From the Desk of the CEO: July 2026
Published on 07 July 2026
Hi Everyone,
Well, there goes the first half of the year. This has been a time of many changes, not just for Council but for the Community of Hope Vale as well.
With the support of Council we are moving forward to address a whole number of different issues, both internally and across the operational sphere. Additionally, Council is working to deal with the challenges the whole community is facing.
As CEO, it is a pleasure to work with a Council that is proactive in how it sees these challenges. If something needs to be done, this Council says “Well, get it done.”
A recent example was the emergency meeting held across a number of Government departments and organisations to deal with the children roaming at night and the recent spate of passings in the community. Actions plans were established to ensure that each stakeholder undertook their role in a way that was within the scope of their charters and that would use their skills and funding to work toward a solution that was collaborative but mainly effective. We are soon to have a follow-up meeting to see where each department is up to and how, as a group, we can resolve these immediate problems. We are quite hopeful that this is not going to be another talkfest as we know Mayor Gibson insists on outcomes rather than proposals. In other words, don’t tell us what you intend to do; come back and tell us what you have done.
Budget
June was a big month for the Council. We have adopted a budget that truly reflects what the Council wants for the community. Feedback was obtained from members of the staff to identify what the operational needs of the Council were, and then Council was consulted on what their expectations for the Community were. We then put those ideas together to cost them up in dollar terms, and then we went back to Council to discuss priorities and what these looked like in terms of cost.
In the end, Council decided on $33.7million worth of work to be done. For a small Council, that is a huge amount of work on top of our normal day-to-day operations just to keep the town looking good and our machinery functional. To date, Council has been involved in the planning stage and seeking funding for the projects to proceed, so everyone would have had a degree of disappointment that they have not seen any work being carried out. However, that will all change, and I expect by August, you will start to see activity happening around the town as the different projects begin. You will already have seen the drill doing soil sampling at the site for the new Everlina Bridge. We have already started to install the security cameras and lights around the town area to assist with security in this area and provide a safe space at night for people to pass through here.
We will be upgrading our plant with the purchase of new vehicles and mowers. The Multipurpose Centre will be receiving an upgrade with more work to be done in the future. We have just received “Closing the Gap” funding that will allow us to upgrade the Childcare Centre and improve our pumps and other equipment in our water system. To top that off, we have had approved both community and staff housing. Throw in a new dog pound so we can work to lower the number of dogs, but also to improve their health and reduce the risk to the community, and still, we don’t cover it all.
However, the best news that the guys on Parks and Gardens are the most happy about: we will be getting a new rubbish truck. Something that is more reliable and more suited to the job.
Overall, the Budget looked at maintaining our unrestricted cash reserves by using third-party money (grants, fees and charges) and keeping as much money as possible earning interest. Council has committed long-term investment into our Council staff and operations, as well as delivering a significant capital works programme for the community.
We have set out clear and measurable strategic goals by developing this budget. As a Council, we are committed to doing what is in this budget and not wasting money on unplanned projects that don’t have community support.
If we meet our depreciation obligations, we will end up with a $3 million deficit. If we don’t account for depreciation, we will show a $2.5 million surplus. Because we have taken a conservative approach to the budget, we expect that our revenue will exceed our budget, removing the risk of our current after-depreciation deficit.
We have not reduced any services to the community, and we have invested heavily in staff by providing a training budget equal to 2 per cent of our gross wages bill.
The Councillors have also provided for their ability to assist the community in ways that they, as individuals, think may be appropriate, by allocating $2000 per councillor to spend as they see fit.
So, I see this as a very constructive year with a lot of gains for the community.
Work Health and Safety
Our house numbering project is progressing. We have the numbers produced, and we will be installing them shortly on house fences near the gates. The intent of this is to ensure safety services, e.g. ambulance, police, etc., can find your place if you need help. This is being funded through the disaster “Get Ready” Funding that is available to Council each year.
Recruitment
We are continuing to recruit local people into local jobs here in the Council. We are advertising each position, and the final appointee is selected from that recruitment process. As CEO, I am very aware of the conflict of interest that staff can have in this appointment process, so I have put in place a requirement for staff who participate on the selection panel to declare their relationship with any of the applicants so there is no perception of favouritism. This has been done for a couple of reasons: mainly to protect our staff from criticism, but also to ensure that applicants can be assured that the best person for the job will be selected, regardless of relationships. It is my job to ensure that Council gets the best person, with the best skills, to do the best job for the best community.
Litter
I would like to start a local litter programme. I have received numerous compliments from Government officials and visitors to Hope Vale, and their first comment is around how neat and tidy the approaches and the town looks. It is generally one of the best places I have lived for that reason. I would like to continue with that and help make everyone conscious of the fact that litter belongs to all of us. It doesn’t matter if we didn’t put it there, we should all pick up one piece and put it in the bin. This way, we can set an example for our kids and let them grow up in a clean and tidy environment. Let’s be proud of Hope Vale.
Councillor Movements
Mayor Gibson and I attended the Australian Local Government Association National Assembly in Canberra recently. This is where all local governments in Australia come to gather to seek out opportunities for Local Government to have programmes funded and look at resolutions for all those matters that affect Local Government right across Australia. Several other Indigenous councils attended from Queensland.
During this week, the Mayor also met with The Federal Minister for Indigenous Affairs, the Hon. Malarndirri McCarthy, to speak about local initiatives and opportunities for Hope Vale and explain where Government funding would be helpful to us for future initiatives.
The Mayor has also been attending the TCICA regional forums, meeting with members of FNQROC, an organisation of all Councils in the Cape and Gulf. As well as this, he has been meeting Government Ministers to try to raise awareness to have the McLeod River crossing upgraded and to look at the quality of schooling for our children. Hope Vale should not be disadvantaged by persons deciding in Brisbane what is best for us.
Here is hoping you are all looking after yourselves and following good health practices.
Stay well and enjoy this great environment that we share.
Lew Rojahn
Chief Executive Officer