General News
23 October, 2025
Mayor delivers emotional insight into her fight for city
Peta MacRae was asked by the LGAQ to deliver a personal address about her 18 months as mayor.
When Mount Isa mayor Peta MacRae stood before her council colleagues at the Local Government Association of Queensland’s annual conference on the Gold Coast, she didn’t bring charts or technical data about copper’s role in the economy.
Instead, she brought honesty, reflection and a deep sense of pride in her community’s resilience through one of its most defining battles – the fight to save the city's copper smelter.
“I was very honoured to be asked to address you today in relation to our copper smelter campaign, Keep Our Copper,” Cr MacRae said.
“At first, I had prepared a presentation all about copper, its importance to the nation and decarbonisation and its critical role in our future, but was told that that was not what was required.
"The brief was to talk about how I felt during this period with the community at risk, the pressure of everybody's expectations, managing all of the interviews and press, and most curiously, how I remained so positive throughout.”
The mayor, who has become one of regional Queensland’s most visible advocates in recent months, admitted the experience forced her to take stock.
“The original draft of this presentation was created before the announcement of that $600 million rescue package that was so gratefully received,” she said.
“Clearly, my mindset was still in the fight and not on reflection. So I would like to thank the LGAQ for this forced opportunity of self-evaluation. Taking time to celebrate wins is so important, and I am sure as community leaders you can all relate.”
Cr MacRae said the fight to keep the smelter open was more than a policy campaign – it was personal and emotional.
“Whether it be during a potential economic disaster like we were facing, a natural disaster, or some other significant event that is set to shape the future of our communities, we all handle things in unique ways,” she said.
“It’s good to reflect, evaluate, and prepare for the next battle – because the next fight is only just around the corner.”
When asked how she managed to stay so positive in the face of pressure, she said it was partly temperament and partly discipline.
“I’m just a naturally optimistic person,” she said.
“No one would ever go into small business or run for council without a sense of optimism that you could have some sort of positive impact. But it was also a conscious choice.
"There was a balance to be struck between swaying national opinion that Mount Isa was worth saving and creating panic in our own community, thus causing a self-fulfilling prophecy of sudden economic death on the other.”
That balancing act was critical.
“What we have is a proud community that loves our town,” Cr MacRae said.
“They have faith in the council and elected members in finding a solution. That’s why it was so important for me as a leader to talk about our future, our resources, our potential and the work we had done on the Future Ready Economy Roadmap.”
If the campaign appeared polished and coordinated from the outside, Cr MacRae laughed as she described the chaos behind the scenes.
“It was not best practice by any means,” she confessed.
“This was getting text messages at five in the morning asking, ‘Are you able to be on Sky in an hour and a half?’ It was using Bob Katter's waiting room in Canberra to do 2GB in Sydney with Michael McLaren.
"It was walking through Parliament House doing interviews on the go. It was doing Radio National at my kitchen table at 5.40am while sitting on a Zoom link with Sunrise waiting for a cross with Nat.”
In one frantic 36-hour stretch, Cr MacRae described how she managed 25 interviews and two Sky News appearances – with a massive total media reach.
“That week we were able to reach 9.8 million people, which is just extraordinary,” she said.
“That peaked the week of the announcement, with the smelter featuring in 1200 media pieces and 21 million views. Some of the headlines were hilarious – ‘SOS Save Our Smelter’ and ‘Smelter Skelter’ were among my personal favourites.”
The mayor credited strong community spirit and teamwork for getting through what she described as a series of back-to-back crises.
“Since I became mayor, we’ve had to face three major challenges as a community,” she told the audience, which was full of mayors, CEOs and councillors.
“The underground copper mine closure costing 1200 jobs, which happened the week before our rodeo; the rodeo itself going into administration, which we helped rescue; and now the potential smelter closure.
"To be honest, my term so far has been a consistent battle of one sort or another, but it’s definitely given me the opportunity to grow into my own leadership style.”
Early in her mayoral term, Cr MacRae admitted that she took a back seat.
“Initially, I would travel to Canberra or Brisbane with our CEO, the ROC (North West Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils), or one of the other delegations and allow others to do most of the talking,” she said.
“I was happy to sit, listen and learn. But as time passed, I developed in confidence and now take on more of an active role.
"I’ve been lucky to have mentors like mayor John Wharton, and mayor Kelly Vea Vea from AMCA (Australian Mining Cities Alliance). My advice is: use your networks.”
Cr MacRae said she’d become more confident speaking to the media over the course of her 18 months in office.
“People prefer authenticity over perfection,” she reflected.
“I used to worry about saying ‘um’ or using filler language – and I still do – but it’s more important to get the message across. You can’t let perfection be the enemy of good.”
Even amid the chaos, she said she had learned to manage stress better.
“You’re going to roll your eyes now, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I stopped having a glass of wine to de-stress in the evenings and started going for a run,” she laughed.
“I feel like I do my best thinking at this time. I used to think a run was only a success if I ran faster and further every time – until I started overtraining and breaking down. Now, I see success as just finding time to run at all.
“Once you can move this success mindset into other areas of your life, it just makes everything easier and more enjoyable,” she said.
“Most of the time, the stress we feel is actually the stress we put on ourselves.”
Cr MacRae also shared one of the most emotional moments from the campaign – a gathering in Canberra that brought together unions, independents and ministers from both sides of politics.
“By the time I was asked to speak, so much had already been said,” she recalled.
“That’s when I realised that as mayors, we have something others don’t – first-hand knowledge of the communities we represent.”
Her voice softened as she shared why the fight was personal.
“My son had only just finished working at the smelter, and between my husband, his father and his grandfather, the MacRaes had a combined 130 years of service at Mount Isa Mines,” she said.
“As the mine was closing that week, emotions were raw. One of the workers, Mark, became upset. Afterwards, I asked if he was OK and he said he’d worked with my son. He was upset because his daughter was doing an apprenticeship at the smelter and he was worried she’d never be able to finish.
“That day I learned that personal stories and emotions get better results than facts ever could.”
Throughout her address, Cr MacRae repeatedly credited her team and councillors.
“Without them and their support, none of this would have been possible,” she said.
“They fielded all the concerns about rates, roads and rubbish to allow the CEO and I to focus on economic development during this period.”
The mayor also reflected on what kind of leader she hopes to be remembered as.
“At the end of my term, I want the community to remember me as someone who led by example – who educated, explained and motivated," she said.
"It’s my desire to work with others to get the best results and to leave council and the community united and moving in the same direction.”
For Cr MacRae, the fight for Mount Isa’s copper wasn’t just about business or industry – it was about people, families and a town’s identity.
“That worker I mentioned earlier – Mark – his daughter will be able to finish her apprenticeship now,” she said, smiling.
“That’s what this fight was all about. Not just copper tonnage or economic metrics, but real families and real futures. That’s what we do as community leaders. We carry the weight of those stories – and we don’t put them down until the job is done.”
