This month, NQCC and local tree advocates arranged a meeting with the Townsville Mayor and relevant council staff. Crystal and Joanne met with Mayor Jenny Hill, Matt Richardson (Construction, Maintenance and Operations) and Greg Bruce (Environmental Services) to discuss a way forward with a better process for caring for Townsville's trees.

We were pleased to hear that TCC is currently drafting a Tree Management Policy, initially as an internal document but with the prospect of becoming a public facing document in future. We queried the community consultation component of developing this policy but weren't given a clear answer either way. We will continue pushing for the community to have their say on this important policy.

Bernadette later made a short presentation at a council meeting where her e-petition was to be tabled. This was received positively by some attendees, with some expressing interest in follow-up.

A campaign updated was published in the Townsville Bulletin on Friday 27 August, featuring some powerful statements from Bernadette. Read a copy of the article here!

Our next opportunity is to present to a committee meeting on 8 September. We will keep you informed with any updates!