23 July 2024
A busy week ahead
I look forward to seeing many of you at the LGNSW Water Conference over the next two days, which is being hosted by Goulburn Mulwaree Council. Throughout the conference, delegates will learn about the latest technical innovations and share best practice in water governance and management.
It’s a big year for local government Local Water Utilities (LWUs), with the release of the parliamentary inquiry earlier this year recommending the NSW Government legislate to protect LWUs from privatisation.
Also this week, I’ll be appearing at two parliamentary inquiry hearings, the first into the development of the Transport Oriented Development Program (TOD), and the second for the federal inquiry into local government sustainability, where I’ll be strongly calling for increases to Financial Assistance Grants for our sector. An investment in councils is an investment in our communities.
Annual Conference motions
You would have all received an email from LGNSW last week, letting you know that registrations and motions for the 2024 LGNSW Annual Conference are now open. Further details online.
In considering motions, members are encouraged to be mindful that each Annual Conference can only reasonably consider a limited number of motions in the available time for debate. With 128 member councils in NSW, and more than a dozen associate members, LGNSW requests that members only submit motions related to their highest priorities.
Government response to biodiversity reviews
I cautiously welcome the NSW Government’s response to the reviews of the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 and the native vegetation provisions within the Local Land Services Act 2013.
It’s reassuring to see commitments to improving biodiversity protections while balancing our housing and infrastructure needs and tackling climate change. There are welcome moves to protect our most vulnerable species, prevent excessive land clearing and align the Biodiversity Offsets Scheme with ‘net positive’, while exploring much-needed flexibilities for regional developments.
Throughout these reviews, councils have highlighted that rural and regional areas are facing excessive barriers to development and job creation, with overregulation of some areas of limited environmental value. As part of its response, the NSW Government will consider options to amend entry thresholds into the Biodiversity Offset Scheme. This could potentially see smaller-scale development excluded from the scheme, to ease these issues of overregulation.
Much detail is yet to be set out and it’s frustrating to see further delays to action. I will continue to advocate for close consultation with local government to ensure policies are fit-for-purpose and meet our communities’ needs.
Local democracy restored - Central Darling Shire Council
I welcomed this morning’s announcement that local democracy will be restored to Central Darling Shire Council for the first time in over a decade. The return to community representation will be under a new model, with the shire becoming become a ‘Rural and Remote Council’.
The council will comprise three locally elected councillors from the community and three NSW Government-appointed councillors with relevant expertise to support the stable and effective operation of the council.
NSW Minister for Local Government Ron Hoenig says the new model requires legislation to amend the Local Government Act, which will occur in the coming months. Therefore, the September local government elections will be deferred for Central Darling, with the election of the three community representatives to be held in the first half of 2025.
This announcement is wonderful news for the Central Darling community, which is the state’s largest local government area by size. I wish the council staff and local residents well as they move through this transition.
Sincerely,
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