Welcome to the December 2025 Southern Queensland Landscapes Newsletter
Stay informed with the latest project updates, upcoming events, regional stories and our ongoing initiatives.
Message from the CEO
Gillian Meppem
Hello everyone, this is our final newsletter for 2025. It is pretty hard to believe I’ve been at Southern Qld Landscapes for nearly a year. The time has flown and so much has happened.
You may have seen a recent announcement by Minister Dale Last, DNRMMRRD, about two new landholder projects, delivered by Southern Qld Landscapes:
Ensuring Thriving Koala Populations in Southern Qld: This project is aimed at the improvement of priority koala habitats and support of animal movement and survival. Working with landholders this targeted action is designed to remove key threats including wild dogs and invasive cactus species.
These investments will be delivered strategically across targeted areas identified to deliver optimal impact. They highlight the vital link between healthy landscapes, productive agriculture, resilient koala populations and thriving waterways.
We look forward to working with land managers to deliver, I encourage you to engage with our team to identify specific opportunities for delivery or partnership. Our newest recruit, Programs Manager Michael Boland will lead the team in this work.
Members, I invite you to join us online or in person at 266 Margaret Street, Toowoomba for the AGM 10 December, reach out to companysecretary@sqlandscapes.org.au for meeting login details.
Finally we are looking forward to the Christmas break and a few days of family, cricket, fishing and whatever fills your cup. Most of the team will be on break over the Christmas period and back hard at it in the early weeks of January 2026. Best wishes and seasons greetings to all.
Gillian
New Recruits for Southern Qld Landscapes
We are excited to introduce our new recruits, Michael, Hunter and Claire.
Michael Boland joins us from the North, having previously worked with farmers and graziers in the Mackay-Whitsunday Region. He has a strong background in sustainable agriculture and comes with cattle production experience. Michael has partnered with farmers and graziers to improve the condition of soils, pastures and waterways. He spent his early years in Charleville and has also lived and worked on the Darling Downs and Maranoa. Michael has a grounded and practical approach to delivering projects that provide both environmental and economic benefits to our regional communities.
We also welcome Hunter, based in Toowoomba. Hunter brings a strong foundation in sustainable ecology, land renewal, and habitat management, complemented by hands-on experience working directly with landscapes and restoration projects. His understanding of ecological processes, coupled with his practical approach to problem-solving, strengthens the team’s capacity to deliver effective, on-ground outcomes for landholders. As he continues to focus his career on sustainable agricultural practices, Hunter draws on his degree in cultural heritage to bring a broader perspective to land management; recognising the importance of cultural values, local context, and long-term stewardship. His combination of technical knowledge, field experience, and thoughtful, community-minded insight makes him a valuable addition to our work across the region.
We also welcome Claire Steains, who is based in Goondiwindi. Claire brings together veterinary expertise and agricultural science to deliver practical solutions for landholders. Starting her career as a mixed-practice veterinarian and later working as an agricultural laboratory technician with a focus on soil chemistry and cotton tissue testing, Claire has built strong analytical skills and a deep understanding of the challenges faced on the ground. Her blended knowledge of livestock and agriculture systems are beneficial to the Project Delivery team. When she’s not working, Claire enjoys running, playing netball, and life on the farm with her partner and their two dogs, Maxy the Golden Retriever and Marley the Kelpie.
Many of you will be familiar with Southern Qld Landscapes’ detection dog Hakka and his handler, Agaba Hannington. The business has offered detection dog services for quite some time however a recent review of requirements resulted in a decision to discontinue this service offering. Detection dog work is extremely specialised with a three month training period for each new scent and significant daily training and exercise required. Hakka and his skills are not lost to us, as he has moved to EcoK9 Consulting on the Atherton Tablelands where he is available on a contract basis to support activity across our region. Agaba has also moved, taking on a role with QPWS as a Park Ranger.
Work With Us
Looking for a rewarding career in Natural Resource Management? Join us and help shape a more sustainable future.
Administration Officer
We are looking for an organised and proactive Administration Officer to join our friendly and committed team. In this diverse role, you’ll provide essential financial, human resourcing and administrative support across the organisation, ensuring smooth day-to-day operations and exceptional service to internal and external stakeholders.
Southern Qld Landscapes represents all Qld NRM organisations on the Stock Route Management Working Group. A welcome recent addition to the management of stock routes is an interactive mapping layer on Queensland Globe which enables landholders to view use of stock routes, saving a call to your local Council. The Queensland Globe’s stock route ‘layer’ shows direction of travel, permit number and start/end date of permit and also illustrates adjustment permits to gauge where the stock mob may be located. Details on how to access and use this function can be found here.
We also represent Qld NRM on the Qld Dog Offensive Group (QDOG). This committee, led by Chair Rod Avery, provides advice to the Qld Government. The group works to ensure collaboration and coordination of wild dog mitigation efforts across Qld. There is never enough in terms of funding allocation to support landholders in this continuing challenge to agriculture and the environment space, making it vital that all parties work together to optimise the impact we can have across our landscape.
Funding Partnerships Available to Install Appropriate Fencing and Stock Watering Points
We are excited to announce the latest funding opportunity available through Southern Queensland Landscapes! This $6.6 million project aims to improve 124,500 hectares of land and vegetation adjacent to waterways by installing fences and watering points to manage stock, improving the condition of native vegetation along waterways of southern Queensland (see map above). Funding will be provided towards the installation of appropriate fencing and watering points, enabling the improved management of the timing and duration of stock grazing.
This project reached a significant milestone recently with the final screen installations completed. A total of 12 fish screens have been installed on water off-takes across the Condamine, Border Rivers and Lower Balonne catchments to demonstrate and test some of the screen options currently available. Monitoring has confirmed the technology is effective at preventing fish entrainment in water off-takes. A key learning has been the need to design a screen solution for the specific site to ensure it is suitably robust for site conditions and is accessible for maintenance. Involvement of water users in the design process is essential to ensure the end result is fit-for-purpose.
Jayne from Southern Queensland Landscapes is travelling across western Queensland this week to support Christmas for the Bush Bash, a community initiative bringing free concerts, BBQ dinners, Christmas hampers, and practical support to some of our most remote towns. This mission brings people together after a year of floods, challenges, and long distances.
Over the next few days, Jayne will be covering more than 3,000 kilometres, meeting locals and sharing updates from the road.
Minister for Natural Resources and Mines, Manufacturing and Regional and Rural Development, The Honourable Dale Last, caught up with the Southern Qld Landscapes team in Toowoomba, to announce $117.84 million in funding allocated through the Queensland Government’s Natural Resource Management Expansion Program.
We will receive $6.6 million to work with landholders to improve more than 124,000 hectares of land and vegetation adjacent to key waterways by installing fencing and watering points to better manage grazing. A further $2.5 million is allocated to the improvement of priority koala habitats and support animal movement and survival across Southern Queensland. This targeted action to remove key threats including wild dogs and invasive cactus species.
Southern Queensland Landscapes is proud to join with 11 other regional Natural Resource Management organisations through NRM Regions QLD to provide coordinated, supportive services across the state.
NRM Regions Queensland is the representative body for NRM in Queensland. They coordinate statewide programs and provide a forum for these organisations to collaborate and support each other.
