Rodney Stevens, Clarence Valley Independent
Clarence Valley Council will reapply to join the region’s peak local government body, the Northern Rivers Joint Organisation.
When the NSW Parliament passed the Local Government Amendment (Regional Joint Organisations) Act 2017, Clarence Valley Council CVC declined to join the Joint Organisation and has had associate non-voting status.
Joint Organisations have legal powers to enable councils to work together at a regional level and with state agencies and other organisations to achieve better planning, economic development, and service delivery outcomes in regional NSW.
NSW has a network of thirteen joint organisations comprised of 87 councils to strengthen collaboration and engagement between State and local governments and improve infrastructure and service delivery to regional communities.
Currently the Northern Rivers Joint Organisation NRJO has the Ballina, Byron, Kyogle, Lismore, Richmond Valley and Tweed NSW local government areas as full members.
In a Mayoral Minute at the October 25 council meeting, Ian Tiley said prior to 2017, CVC and the pre-merged Clarence Councils including the County Councils were all members of the former Northern Rivers Regional Organisation of Councils.
Cr Tiley said progress of the Northern Rivers Resilience Initiative in flood rebuilding would be regularly discussed with mayors at NRJO meetings.
“I am of the view that CVC and our community would be disadvantaged by only being an associate, non-fee-paying member of the NRJO given this announcement,” Cr Tiley said.
“The six full member councils are currently working together on a koala mapping project with government funding under the NSW Koala Strategy which seeks to double the NSW koala population over time.”
The recently formed Yamba Community Action Network CAN has also written to all councillors about joining the NRJO.
“Yamba CAN believes joining with the NRJO Councils would be paramount as an effective means to gain strength and positive outcomes jointly advocating for the benefit of the Northern Rivers and all Clarence Valley communities,” Yamba CAN wrote.
Cr Tiley said a Northern Rivers brand is being developed, the NRJO and Regional Development Australia Northern Rivers are partnering to audit available industrial and employment land, the NRJO is studying establishing and operating specialist employee pools within the Northern Rivers Councils.
“It is vital that CVC is a part of these and other matters of mutual interest,” Cr Tiley said.
“Clarence is one of the three rivers and is very much a part of the Northern Rivers Region and should continue to be so for many reasons of collaboration, joint interests, and aspirations.”
“Being a full member of the NRJO in lieu of the current situation is in the best interests of the Council and our Clarence LGA and communities.”
If CVC obtains NRJO membership, the fee for the 2022/2023 financial year is $46,000.
Cr Tiley moved the motion to apply to join the NRJO. Cr Debrah Novak said last time joining the NRJO was mentioned in council meetings she voted against joining because she couldn’t see the value of the $50,000 membership fee, but since attending a leadership workshop with chair Sharon Cadwallader and doing extensive research she believed CVC should now apply to join.
“I believe we should be sitting at the table with a vote so that we can actually lobby, along with the Tweed and Richmond Valleys, works that can support our infrastructure down the track, because we need all the help that we can get, and a united voice is a strong voice,” she said.
Councillors voted unanimously to apply to join the NRJO.
To apply to join the NRJO, CVC must now write to Chair Cr Sharon Cadwallader who will discuss the application with other board members.
If the board passes a resolution to accept CVC as a member, the NRJO would then write to the Minister for Local Government requesting CVC be added to the NRJO as a new member.
This article appeared in the Clarence Valley Independent, 9 November 2022.
