Mayoral Matters for Week Commencing 22nd July
Published on 26 July 2024
Mayoral Column Week commencing 22/07/2024
Gday all,
Last week we had the ordinary meeting of Council in Walgett Chambers, and I am excited to share with you all some of the activities I have been busy with over the last month. It has been packed and all great news for our communities.
Late last month, I met with the Minister for Lands and Property and Minister for Sport, The Hon Steve Kamper, MP.
Some of you would have heard already, but this was a momentous day for Walgett as we welcomed the Minister to announce a whopping $250,000 funding for the Walgett Memorial Swimming Pool.
With these funds, we can now start the design and planning phases for a new pool.
This is truly awesome news, and I would like to acknowledge the NSW Government and Minister Kamper for their support and contributions to this important community asset.
None of it would have been possible though without you though, so I would also like to thank the community for being such vocal advocates for their pool.
Following the public announcement about the pool funding, the General Manager and I met with the Minister, Roy Butler Member for Barwon, and their teams to flag issues about the interactions between Crown Lands and Mining Exploration and Geosciences and Council, and the unrealistic expectations made of Council for place management, including roads development and maintenance.
The Minister agreed that he would support a meeting between the three organizations to resolve management issues and responsibilities.
A highlight of the month for me was the 2024 NAIDOC Opening Ceremony in Walgett, themed "Blak, Loud and Proud”.
There was a strong turnout and enthusiastic support from our community, highlighting the unity and pride we share.
I have to say, it was inspiring to witness the vibrant expressions of art, music, and dance, as well as the powerful stories and speeches that reinforced the importance of our First Nations’ Peoples traditions and history.
This celebration not only honored the past but also invigorated our commitment to a future where Indigenous voices are heard and respected.
Not all the action was in Walgett though. I met with the Minister for Regional Transport and Roads in Collarenebri.
The Minister was undertaking a regional road tour and during the visit, she announced a new bus service for Collarenebri that will provide a connection between Collarenebri and Moree and Collarenebri and Walgett.
I, the General Manager and the Manager of Roads and Infrastructure used the opportunity to show the Minister the new Artesian Springs development at Collarenebri, which we expect will trigger additional traffic between Collarenebri and Narrabri, Moree and Walgett and Lightning Ridge.
We didn’t stop there though! We then took the Minister on the Gundabloui Road to show her the remaining unsealed section, and the start of the unsealed section of road from Collarenebri and Lightning Ridge.
We also discussed the Come By Chance Road, and explained we were still waiting for a resolution from Restart NSW about funding.
We brought up that Council had decided not to proceed with the Cryon Road project and return the funding.
The Minister indicated that she was prepared to support an application for a time extension on the funding, if Council was prepared to deliver the project using our own resources and local contractors.
At the same meeting, our General Manager chatted with Transport for NSW (TfNSW)about the planning application that is under assessment for GrainPro at Burren Junction.
The TfNSW representative agreed about the importance of the project and would assist Council in expediating a response to the applicant regarding their concerns with the development application.
Finally, it’s time for the 2024 Paris Olympics, and Im sure you will all be cheering from you living rooms for our very own Joseph O’Brien who is gunning for a place on the podium in the Rowing Men’s 8 with his teammates who placed 6th in Tokyo. Just goes to show, there is nothing that our bush kids cannot achieve when they put their minds to it.
Until next time,
Jasen Ramien, Mayor