Narrandera Shire Council will call on Local Government NSW to establish an appropriate working group, forum or other mechanism of metropolitan, regional, rural and remote councils to consider shared strategic issues and their differing impacts across NSW. At the suggestion of the Narrandera Council general manager Tim Coote this mechanism will identify opportunities for coordinated advocacy, and recommend policy and funding approaches that recognise differing local circumstances, costs, responsibilities and revenue-raising capacity and support fair and equitable outcomes; LGNSW holds an annual conference at which member councils may submit motions for consideration. Submitted motions are assessed by the Conference Organising Committee to determine whether they are suitable for consideration by the conference. Motions are expected to address matters of sector-wide relevance and contribute to policy development, political debate or improved outcomes for local government and communities across NSW. The proposed motion aligns with these objectives by seeking to strengthen state-wide collaboration and coordinated advocacy across metropolitan, regional, rural and remote councils, while recognising their differing circumstances and priorities. Mr Coote said local government in NSW already works through established regional and state-based groups, including the Country Mayors Association (CMA), Joint Organisations (JOs), Regional Organisations of Councils (ROCs) and other sector-based groups. “These groups play an important role in identifying regional priorities and advocating on behalf of councils and should continue to be supported. Some issues, however, affect councils across NSW but have different impacts in metropolitan, regional, rural and remote areas. State and Commonwealth policies can have different financial, service delivery, infrastructure and community impacts, reflecting differences in local circumstances, costs, responsibilities and capacity to raise revenue,” he said. “A state-wide forum or other appropriate mechanism would allow councils to consider these issues collectively and promote policy approaches that recognise these differences and support fair and equitable outcomes for communities, regardless of a council’s revenue-raising capacity. “The proposed initiative is intended to complement existing groups, not replace or duplicate them. Through LGNSW, it could draw on the work and expertise of existing regional organisations and provide a pathway for matters of state-wide significance to progress through established LGNSW processes.”
