed on the process. The impacts that we're most concerned
about are going to come from the increasing the volume
of the lower reservoir and the clearing for the upper reservoir.
These are going to be considerable and we're really encouraging
the government to work out how they can minimize them.
(12:38):
The impacts of the workers' camps we're predominantly being built
on clear land and in on grazing areas, are not
the significant impacts that are that are most occupying our minds.
We are advocating with others that the upgrade to the
road in to the site is managed carefully, so we
manage invasive species and we manage for protective matters along there.
(13:00):
That's the main thing, and I think Coenzone Hydra have
been cooperative and working with us on that.
Speaker 3 (13:04):
Does it remind you a bit of Traviston again with
the impact on species like the Marria River cod and turtle.
Speaker 7 (13:11):
You know it's in the same catchment, but there are
big differences. I think the main difference is that this
is an existing dam, so rather than damming a free
flowing river as Traviston was planning to do further down,
this is extending the existing Burama dam and so as
a result the aquatic impacts in terms of putting in
(13:31):
a dam and bright blocking the transfer of species to
some extent that's already occurred. Raising the dam wall will
inundate a much area and so that will have impact
and we are concerned about this and that's why we
want to see it addressed in the environmental impacts.
Speaker 3 (13:45):
That is it concern that climate change would be a
bigger impact on the animals and wildlife in that area
as opposed to the dam and that this is a
clean energy project, so there are merits to it.
Speaker 7 (13:55):
It definitely is a need to have a grip that
no longer leads to mass amount of carbon polution. Quing
Flanders are some of the highest but capita bloods in
the world of carbon because of our reliance on coal
for power and because of the coal and the fossil
fields we explot and so we we absolutely have to
(14:16):
address this and that's critical. I mean, I was out
on the Great bearre Reef and the bleaching that we
see there is heartbreaking. There's a huge nature impact to
incluse in climate, so we do have to take action,
but that doesn't mean that we the nature should be sacrificed.
We actually need to be a win for both.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
I don't think this is the last we've heard about
the Barumba Pumped Hydro. If the LMP gets in at
this month's election, they've already said they'll review whether the
project stacks up, and if Labors back in government then
there's still a long road ahead for the rest of construction.
Speaker 3 (14:46):
That's all for this week. If you want to hear
this episode again or find previous ones, look up iHeart
Wide bay Burnett on the iHeartRadio app or your favorite podcast.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
Appan and again next week for more local, trusted and
free news.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
Bernett