Rodney Stevens
Clarence Valley councillors have voted to unanimously support four Mayoral minutes put forward at the council meeting at the Maclean Chambers on Tuesday, August 22, calling on action from the NSW Government.
The first Mayoral minute proposed that council support the submission of the Country Mayor’s Association to the NSW Government, through its State Parliamentary Representative, Richie Williamson, advocating for support for critical priorities for regional and rural communities, and include in Council’s submission, any other issues of relevance and significance.
Before councillors unanimously voted to support the motion, Cr Tiley said, with the state budget approaching there were many critical priorities for the region that could be included in a submission.
The Country Mayor’s Association CMA, which represents 84 councils, and more than 3 million NSW residents has five priorities in the 2023 state budget, Financial Sustainability, Housing, Labour Shortage, Transport and Roads, and Health, which it will lobby the state government to provide funding for.
The second Mayoral minute called for support from NSW Regional Transport and Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison and Member for Clarence Richie Williamson to transfer the management of Armidale Road to the NSW government and change its status to a Regional Road.
Council submitted the original transfer application in September 2021 after the former Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Pool Toole reiterated the 2019 election commitment to “lighten the load on regional councils by taking back roads better suited to management by the State”, however since the change of government in March 2023 there has been no further progress.
The motion that Council 1. write to the Honourable Minister Jennifer Aitchison MP seeking a timely decision regarding the transfer of management of Armidale Road to Transport for NSW (TfNSW). and 2. seek the support of the Member for Clarence, Richie Williamson MP for a timely resolution of this matter, will see 107.64 km of the Armidale Road in the Clarence Valley Local Government Area managed by the NSW government when the transfer takes place.
The third Mayoral minute will see council call on the NSW Government to increase the State Government Pensioner Rate Rebate to reflect CPI increases, which have remained unchanged since they were introduced.
“For almost three decades … concession amounts have remained unchanged and have not been indexed for inflation,” Mayor Tiley said.
Currently holders of a Pensioner Concession Card, a DVA Gold card embossed with TPI (Totally Permanently Incapacitated) or EDA (Extreme Disablement Adjustment), or a war widow or wholly dependent partner entitled to DVA income support supplement can receive the Pensioner Rate Rebates that have remained unchanged and not been indexed against CPI which remain as $250 for ordinary annual rates and charges, $87.50 on annual water rates and charges, and $87.50 on sewage rates and charges.
The motion will see council make representations to the NSW Government, through Clarence State Parliamentary Representative Richie Williamson for an increase in State Government Pensioner Rate Rebate to eligible pensioners to reflect CPI increases since the rebate amounts were established, and to provide annual CPI increases in future years.
The fourth Mayoral minute will see council support the Country Mayor’s Association’s call for regional water utilities to remain publicly owned.
Cr Tiley said it was vitally important that regional water assets remain safeguarded from being sold off.
“One has only to recall the loss of the people’s electricity assets in the 1990s, where the government took over those assets and then privatised them,” Cr Tiley said.
When a bill was introduced to state parliament this year to ensure both the Sydney Water and Hunter Water Corporations continue to remain publicly owned, regional water utilities were omitted and an amendment to include them was rejected.
Councillors voted to 1. Support CMA representations to the NSW State Government to ensure that Regional Water Utilities are retained in public ownership and included in the Constitution Amendment Bill. 2. seek the support of Member for Clarence Hon. Richie Williamson on this matter.