In the First Session of the Fifty-Sixth Parliament of Queensland held on Thursday 13 August 2020, the Premier of Queensland, Hon Annastacia Palaszczuk advised that Binna Burra Lodge will be reopening to visitors in September.
The Premier also referred to the joint State and Federal Government bushfire recovery disaster funding ($1.775 m) support that has been allocated to infrastructure and planning activities at Binna Burra.
‘Binna Burra was devasted by the unprecedented bushfires early in the morning on Sunday 8 September 2019. On that Sunday afternoon as we were all still coming to terms with the destruction, I received a phone call from Hon. Cameron Dick, then the Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning. Cameron very kindly offered to set up a State Government Recovery Taskforce to assist in the recovery efforts at Binna Burra. That Taskforce, which lasted for six months, was been critical to much of what we have been able to achieve to get bushfire disaster funding assistance, road access reconstruction, national parks support and the Binna Burra site ready to again welcome visitors one year after the bushfires’ said Steve Noakes.
‘We have marinated close working relationship with over one dozen State Government Departments and agencies over this past year since the 2019 bushfires as we have all stayed focussed on bringing back the Binna Burra side of the Lamington National Park.’
When the bushfire hit Binna Burra Lodge in 2019, the Premier was overseas on government business. When she returned to Australia, she immediately made a special visit to meet with Binna Burra Lodge and the Beechmont community. Since that time, her office has been kept updated on the progress by the Department of Transport and Main Roads of the reconstruction of the single access road.
‘Over the past year, we are extremely appreciative of the support we have received from our local, state and federal levels of governments to enable access into the Binna Burra side of the Lamington National Park and to help our infrastructure and planning needs for the next 100 years of Binna Burra’ said Noakes.
Binna Burra Lodge is honoured that the Premier would use the floor of the Parliament of Queensland to announce the reopening of Binna Burra next month.
Note: Hon. Cameron Dick is now the State Treasurer and Minister for Infrastructure and Planning.
