From our Chair Cr Tim Overall - November/December 2021
Credit: Shutterstock
Welcome to my final newsletter as Chair of Regional Cities New South Wales (RCNSW) as I stand down from the position of Chair and also Mayor and Councillor of Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council.
It goes (almost) without say that it has been a challenging year for regional communities, with lockdowns and varying levels of restrictions implemented to control the spread of Covid-19. Despite this, our alliance has kept focused on our mission to build productive, liveable and connected regions and thanks to modern technology, we have maintained our busy schedule working with key stakeholders on the critical issues for regional cities in New South Wales (NSW).
As we emerge from restrictions and look forward to a brighter 2022 we will be working harder than ever to press the case for increased infrastructure investment for regional NSW, to allow our cities to keep up with the unprecedented growth we have all experienced in the past year.
Regional living has never been more popular, with Infrastructure Australia estimating there has been a 200% increase in net growth to regional centres and regions during the global pandemic. This shift to regional Australia has severely impacted the availability of housing, with regional Australia’s annual rental growth hitting 11.3% in June 2021, the highest annual growth since Core Logic’s rental index commenced in 2005, and some of the lowest rental vacancy rates down to 0.1%. Our Board has been working with the Regional Housing Taskforce to investigate potential policy solutions to overcome the shortage of affordable housing.
RCNSW has also prepared a detailed Budget Submission 2022-23 to highlight the key funding and policy initiatives required to support our growing cities.
Since re-signing the Memorandum of Understanding with the New South Wales Government, we have continued to have productive discussions at the highest levels of government. The former Deputy Premier and the newly elected Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW, Regional Transport and Roads the Hon Paul Toole MP have attended our Board meetings for some productive discussions.
In late news, we are delighted to welcome Broken Hill Council to our membership, and particularly acknowledge Cr Darriea Turley’s election as President of Local Government NSW. As testament to our standing, one of our member councils has also been invited to assist the Australian Local Government Association-commissioned review of the Financial Assistance Grants funding arrangements.
In closing, I would like to wish all the recently elected Councillors the very best for the new term. For those that have chosen to retire, I would like to thank you for the legacy you have left for regional cities and your tireless dedication to the communities you have served.
Finally, Seasons Greetings from the RCNSW team – wishing you a safe and well-earned break relaxing with family and friends.