General News
22 January, 2025
No answers for job losses, but Premier backs council on rodeo
David Crisafulli made an overnight trip to Mount Isa last week to meet with local stakeholders.
Mount Isa mayor Peta MacRae says she was glad that Premier David Crisafulli made the trip to Mount Isa but acknowledged that he also arrived empty-handed.
There were no promises made by the new Queensland leader, who arrived in Mount Isa late on Thursday afternoon and departed just after lunch on Friday.
During his trip, Mr Crisafulli popped into the Mount Isa Irish Club before having dinner with Traeger MP Robbie Katter.
On Thursday morning, he caught up with Cloncurry mayor Greg Campbell at The Coffee Club before meeting with Mount Isa City Council and officers at the Mount Isa Police Station.
Cr MacRae said she was disappointed she couldn’t be there for the Premier’s visit, which was arranged at the last minute.
The mayor also missed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s quick stop in Mount Isa as she was on planned leave.
“I was still able to dial in with the Premier’s meeting with council on Friday morning,” Cr MacRae told North West Weekly from her overseas holiday on Monday.
“I thought it was a pretty good meeting. I think he understands our current situation and that he’s trying to put pressure on Glencore.
“Other than that there were like no solid promises of anything.”
Cr MacRae said she also had a planned meeting with the Premier next month that she was hoping would still go ahead.
“It really needs to because we’re going to need more assistance from the state than what’s been given,” she said.
The mayor acknowledged that Mr Crisafulli was receptive to some of the projects being touted by the council in partnership with external partners, such as the Green Gravity concept.
“He is receptive to the idea but, obviously, the land is on the mining lease, so we need to provide a letter of support to show that Glencore is in favour of the project and my understanding it is in their social transition plan.
“So I think the Premier will be very happy once he sees that. That will give certainty for the project.”
Glencore is expected to release its social transition plan soon, according to the mayor.
RODEO SUPPORT
MOUNT Isa City Council’s decision to allocate $1 million to Isa Rodeo Ltd has been backed by the Premier, Cr MacRae said.
Late last year, the Queensland government gave the council $2 million of unallocated money from the Mount Isa Transition Fund.
The council then offered up half of the money to pay creditors in return for the intellectual property of Isa Rodeo Ltd, returning it to the community. However, administrator SV Partners has been on a war path to get creditors to convince the council to pay them the full $2 million.
Cr MacRae said the Premier and the state government had the back of the council.
“He’s fully in support of our position and what we want to do,” she said, adding that her position on the funding had not changed.
“The whole reason we selected the community committee was so they could start getting ahead and making plans while this issue resolved itself.
“The longer that this drags out the more it will be costing creditors.”
While in Mount Isa, the Premier avoided media events, although did conduct interviews over the phone with both ABC North West and North West Weekly.
However, he did so prior to any of his official engagements.
“I want to make sure that every part of the state knows that they matter. And I was determined to get out here early (after the election),” Mr Crisafulli said.
“But the main reason I’m here is to go and speak to the police and just in general just talk to locals about what’s unfolding with the crime scenario.
“It is a community at breaking point at the moment so I’d like to come out and firstly thank the men and women from the Queensland Police, but also to tell the community that we’re serious about turning things around.”
The Premier said his government was still working on ways to keep the underground copper operations in Mount Isa.
“We can’t just let a great community wither on the vine and it doesn’t have to be that way,” he said.
“Our new Mines Minister, Dale Last, has got it at the top of his list on trying to find a way through as effectively as possible to try and ensure that there is a future for what is a proud industry and a proud community.
“I do want the city to know that we see a future for it and we have to find a way to get some common sense to prevail and ensure there is a future. My concern for Glencore and their commercial needs runs a million miles behind the needs of working people who want to keep a roof over their head and feed their families.
So that’s my priority. Now there is always a balance in making sure that you know people’s rights are respected. But I do want to find a way through.
“I’d like that way through to be finding a way to work with Glencore to do exactly what you say, and that is make the most of the asset. Work’s underway, and look, we’ve been in government for a very short period, but I’ve already met the company.
“I’ve had a couple of meetings with your local member about it and it’s at the top of Dale Last’s list about trying to find a solution to make sure that there’s a viable future for the community.”
Mr Crisafulli said he wanted to see the Mount Isa Rodeo return to its roots in 2025.
“We put that money forward in good faith because we think that the event’s worth saving. I’m mindful that long before it was an economic drawcard, it was also a hell of a big deal for the community; for the social fabric of what made this city so proud,” he said.
“And that to me is as important as the economic flow on, which is why we wanted to put that money forward.”