IT ACCOUNTS for 40 per cent of the State’s land mass but houses just one per cent of the population.
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In an independent panel’s report on local government in NSW, the eight councils in the State’s Far West and their “unique problems” were given special consideration, aside from the other councils.
The Revitalising Local Government report was released earlier this month to a varied response.
While Minister for Local Government Don Page has promised no forced amalgamations, the findings in the report were equally as adamant the number of councils in NSW had to decrease, potentially meaning a raft of smaller councils transformed into mega-councils.
The Far West region is defined as the local government areas of Balranald, Bourke, Brewarrina, Broken Hill, Central Darling, Cobar, Walgett and Wentworth, as well as the unincorporated area next to Queensland and South Australia.
The report talks about a “deep sense of disconnect and discontent” that exists as well as tensions between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities, and a lack of “effective leadership at all levels of government.”
The whole area faces population decline, except Wentworth, and, apart from Walgett, all councils have a weak or very weak financial sustainability rating.
The panel suggested the Far West be controlled by a regional authority, which would be led by an executive chair (appointed by the minister) and governed by a board of mayors, Aboriginal leaders and representatives of community boards. It would be funded by State government.
The fledgling Central Darling Shire, which saw its mayor and councillors stood down before Christmas and an administrator appointed due to financial difficulties, would be unincorporated.
Walgett, Cobar and Broken Hill councils would continue in their current form but within the framework of the regional authority, while Bourke and Brewarrina, and Wentworth and Balranald would share administrations, maintaining their individual councils.
The report warns that should a more supportive umbrella organisation not be implemented, more radical options would need to be considered, such as amalgamations.
The report also said the panel had yet to get each of the councils in question to agree on the best way forward.
Councils have until March 7 to comment.
There’s a push to extend that deadline but in the meantime, The Land caught up with the mayors of the Far West councils in question to see whether they saw merit in the report and whether the gigantic in size, modest in population, area could see itself functioning as one mega-region.
Next week: We look at two more of the State’s local council areas in the north and south.
Jenna Cairney
Deputy editor of The Land.
Deputy editor of The Land.
