15 August 2023
Win! Return of Democracy!
Last week it was a pleasure to attend the Western Division Conference in Cobar.
The week brought excellent news. with Minister for Local Government Ron Hoenig signalling that the Government is working towards taking the Central Darling Council out of administration.
It was very pleasing to hear the Minister reiterate that communities “deserve stable governance, democratic representation and access to sustainable local government services and infrastructure”.
We will continue to advocate for and work towards that as well.
In other positive news, the Minister for Local Government also flagged he would be calling for an inquiry into cat containment.
LGNSW received six motions at the 2022 Annual Conference alone from councils calling for amendments to the Companion Animals Act to enable cat containment in their areas, so this is clearly an issue that councils wish to see resolved.
The Minister also noted the current Parliamentary Inquiry into Pounds in NSW, and the importance of councils making submissions to inform parliament of the issues being faced in providing and managing pound services.
Submissions close on 18 August. LGNSW has received a short extension (until 25 August) to make a submission and welcomes input from councils – please contact [email protected] before 21 August.
Net Zero Pools Webinar
A reminder that there is still time to register for the Net Zero Pools Webinar on 29 August, featuring case studies from City of Sydney and City of Canada Bay councils on their experience with transitioning swimming pools to net zero.
You can also put into your calendar the dates for the final two webinars in the series – Net Zero Councils - Mid-Scale Solar on 12 September and Sewage and Water Treatment Plant Energy Efficiency on 12 October.
Win! Incentives doubled for regional health workers
Announced at Friday’s Bush Summit in Tamworth, the NSW Government is doubling incentives for health workers who move to regional and remote areas to fill regional job vacancies, with up to $20,000 to be available to assist with relocation costs, accommodation and boosting salaries.
We welcome this significant boost to help improve access to health services for regional, rural and remote communities in line with our advocacy priorities for rural and regional health.
New Dates Added – Executive Certificate for Elected Members
I’m pleased to advise councillors of the next course intake for the popular Executive Certificate for Elected Members program is starting on Friday 22 September.
Held over four days, this program has been designed and delivered in partnership with the University of Technology Sydney (UTS).
It’s the first accredited course in NSW and is tailored specifically for councillors seeking the tools and resources to navigate local government.
We receive so much wonderful feedback from councillor participants, I wanted to share feedback from Cr Fran Day, from Lockhart Shire, who said, “I have loved the course, very engaging and learning new fields of knowledge. Great facilitator, very well organised, enjoyed the collaboration with other councillors and I thank LGNSW so much for this wonderful opportunity.”
COURSE DETAILS OR REGISTER
Council Visits
This week I will be visiting Camden, Campbelltown and Hawkesbury councils and I look forward to meeting with the mayors, general managers and councillors.
Sincerely,
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