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The Shire of Barcoo An exceptionally unique place The Shire of Barcoo, one of the big- exceptional site with strong historical gest local government areas in Western values. The surrounding regions offer Queensland, is a place of exceptional many opportunities for outdoor recre- beauty and a rich history. The shire in- ation with fantastic wildlife and flora corporates the townships of Jundah, and numerous activities such as golf Windorah, and Stonehenge covering and fishing. an area of almost 62,000 square km. The Thomson and Barcoo rivers reach Despite covering a considerable area, a confluence to form Cooper Creek, an the Shire is home to a small popula- Business View Oceania AT A GLANCE WHO: The Barcoo Shire Council WHAT: The council presiding over the Shire of Barcoo, incorporating the towns of Jundah, Stonehenge, and Windorah WHERE: 6 Perkins St, Jundah QLD 4736, Australia WEBSITE: barcoo.qld.gov.au reinvigorating era ahead thanks to the hard work of the Council. Intertwining the Council in the community More than most Councils in other municipalities, the Barcoo Shire Coun- cil is deeply involved in virtually every aspect of the community. It acts as the backbone to most economic, so- cial, and cultural activities in the re- gion and it provides support for count- less services. For instance, the council is responsible for the operation of the school bus, a service that would nor- mally not fall under their responsibil- tion of about 350. In fact, the Barcoo ities. Because of the unique charac- Shire Council employs about 16 per- teristics of the shire, such as its small cent of the population while the per- population, the Council had to assume centage of people relying on the Coun- a very active role to ensure the well- cil for income purposes sits at around being of the community and the sta- 40 percent. Agriculture, tourism, and ble and continuous operation of public local government are the three major services. economic drives in the area though the rural community is experiencing a To positively affect the economy of Paving the way since 1973 Road Surfaces Group has been paving the way for managers of Queensland roads since 1973. Our expertise provides a smooth process to your new roads and longevity of your maintenance needs. As part of Boral Australia, Road Surfaces Group is supported by an outstanding team of people who strive for excellence in designing pavement mixes that are tailored for our valued customers to suit the demands of regional and remote environments. 34-40 Potassium St, Narangba QLD 4504 (07) 3203 1566 Road Surfaces Group PTY LTD Business View Oceania Paving the way since 1973 Road Surfaces Group has been paving the way for managers of Queensland roads since 1973. Our expertise provides a smooth process to your new roads and longevity of your maintenance needs. As part of Boral Australia, Road Surfaces Group is supported by an outstanding team of people who strive for excellence in designing pavement mixes that are tailored for our valued customers to suit the demands of regional and remote environments. 34-40 Potassium St, Narangba QLD 4504 (07) 3203 1566 Road Surfaces Group PTY LTD Business View Oceania Robert O’Brien, CEO the region, the Council had to take Heavy investments in the a comprehensive look into the wid- road network er area and develop a strategic plan that would benefit not only the econ- Because of all that, it is easy to see omies of its own townships but those that the Council’s investments in the of the surrounding areas as well. For road network have benefitted the wid- one, the expansion of sealed roads al- er region as a whole. Of course, a big lowed economic growth to spread out. part of their workload is completing The influx of services was a direct re- road projects for the state government. sult of that and now the Council is con- cerned with building infrastructure to “A big part of our work is doing work attract visitors and build more interest on behalf of the state government on in the commercial market. According the state road network. If we can get to Robert O’Brien, the Council’s CEO, that average of 10 to 15 kilometers the hope is that by providing the ini- per year rolled out, we will still have at tial services and necessary infrastruc- least a 10-year program ahead of us. A ture, the private sector will take over lot of these roads, which were original- and breathe new life to the region. ly part of the beef roads network, are just five meters wide with single lanes. Business View Oceania So after we have gotten everything both socially and business-wise. So- paved, the next step will be to widen cially, people are much more likely to these single-lane sections and this will visit areas with decent infrastructure. take at least 10 to 15 years. And that’s And as far as business is concerned, just on the state network. We’ve also the beef supply network goes direct- got about 1200kms of our own road ly through the region so these invest- network which is pretty much all gravel ments are essentially value-adding to or natural formation of sandy soil”, ex- the people of Queensland. plains Robert. Developing a network for As one can plainly see, a lot of money telecommunications has been utilized in improving the road network. Thankfully, government fund- Another major project for the Council ing and federal programs have helped has been the development and main- tremendously in this regard. Programs tenance of a decent telecommunica- like Road to Recovery are vital to com- tions network. Though this has been munities like the Shire of Barcoo. Since an ongoing concern since 2001, views sealing the roads, people’s destina- on technology were much different tions have also changed dramatically, back then than they are today. In the Business View Oceania last 15 years, mobile technology has and resources, the Council also looks exploded to unprecedented levels with in other areas for improvements too. the number of connected devices far Sustainability, for instance, is a big con- exceeding the world’s population. The cern. When they first started regulat- most frequent comments in the Coun- ing water supplies, they Council quickly cil’s guest books have consistently looked at the cost of producing water. been about better mobile phone cov- Once the first water treatment plants erage which is just another testament were established, they also quickly re- to the importance alized that the cost of such an endeav- of treating all of the or. water was highly ineffective. As a re- Providing good sult, they now only coverage for mo- treat about 20 per- bile and internet cent of the water networks is vital in which makes peo- this day and age ple use it much across every as- more efficiently pect. On an indi- while cutting down vidual level, there on costs. are loads of people who wish to work from home, access Overall, the Barcoo Shire Council education services, and become con- should take pride in being so active- nected for social and entertainment ly involved in the community and re- purposes. On a business level, modern sponding to their needs in as quick enterprises are required to have an In- and efficient a manner as possible. ternet presence vital for fast commu- Though their work is challenging, they nication, administration, and finance. have risen to the occasion more than On the public services level, hospitals, once and the community has directly schools, libraries, and various oth- benefitted as a result. The shire might er utilities absolutely have a need for seem small in comparison to others in fast and stable Internet connections the surrounding region but its econom- as well. ic and social impact is considerable in- deed. Planning ahead As is the case with many other small Supporting Partners councils, the Barcoo Shire Council has Road Surfaces Group to establish plans decades into the Phone (07) 3203 1566 future. Though the road network will Wagners Cement take a considerable amount of its time wagner.com.au USA \ CANADA \ CARIBBEAN \ AUSTRALIA \ NEW ZEALAND www.BusinessViewOceania.com Business View Oceania.

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