What’s happening?
Primary Care providers in the Rockhampton and Livingstone regions are being invited to two free Disaster Management briefings as part of the Growing Primary Care Resilience program delivered by Regional Business HQ.
The sessions will give medical centres, pharmacies and other primary care providers a clear view of the roles, tools and contacts that matter when a weather event hits.
RBHQ CEO Brooke Fossey said the idea grew from recent workshops. “We have been running Growing Primary Care Resilience workshops in Rockhampton, Livingstone, Bundaberg and Fraser Coast Local Government areas, and there has been a consistent theme.”
She said many providers already meet accreditation duties but want to understand more about local support. “Overall, we found that primary care providers including medical centres and pharmacies have disaster management plans in place as part of their accreditation, but were really interested in knowing more about their local Disaster Management groups, trusted information sources and resources they could share.”
Brooke said the new briefings were shaped with local agencies. “We have worked with the various agencies in each area to present this Disaster Management Briefing, which will give participants knowledge and contacts, as well as networking with other primary care providers in the region, which could really help when a weather event occurs”.
Each event features speakers from council, Country to Coast Queensland Primary Health Network and Regional Business HQ. Both sessions are free to attend.
Why it matters
These briefings give primary care providers direct access to the people behind local disaster coordination. When storms or emergencies hit, having a trusted contact list and knowing where to find clear information can help keep clinics running.
The sessions explain how Council’s Disaster Dashboard works. Brooke highlighted the value of the online tool, saying the dashboard can be the one source of truth for primary care providers.
The briefings also outline CCQ’s We Are Open program, which supports extended clinic hours during emergencies, and the Organisational Resilience Guide that offers a three page reference tailored to each business.
Local Impact
Rockhampton and Livingstone providers will leave with a better understanding of their councils’ disaster teams and how local response groups operate. Both briefings also give providers the chance to meet others in the region, building links that can help everyone when a weather event occurs.
By the numbers
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Two free sessions will run, one in Rockhampton and one in Livingstone, giving providers insights specific to each region.
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Each briefing includes three presenters covering council tools, CCQ’s We Are Open program and the Organisational Resilience Guide.
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Providers have until Friday 21 November to RSVP to either event.
Zoom In:
Rockhampton
The Rockhampton briefing will be held on Wednesday 26 November 2025 from 10.30am to 12 noon at the CCQ Rockhampton boardroom on Bolsover Street.
Zoom Out: Livingstone
The Livingstone briefing will be held on Tuesday 25 November from 6.00pm to 7.30pm at The Hub on James Street in Yeppoon, closing with supper on the deck.
A key part of the session is a guided tour of the Disaster Management Hub, a state of the art facility in James Street. Brooke said hosting the event inside the Hub will let providers see how council operates during emergencies.
What to look for next
Both sessions aim to lift local resilience before the next storm season. Providers can register for either briefing through Regional Business HQ and access ongoing support through the Growing Primary Care Resilience program, which is supported by the Resilient CARE program, a partnership between Country to Coast Queensland and Australian Business Volunteers with Australian Government funding.
