Cobar Shire Council hosted the Western Division Councils of NSW 2024 Mid Term Conference last week with Minister for Agriculture, Minister for Regional NSW and Minister for Western NSW, the Hon. Tara Moriarty addressing the conference.
Minister Moriarty told the representatives present from the eight far west councils that the Premier Chris Minns had deliberately created the Western NSW portfolio so the area “gets the proper attention that it deserves”.
“And after listening to you all and consulting on how we should be investing in Regional NSW, and particularly in Western NSW, we’ve done a number of round tables across the west and across other parts of the state about how government should be investing and working with you across the region.
“Now after doing all that listening, we’ll be getting money out the door and be putting that money where our mouths are,” Minister Moriarty said.
She spoke about the Regional Development Trust which had an initial investment of $350 million dollars in the last budget.
Minister Moriarty said in the latest budget (which was to be released yesterday), of the $350 million, the first $35 million has been opened for allocation to regional communities.
“The bulk of that allocation is in fact for Western NSW, that’s because of the feedback that you have provided me about the needs for your community,” the Minister said.
She advised $15 million had also been allocated for improving and upgrading air strips.
“I was delighted to land in Cobar this morning and get the tour of what can be and how facilities are at the moment and be possible into the future.
“We received your feedback about improving airstrips across your region to have better accessibility for your communities to come in and out, better opportunities for business to be able to get things in and out, and better opportunities for health care to be able to get in and out, including the RFDS.”
“That feedback directly from you is what shaped that decision and that work is underway now,” Minister Moriarty said.
“We’ve also got, out of that first initial investment, a $10 million western workforce activation package which is specifically really aimed at fixing some of the childcare issues that we’ve got across the west and again that was based off your feedback to me and feedback from your communities back to me.
“So we know we’ve got some gaps in the system in childcare, and you know better than I fixing gaps like that in this part of the state brings its own challenges and needs a unique approach in how we deal with it.”
Minister Moriarty said while her portfolio was not childcare or young people, feedback she had received from Western NSW councils had played a part in the government developing a specific package which is aimed at fixing some of those issues and filling gaps.
“I was pleased to visit a childcare centre here today to meet some of the kids who haven’t got a clue what a Minister is.
“But I was very flattered for them to be telling me about their new facilities that we will help to support to have more places which, not only works for the actual problem we’ve got of not having enough places for children, but also means we can get families, parents, both parents, back into the workforce.
“A lot of the feedback we’ve received through you and the community is if you can’t get a childcare place for your child then you can’t go back to work or can’t go back in a full time capacity.
“This not only impacts local families but it impacts on the economy.
“And it has been a barrier for getting people to move into these communities.
“We’ve got workforce issues and plenty of job vacancies and one of the hurdles is childcare places.”
The Minister also spoke about a $5 million Aboriginal enterprise business package, an initial $5 million for small to medium businesses (with particular focus on food and beverage manufacturing) to assist them to grow, and training and upskilling by investing in regional TAFE.
Questions for the Minister from the floor came from: Cobar Shire about housing, Walgett Shire about grants, Central Darling Shire about property tax and schools funding, and from Broken Hill about land acquisition, the Wilcannia weir, childcare and airports.
The conference also heard from representatives from the Office of Local Government, Crown Lands and Public Spaces Group, Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, Department of Regional NSW, Transport for NSW, Public Works, Regional Development Australia—Orana and received an update on Telstra and policing in the Central North Police District.
