Council endorses series of motions for local government conference

DUNGOG Shire Council has endorsed a Mayoral Minute put forward by Mayor Digby Rayward and an alternate motion by Cr Steve Low to support and lodge a series of motions for the LGNSW Conference 2025, to be held in November this year.

A workshop held with Councillors on 8 September discussed a number of draft regional motions that were prepared by the Hunter Joint Organisation (HJO) on behalf of the 10 member Councils and in consultation with the Mayors and General Managers.

Council also has an opportunity to lodge an independent motion, in addition to the regional motions.

The supported regional motions developed by the HJO and supported by Dungog Shire Council include:

1. Local funding for Post Mining Land Use: That Local Government NSW calls on the NSW and Federal Governments to provide funding support directly to Local Government to guide a coordinated approach to land use and economic opportunities for post mining-related land to support communities impacted by historical and future mine closures.

2. Skills transition: That Local Government NSW calls on the NSW and Federal Governments to immediately recommence previously funded initiatives that deliver employment and skills programs locally to transitioning industries.

3. Place planning: That Local Government NSW calls on the NSW and Federal Governments to release uncontested funding for local government to support the development of regionally significant place strategies, specifically for industrial (employment) land, identified in Regional Plans.

4. Local presence: That Local Government NSW calls on the NSW and Federal Governments to embed Net Zero government support services and infrastructure delivery agencies, including (but not limited to) the Net Zero Economy Authority, EnergyCo, Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, Future Jobs and Investment Authority, Department of Transport & Department of Planning within regional communities directly affected by the transition to meet NSW Net Zero targets.

5. Enabling infrastructure: That Local Government NSW calls on the NSW and Federal Governments to provide uncontested funding to Councils to deliver local infrastructure needed to unlock development-ready land in regional NSW to meet NSW housing targets.

6. Re-categorise roads: That Local Government NSW calls on the NSW Government to urgently re-categorise roads that meet criteria, or will meet relevant criteria in the short term, and to prioritise recategorisation of Local and Regional roads to State Roads where the road services significant assets to the state including housing, water and energy infrastructure assets and facilities.

7. Betterment funding: That Local Government NSW calls on the NSW Government to provide an ongoing disaster resilience program to provide betterment funding for prioritised infrastructure such as road networks, drainage, bridge and coastal structures that are vulnerable to natural disasters.

Cr Steve Low presented an additional Dungog Shire Council-specific motion regarding the funding of regional roads and how the NSW Government’s Block Grants formula – which determines the distribution of funds to councils for regional road repairs, is biased towards Councils like Dungog Shire.

Cr Low noted the Block Grant only provides Dungog Council with about half of what is needed for whole-of-life maintenance, and that the funding formula considers the obvious maintenance aspects such as road length and traffic factors, which correctly relate to the function of any particular road.

In his motion, Cr Low highlighted that Dungog receives $11,048 per kilometre for its 122 kilometres of Regional Roads, Port Stephens receives $19,071 per kilometre for its 56 kilometres, and Maitland receives $36,450 per kilometre for its 19 kilometres of roads.