Improvements and innovations

Throughout the year, we conduct surveys, consultations, research and various other activities, such as attending conferences and networking events, to come up with new and improved ways of doing things: not only to save money, but to make our operations more efficient. This is a snapshot of some of the ideas put into practice this year by key priority area.

Strong vibrant communities

„ Adopted an amendment to the planning scheme allowing better floodplain management „ Installed 5 new flood and camera gauges at

Graves Hill, Sapphire, Rubyvale, Panorama

Creek and Comet River Overflow „ Expanded online library services and programs to connect with isolated residents, including livestreaming of First5Forever sessions for children aged 0-5 „ First in Australia to install 2 new playground products at parks in Capella and Bauhinia

Building and maintaining quality infrastructure

„ Installed reservoir cooling system at

Springsure to reduce temperature of potable water supply „ Successful establishment of a specialist project management office to improve delivery of capital projects and ensure a consistent best practice approach „ Upgraded to a chlorine gas dosing system and ultraviolet disinfection system at

Sapphire Water Treatment Plant

Supporting our local economy

„ Worked with QCN Fibre to identify suitable locations to connect high-capacity broadband to Bluff, Dingo and Duaringa „ Successful advocacy efforts for the

Queensland Beef Corridors campaign and

Yamala Enterprise Area water and road infrastructure

Protecting our people and environment

„ Use of several biocontrol tactics to combat weeds, including releasing salvinia weevil, mealy bugs and the Jewel beetle „ Released the Central Highlands Residential

Tree Guide to help residents select the right drought-tolerant plants for our region „ Rolled out the Drop20 water conservation campaign, encouraging locals to drop 20% of their water usage „ Created interactive game, Kan’s Lost Joey, to help kids prepare for natural disasters

Leadership and governance

„ Partnership with local high school students to use drone technology for council asset surveys „ Consulted on and announced senior leadership restructure, including introduction of new Chief Financial Officer position „ Launched new Vendor Panel platform to streamline procurement processes „ Worked with Royal Flying Doctor Service to progress plans to construct a patient transfer pod at Emerald Airport „ Established agreement with banking service provider The Capricornian to share council office space in Capella

Our organisation

„ Switched to Microsoft Teams as new unified communications platform, allowing virtual council meetings „ Deployed 2 satellite internet services at a remote work camp and office as part of a pilot connectivity program „ Launched a new eLearning platform,

Damstra Learning „ Rolled out Ignite Growth and Supervisor

Toolkit training programs for leaders

Spotlight on: Interactive game helps kids prepare for natural disasters

A new online game launched by council is helping kids learn all about preparing for natural disasters. exposure and vulnerability to hazards when preparing for extreme events.’

The interactive experience, Kan’s Lost Joey, uses local landmarks, native animals and information specific to the region to guide children through storms, floods, fires and pandemics.

The game is aimed at 8 to 13-year-olds and follows Kan, a mother kangaroo, as she encounters different disaster scenarios while looking for her lost joey. Mayor Kerry Hayes said training our youth in disaster preparedness helps improve our region’s response when these situations occur.

‘As we continue living with the COVID-19 pandemic and head into storm and bushfire season, the better prepared our community is, the more resilient we will be during and after disasters,’ Mayor Hayes said.

‘Engaging our youth in disaster preparedness will prompt discussions for rural and remote families who can use the skills developed playing the game to commence plans for these types of events,’ Coordinator Disaster Management and Community Resilience Glenn Bell said.

‘While designing Kan’s Lost Joey, it was important to include the National Strategy for Disaster Resilience by clearly outlining how to assess risks and reduce After successfully implementing disaster management software Guardian IMS in 2019, council partnered with QIT Plus to bring Kan’s Lost Joey to life.

The game led to CHRC receiving a Highly Commended in the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience Resilient Australia Awards 2021.

The game is available via council’s Emergency Management Dashboard.

Coordinator Disaster Management and Community Resilience Glenn Bell and Emergency Services Liaison Officer Michelle Bell with their highly commended in the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience Resilient Australia Awards 2021.