What I like about economics is that it can be as complicated or as simple as you want to make it. There’s Paul Keating’s j-curve, monetarism, Keynesian theories, macro and micro economics … a complex array of theories and perspectives.

But there is also the theory of demand and supply, which is quite simple and explains a lot. I’m no economist but the basis of the theory is that the price of something will vary until it reaches a point where the quantity demanded equals the quantity supplied.

So, basically, if there is a glut of something on the market and the demand does not meet the supply, the price drops until the market decides to start buying.

If there is a lack of supply and strong demand, prices go up until demand and supply reach an equilibrium.

I mention this because of some recent figures that came out about population ups and downs in Australian regions and what it said about Mackay.

Michael Matusik is a property analyst and adviser who puts out a very interesting blog called the Matusik Missive and his most-recent blog featured an Australian Bureau of Statistics re-assessment of population growth and falls in Australian cities.

The ABS recently released their reassessment of population growth (and falls) from what they predicted in 2021 and found various places, such as Sydney and Melbourne, were predicted to be down 2 or 3 per cent from the earlier prediction.

Gold Coast was down 2 per cent, Brisbane was zero change.

Mackay was among the regional areas that bucked the trend with a prediction that it would be up by 5 per cent. There were only two other places in the country that had a higher prediction than Mackay; Kalgoorlie at 7 per cent and Geraldton at 8 per cent.

Even Rockhampton and Cairns were at zero per cent.

My primitive understanding of economics tells me that population growth will create a demand for housing. We know that there was not an increased supply from 2012 till 2018 because nothing was built and it is very difficult to get homes built now because of staff shortages and supply issues.

So, if we have a growing population (more than expected) and a limited supply of housing, one would expect a strong outlook for the housing market in this town.

There is a lot of national media talk about housing downturns as a result of high inflation and high interest rates. But there could well be a different experience in a city like Sydney with million-dollar mortgages and lower population growth compared to somewhere like Mackay with much lower mortgages, a growing population and a lack of supply of properties.

Meanwhile, open homes are getting good numbers and properties are definitely selling in this town. Our Mackay economy, rather than the national economy, is the key and I look forward to writing about that in the coming weeks.

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EEK, A SPIDER!

A phobia is an irrational fear of something that’s unlikely to cause harm. The important words here are “IRRATIONAL” AND “UNLIKELY TO CAUSE HARM”.

Although that is the case, people who suffer from phobias have a very real fear of the thing they have a phobia about. And, as I say, where the mind goes, the body follows. If you think something is true, it becomes true to you.

Phobias are basically your subconscious mind’s way of protecting you. The thing is, the subconscious mind doesn’t know that the thing you are afraid of is unlikely to hurt you. The example I like to use is The Spider. And a fear of spiders is something that you may relate to.

Let’s imagine that you’re back as a 4- or 5-year-old. You’re in the kitchen and a spider runs out. Mum screams and jumps on a chair, and your learning mind says, “that’s the right response to those things because mum just did it and that’s who we’re learning from”.

That goes into your subconscious mind and on to your map of reality. Then every spider you see for the rest of your life, your subconscious mind produces a fear response. You tense up, your heart beats faster and you start to sweat, even though your logical mind is now saying “that’s tiny, it can’t possibly harm me”. However, all of that logical stuff is being rejected by your subconscious mind because it doesn’t match up with what you already know: “Spiders are scary!”

Hypnosis is able to remove phobias by speaking directly to the subconscious mind and letting it know what your conscious mind already logically knows – “this thing cannot harm me”. Once that change is made, the phobia is gone!

Next week, I’ll talk about hypnotherapy for trauma. Until then, remember: You CAN change!

David Lornie is owner and principal hypnotherapist at Frontier Hypnotherapy in Mackay. He can be contacted on 0401 223 780 or help@frontierhypnotheray.com.au. W: www.frontierhypnotherapy.com.au

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Step 6 - Time

As far back as time goes, even in Biblical days, the idea of time has always been a vital part of human existence as evidenced in Ecclesiastes Chapter 3 verses 1 through 8. Time is so important that it is regarded as the most valuable currency in the world today. We have one life to live, and how we spend our time on this earth determines the outcome of the life we lead, the legacy we leave behind, the impact we have on our loved ones, the people around us and our society as a whole.

Even though time is so vital, we live in a world today where people are so busy that they do not make time for themselves. The number one reason people say they do not exercise or do things that would benefit their health and wellbeing is because of the lack of time.

Why is this? Why is everyone so time poor?

I’ve found there are a number of factors responsible:

1. THE AGE OF THE RAT RACE

We live in the age of the rat race, a way of life in which people are caught up in a fiercely competitive struggle for wealth or power, or both. The rat race means no life/work balance, no independence, high stress, long commutes, and general dissatisfaction with life. What this does is leave the everyday person, especially business owners, with no time for themselves because they are constantly chasing, competing, and struggling to get ahead and to be able to feed their families as well as keep a roof over their heads. They often put everyone and everything first before themselves.

2. LIVING OUT SCRIPTS THAT ARE NOT OUR OWN

We all come into this world knowing nothing. Everything we know and do, we learned first from our parents, family and friends, society, and culture, so if we grew up in a household where our parents did things a certain way, we tended to follow their example consciously or subconsciously, because our parents are our number one teacher. We follow the examples of our friends because we are social beings, and we will do everything in our power to try to fit in more times than not. We follow the trends of our society. If something is in trend, we try to fit in because not being a part will mean we are left behind, not cool, or out of touch. If our culture places value on certain things – good or bad – we blindly follow without investigating whether it is the right path for us.

And the list goes on but there are practical things we can do today to get back our time and focus on the things that really are important and matter to us.

For more detail on how to achieve this, grab a copy of my How Bad Do You Want It? The 6 Steps to Living Your Best Life.

Kay

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In case you missed it last Friday, I announced that I’m currently pregnant with my second baby, YAY!

Now don’t get me wrong I could not be more grateful and excited to welcome another little one to the family, however it certainly took me by surprise.

You know when you have your year planned out, maybe taking holidays or working. Well, that was me, 2022 was meant to be full of getting back into work and having a few wines but, surprise! The universe had other plans for me.

I will say It’s certainly a different experience second time around, especially when it comes to people’s reactions to your news.

Telling people that you are having another baby so close to your first, is not always welcomed with the big burst of congratulations you receive the first time around. Instead, initial reactions are, getting told to strap myself in for 2 under 2, and all the madness I’m in for.

Now I’m sure I will regret saying this at some point on my motherhood journey but nothing about having 2 under 2 scares me, in fact I’m very much looking forward to it.

As I never had siblings growing up, I couldn’t be more excited to give my little girl a sibling nice and close in age.

Be sure to tune into the breaky show weekday mornings to see how quickly I take back that statement and feel free to give me any tips for 2 under 2, (if there are any haha).

Also, this Friday make sure to keep an eye on the Star Facebook page for our Floatie Race video, where you will witness this pregnant girl struggle to win a race on a giant inflatable poo emoji for Airlie Beach Race week!

There’s a visual I bet you never expected to see haha!

Until next time, Rach xx

You can join Scotty & Rach from 5am weekday mornings

on Star 101.9 Mackay and 90.7 in Airlie Beach

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Mackay Sugar established a new business unit last week, dedicated to improving the end-to-end services it provides to local growers and ensuring a stronger focus on all commercial aspects across the sugar, molasses and electricity business streams.

The Commercial and Agriculture unit will bring together two key Mackay Sugar grower services – Queensland Commodity Services (QCS) and Cane Productivity – and seeks to provide more contact points for growers for sugar pricing and productivity services.

“We see ourselves as being an adaptable business that seeks out opportunities for improvement,” said CEO, Jannik Olejas

“Improving cane productivity through higher yields and securing acreage with cane is a critical part of our business strategy,” said Mr Olejas.

“As is ensuring we maximise on global market opportunities and creating more profitable partnerships from the growers right through to consumers,” he said.

The new business unit will be led by Brent Casey, formerly General Manager QCS.

Brent has a long and successful history in sugar marketing and pricing structures as well as a thorough understanding of the local sugar cane industry. He also has many years of commercial experience across multiple sectors. Supported by Mackay Sugar’s existing Cane Productivity team, the business is positioning itself to build stronger relationships with growers by focusing on cane and applying a global market perspective, whilst also acting in the best interests of the local community.

“In 2020–2021, the sugar industry’s gross value-add to the Mackay region was $784 million,” said Brent Casey, General Manager Commercial and Agriculture.

“This is a significant contribution to our region, but it is just as important that we build on this to secure cane and sugar production for the future,” he said.

“We need to expand our supply of cane while also ensuring global markets and sugar prices are sustainably and profitably managed,” he explained.

“By maximising grower returns and creating cash flow to achieve optimal productivity, we can shine a positive light on sugar cane farming with the aim of supporting industry growth and encouraging new growers to join our community,” said Mr Casey.

Mackay Sugar CEO Jannik Olejas

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National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day was celebrated across the nation last Thursday with Sarina Youth Centre hosting celebrations.

Children’s Day is a day for children, families, communities and all Australians to celebrate the strength and culture of children.

The occasion, which has been run annually since 1988, provides an opportunity to show support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children as well as learn about the crucial impact that culture, family and community play in the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

Sarina Youth Centre marked the day with arts and crafts and other activities, creating birds and other animals out of a variety of materials.

National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day at Sarina Youth Centre

Sarina Youth Centre celebrated with a day of arts and crafts. Photos supplied: Sarina Youth Centre

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Have you discovered Sarina’s Heritage Walking Trail?

Launched in 2021 as part of Mackay’s contribution to the 2021 National Trust Heritage Festival, the online trail includes 11 stops, ranging from the State Heritage-listed Sarina Air Raid Shelter to the Sarina Pie Cart.

1. SARINA RAILWAY STATION

Sarina could first be reached by rail in 1915 when the large wooden station was erected. In the early days of rail in Sarina, local services ran by rail motors, which provided passengers with their own train to Mackay, or the choice of joining the longer distance trip to Carmila. Today, the railway building serves as the Mackay Region’s state-of the-art Visitor Information Centre. The centre is open seven days a week from 9am to 3pm. Take a step inside to see the inside of this historic building and use the latest technology.

2. SARINA BAKERY BUILDING

Constructed in 1936 the bakery was the first two-storey masonry building to be built in Sarina. The original “Sarina Bakery” lettering remains visible on the parapet of the original portion today and the bakery use continues in the 1950s extension to the building. The bakery is important in demonstrating the growth and success of Sarina during the Interwar period, and the trend towards masonry buildings following the 1918 cyclone and 1924 fire in Broad Street.

3. SARINA WAR MEMORIAL

This State Heritage-listed Sarina War memorial was erected in 1919 with a public ceremony held. The cenotaph was erected as a tribute to the people of the shire who lost their lives in the great war. In celebration of the coronation of King George VI on May 17, 1937, Sarina residents held a Coronation Celebration Program, which involved church services, an official tree planting ceremony and laying of a foundation stone for a sundial commemorating the coronation. The war memorial at Sarina is still used for Anzac Day services.

4. SARINA AIR RAID SHELTER

This State Heritage-listed Sarina Air Raid Shelter is important as a surviving component of the Air Raid Precautions that were implemented as part of the defence of Queensland during World War II. The proximity to Mackay aerodrome meant that there was a credible threat of aerial attack on Sarina during the war years. It demonstrates the urgent measures taken by State and local authorities for protection of the public from attack by hostile forces during a time of war.

5. SARINA PIE CART

The Sarina Pie Cart, known by locals as “The Diner”, is one of the most iconic buildings in Sarina, standing on this spot since 1937. This is the oldest original eating house in Sarina, with meals still cooked on a wood stove. At the Pie Cart you will receive a hearty homecooked meal and great burgers.

6. SARINA COURT HOUSE AND WATCHHOUSE (FORMER)

A new Court House and Police Station were completed in October 1901, with Constable Robert Brett appointed the new Clerk of Petty Sessions. The Court House was renamed to Clerk of Petty Sessions, Sarina, when the town was renamed in 1911. Due to the insufficient space to accommodate the growing police force, the Court House closed in August 1961 after the new Court House was approved for construction in 1960. When the new Court House was built, the original building was relocated to St Anne’s Catholic school, where it was used as a classroom. In 1995, the building was fully restored. The Sarina Arts and Crafts Centre is now housed in the historical Sarina Court House.

7. MT PELION SCHOOL BUILDING (FORMER)

Mt Pelion School opened on February 26, 1924, and continued to be used for schooling, meetings and entertainment until its closure on December 12, 1970. A previous pupil of the decommissioned school, John Preston, purchased Mt Pelion School as a reminder of his struggles with his education. John donated the building to Northview State School, where it was located from August 11, 1987, to October 24, 2014. Due to the building continuing to age and deteriorate, the building was relocated to Sarina Field of Dreams in 2014 and restored for community use. This building is now used as an administrative office and function room for Sarina Arts and Crafts.

8. SARINA FAMILY PLAQUES

The Sarina Family Plaques serve as a local history record for the town. The plaques include the names of residents who have lived in Sarina for more than 15 years. These plaques represent the families who have helped shape Sarina into the town that you see today.

9. SARINA CATHOLIC PRESBYTERY (FORMER)

The former St Anne’s Catholic Convent building was built by Brown and Broad Pty Ltd and opened on November 18, 1923, as a Presbytery for the Catholic Priest in Sarina, Fr Thomas Hogan. In 1988, for the upcoming 10 years, the Convent was the Parish Centre for St Michaels Catholic Church, as well as being home to the Blue Nursing Respite Care Centre. The convent was relocated on January 19, 2001, to the Field of Dreams and handed over to the Heritage Committee for use by Sarina District Historical Centre on May 2002. The building reopened as a museum on May 31, 2003, after renovations.

10. YUKAN RAILWAY STATION (FORMER)

The Sarina Art Gallery is housed in what used to be the Yukan Railway Station built in 1911, originally named the Eungella Range Railway Station. In 1913, the station was renamed Netherdale Railway Station and served as such until 1973 when the track behind Finch Hatton fell into disuse. The Netherdale Station was moved to Yukan in 1978 and in 2002 was moved to its forever home in the Sarina Field of Dreams Parkland.

11. SARINA SUGAR SHED

Sarina Sugar Shed celebrates the rich history of sugar cane farming in the Mackay Region. Visitors can enjoy a one-hour guided tour and learn how sugar cane is grown, farmed and processed.

The Tea Rooms at Sarina in 1928. Picture: Mackay Regional Council Libraries

A waiting crowd at the Sarina Railway Station

Sarina War Memorial

The Diner in Sarina

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The Sarina Surf Life Saving Club has elected their new committee for the 2022/23 season.

The following members have stepped up, taking on roles to ensure the club continues to strive.

Fundraising Coordinator and Bar Operations positions are still available so get in touch with the club via Facebook to express your interest.

2022/23 Committee

President - Trent Vernon

Vice President - Dave Young

Secretary - Shelley Brady

Treasurer - Liz Keune

Club Captain - Lisa Vernon

Junior Activities - January Sarich

Deputy Junior Activities - Shona Gibson

Green Caps - Leigh Ford

Director of Surf Sports - Lisa V

Club Coach - Lisa Vernon

Membership and Blue Card - Trent V

Chief Training Officer - Dave Y

Trainers - Neil, Trent, Lisa

Youth Development - January S

Canteen Coordinator - Tania Higgs

Clubhouse Coordinator - Kylie John

Grants and Sponsorship - Neil John

IRB Officer - Dave Young

Radios - Dave Young

First Aid and Marine Stinger - Sam Trapp and Neil John

Vehicle Officer - Neil John

Gear and Equipment - Neil John

Grievance Officer - Haley Saye

Administration Officer - Kylie J

Photo supplied: Sarina Surf Life Saving Club

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National Tree Day was back earlier this month and saw Australians get their hands dirty and give back to the community.

Starting in 1996, National Tree Day has become Australia's largest community tree planting and nature care event.

Students from Sarina State High School got involved last Tuesday, planting native trees and plants around the school grounds.

Sarina State High School students planting native trees and plants around the school grounds for National Tree Day. Photo supplied: Sarina State High School

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In the ultimate of grudge matches, there’s nothing that tastes sweeter than a Queensland victory against New South Wales. Unless you’re talking about the clean, crisp taste of Marian’s water, which again was recognized as being amongst the best tasting water in Australia.

Water from Mackay Regional Council's Marian Water Treatment Plant was named a top drop at the 2022 Ixom Water of Origin Competition.

Mackay Regional Council, representing Queensland, went head-to-head with Shoalhaven City Council, representing New South Wales, in a best tasting tap water competition. Queensland were victorious, making it 6-2 to Queensland in the eight years the competition has been running.

Water operators Brad Richards and Mark Vairy were at the conference on the Gold Coast to collect the trophy, with Mr Vairy complementing the water treatment team, saying it takes constant monitoring.

“We have a good source of water at the Marian plant, which comes from the rainforest and is surrounded by little industry,” Mr Vairy said.

“We have a great team of operators, from electrical and mechanical to the operators, who proactively look after the plant. It takes constant fine tuning and passionate trialing to get the best tasting water and the team is constantly learning, trying to improve our processes.”

Mackay was well represented at the awards, with Mr Richards and Mr Vairy also coming in third for best operator paper. Young operator Matthew Gosper was highly commended in the young operator of the year and Kevin Kippenberger was a finalist for operator of the year.

There are two main water treatment plants in the Mackay Region, at Mackay and Marian, as well as four smaller plants which disinfect or soften the water depending on its needs at Gargett, Finch Hatton, Eton and Bloomsbury. Because the chemistry at each water source is different, it requires different solutions to produce good tasting drinking water.

“The Eton plant softens the water as well as disinfects it, whereas the one at Bloomsbury removes heavy metals,” Mr Vairy said.

The Marian Water Treatment Plant has online instrumentation which monitors the water 24/7. There are on-call operators to respond if the instrumentation picks up an anomaly in the water.

The Ixom Water of Origin, held annually at the WIOA Australia Conference, raises awareness of the high quality of drinking water in both Queensland and New South Wales, and also recognises the outstanding efforts of our water industry workers.

Mackay Regional Council Water operators Brad Richards (centre) and Mark Vairy collect the Water of Origin trophy at the 2022 Ixom Water of Origin Competition

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The Federal Government has agreed to back a motion moved by Senator Susan McDonald to reinstate a parliamentary body to oversee issues and development in Northern Australia.

The Federal Government had scrapped the Parliamentary Joint Standing Committee for Northern Australia – a bi-partisan body tasked with examining the region’s issues and advising the Government – with Ms McDonald, the Shadow Minister for Northern Australia based in Townsville, criticising the decision.

Ms McDonald says she drafted a motion to reinstate the committee and began canvassing independent Senators for their support in a vote.

“The response I received from the independents was fairly positive and then Labor approached me and agreed to negotiate forming a new committee,” she said.

“The negotiations resulted in the establishment of a Joint Select Committee and ensures Northern Australia will continue to have a strong focus in Canberra.

“This motion was unanimously supported.”

Senator McDonald says the Government had made a mistake in reducing Northern Australia’s parliamentary presence.

“Northern Australia is of national significance. People in Melbourne and Sydney rely on minerals from this part of the country, much of the food they eat was likely grown in the North and mining royalties and taxes paid in the North fund roads and healthcare Australia-wide,” she said.

“There was no way people in the North would accept less of a voice in Canberra and I congratulate Labor for recognising their short-sighted error and rectifying it as quickly as possible.”

Senator McDonald said she had received scores of complaints from Northern Australia community leaders concerned that the Government’s move would result in less funding for infrastructure and could even herald an intention to scrap the federal Northern Australia agenda altogether.

The new committee’s membership is yet to be determined but will contain members from both sides of politics.

Senator Susan McDonald

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A hardware store which has been servicing the Mackay and Whitsunday region since 1883 has shown it still has plenty of life yet.

Porters Mitre 10 Mackay has taken out Queensland Store of the Year over 2500sqm at the recent Hardware Australia - QLD state awards.

The Porters Mitre 10 Mackay City Store was recognised for their commitment to continuous improvements in store standards and operational excellence.

“The entire team is incredibly proud to have been recognised for their dedication to excellent customer service and store standards” states Porters Mitre 10 CEO, Hayden Cargill.

“It is wonderful that the hard work of our teams has been recognised at this level.

“The past few years have been challenging for the hardware industry, it is a true testament to our teams. This award really means a lot” explained Hayden Cargill.

“I would also like to thank the Mackay and Whitsunday communities for their continuous support.”

Since 1883, Porters Mitre 10 Mackay has been serving the local Mackay community with all their hardware and lifestyle needs.

The store located in the Mackay CBD features a thriving café, beautiful garden centre, wonderful homewares and giftware offering, STIHL Dealership Mackay’s only Weber Specialist Dealer. Combined with the dedicated paint, plumbing and trade offer; Porters Mitre 10 is really a one-stop shop.

The Porters Mitre 10 Mackay Team with the award

Porters Group CEO Hayden Cargill and Porters Mitre 10 Mackay Store Manager Mitchell Glover

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Three local students were awarded academic bursaries last week, with the aim to encourage the academic progress of students from the Mackay Regional Council area who are studying within skills shortage areas within the region.

The 2022 Mackay Regional Council Academic Bursary recipients were Scott Vella, Andrew Vella and Chloe Sampey.

The program is in its 10th year and not only financially assists students, but also gives them invaluable work experience in a field related to their studies.

Scott will work alongside the Water Network program, Andrew will be working in the Corporate Communications team and Chloe will complete her work experience in the People and Culture team.

The bursaries aim to provide students with monetary assistance for costs associated with studying, as well as potential work experience within Mackay Regional Council.

2022 Mackay Regional Council Academic Bursary recipients Scott Vella, Andrew Vella and Chloe Sampey with Mayor Greg Williamson

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The highest honour in the Joey Scout Section of Scouting was recently awarded to Banksia Joey Scout Mikayla Page when she received the Joey Scout Challenge Award.

Mikayla’s scouting journey began in October 2019.

With an older brother involved in Scouts, Mikayla often joined in activities prior to that and knew what was in store when she joined.

She was very enthusiastic and achieved well above and beyond what she was expected to achieve for the Challenge Award.

For Mikayla’s Adventurous Journey, she completed a Plan, Do and Review for a walk along the Gooseponds Walk from Silly Solly’s to John Breen Park and return.

Mikayla contacted her leader Rebecca Johnson to talk about the risks involved in her journey.  

One thing mentioned was the risk of animals attacking but she forgot about the risk of rain and subsequent flooding.

This was a huge walk with rain occurring, but they put on their raincoats and kept walking.

A discussion was held about all sorts of things including what they saw along the way.  

They all had a play at John Breen Park, snacked and then went on their way again.  

The walk was completed within a few hours and they reviewed how the walk went and what they could do to make it better for all of them.

Mikayla reflected on her journey through Joey Scouts.

She remembered being the oldest Joey Scout in the Mob, helping other people with parade, packing up the flag each night and playing games.

Her Joey Scout Leader Rebecca Johnson aka Possum said “Makayla is a wonderful young girl who will go far in whatever she does.

“Congratulations and well done.”

* breakout box *

Mikayla’s Special Interest Areas

• STEM and Innovation: Mikayla designed and created a bedroom which was pink and with lots of glitter.

• Growth and Development: Mikayla baked delicious cupcakes with Nan

• Arts and Literature: Mikayla wrote a report on her favourite book, Weirdo by Ahn Do

• Environment: Mikayla grew basil and brought in the results

• Creating a Better World: Mikayla was involved in Clean Up Australia Day (March 2022) at Seaforth

• Sport and Adventure – Mikayla is learning a new skill in netball

Mikayla’s Outdoor Adventure Skills

• Bushcraft – Stage 1

• Bushwalking – Stage 1

• Camping – Stage 1

• Cycling – Stage 1

• Aquatics – Stage 1

• Paddling – Stage 1

Mikayla’s Milestones with (Leads, Assists and Participates)

Completed – Milestone 1, Milestone 2 and Milestone 3

Mikayla Page with her leaders and family at the presentation of her Joey Scout Challenge Award. Photo supplied: Mary Wallace

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The 2021 Waterway Report Card for the Mackay-Whitsunday-Isaac region was released last week reporting on the health of the region’s waterways from data collected between July 2020 and June 2021.

Chair of the Healthy Rivers to Reef Partnership (HR2RP) Julie Boyd says this year’s report card shows the extent and breadth of the different monitoring programs that inform the results.

“The release of our eighth report card shows great commitment from our partners who continue to support the reporting of waterway conditions in our region,” Ms Boyd said.

“In the 2021 Report Card, we have included the third instalment of cultural heritage assessments, which helps monitor the state of culturally important places and highlight areas requiring maintenance and preservation.

“We’ve also included our urban water stewardship grades which provides an assessment of how local councils manage urban water compared to industry standards and best practice.”

Ms Boyd says a key highlight in this year’s results was the inclusion of seagrass grades for the southern inshore marine zone, which was possible thanks to a partner-led monitoring program.

“The strength of this report card and the partnership is really about the different partners coming together and identifying priorities in both monitoring programs and management actions,” she said.

“The Southern Inshore Monitoring Program is a key example of this, where a priority data gap was identified by the partnership and this monitoring program is now funded by Dalrymple Bay Terminal and Dalrymple Bay Infrastructure.”

HR2RP Executive Officer Dr Bonny Stutsel says that her team was excited to present this year’s report card results to the community and start a conversation about waterway health.

“It’s like when you go to the doctors each year, we keep in check on the conditions of the waterways,” she said.

“We look at our priorities and that comes from two areas: what’s going to make the results more robust or what is the community interest.

“It’s to start a conversation with the community about waterway health instead of just being a big technical report.

“As our sampling and data collection programs become more established, we can start to look at trends over the last five to seven years, and better inform management actions in the region.

“As a whole, the grades across freshwater, estuary, and marine zones remain fairly consistent to previous years, but what sets this report card apart this year is the new data that we’ve included and the opportunities for growth in future programs.

“This year we are reporting on fish in the Don River Basin for the first time, and we’ve also improved some of our sampling and data collection methods for the marine inshore zones.

“We still have data gaps that we would love to fill, such as an estuary monitoring program and improving our flow indicator.

“I think for us as a community, it’s really pesticides that we’re working towards and there’s lots of projects going on with sediment, so bank restoration projects.

“Potential partners have a great opportunity to fill these gaps and help make the report card as robust as it can be.”

The Healthy Rivers to Reef Partnership is supported by the Queensland, Australian and local governments, industry, community and other partners, including the host of the partnership, Reef Catchments.

Download a copy of the 2021 Report Card and supporting technical documents at www.healthyriverstoreef.org.au.

*BREAKOUT BOX*

Key Findings

Overall Highs

• Water Quality: Water quality has remained relatively consistent in freshwater basins and estuaries throughout reporting years, with 11 out of 13 grades remaining unchanged from the 2019-2020 reporting period.

• Seagrass: Seagrass reporting in the Southern Inshore Marine Zone is included for the first time this year, after five years of baseline data collection. In the Northern Inshore Marine Zone, seagrass scores have improved every year since Cyclone Debbie.

• Coral: Coral scores improved in the Central Zone due to increased juvenile recruitment and reduced macroalgae coverage. In the Whitsunday Zone, the decline of coral health following Cyclone Debbie reversed for the first time. This indicates the potential for ongoing recovery providing conditions remain favourable.

• Fish: Scores for freshwater fish were included in the Don Basin for the first time, receiving the highest grade of all basins. The freshwater fish index is a way to measure the number of indigenous fish (native to the region) and non-indigenous fish (non-Australian and translocated Australian species) in the Mackay-Whitsunday-Isaac basins.

Overall Lows

• Water Quality: Pesticides remain the poorest scoring water quality indicator in both freshwater and estuarine systems. Imidacloprid and diuron were the key contributors which are used to suppress pest insects and weeds.

• Water Quality: Water clarity in the Whitsunday Inshore Zone remains an ongoing issue.

• Coral: Coral scores declined in the Southern Inshore Marine Zone driven by residual impacts of the February 2020 marine heat wave.

Rebekah Smith and Dr Bonny Stutsel of Healthy Rivers to Reef Partnership. Photo credit: Sam Gillespie

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