Local biosecurity capabilities under the spotlight
Land managers from Normanton to Pormpuraaw can rest a bit easier now as a two –year biosecurity project has drawn to a successful conclusion. The project involved Lands Protection Officers in the Shires of Cook, Mareeba, Carpentaria, Pormpuraaw and Kowanyama. These Shires share a landscape that is unique to the lower Gulf country, and it includes some of the most vulnerable coastal areas where biosecurity threats could arrive.
The focus of the project was to assess current capabilities in each of the Shires and to improve the level of confidence local government officers have in terms of cooperating with their peers in the other Shires.
Mareeba hosted the first of five networking meetings and got the project off to a rolling start. For most of the participants, this was the first time to have a peek under the hood in another Shire.
Graham Weinert, Lands Protection officer for Mareeba Shire Council explained: “I wasn’t sure what to expect, frankly. Our team stays busy year-round, head down on the jobs at hand. But it was good to take a bit of time to go around and check out how they’re doing things in the Shires on the Gulf. We have plenty in common, lots of country to take care of and not much in the way of resourcing. We’re all struggling with limited time and budget. I’d say it was a great opportunity for us up at the head of the catchments to meet with our colleagues downstream. In many ways, what we do up here has big impacts for them. I guess now they know who to call!”
Cook Shire hosted the second meeting, giving everyone an opportunity to come up the Cape a bit and see the impressive country transitioning across the Great Divide.
Darryn Higgins, Lands Protection Officer for Cook Shire observed: “My sense is that this was a valuable networking exercise. Nothing changed all that much, but it was really informative to meet and talk. One thing that stands out for me is the need for stronger enforcement of the GBO on private lands. But that’s going to require State govt support. We’re all locals and we have to maintain good working relationships here or nothing will get done.”
From there, the group headed west, convening in Kowanyama for the third meeting. Kowanyama is an Aboriginal Shire of about 300,000ha under Aboriginal Freehold. The dominant landuse is cultural and conservation as opposed to the primary production focus in Mareeba, Capentaria, and parts of Cook.
Kowanyama’s Special Project Officer, John Brisbin, concluded: “This project has given me a lot more confidence in my understanding about the way lands protection and biosecurity matters are handled across this region. There’s a lot of local intelligence and experience. Any effective biosecurity response will need to leverage relationships and networks that local people maintain. There’s a lot of improvement that could happen at the institutional level: shared mapping, joint exercises, proper funding for public-good lands management, etc. But at the end of the day, managing country properly depends on people who are connected to the land and to one another.”
The final visit on the Cape was to the bustling community of Pormpuraaw, at the mouth of the Edward River and home country for Clinton (Holroyd) Williams. Clinton is the Shire’s Coordinator for Lands Protection and is a traditional owner for this area. Recognising relationships as the essential ingredient to any successful network, he commented: “I appreciated the chance to see how other people are meeting biosecurity challenges. It really helps to listen to their experience and share ideas across the table. We enjoyed a chance to welcome visitors and show off our shed and equipment to the other Rangers. I think we gave them some inspiration!”
Wrapping up at Normanton in the lower Gulf, Carpentaria Shire hosted the project’s final meeting. The Shire was just completing a recruitment exercise for their incoming officer, Hollie Heikkinen. Hollie steps into the shoes of Carl Casey, the outgoing Lands Protection Officer. Hosting the meeting was Carpentaria’s Chief Operating Officer, Andrew Shaw. Andrew was able to provide a completely fresh lens on the meeting, inspiring a wide range of reflections on biosecurity matters. Andrew also organised for the CEO, Anne Andrews, to address the meeting and give an update on developments at a State-wide level.
Andrew summarised: “I came in late to the program and my usual location is behind a desk, not out on country. Nevertheless I really appreciated a chance to learn more about the challenges and opportunities that our Lands Protection Officers face every day. I think it would be really valuable for Council’s corporate services team to have a day in the field so that on-ground biosecurity issues become more tangible.”
The full report and file notes from each meeting will be available from each of the 5 Shires’ websites in due course.
For more information, please contact: John Brisbin (0407 471 565) john.brisbin@kowanyama.qld.gov,au
Download the report:https://www.kowanyama.qld.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/ELGBC-Report-20250630.pdf