Cape York Weekly FREE – #098 | Tuesday, August 23, 2022
Editor: Matt Nicholls 0477 450 558 | editor@capeyorkweekly.com.au
BULLS: 1 RIDERS: 0
There was no shortage of action at the Weipa Rodeo on the weekend but it’s fair to say the bulls got the upper hand across the two nights at Andoom Oval. Check out all of the coverage in our special four-page rodeo liftout inside.
Picture: ALEX RETHUS
Councils call for more input into biosecurity
Include us: mayor By SAMUEL DAVIS
A PROPOSAL to give greater powers to local disaster management groups during public health crises will keep Cape communities safer, a long-time mayor says. The idea emerged during an external review commissioned into Torres and Cape Hospital and
Health Service’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. If endorsed, the scheme could be the first step towards stripping the federal government of its power to thrust the Cape into extended lockdowns. Cook Shire mayor Peter Scott, who pitched the idea during a phone hook-up last week, said un-
der the Biosecurity Act, health bodies had too much control during the early stages of the pandemic. Under Cr Scott’s plan, a health emergency would be treated like a natural disaster, with government agencies working together. “It’s a tried and true process,” the mayor said. “We were disappointed that the
response to COVID wasn’t undertaken through the disaster management protocols. “There’s an existing structure where agencies come together and the feedback takes into account the idiosyncrasies of particular communities. “It’s fed up to the state body from there.”
The revised process would create more checks and balances and give emergency service providers, including councils, more input. “It creates a feeling that it’s community driven. With the Act it feels very top-down from the community perspective and driven from Canberra,” Cr Scott said. Continued – Page 2
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