Qld: Western Queensland women protest council amalgamation

AAP General News (Australia)
08-06-2007
Qld: Western Queensland women protest council amalgamation

BRISBANE, Aug 6 AAP - Brisbane has witnessed its most heartfelt protest against council
reforms yet, with more than 70 women, children and babies from western Queensland gathering
outside the office of Queensland Premier Peter Beattie today.

The group travelled 1,100km through the night with the hope of meeting Mr Beattie,
who is discussing plans to cut the state's 156 councils to 72 with state cabinet today,
before introducing the legislation to parliament tomorrow.

Jacinta Latta, whose husband works for the Isisford Shire Council, fears her family
will lose its livelihood under the plans.

The shire is set to merge with Ilfracombe and Longreach shires under the proposal.

"We would lose our livelihood, our lifestyle therefore, and our house that we just
bought last year would be, I imagine, worth nothing, yet we still have ... a lot of years
left to pay our house off," Mrs Latta told reporters.

"There's no other industry that my husband could go into in the Isisford Shire that
would keep us there - our kids have a fabulous life out there."

Mrs Latta also delivered a tearful plea for people in the city to care about the impact
of the Beattie government's reforms.

"Not so long ago I lived in a big shire on the coast, and if I saw all this on the
news I wouldn't care less either," she said.

"I could have been one of the people that doesn't listen ...

"It's absolutely critical to me that somebody listens and cares (and) understands."

Fellow Isisford resident Tammy Bailey said she feared towns like hers would be rubbed
off the map under the reforms.

"There's a huge possibility that our town is going to halve in the next three years," she said.

"You take somebody from the shire (council) office leaving: they might have five kids
that go to the school, so those five kids are gone, therefore we lose a teacher aide,
so the teacher aide leaves town with her husband.

"It's a domino effect, that's why we're so passionate about it."

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