Message from the Mayor: 16 June 2023
Published on 16 June 2023
Hello, I'm John Connors, Mayor of the Dungog Shire, bringing you this week's Mayoral Message.
As I record this message, I'm in Canberra for the annual Australian Local Government Association Congress and this year, also for the Australian Council of Local Government.
These forums have facilitated meetings with Federal Ministers and last night there was a dinner at Parliament House attended by the majority of the Federal Cabinet. Today, I have meetings with the Minister for Infrastructure, Catherine King, and the Minister for Local Government and Regional Development, Kristy McBain.
The purpose of these meetings is to hopefully secure funding for three significant projects within the Shire.
The first of those is the Brig O’Johnston Bridge at Clarence Town which is being funded jointly by the federal government and the state government. We are unable to proceed further with that project at the moment as the federal government will not confirm its commitment to the funding. In addition to that commitment, we also need an additional $4.86 million to enable the project to proceed. As many of you would be aware, the project has already gone through numerous hurdles. And the design has, as it had to be, been approved by heritage in New South Wales, as the new bridge couldn't visually impact on the existing heritage structure.
The second major project is Clarence Town Rd, a long ongoing project where we were asked some months ago to start work until the new financial year. We are at the moment unable to get commitment from the federal government to ensure that funding will be forthcoming in the new financial year. Without that we are unable to proceed with the remaining sections of Clarence Town Rd which have not as yet been remedied.
The third issue is again a federal and state government issue, and that's the Betterment Funding, which was announced by the state government shortly prior to the New South Wales election. That funding was to facilitate the replacement of the Suspension Bridge at Gresford and to carry out significant additional drainage works in Hook St in Dungog and various river crossings throughout the Shire. Again neither government has confirmed the continuity of that funding. So that's the focus of my meetings this morning trying to get a commitment from at least the federal government for the funding for those three significant projects throughout the Shire.
The Congress in Canberra has been attended by in excess of 1100 Mayors, Councilors and General Managers from all over Australia, from the top of Queensland and Northern Territory, Western Australia and Tasmania rights throughout the country. So from that point of view, it's been a great opportunity to meet and talk with others. And, of course, the issues that they have are really no different to the issues that we have, perhaps at times on a different scale. Everybody has potholes, everybody has issues with funding, so they are universal problems.
Next week there is a Council Meeting on Wednesday night on the 21st. There's a further Council Meeting the following Wednesday night the 28th of June. Next week is the normal monthly meeting. The 28th is an Extraordinary Meeting to adopt the Budget for the forthcoming financial year.
Also next week on Tuesday, the New South Wales Grants Commission will be visiting Council. That's an opportunity for Council to hear from the Grants Commission but also an opportunity for Council to make its views and concerns known to the Grants Commission, and that is what we'll be doing on Tuesday morning when the Commission comes to town.
Roadworks continue, and you will have seen the top part of Hook St is virtually complete apart from a final bitumen seal in due course. Park St in East Gresford is similarly almost complete, and work is underway on Clarence Town Rd on the approach into Dungog between Abelard St and Mary St, and these works will continue in coming weeks.
And I think with those words that brings this week's message to a close. Until next week good luck and goodbye.