Six motions Gunnedah Shire Council put forward to the Local Government NSW 2025 Annual Conference have been supported.
Mayor Colleen Fuller and Deputy Mayor Kate McGrath attended the conference in Sydney in late November and met with other councillors to share ideas and discuss issues.
The conference, held over three days, included presentations from Hon Chris Minns MP, Premier of NSW before it moved into conference business, including consideration, and voting on motions presented by councils across NSW.
“The conference was an opportunity for Gunnedah Shire Council to put forward motions that are important to our community,” Mayor Fuller said.
“Council presented six motions this year that covered everything from Disaster Recovery funding, road funding and waste management, through to retention of health services, including maintaining compliant helipads and establishment of a designated area migration agreement (DAMA) framework for Regional NSW.
“As a Council, we were unified about our advocacy focus this year to ensure the prosperity and sustainability of the Gunnedah Shire.”
Mayor Fuller said it was significant that the untied disaster recovery funding motion was passed so that LGNSW can advocate for the removal of the restrictive ‘like-for-like’ rebuilding stipulations in the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangement (DRFA) and similar funding agreements. This would allow councils to undertake upgrades and design improvements for greater resilience against future disasters.
Mayor Fuller said Council continued to focus on advocating for an increase in roads funding that would support communities like Gunnedah to sustainably maintain and improve roads in their Local Government Area to the appropriate standard.
“We need government at state and federal levels to maintain and improve to the appropriate standard, the classified roads managed by councils that contribute to the state-significant freight task,” she said.
The following motions were consistent with Local Government NSW’s position, so they will continue to advocate on the behalf of councils.
- Water Management: This motion urged the NSW Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) not to supplement water supplies for Local Government areas by transferring water from catchments outside their boundaries and to advocate for exploration and funding of alternate water solutions.
- Helipad access for rural and regional communities: This motion called upon the NSW Government to ensure all hospital situated more than seventy kilometres from a Group 1 Major Hospital have compliant and functional helipads and recommended that a review and maintenance program be put in place to ensure ongoing compliance.
- Maintaining essential services at rural and regional hospitals: This motion called on the NSW Government to maintain essential services at rural and regional hospitals.
- Establish designated area migration agreement framework for regional NSW: This motion identified the need to endorse a statewide Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) framework administered in two region agreements (Inland and Eastern).
Mayor Fuller said it was a credit to Council that all motions passed at the conference.
“This is a great outcome for rural and regional communities, and we will continue advocating for important issues like these on behalf of Gunnedah Shire,” she said.