We need to attract young families to our region

The Queensland and NSW border has now opened to those who are not deemed to be from a COVID hotspot. For many people it is great news, including for our region! We now have the freedom to move around between states, families can catch up and businesses can start operating at a large capacity.

Many of our businesses in Blackall and Tambo rely on travellers visiting or passing through. We hope to see a large number of tourists travelling to the Central West and I am all ears when it comes to listening to any ideas that our Council can implement to see that we bring in the numbers again, and even larger ones.

I have had the opportunity to speak with some of the tourists that have been staying in our region. These people are very positive about Tambo and Blackall and what both regions have to offer travellers and explorers. Congratulations to everyone for following the State Government COVID directions and keeping our community safe so that we have been able to open back up.

We had our Council meeting in Tambo, yesterday (15th July) and there was plenty to discuss. Following the Council meeting we met with the Tambo Child Care Centre community and many parents have put out some great ideas – we will be taking these onboard and have a solution soon. 

From discussions that I have had with with my Council colleagues, I know that we all wish to have a positive outcome which enables the TCCC to move forward and keep looking after our children.

I fully support the TCCC staying open for a variety of reasons. Firstly, for Tambo to grow and prosper we need to be attracting young families to the town and without family friendly infrastructure and services in place, this simply will not happen. The saying is “build it and they will come” so we should be protecting what we have and building on it, if it is in the best interest of the community. Secondly, if we can provide childcare, it allows both parents the freedom to work and provide more income for the family, which also flows on to helping the whole community, and country, through the taxation system. The TCCC in my opinion is a worthy investment for our region and it is certainly providing much more than care for our children.

Thank you again to the members of our community who bring to my attention the issues that need to be addressed. This week I have discussed the following with people:

• Requests for Kerb and Channelling in Walter Street and Ivy Street.
• Requests for solar lights to be placed in E E Parr OBE Park, in Tambo.
• Bitumen request for the roads around the Tambo Industrial Area, due to dust problems.
• Dust concerns from residents in Ivy Street and the top of Clematis Street (from traffic traversing across the stock route).
• I will be discussing the above with the Blackall-Regional Council and hope to have some answers and actions soon.
  
  

If you have a concern or suggestion, please contact my office or do not hesitate to approach me if you see me in the street (I promise that Mack, my dog, doesn’t bite). I value your feedback as it helps me to represent you wholeheartedly, as your Councillor.

Thank you again for taking the time to read this week’s news. It is one way for me to stay in touch with our community so please feel free to share it with your friends using the buttons below.

Best Regards,
Cr David Hardie