Kimberly Grabham,  The Riverine Grazier

September local government elections for Central Darling Shire Council have been deferred.

It has been announced Central Darling Shire will become a rural and remote council, made up of three locally elected councillors from the community, and three councillors appointed by the NSW government.

The elections, originally scheduled for September 14, were pushed back to allow for this legislation to pass and the execution of the new model to take place.

Elections for the three community representatives are to be held in the first half of 2025.

The governmentally elected councillors will be chosen for their skills to support the stable and effective operation of the council.

This new council model aims to provide Central Darling Shire with a more sustainable future.

It also aims to return democracy to remote communities in far west NSW for the first time in over 10 years.

Central Darling Shire Council has been under administration since 2013 due to major fiscal and governance issues.

Several issues included the Council’s remoteness, small populations and rate base has resulted in inability to provide services and infrastructure in a cost-effective method.

This new model will enable Central Darling Shire Council to better represent the diverse community, streamline costs, and deliver services that meet local needs.

It has been developed in consultation with Central Darling Shire Council administrator Bob Stewart, community representatives, the Member for Barwon, Roy Butler MP and NSW state agencies.

Legislation will be required to amend the Local Government Act to establish this new model and will be introduced to Parliament in the coming months.

In addition, NSW Government has provided a $477,782 grant to support the Council though this transition.

A funding strategy is also being established to ensure Central Darling Shire Council is financially sustainable, and able to plan and deliver facilities and infrastructure into the future.

The Minister said the three elected councillors would have an important role representing the people of their ward and in making the best decisions for the shire as a whole.

They will be elected by the community and will work alongside the three appointed councillors to make sure services, infrastructure and facilities are delivered.

At the October 2023 Central Darling Shire Council meeting, a preferred option for the shire ward boundaries adjustment was adopted.

The Shire has three wards based around the main population centres.

At the October meeting Council resolved to adopt the second option put forward in the Ward Boundaries Adjustment proposal, which was placed on public exhibition for public comment at the end of August last year.

Two submissions were received.

• Ward will encompass Wilcannia, outlying rural electors north and east of Menindee.
• Ward will be Ivanhoe, Tilpa and White Cliffs.
• Ward will consist of Menindee and Sunset Strip.

Taking onboard the public comments and further analysis, option two was the preferred option servicing and advocating for communities across the entire local government area.

A concerned Ivanhoe local told The Riverine Grazier Ivanhoe often misses out on attention and resources from Central Darling Shire.

“When they conducted the recent meetings, one was not held in Ivanhoe,” the resident said.

“This is par for the course with anything in Ivanhoe, we always miss out.

“If you wanted to find out information, you would have to go to Whitecliffs or Menindee, and some of the roads are horrible.

“We also cannot get services out here.

“We tried to get PCYC activities, but they won’t come out here because it is too far away.

” We only have the RSL and Wendy’s store here now, things are declining.”

This article appeared in The Riverine Grazier, 31 July 2024.