The council has made a decision to attempt to reduce the financial burden on ratepayers through the massive costs associated with operating the Civic Centre, Buchanan Park and Outback at Isa, currently costing a total of $2.5 million per year and underperforming as entertainment venues.

Let me set the record straight. 

Buchanan Park was built by the McCullough-led council at a cost of $29 million is being used approximately four times per year and is costing the ratepayers $1.08 million per year just to have standing there.

The Civic Centre was built in 1972 at a cost of approximately $11 million, it is seldom used for major functions and had a staff of four people and was costing the ratepayers approximately $1.038 million per year.

Outback at Isa was built at a cost of about $14 million and is costing the ratepayers $380,000  per year just to have it open.

That is a total annual cost to ratepayers of about $2.5 million per year.

Previous councils were content to allow that to happen and continue, with no attempts made to reduce the costs or to look at innovative ways of reducing the costs. This council is not.

I accept that when you make changes you upset some people who may have had it too good for too long.

The council has now formed a company called Mount Isa Entertainment and Tourism Venues (MIETV), which takes in the Civic Centre, Buchanan Park and Outback at Isa. The company will be run by a board.

The council has advertised in the media for people to nominate as directors of this board and we have received over 20 nominations. We have established a selection committee from within the Mount Isa community who will recommend to the council as to who will constitute this board of directors.

The employees of the company will work between the three venues, so if there is a function at the Civic Centre then staff will work there, if there is something at Buchanan Park — likewise. 

We have moved away from the system where if you worked at the Civic Centre and nothing was happening, you still reported for duty and were paid your salary,  plus of course the costs of air conditioning, electricity, cleaning etc, all associated with having this building open — this was unfair, very costly  and unwise staff management. 

Now you go to where the work is and where you are required.

This is naturally a saving. 

In regards to the main criticism — catering — this criticism is coming from self interest. Your council must act for the common good. Surely people must understand that any venue in Queensland or Australia such as the Civic Centre has catering facilities.

If you want to organise a ball, a wedding or some other function then obviously you will require caterers. 

There is nothing which stipulates that one person should have a monopoly on the catering of the council activities as has been the practice until very recently. 

The new board of directors will be charged with the responsibility of seeing how we can do things better. 

Reference has been made by one person  to the council’s concrete batching plant.

 The operation came about after the closure of the CEC and MICCON businesses in Mount Isa, after which concrete services were limited to one supplier only with many other material products becoming available only externally to the city.

Purchase of plant was driven by limited availability of supply of concrete and escalating prices overnight which significantly affected council’s internal works, and since the commencement of concrete production for internal council works, the council has been approached by a large volume of the community seeking to purchase materials no longer available to the small builder or backyarder.  

By doing so, the council has made these materials that were scarcely available locally following the closure of MICCON and CEC, available again to the public at full pricing.

Despite the request from some that council leaders should rest on their laurels and continue to support bad financial and staffing decisions, it is time for the Mount Isa City Council to offer better services, improved choices and more entertainment for the ratepayers of this city and their hard-earned money. They deserve that much.

I reiterate that changes often upset people but we are not prepared to allow these three venues to be a constant drain on the ratepayer’s pockets. 

Changes have been made but they were made and will continue to be made in an attempt to save ratepayers’ money, improve the facilities and provide entertainment for our people and not to preserve monopolies for a small group of people who were doing very well for so long.