Mayor column: with Cr John Harvie
Published on 08 May 2025
Last week I attended a forum in Deniliquin to provide input and feedback on the NSW Sustainable Communities Program (NSW SCP). The NSW Sustainable Communities Program will provide $160 million to projects and initiatives that support and create jobs, establish industry, and support existing industry to innovate and stimulate economic development in southern Murray Darling basin communities negatively impacted by the latest round of water buy backs.That might look and sound positive for our communities but what is not being highlighted is the fact that the total program funding is $300 million which was originally earmarked to be divided between 9 Murray Valley councils. The government has now decided to cut the allocation to councils in our region and allocate $140 million to northern basin councils who have not been as impacted by water buy backs.
Feedback from businesses and local councils to the team at the NSW Department of Regional Development and Primary Industries was unanimous and made loud and clear. We,
1. Strenuously oppose the water buy backs;
2. Say that the $300 million is totally inadequate to compensate for the social, environmental, and economic impacts suffered by our communities and that the reduced amount of $160 million is a cruel joke;
3. Also, strongly indicated that our communities should receive compensation in proportion to the impacts sustained; and
4. Our communities should decide what project or projects the money should be spent on.
I will recommend to council to consider forming a community group, representing all communities, to consider projects that will provide most benefit to our communities.
On another matter, readers of this column will be aware that MRC has been spearheading a campaign to have the federal government reinstate the annual Financial Assistance Grants to 1% of federal taxation revenues. Over the last twenty years governments have systematically cut the grants in half to 0.5%. This is costing MRC $10 million each year. We asked the Australian Local Government Association to take advantage of our initiative. Our persistence paid off when the Daily Telegraph ran a story on page 5 the day before election day which, in essence, said:
‘Australian Local Government Association warns council rate hikes put Labour, Coalition cost of living tax cuts at risk.
Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton’s promises to provide cost of living relief threatens to be wiped out as councils plan to raise rates by up to 87% due to a lack of government funding’.
We will keep fighting to protect our communities from these rate increases.