Council

Barkly Regional Council’s community area managers were in Tennant Creek this week for a two-day training and information conference. Council Area and Department Managers from Ali Curung, Alpurrurulam, Alparra and Elliott met with Tennant Creek managers, department heads and new and existing staff to talk about what’s happening in their communities and receive updates what’s happening at the Tennant Creek head office.

The River Country Art Trail will receive a boost of over $1,747,431 from Round Two of the NSW Liberal and Nationals Government’s Regional Tourism Activation Fund ... Under the project, the River Country Art Trail aims to build an outdoor gallery on silos and water towers, creating a trail across Murray River Council towns, linking them in a unique, high impact visitor experience across the area.

An innovative project will be launched next week to identify economic opportunities for development in the Upper Murray. Led by Dr Juliette Milbank, ‘The Future of the Upper Murray’ will cover an area on both sides of the Murray River ... It seeks to develop strategic and innovative long-term projects that take advantage of local regional strengths.

Clarence Valley Council (CVC) General Manager Laura Black has revealed she is unsure how long Level 4 (Severe) water restrictions introduced last week for the whole Clarence Valley water supply system due to a prolonged dirty water event following recent rainfall in the Nymboida River will remain in place but said council should have “a better idea later this week.” The restrictions were issued by council on January 30 to avoid the need to call a Boil Water Alert.

Clarence Valley Council has earned the unenviable title of the most complained about council per 100,000 residents out of 128 councils in NSW. NSW Ombudsman Paul Miller recently released his annual report for 2021/2022 which showed despite Clarence Valley Council receiving the ninth highest number of complaints out of the state’s 128 councils, it ranked first in the number of complaints per 100,000 population.

Port Pirie Regional Art Gallery is excited to present an exhibition of local and regional South Australian significance: Tina Hooft: A Country Women's Wardrobe II. Featuring vintage clothing and accessories from bygone eras, this exhibition draws on the considerable collection of Dutch-born, Merriton-based collector Tina Hooft, who has been collecting vintage garments, accessories and more for over 20 years.

Residents who would like to provide local knowledge and support planning for future flood events are encouraged to consider becoming a volunteer flood observer. Gannawarra Shire Council, Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES) and the North Central Catchment Management Authority are seeking new flood observers, especially from residents in the Pyramid and Wandella Creek areas.

A revised study identifying the risk of flooding on a 2.5-kilometre section between South Street and McCalls Road in Gunnedah has been commissioned with $60,000 in funding from the NSW Government’s 2022/23 NSW Floodplain Management Program ... The new study comes after significant changes were made to the area including the construction of a Blackjack Creek Riparian Corridor and the construction of the second Gunnedah overpass.

Valkyrie the Wedgetail Eagle at the Rockhampton Zoo will be receiving a belated Christmas present with a brand-new enclosure being constructed ... “The new enclosure will be built opposite the Kangaroos at the Zoo which will get Valkyrie down with her Australian buddies in the bottom section": Parks, Sport and Public Space Councillor Cherie Rutherford.

Large happy crowds turned out for Australia Day at both Naracoorte and Lucindale last week to celebrate local award winners, welcome new Australians citizens and participate in an Australian citizenship affirmation ... Mayor Patrick Ross read a statement from the Federal Member for Barker, Tony Pasin, then introduced guest speaker, Robertson Street Daily Market proprietor, Didar Ali ... “I came to Australia because I ran away from war."

"Since late 2019 Coober Pedy water consumers have been calling on successive State Governments to introduce SA Water pricing in Coober Pedy. This would result in prices being reduced by two thirds. Unfortunately, no State Government commitment has been secured. In that time Coober Pedy consumers have paid $5 million more for their water than if they lived in Adelaide. This is scurrilous": Tim Jackson, Administrator, District Council of Coober Pedy.

Moyne Shire Council has launched a new roads portal to give the community quick access to information about council’s road network and planned upgrade works across the shire. The portal includes a map pinpointing road renewal and resealing works, before and after photos, expected timeframes and information about how the works are funded.

The unusually cold summer weather continued as community members and visitors gathered in Riverside Park Barham to eat together and celebrate the broader community ... "There's no doubt, I often thought the biggest influence in local communities is the volunteers": guest speaker Keith Cummins from Cohuna ... Keith believes one of the biggest dangers we face is the inability to have discussions and listen to other people’s ideas.

Scenic Rim sellers who turned their trash into cash during two weekends of garage sales in November 2022 generated more than $40,000 in sales and saved almost 3.2 tonnes of unwanted items from landfill ... “Programs such as the Garage Sale Trail play a valuable role in shifting community perceptions of purchasing second hand, supporting the transition to a circular economy and enabling more effective reuse and recycling of unwanted items”: Mayor Christensen.

Tennant Creek’s born and bred doctor Sarah Goddard took the top honours in the Local Government 2023 Australia Day Awards for Tennant Creek. Dr Goddard has spent well over a decade reaching her goals to become a doctor and Citizen of the Year Awards adds to her list of growing accolades, winning best Indigenous doctor in Australia late last year in the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association (AIDA) awards.

It was an announcement that was significant enough for the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events to visit Maldon in May last year: a State Government decision to invest $1.7 million in a development at Porcupine Village ... After eight months, progress on the Porcupine Village development has stalled, with works shut down by Council owing to lack of compliance regarding appropriate planning permission.