Editorial: Economic Development Plan success is crucial to Mount Isa

Before the council elections in 2016 Joyce McCulloch ran hard on her economic credentials and her plan to diversify the economy was one of the reasons she was elected mayor. So here at the half way point of her term was one of the signature documents of her administration.

Council commissioned well-regarded consultants the Centre for International Economics to produce the document and it includes an assessment of the economic outlook, risks and opportunities facing Mount Isa; an assessment of the city’s “value proposition” and most importanlty a range of around 30 initiatives to meet the strategy’s objectives. 

The key driver is to move beyond the copper-zinc mining core to diversify the economy, which is sensible long-term thinking to “promote economic and social resilience”, as the strategy puts it.

Mining is worth $1.3b to the local economy and remains the major employer but with the drawing down of high-grade copper reserves we need to start looking elsewhere in the coming years.

So that means promoting the search for conventional and unconventional gas exploration in the Isa Superbasin, intensifying cattle and irrigation production and promoting cross-border co-operation with Tennant Creek through the gas pipeline and inland rail projects. The document has many worthy objectives but the hard part will be realising them and on these the Mayor’s term will be judged in 2020.

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A happy St Patrick’s Day to all for March 17.

As a proud Irish Australian and a grammar nerd I have noticed one annoying Americanism creep across the Pacific. 

I see places where the day is shortened to “St Patty’s Day” but no self-respecting Irish person would ever use that phrase.

There is a couple of good and proper ways of shortening such as St Pat’s Day. The commonest way is simply St Paddy’s Day (the Irish for Patrick is Pádraig, hence Paddy). But Patty’s begone...they belong with hamburgers not Guinness.

Sláinte! – Derek Barry