30 August 2022
Daily Telegraph Bush Summit
I attended the Daily Telegraph Bush Summit in Griffith last Friday, which capped off another big week for local government in NSW.
The Bush Summit brought together leaders from a range of sectors to discuss the challenges facing regional and rural areas.
Many issues were canvassed, such as economic and social challenges, housing supply, infrastructure needs as well as how the changing environment is affecting our country towns.
What I found most encouraging was the willingness between all levels of government and industry to come together and propose practical solutions to help ensure rural and regional NSW has the ability to prosper now and into the future.
I applaud the Daily Telegraph and its editor, Ben English, for staging such a crucial event and shining a light on the issues that are having a major impact on regional and rural NSW.
EOI to join StateCover Board
A reminder that StateCover – an insurer dedicated to NSW councils – is seeking expressions of interest from eligible and suitably qualified councillors who wish to join its board.
To be eligible for appointment, applicants must be a councillor of a council that is a member of LGNSW and a policy-holding council member of StateCover.
Applications close at midnight this Friday, 2 September, and the new directors will start their roles from November.
For more information please email [email protected].
Regional Housing Taskforce response
Returning to the issue of housing supply, the NSW Government’s long-awaited announcement that it will adopt all 15 recommendations of the Regional Housing Taskforce is positive, if not overdue, news.
Much of the taskforce’s recommendations, and the eight principles that underpin them, aligned with what LGNSW and councils have been saying about this issue for years and in our submission to the taskforce.
Access to secure and affordable housing was already in crisis across NSW even before this year’s severe flooding. However, since the taskforce released its report to the NSW Government last year, the multiple flood events have destroyed thousands of homes, compounding years of state and federal government inaction that has resulted in a critical lack of social and affordable housing. We have heard multiple stories about people sleeping in cars, caravan parks that are overflowing and families forced to move away from their communities and support networks due to an inability to secure housing.
To address this, the NSW Government has launched the following key initiatives in response to the taskforce recommendations:
- $120 million to help regional councils deliver local infrastructure that supports new housing under the Accelerated Infrastructure Fund
- $174 million for 270 new and refurbished homes for regional ‘key workers’
- $300 million in maintenance works for 15,800 government-owned social housing properties
- A $12 million competitive grants program to help regional councils deliver strategic plans
- Grants of up to $350,000 per council under a new "Faster Local Assessment Grant" program to help improve development assessment timeframes
- A new Regional Housing Dashboard and Regional Housing Supply Monitor to provide housing data and insights and inform housing supply targets.
Crucially, the infrastructure funding support in this package (which was part of the state budget announcements) will help coordinate and deliver critical infrastructure, but questions remain about the expectations on regional councils, given the ongoing skills shortages.
In addition to adopting the taskforce’s recommendation, the NSW Government also announced last week that it was working to identify Crown land that can be used to develop social and affordable housing in regional areas that are facing severe accommodation shortages.
While this is most welcome, addressing the housing availability and affordability crisis is a key advocacy priority for LGNSW informed by multiple resolutions of LGNSW conferences, and we will continue our calls for far greater investment in social housing.
Job skills
Another huge issue impacting so many communities across NSW is the critical skills shortage.
I recently attended a Local Government Roundtable hosted by the Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories, the Hon Kristy McBain, to discuss how we can attract and retain more skilled workers, especially in regional and remote areas.
And this week I will be attending the Remote Employment Roundtable hosted by the Minister for Indigenous Australians, the Hon Linda Burney.
All the issues raised at these roundtables will be fed into the Federal Government’s Jobs and Skills Summit, which takes place later this week, so if any council has anything they want raised in relation to the critical skills shortage, please email me at [email protected].
Win! Funding for cladding remediation
For councils that have been dealing with the regulation of multiple buildings affected by flammable cladding for the past five years, LGNSW’s longstanding advocacy for financial support has finally paid off.
Councils can now claim a $10,000 payment for buildings in their local government area that have signed a contract under the State Government’s Project Remediate program.
Contribution payments can be claimed via an online form.
Win! $75m for flood mitigation in NSW
It was terrific to hear Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pledge $75 million for flood mitigation, which will be dedicated to the 62 disaster-declared local government areas from the February-March flood events.
The funding includes $40 million for flood infrastructure grants available to councils, $15 million for flood warning gauge upgrades and $14 million for levee assessments and improvements. This funding directly responds to our advocacy priorities calling for supporting local government in recovery and improved resilience to natural disasters.
Win! Live traffic updates expanded to regional NSW
The NSW Government’s announcement that live traffic updates will be expanded to include local roads in 22 regional councils by 2023 and all 128 councils by 2024 is a major breakthrough that LGNSW has been calling to be introduced for several years.
Having a real-time and reliable source of information that motorists can easily access is critical, particularly during natural disasters such as floods and bushfires. It will not only help road users avoid inconvenience by planning alternate routes or deferring travel, but it also will save lives.
Parramatta to stage the 2023 LGNSW Annual Conference
Congratulations to the City of Parramatta and Tamworth Regional Council, who will host the 2023 and 2024 LGNSW Annual Conferences, respectively.
Both councils submitted excellent proposals to host the LGNSW Annual Conference and have the opportunity to highlight everything their areas have to offer.
The City of Parramatta will host the 2023 Annual Conference from Sunday 12 to Tuesday 14 November 2023 at Rosehill Gardens, while Tamworth Regional Council will host the 2024 Annual Conference from Sunday 17 to Tuesday 19 November 2024 at Tamworth Regional Entertainment and Conference Centre.
Cootamundra-Gundagai demerger decision
Many of you would be aware of the decision by the Minister for Local Government, the Hon Wendy Tuckerman, to demerge Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council.
LGNSW welcomes the Minister’s decision, which aligns with the proposal put forward by Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council and the subsequent recommendations and examination by the independent Boundaries Commission.
This decision now provides Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council with the opportunity to determine its future for the benefit of the community it represents.
Represent our sector: EOI – Cemeteries and Crematoria NSW Board
LGNSW is seeking expressions of interest from mayors and councillors to nominate for a position on the Cemeteries and Crematoria NSW (CCNSW) Board to represent the local government sector.
Local government has a key role in cemetery management and operation, with council-run cemeteries undertaking almost 50 per cent of interments across NSW and almost all in regional and rural NSW, so the local government voice on the CCNSW Board is essential for our sector.
More information
Applications close on 14 September.
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