Minute With The Mayor 23 January

Funding Fights Worth Having

One question I hear often is: why does Council keep lobbying State and Federal governments?

The short answer is simple — because many of the projects our community wants and needs can’t be delivered through rates alone.

Major infrastructure, community facilities and regional projects require external funding. Without it, progress slows dramatically, or doesn’t happen at all. Advocacy isn’t an optional extra for Council — it’s a core part of the job.

But it’s important to understand what funding really does, and what it doesn’t. Securing grant funding doesn’t mean a project appears overnight. It usually comes with conditions, staging, reporting requirements and strict timelines. It often means detailed design, approvals and cost checks before a shovel hits the ground.

That can be frustrating from the outside. I get that. But those processes exist to make sure public money is spent responsibly — and that projects are built to last.

Advocacy also means making tough calls about priorities. Not every project can be funded at once. Council has to be strategic about which projects we push hardest for, based on community benefit, readiness and long-term value.

When we fight for funding, we’re fighting for facilities that support local jobs, strengthen liveability and reduce the financial burden on ratepayers. Every external dollar secured is a dollar that doesn’t come solely from the community’s pocket.

Some funding battles are worth persistence. Some take years. But giving up guarantees one thing — nothing changes.

As Mayor, I’ll continue to advocate strongly for the Whitsundays. Because this region deserves its fair share, and because long-term progress depends on more than just what Council can fund on its own.

Next week, I’ll lift the lid on some of the work Council does behind the scenes and the planning, maintenance and risk management that keeps the region running, even when no one’s watching.

‍