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Subscriber only But Dawson MP George Christensen has hit back, questioning why the State Government s $200 travel vouchers were not extended to the Whitsundays. Last week the Federal Government revealed 800,000 discounted tickets would include return flights from Sydney to both Proserpine and Hamilton Island between April 1 and July 31. Discounted flights are not on offer for Mackay Airport. In parliament, Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick questioned why so many Queensland destinations, including Mackay, were left out. The tickets to the Mackay region do not actually include Mackay Airport, Mr Dick said. Sadly, it seems the Federal Government do not have a list of airports in Queensland.
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Subscriber only Housing stock across Mackay Isaac Whitsundays has decreased 33.8 per cent in the past decade when compared to the previous decade. Data from the Queensland government s statistician s office, which the LNP is using to argue the state is in a housing affordability crisis, shows the Whitsundays is down 59.1 per cent from 4354 housing lot registrations between 2001 and 2010 to 1782 in 2011 and 2020. Mackay has dropped 20.4 per cent from 7803 housing lot registrations to 6214 over the same period while Isaac has dipped 29.2 per cent from 1135 to 804. The city s rental vacancy rate remains ultra-low at less than 1 per cent and local service providers say the lack of social housing in the region has hit a crisis point.
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Roadworks, town beautification, park and playground upgrades, renewable energy installations, tourism, water and safety.
These are some of the eligible projects that could soon be funded under the latest Works for Queensland funding announced today.
Mackay Regional Council will receive $9.99 million, Whitsunday Regional Council will get $3.84 million to spend and Isaac Regional Council has secured $1.59 million.
Mackay MP Julieanne Gilbert welcomed today’s announcement.
“This is great news for Mackay and for our region’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mrs Gilbert said.
“Another round of Works for Queensland will allow Mackay Regional Council to deliver more jobs and build or upgrade their council infrastructure.
A conservation group says the government has the power to revoke a mining licence for a $1 billion Central Queensland mega mine after serious concerns about environmental impacts were raised.
ABC Investigations reported it had obtained Right to Information documents which show the Department of Environment and Science raised concerns behind the scenes about the Olive Downs project’s impact on surrounding waterways.
Located southeast of Moranbah in the Bowen Basin, the mine was granted the last of the major approvals required to start construction during last year’s Queensland state election campaign.
But RTI documents reveal the department repeatedly flagged concerns with the then Coordinator-General during the environmental approval process in 2018 and 2019 about the serious risks of leaving large mine pits also known as “voids” on the Isaac River flood plain after the mine shuts down.