President's message 8 March 2021

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8 March 2021

Council Visits
Thank you to Albury City Council, Greater Hume Council, Federation Council, Lockhart Shire Council and Wagga Wagga City Council for hosting LGNSW Chief Executive Scott Phillips and I in our recent council visits. As always, listening to our Mayors, Councillors and council staff assists us to sharpen our advocacy for you.

Engaging with NSW Country Mayors Association and Joint Organisation Chairs
Last week I met with the Joint Organisation Chairs forum as well as the Country Mayors Association.

LGNSW is committed to this collaborative approach, which provides a stronger, united voice for councils and their communities with State and Federal Government.

Thank you to Mayor Ken Keith, Chair of the NSW Country Mayors Association, and Mayor Rowena Abbey, Chair of the Joint Organisation Chairs, who we have been working with closely to achieve a number of advocacy wins on your behalf, including:

$50,000 NSW Government funding to the Australian Local Government Women’s Association (ALGWA) to provide training that will equip more women to run for council;
Extension of Dine & Discover NSW voucher scheme to include council-run venues;
$35 million State Government funding contribution through Remanufacture NSW to support innovation in reusing recycled materials and $4 million EPA funding to support efforts to keep household waste out of landfill in line with LGNSW’s Save Our Recycling campaign; and
A campaign to encourage more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to run for council in September’s local government elections.

This week we discussed some upcoming opportunities for collaboration, including:

The formation of a Local Water Utility and Water Policy network with JO Executive Officers. The network facilitates information sharing and provides a conduit for JO input into LGNSW policy and advocacy;
Input into an agricultural land use strategy (largely around land use conflict, right to farm and related issues) being developed by the newly appointed NSW Agriculture Commissioner and Department of Primary Industries; and
Continued advocacy for the NSW Government to reinvest the $800 million it collects annually through the Waste Levy to fund regional waste planning and infrastructure, education and support for procurement, as outlined in the Save Our Recycling campaign.

I am grateful for the collaboration we all continue to have to achieve results for all NSW local governments.

Linda Scot during Albury Council visit February 2021.