Narrabri Shire Council, community organisations, and businesses had the chance to have their say at the Regional Development Roundtable held by Minister for Regional NSW Tara Moriarty in Narrabri last Wednesday.
The Narrabri Shire Roundtable was one of three arranged in the large and diverse Barwon electorate, held to discuss the initial injection of the $350 million Regional Development Trust fund as announced in last year’s budget, and what guidelines will shape the overhaul of the Regional Development Act 2004.
The investment of trust funds will be supported by recommendations from a re-established Regional Development Advisory Committee and guided by clear investment principles aligned with the Australian Government’s Regional Investment Framework.
Mayor Darrell Tiemens thought the Regional Development Trust was a positive step forward for the government after last year’s decision to defund the Resources for Regions royalty program, but expressed his concerns for how those affected communities would be supported by the government.
“Narrabri Shire has a different set of needs and circumstances as a rural or remote community than regional NSW, and we need to look at and consider those needs carefully,” said Cr Tiemens.
“While I support the establishment of the new Regional Trust, I am concerned about Resources for Regions and the lack of detail around whether it will continue or if the funds will be replenished in the future.
“The NSW budget receives a large injection of royalties from our Shire, but we receive very little support in return, we have hundreds of fly-in fly-out workers but we receive little recognition for the support that our region is expected to provide to these industries, and workers.
“I do appreciate the difficulty that the NSW state government is facing around their budget, and I look forward to receiving updates on how the Narrabri shire area’s infrastructure, schools, hospitals, and roads will be supported into the future.”
In October of 2023, the NSW government announced the Regional Development Roadmap which included the modernising of the Regional Development Act and the $350 million investment into the Regional Development Trust Fund over four years.
Member for Barwon, Roy Butler was present at the Regional Roundtables and commended the minister for her efforts to attend and personally hear the issues in the region.
“The Act was formulated at a very different time and a lot has happened in regional NSW over the last 20 years, so a review is greatly welcomed. But that review is best done in close consultation with the people it will affect,” said Mr Butler.
“After the minister has had time to consider everything she has heard, it would be good to see the changes in the act reflect some of the changes in the bush over the last two decades.
Mr Butler also had the opportunity to talk to the Minister about the future of the Narrabri Special Activation Precinct (the SAP) and working on providing an alternative to the project to restart the SAP with all its advantages for business attraction.
The Regional Development Act provides a framework to guide government action and improve outcomes for regional NSW, including investment in regional and rural communities.
The review of The Act and community engagement via the roundtables is to support the NSW Government’s plans to invest in the delivery of better outcomes for regional NSW and to ensure that the Trust focus areas are aligned with the priority issues of communities within regional and rural NSW.
A large mixture of Narrabri Shire community groups, surrounding Land Councils, and businesses attended the roundtable, including representatives from Shire Council, Narrabri and District Community Aid Services, Santos, Faber’s Toolboxes, and Narrabri Rotary Club to name a few.
Honourable Minister Tara Moriarty was pleased to be back in Narrabri once again for the last of the three roundtables in this district and noted that the needs expressed were numerous and varied within the diverse electorate.
“Narrabri is not the same as Bourke or Broken Hill so it’s really important that I visited all three areas to hear directly from as many diverse communities as possible,” said Ms Moriarty.
“There are some consistent themes across the regions but also unique local needs and ideas that I want people to tell me about.”
Ms Moriarty also acknowledged concerns that the difference between rural and regional communities would mean each region had different priorities.
“There are different needs and opportunities in more remote communities further out west than on the coast and regional areas, which is why we need to figure out exactly what those are,” said Ms Moriarty.
“It’s important for government to come and listen directly, it does feed into decisions I make when I hear about people’s actual experiences.”
The top concerns raised by Cr Tiemens lay in meeting basic community needs, addressing healthcare, and improving local access to TAFE and apprenticeships.
“There are a few very important areas, but the State needs to get the basics right before we set our sights on larger things,” said Cr Tiemens.
“Women should not have to travel two and a half hours to have their babies, we need proper resourcing for hospitals in the Narrabri Shire, and access to childcare to meet the needs of the growing community.
“Our TAFEs need to be better supported so people can do their apprenticeships here without having to go elsewhere, we need more access to training services, etc..”
The sentiments for more training to support skills and local childcare and healthcare were also mirrored by representatives of Faber’s Toolboxes Geraldine Faber and Santos’s Abby McClure.
The $350 million trust will be strategically invested in regional and rural communities through four focus areas:
Those are, sustainable regional industries, including engine and emerging industries, Aboriginal economic development and enterprise, community infrastructure and capacity building, and improving regional service delivery.
Mr Butler hoped that the changes in the Development Act would reflect some of the changes in regional NSW over the past two decades and ensure that funds go to the right place.
“There needs to be more safeguards to ensure that funds are not allocated for political motives, that they are equitably distributed,” said Mr Butler.
“There needs to be regulations and reviews of funds allocated to see that the investments are working, producing tangible outcomes for regional NSW.”
The other part of the round table agenda was to discuss the establishment of an interim Advisory Council in December 2023 to support the modernisation of the Regional Development Act and to advise the minister on establishing a robust governance framework to support the delivery of the act.
A call for expressions of interest for becoming an Advisory Council member with a three-year tenure will get underway in mid-2024 with a new council established at the end of the year.
When asked how the mayor felt hearing the concerns and suggestions from so many different groups and local businesses together in the round table setting, he exhibited pride in the community’s determination and expression of ideas.
“I was heartened to hear how passionate people were, I am very supportive of all their issues, and I’m not going to rest until we have a similar level of opportunity in our shire for people that there are in other local government areas,” said Cr Tiemens.
Ms Moriarty’s intention is to go away and reflect on all community concerns before implementing feedback into an updated Regional Development Act.
“I could have just come and said this is a new law, but we’re working with the communities from the ground up to see how we should be shaping it,” said Ms Moriarty.
“Now it’s my job to come back and demonstrate that I’ve listened to their ideas and deliver on some of the things people are telling me and that is certainly my intention.”
“Then we’ll get advice from the government about spending money based on need where and when it’s needed – I don’t think it was spent the right way in regions in the past and listening to people about that need is important.”
Cr Tiemens’ future steps will remain in advocating for key services for the community and ensuring that Narrabri Shire has a visible seat at the table.
“We need to keep talking about how wonderful the Narrabri Shire is, and make sure that we are seen,” said Cr Tiemens.
“People need to see what a wonderful and caring region this is and how much we support the economy.
“The future of Australia is regional.”
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