John McVeigh (Groom, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to recognise tonight the efforts of the retiring general manager of water and waste in the Toowoomba Regional Council, Mr Kevin Flanagan. Kevin has been in local government for more than 40 years and has most recently led Council's water supply, sewerage and waste management services. He is most often recognised as the person who guided our community through critical water shortages in the early 2000s. That drought-induced water supply crisis captured national and international attention. Indeed, it was our Prime Minister who, as former minister for water, considered future water supply options along with Kevin and other civic leaders during that period.

Those were tough years in our region. When the contentious plan to recycle wastewater back into our municipal supply was considered along with other options we had all the while the most severe water restrictions in Australia imposed upon our residents simply to preserve limited water supplies for high-priority potable use. Ultimately it was Kevin who managed negotiations with the then state government to secure a pipeline from Wivenhoe Dam to our east, in the Brisbane Valley, to provide for the capacity of 10,000 megalitres per year for our community. Thankfully the rains came and our water supplies were replenished. But Kevin and his team had educated our community about the need for sensible water supply management and a system of diverse supply options. His leadership regarding the Wetalla water treatment plant, water reticulation opportunities throughout the region, the development of the state-of-the-art Toowoomba waste management facility as part of an integrated regional plan, and restoration of the iconic Empire Theatre in Toowoomba are certainly legacies from his career of service to our region.

My wife, Anita, and I have had the great fortune of knowing Kevin and his wife, Libby, for quite some years. During the 1990s I first came to know Kevin in my membership of regional water planning groups convened by successive Queensland state governments. We had plenty of discussions about supply options for Toowoomba, and I stress that we did not always agree. He, like me, has a stubborn streak of Irish blood when engaged in debate. But with Kevin it was always heartfelt, passionate, robust and, above all else, respectful. As a councillor with our regional council, it was good to develop a close working relationship with Kevin. Again, in the interests of constructive debate about innovative technologies and management of our water, sewerage and waste services, we probably did not always agree, but I could always be assured that his efforts were in the best interests of our community and our region and in line with his professional standards and ethics as an engineer.

It was good then, too, to continue to engage with Kevin during my subsequent years in the Queensland parliament on municipal, industrial and rural water supplies, agricultural waste management and in particular a new regional infrastructure requirement focus. More recently I have witnessed Kevin firsthand stepping forward to find solutions to the Oakey PFAS water contamination issue—including, I must say, the provision of town water to affected properties as funded by the Turnbull government in allocations announced in the federal budget brought down in this chamber just two weeks ago.

As Council's chief executive officer, Mr Brian Pidgeon, has commented in local media, 'Kevin’s expertise, as well as his sense of humour will be greatly missed' as he steps down from his current role. That sort of humour, that sort of understanding of our community, that sort of professionalism and focus on the region, particularly the community, are the hallmarks of Kevin Flanagan's career in our community. He will, despite his retirement, which is now underway, hopefully remain available to share a joke, to provide advice and to have a beer in discussion about our beautiful region of the Darling Downs. That is exactly what leaders in our local community—particularly our regional council—are recognised for doing from one end of our region to another. I salute Kevin Flanagan for his service to our community. I wish him, his wife, Libby, and their entire family all the very best for the future.