Wendy Tuckerman, the Minister for Local Government, visited towns in Central Darling Shire last week. Meetings were held with residents and representatives of organisations which were an open forum to allow any matter of concern to be raised.
In Wilcannia, housing, the weir and employment were raised by residents. However one item the Minister was keen to hear opinions on was how the Central Darling Shire Council will move out of administration (due in 2024) and what do the residents want to see happen.
She said that the Office of Local Government is working on a plan for the council that is “sustainable in future” and that they are working on a communication plan to let the public know about what that will look like.
General Manager Greg Hill stressed that CDSC is almost unique in Western Division shires, with a large amount of infrastructure to maintain.
While Shires such as Bourke and Nyngan have only 1 main town, CDSC has 4 plus the village of Tilpa and locality of Darnick, 6 community halls, 4 swimming pools, 6 Airstrips, ovals, sports grounds, War Memorials and parks in each town and over 1600 kms of roads to maintain, repair and replace.
We understand that the Minister found there was a lot more for her to see and understand about the Shire, so she will be making another visit in the near future.
This article appeared in Wilcannia News, October 2022.
