Whitsunday Regional Council Mayor Andrew Willcox attended a meeting of the Whitsunday ROC (Regional Organisation of Councils) in Mackay today where agreement was reached to seed funding for GW3, the Greater Whitsunday Alliance, for the next three years.

The meeting attended by Mayor Willcox, Isaac Mayor Anne Baker and Mackay Mayor Greg Williamson also agreed on a recruitment process for a CEO and chairman for the new industry-led body.

Whitsunday Mayor Andrew Willcox said it was a landmark day for the entire region.

“The Whitsundays is an iconic tourism destination but we also have the diversity with mining and horticultural opportunities,’’ he said.

“By joining with our two neighbours as a “super region” we will be able to have more clout with both State and Federal Governments.

“The formation of GW3 will also automatically give the whole region a seat on the Northern Australia Alliance,” Mayor Willcox said.

The three councils – Mackay, Whitsunday and Isaac– will contribute $550,000 per annum between them over the next three years, with a review after two years.

That includes $300,000 from Mackay Regional Council and $125,000 each from the Isaac and Whitsunday councils.

Whitsunday ROC Chairperson Cr Anne Baker said that “today is the start of a new era for the Region with great expectations of the benefits that working regionally through a strong entity such as GW3 can provide.

“GW3 will be the ideal vehicle to promote a unified Regional front for major initiatives.
“We’ve made a unanimous decision to fund moving forward the GW3 concept and process,’’ Cr Baker said.

“We’re putting in expectations around this group in terms of delivery for our communities,“ she said.

The Whitsunday ROC (Regional Organisation of Councils) continues to work through the finer details of the development of Greater Whitsunday Alliance (GW3), an economic development entity working for the Region.