Narrabri Shire GM takes the time to get to know region

Narrabri Shire Council’s recently appointed general manager Rob Williams has wasted no time touring the region and listening to the concerns of locals.

One recent community event Mr Williams attended was the Wee Waa and District Chamber of Commerce meeting with residents and business owners to discuss the effects of isolation during flood events and the need for improved infrastructure.

“It was a chance to meet the Wee Waa community,” said Mr Williams.

“I enjoyed meeting with everyone and introducing myself.

“Following a brief introduction, I created the opportunity to answer any and all questions that those present wished to ask.

“The floods and road situation were clearly and understandably hot topics for discussion on the night.”

Mr Williams listened to attendees’ concerns about damaged roads, describing the situation across parts of the country as ‘one of the worst roads emergencies’.

“Of the 2400 kilometres of shire roads, we have logged and documented over 1250 faults on our roads from potholes to complete washouts, affecting 1900 kilometres of that network.

“The roads have been inspected and damages lodged with pictures taken at least every 100 metres (plus additional pictures of damages) across the entire network.

“Immediately following the devastating storm that we had in October, all our roads were closed.

“Council, and the operation of council, is fully focussed on returning our shire roads to serviceable and specified standards at the earliest opportunity.

“As of this weekend, the team are optimistic that 95 per cent of shire roads will be open, with the remaining five per cent being still underwater or seriously affected by water saturation.

“The team have presently forecast that subject to the appropriate and timely funding being forthcoming from Resilience NSW, the complete fix of all roads to the required specification could take between 18 months to two years, costing in the order of $20-25 million.”

Attendees spoke up about how isolation during the floods negatively impacts business, health, education, community, trucking and agricultural sectors, including disruptions to school life and important medical appointments.

During the floods, roads were closed into Wee Waa five times in about two months.

The town is protected by a levee, and while resilient residents are used to adapting to ‘island life’ and appreciate it’s better than homes being flooded, attendees queried if there were times the Kamilaroi Highway could have stayed open.

“This is a matter for Transport for NSW as the road is not in the jurisdiction of the shire council. We shall, however, continue to advocate for more pragmatic and timely responses from that agency in relation to future events affecting this road,” Mr Williams told The Courier after the meeting.

Another topic of discussion was councillor Clements’ motion passed by council last month that will see funding and investigations into ways to improve infrastructure and prevent Wee Waa from being isolated during flood events to reduce the devastating flow-on effects felt by individuals, organisations, and businesses.

This includes looking into the possible extension of the Wee Waa lagoon bridge.

It was highlighted that rural supplier Agies had seen about a $300,000 reduction in sales over a six-week period during the floods.

Mr Williams showed empathy and said he acknowledged the issues individuals raised with him.

“Absolutely, both I personally and our council understand the very serious concerns raised.

“Council is working through the Local Emergency Management Committee and the NSW State Recovery Committee to ensure that all agencies that are involved in this response are working together to ensure that assistance is provided, and recovery is achieved in the shortest time possible.”

Mr Williams comes to Narrabri Shire Council after working in leadership roles with local government in New Zealand. He previously served the communities of Taupo and the Coromandel Peninsula District, and as a Chartered Engineer of the Institution of Civil Engineers UK, Mr Williams has more than 30 years of professional management experience, including more than 15 years in chief executive roles.