Charters Towers mayor Liz Schmidt told delegates to the Northern Queensland Local Government Association conference on Thursday they had the ability to effect change across Northern Australia.

Cr Schmidt who is the president of the NQLGA, which represents councils north of Latitude 21 said they were at the forefront of change that would affect generations to come.

“I believe the most important step towards that change is the recognition that we as a group hold the key to the collective future of our communities and that we as leaders of those communities seize the opportunity provided by Northern Australia and drive it for the benefit of all Australians,” Cr Schmidt said.

Cr Schmidt’s call was echoed by assistant minister for local government Jennifer Howard who encouraged councils to be innovative and think outside the box when it came to applying for state funding for priority projects.

“The state is looking for innovative partnerships to improve quality of life enjoyed by all Queenslanders,” Ms Howard said.

Ms Howard said they wanted to give the regions the ability to keep people in their communities “surrounded by the people and places they love.”

She urged councils to take their lead from the state budget priorities of growing innovation, attracting investment and building infrastructure.

“Be innovative in your thinking,” she said.

Improving innovation and infrastructure was one of the main items on the agenda with discussions on the inland Queensland Roads Action Plan and the Burketown to Fibre Link Project.

The conference also held sessions on education in the outback with a presentation from the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association, and better health for the bush with presentations from Mount Isa Remote and Rural Health Centre and western Queensland Primary Health Network chair Dr Sheilagh Cronin. The day concluded with the NQLGA AGM.