Minute With The Mayor - Mayor Ramon Jayo

Last Wednesday, I was honoured to attend Ingham Hospital to celebrate a significant achievement for our community: the tenth anniversary of birthing services at Ingham Hospital.

The continuing ability for mothers to give birth close to home is a blessing that impacts not only families but the entire community. Keeping these birthing services local means families don’t have to face long trips to other centres, not just for the birth, but also for the essential pre-birth check-ups and monitoring. It also means mothers are not separated from family and friends during such an important time. It is particularly pleasing to know that we have dedicated health professionals here who know and care for our community and can provide the personalised support we need close to home.

Congratulations and thank you to Ingham Health executives, doctors, and local healthcare workers for their efforts in ensuring the continuation of this vital service, and to everyone involved in providing the care and support required.

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This achievement is also made possible by the many people, families, and advocates who stood together and strongly petitioned for this service in the past with unwavering commitment. Your voices, your efforts, and your passion have made a profound difference.

Thank you for your hard work, your commitment, and your belief.

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On another note, there was also significant activity in Canberra last week concerning local government, as reported by the Australian Local Government Association.

Australia’s 538 local councils united at the National General Assembly to call on the Australian Parliament to deliver an immediate increase in untied funding, warning that the financial sustainability of councils is increasingly at risk.

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In a powerful show of unity, delegates endorsed an emergency motion calling for fairer funding for local government and supported a joint letter to be tabled with every Member of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

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The letter, signed by the presidents of state and territory local government associations, calls for a multi-partisan commitment to a stronger funding partnership with councils.

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Australian Local Government Association President and Gladstone Mayor Matt Burnett said the motion reflects the shared reality facing councils across metropolitan, regional, rural, and remote Australia.

“Financial sustainability is not an abstract discussion for local government. It is about whether councils can continue to do the job our communities expect of us,” President Burnett said.

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“Councils are responsible for the roads, bridges, libraries, pools, parks, footpaths, stormwater systems, waste services, and community facilities Australians rely on every day.

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“We are also the first people communities call when something goes wrong – whether that is a local road failure, a disaster, a planning issue, or a service disruption.

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“Yet councils are increasingly being asked to do more with less funding certainty, less flexibility, limited revenue capacity, and reduced ability to plan for the long term.”

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The emergency motion calls on the Australian Government to act now to deliver fairer funding through an immediate increase in untied funding for all councils.

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