Critical crime prevention measures have been bolstered as Member for Burdekin Dale Last MP welcomed the proactive support for local small businesses under the second round of the Secure Communities Partnership Program.

Four small businesses across the Burdekin Electorate were among 170 in the state to receive co-funding for vital safety and security infrastructure as part of the $2million state government investment.

“Small business owners targeted by crime, are often left at a significant financial loss whether it is repairing physical damage or replacing stolen assets, to the flow on effect of potential job losses,” Mr Last said.

“We have seen the Burdekin Shire Council receive co-funding towards CCTV infrastructure in critical areas of the Ayr CBD in previous rounds so it’s fantastic to now see small businesses in our industrial estate reap the benefits of this program.

“To have a small business succeed in their application because they were looking to take proactive steps to secure their site to mitigate the risk of becoming a target for criminal activity is exactly what the Secure Communities Partnership Program is all about.”

“This is a clear example of how the Crisafulli Government is able to support small businesses to take those steps and deter crime and provide a resource to support incident response.”

Mr Last said with the third round of the Secure Communities Partnership Program opening soon, this announcement highlighted the variety of Burdekin small businesses eligible for the support.

“We’ve seen local governments as well as tourism, manufacturing and grazing businesses from across the Burdekin electorate benefit from past rounds of this program which is a fantastic demonstration of its success.”

The Crisafulli Government’s $40 million Secure Communities Partnership Program co-funds critical crime prevention measures such as CCTV, alarm and security systems, lighting and fencing to make small businesses safer.

Round 3 of the Secure Communities Partnership Program will be released later in 2026-27. For more information please visit https://www.business.qld.gov.au/running-business/support-services/financial/grants/secure-communities