New date set for postponed Mount Morgan Water Supply Meeting

Published on 01 April 2021

No 7 Dam Feb 2021

Rockhampton Regional Council has announced the postponed public meeting to discuss the water supply in Mount Morgan will take place on Tuesday 13 April. Queensland Health restrictions prevented the meeting going ahead earlier this week.

The meeting, which had to be postponed on Monday due to the developing COVID-19 situation, will take place at the Mount Morgan School of Arts.

Rockhampton Region Mayor Tony Williams said he knew people were disappointed that the meeting had to be postponed.

“I was very disappointed that it had to be postponed too.

“The water supply in Mount Morgan is a very important issue, and a lot of time and effort had gone into organising and preparing for the meeting. We had the room all set up and had 200 masks on hand, but we started to get cancellations from individuals who said they didn’t want to attend due to COVID concerns, and it’s important to us that everyone who wants to attend a public meeting feels safe to do so.

“This, along with the developing situation in Brisbane and confirmation that an individual infected with the highly infectious UK strain of COVID-19 spent three days in Central Queensland last week, meant the meeting had to be postponed.

“The safety of our community is our highest priority and Rockhampton Regional Council will continue to follow all Queensland Health directives.

“Now that we’ve seen good results from the testing and some of the restrictions have been lifted, we want to get that date in people’s diaries now.

“It means we are able to give people a bit of notice if they need to make plans so they can attend, but ensures we are having the meeting sooner rather than later.”

Water and Supporting a Better Environment Councillor Donna Kirkland  said she was looking forward to being able to talk to residents directly about the water issues.

“I’ve been able to speak with some residents but I am really keen to be in the room with people and hear their concerns and share information.

“We’ve had some people suggesting we should hold the meeting outside in case other restrictions come into force or so that the meeting can happen sooner. We’ve looked at this but believe it’s much better for the meeting to be held indoors so that we can provide seating, have a screen for the presentation, use the walls for post it notes to help shape the discussion, and plug in speakers so everyone can hear us.

“This meeting is important and we want it to be positive and productive, and holding the meeting in the School of Arts will help us achieve this.

“If needed we will hold another meeting so that everyone who wants to attend a meeting can do so.”

Divisional Councillor Cherie Rutherford said those who had registered for the original date would be contacted after Easter to see if they could attend on April 13.

“There is no need to reregister: our team will email or call you to see if you still want to attend on April 13.

“If there are any spaces we have a few people who expressed interest in attending after the meeting had reached capacity. Again, if you did this, we will contact you directly to offer a place for the new date.

“If you’d like to attend a meeting and didn’t register for the first one and haven’t yet told us you’re interested in attending, please email engagement@rrc.qld.gov.au or call Customer Service with your details.

“In the meantime you can always call us on 4932 9000 with any questions, or check www.rrc.qld.gov.au/mountmorganwater for the latest information.”

The current Queensland Health directives mean that masks will be need to be worn at the meeting. We will have some to give out but please wear your own if you have one. If there are any changes to Queensland Health directives in the meantime then the meeting may also need to change.