Powerlink Queensland and Queensland Murray-Darling Committee

Community Relations Program:

North West Surat Basin 2015

FINAL PROGRAM REPORT

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Table of contents

1. Overview………………………………………………………………………………………....3

2. Key activities………………………………………………………………………………….....4

a. Integrated Weed Management Strategy & Communications Tools……………...4

b. Injune State School Community Action Day………………………………………...7

c. Wallumbilla Community Action Day………………………………………………….8

d. Weed Economics Workshop……………………………………………………….....9

e. Wandoan Community Action Day…………………………………………………...10

f. Yuleba Community Action Day………………………………………………….......11

3. Traditional media coverage………………………………………………………………......12

4. Social media coverage………………………………………………………………………..14

5. Endorsements………………………………………………………………………………….15

Appendix

1. Overall program outputs

2. Working Group members

3. Media releases

4. Media coverage table

5. Traditional media clips – highlights

6. Social media clips – highlights

7. Financials

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1. Overview

The Powerlink Queensland and Queensland Murray-Darling Committee (QMDC) Community Relations Program was an eight-month partnership delivered during 2015, focusing on environmental rehabilitation and increased weed awareness in areas that have Powerlink infrastructure across the North West Surat Basin - in particular Fairview, Wallumbilla, Wandoan and Yuleba.

With Powerlink contributing $80,306 towards the program, the initiative delivered enhanced community and environmental spaces for numerous Western Queensland communities and increased the focus on weed awareness across the region.

Additionally, the program supported the creation of several strategic and interactive tools designed to help landholders and stakeholders improve their understanding about the importance of biosecurity.

From April to November 2015, the program contributed to communities across the region through the development of an Integrated Weed Management Strategy, coordination of four Community Action Days, one regional workshop and a ‘Let’s Get Weed Wise’ toolkit for landholders and stakeholders.

Program components were successfully delivered with input and involvement from local councils, Biosecurity Queensland, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, local Landcare and catchment groups, industry groups and local landholders.

Appendix 1 provides an overview of total program outputs, while some key overall achievements are noted below:

This report summarises the key activities and outcomes undertaken during the project, as well as outlining traditional and social media achievements, endorsements from council and community representatives, and financials.

Participation by 105 school students 

20 print, radio and online media stories with an equivalent advertising value of around $13,000

175 trees planted

Contribution of 719 volunteer hours 

equating to in‐kind labour to the value of 

$28,760

Involvement from more than 80 local community 

and Council representatives

8,724 impressions achieved on Twitter 

posts, with 32 retweets and 46 links clicked 

Total program value of $104,160

'Let's Get Weed Wise App' downloaded         

620 times

5,636 views  of Facebook posts, with 317 'likes' and 279 'photo views' 

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APRIL2nd: Official

program launch

MAY 22nd:

Working Group

workshop

JUNE

5th: Injune State School Community Action Day

AUGUST

7th: Wallumbilla Community Action Day

OCTOBER

2nd: Weed Economics Workshop

12th: Wandoan

Community Action Day &

launch of Integrated

Weed Management

Strategy

NOVEMBER

20th: Yuleba Community

Action Day & launch of 'Let's Get

Weed Wise' toolkit

2. Key Activities Between April and November 2015, the Powerlink and QMDC Community Relations Program delivered the following key activities:

a. Integrated Weed Management Strategy & Communication Tools The development of a local biosecurity strategy was the overarching vehicle used to engage with landholders and stakeholders across the North West Surat Basin for the program. The Integrated Weed Management Strategy provided a comprehensive overview of biosecurity and weed management practices, challenges and opportunities – with the goal of equipping locals in the Fairview, Injune, Wandoan and Yuleba communities with practical and timely information to help minimise the spread of weeds throughout the region. The Strategy was developed in consultation with a Working Group formed at the program’s outset, comprising representatives from industry groups, local councils, State government departments, Landcare groups, catchment coordinating committees and landholder representatives. A list of Working Group members is outlined in Appendix 2. Further information was gathered from 24 local landholders in the form of one-on-one discussions and submission of online surveys.

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The Working Group came together at a local forum on 22 May 2015 to share insights and provide direction to QMDC and Powerlink regarding the main gaps in knowledge about biosecurity in the region and areas for further engagement and technical focus. From there, QMDC and Powerlink collated and analysed the key consultation findings to produce a comprehensive document designed to underpin the Community Relations Program’s roll-out. The report identified a technical and strategic direction for the program and identified four primary focus areas regarding weed management. Figure 1 identifies the ‘pieces of the puzzle’ the program aimed to target. Figure 1: Focus areas for the Community Relations Program

Once published, the Integrated Weed Management Strategy was posted to 95 landholders and a broad range of local stakeholders. Copies were also distributed at Community Action Days to help raise awareness of the document. The Strategy was then used as the basis to guide the development of the ‘Let’s Get Weed Wise’ toolkit, which included production of a hard-copy ‘Let’s Get Weed Wise Pocket Guide’ and an interactive ‘Let’s Get Weed Wise App’ (see Figures 2 and 3). These tools brought the Strategy to life in a compact and practical format, allowing landholders and stakeholders to identify current and emerging weed threats, better understand how these weeds spread and can be effectively controlled, and obtain more information from credible supporting resources. More than 350 durable and portable hard-copy pocket guides were provided to landholders and stakeholders during the program, while the interactive App has been downloaded nearly 620 times (as at April 2016).

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Figure 2: Front cover of the ‘Let’s Get Weed Wise Pocket Guide’

Figure 3: A screenshot of the interactive mapping in the ‘Let’s Get Weed Wise App’

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b. Injune State School Community Action Day Students at Injune P-10 State School joined Powerlink and QMDC on 5 June 2015 for the first of the Community Action Days held during the program. The event consisted of school students, staff and field officers extending garden beds, establishing an irrigation system and planting 80 native trees in their community garden. In addition, QMDC technical officers shared their knowledge with students about weed seed spread, property hygiene and the importance of weed management in natural areas throughout the region. The action day was attended by 68 participants, including 55 students, and equated to 155 volunteer hours. Surrounding landholders and interest groups were contacted via phone and email to raise awareness about the event and encourage participation.

Captions: Local students planted 80 trees to beautify their school grounds and learn how to care for the environment.

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c. Wallumbilla Community Action Day Powerlink and QMDC worked closely with the Maranoa Regional Council to host an environment and education day at the Wallumbilla Show Grounds on 7 August 2015. Students from the Wallumbilla State School, along with community volunteers from the Showground User’s Group, worked with Powerlink, QMDC and council field officers to plant 15 advanced native Tuckeroos, with the aim of providing shade and leaving a positive legacy for the Wallumbilla local community. To continue building the local community’s knowledge of weed seed spread and local weed threats, event participants were provided with information about a recent Class 1 weed outbreak in the Wallumbilla Creek. The day was attended by 35 community members including 13 school students and staff. Groups consulted during event organisation included the Maranoa Regional Council, Biosecurity Queensland (Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries), the local Campdraft Association, Wallumbilla Cricket Club, Wallumbilla Show Society, and local Pony Club. The event resulted in the contribution of nearly 140 volunteer hours to enhance this important recreational site.

Caption: Maranoa Regional Council Team Leader Corey Drennan and Wallumbilla State School students Rory Maunder and Mitchell Reid worked hard to improve the Wallumbilla Showgrounds by planting shade trees around the arena.

Caption: Participants at the Wallumbilla Community Action Day joined forces to enhance the important recreational site enjoyed by locals and visitors alike.

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d. Weed Economics Workshop Landholders and community representatives from across the North West Surat Basin were invited to attend a Profitable Grazing and Weed Management workshop hosted as a collaborative effort between QMDC and Powerlink. The event included expert advice from grazing industry consultant Steve Banney and took place in Wandoan on 2 October 2015. The forum gave landholders the opportunity to share information and experiences about weed management. Attendees were provided with an opportunity to better understand the economic realities of weed control and quantify the financial impact of weed infestations on their farm’s profitability. They were also given tools to test the impact of various weed management options on the ‘bottom line’. This grass-roots information broadened the importance of weed management beyond the traditional environmental focus and raised its prominence as a financial and economic issue – a key opportunity identified by the program’s Working Group. The event was promoted across several channels, including emails and phone calls to landholders and community representatives, as well as local newspaper advertising.

Caption: Wandoan district landholders Georgie and John Worsfold, Powerlink Environmental Strategist Chris Delamont, Consultant Steve Banney and landholder Helen Devlin crunched the numbers around the impact of weeds on grazing production at the Weed Economics Workshop in Wandoan.

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e. Wandoan Community Action Day A day of community action was undertaken in Wandoan on 12 October 2015 at the Waterloo Plain Environmental Park. As the site provides important habitat for many species of birdlife, efforts focused on enhancing the health of trees and garden beds, as well as planting 50 new native seedlings. The event was also an opportunity to work with Year 9 and 10 Agricultural Science students from the Wandoan State School to build their knowledge of local weed threats, and weed specimen collection and identification processes. The event was attended by 17 participants including Wandoan State School students and teachers, Powerlink staff, Western Downs Regional Council representatives and a local community member who was part of the community group responsible for originally establishing the park. Event activities produced more than 76 volunteer hours. The event also coincided with the official launch of the Integrated Weed Management Strategy which was made available to attendees on the day to ‘spread the word’ about the importance of regional biosecurity matters.

Caption: Wandoan State School Students Ashley and Dean identify fireweed during a weed identification and native tree planting activity at Wandoan’s Waterloo Plain Environmental Park.

Caption: Powerlink Project Manager Justin Out and Guluguba’s Lyn Bahnisch add to the plantings at Wandoan’s Waterloo Park. Lyn was one of the original members of the Waterloo Plain Environmental Park group, which turned the empty space into a park popular with the locals, native birds and visitors to the town.

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f. Yuleba Community Action Day and Official Launch of Toolkit The final Community Action Day for the program was held in Yuleba on 20 November 2015. The event enhanced the local skate park’s shade and aesthetics by planting 30 native trees and shrubs and installing a new garden bed with irrigation. The day also provided Yuleba State School students with an opportunity to increase their knowledge and awareness of weeds and how to prevent their spread. The event was attended by 48 people (including 28 school students), as well as representatives from Maranoa Regional Council, QMDC and Powerlink. An important focus of the day was to mark the completion of the Community Relations Program and launch the ‘Let’s Get Weed Wise Pocket Guide’ and ‘Let’s Get Weed Wise App’ as a legacy of the initiative. The tools were well received at the event, with school students and other attendees acknowledging their unique and valuable attributes, for example the locally relevant focus of the durable ‘glove box’ Pocket Guide and the level of personalisation available in the App’s interactive mapping system.

Caption: Maranoa Regional Council Team Leader Corey Drennan gives Yuleba State School students Jorja, Kealey, Brae, Courtney, Toby and Maddison a helping hand to plant a native tree at the skate park.

Caption: Powerlink Local Relationship Manager Murray Abel with QMDC’s Roxane Blackley and Chairman Noel Strohfeld celebrate the launch of the program’s Pocket Guide and App.

Caption: Yuleba State School teacher aide Tammy Harland with students viewing the ‘Let’s Get Weed Wise App’ on a solar-powered iPad.

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3. Traditional media coverage To assist with raising awareness of the importance of weed management in the North West Surat Basin, and encourage participation in the Community Relations Program from a number of local stakeholders, Powerlink and QMDC worked together to generate traditional media coverage of program activities. For key milestones (in particular Community Action Days), media releases as per Appendix 3 were issued to the following print and broadcast media outlets, and local newsletter channels:

Media Outlets: o Chinchilla News and Murilla Advertiser o Surat Basin News o Toowoomba Chronicle o Roma Western Star o Queensland Country Life o Rural Weekly

Broadcast

o ABC Southern Queensland (including the monthly interview held with QMDC’s Chief Executive Officer)

o 4WK Toowoomba o 4AK Toowoomba o Hot FM Toowoomba o Roma Radio 4ZR

Council Newsletters

o Bottletree Bulletin (Maranoa Regional Council)

Community Newsletters o Murilla Community Newsletter o Window on Wandoan

School Newsletters

o Injune State School o Wallumbilla State School o Wandoan State School o Yuleba State School

E-Newsletters

o Powerlink Surat Basin E-Newsletter o QMDC E-Newsletter

A total of 20 print, radio and online media articles were achieved throughout the program. Some highlights are included overleaf, while Appendices 4 and 5 include an overview of traditional media coverage achieved and copies of media clip highlights respectively.

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4. Social media coverage Powerlink and QMDC also promoted program achievements via both organisation’s social media channels, in particular Facebook and Twitter. Key triggers for social media postings included Community Action Days and encouraged social media followers to click-through to view associated media releases, photo galleries and website information. A combined analysis for all Powerlink and QMDC Facebook posts regarding the program has identified the following outcomes:

A similar analysis of all Twitter posts relating to program activities has also been conducted:

'People reached' & views of posts:

5,636

'Likes':

315

'Shares':

16

'Post clicks':

523

'Photo views':

279

'Impressions':

8,724

'Retweets':

32

'Likes':

8

'Link clicks':

46

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A more detailed overview of Facebook and Twitter highlights is included in Appendix 6, however some of the most popular posts can be found below.

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5. Endorsements Maranoa Regional Council “On behalf of Maranoa Regional Council, I would like to express my gratitude to Powerlink and QMDC for engaging and partnering with us to complete the revegetation and weed management projects at the Wallumbilla Showgrounds and Yuleba Skate Park. These projects have generated positive feedback from both local residents and tourists passing by. Maranoa Regional Council particularly enjoyed working with the school students from Wallumbilla and Yuleba. It was a pleasure to work alongside our local schools to deliver these worthwhile projects and the students had a great time learning practical skills outside of the classroom and contributing to their local environment. Thank you again to Powerlink and QMDC for your valuable contribution to our community and environment.” Corey Drennen Team Leader Town & Surrounds (Yuleba/Wallumbilla/Jackson) Maranoa Regional Council Wallumbilla Agricultural and Pastoral Association “The Wallumbilla Agricultural and Pastoral Association would like to extend our most sincere thanks to Powerlink for their generous assistance of the provision of advanced shade trees for our local Show Grounds. These trees will make a huge difference to the comfort of our community members and patrons as they provide shade for spectators and competitors and enhance the beautification of the Grounds.” Fiona Vincent Wallumbilla Agricultural and Pastoral Association Wandoan State School “Wandoan State School P-10 was proud to be involved in a tree planting activity at our local Waterloo Plain Environmental Park. Thanks to Powerlink, the Agricultural Studies students were able to work in partnership with the local Progress Association and Western Downs Regional Council, experiencing real life activities. Students were involved in identifying particular plants and gained a greater understanding of what needs to be considered in order to successfully grow trees. A few dozen trees were planted to enhance the park which was initially established by a local voluntary group – the Progress Association for our community”. Louise Oakman Year 7/8 & Agricultural Science Teacher Wandoan State School