Message from the Mayor - April 2025

Published on 04 March 2025

On the back of a long, hot summer and the added humidity, we are all ready for autumn to settle in.  

Agricultural activity in our region is humming along. The corn harvest is well underway, rice is almost ready for harvest, and the cotton crops are looking very promising. However, we are still facing dry conditions and a significant rain event would be more than welcome. 

Our place in the water advocacy space, both at Murrumbidgee Council and RAMJO, is very active and very frustrating. Local member Helen Dalton MP Member for Murray is promoting a 7 point plan that hopes to address the pressing, not new and historically overlooked, issues coming at us like a freight train. 

The first tranche of the $300 million Buyback Diversification Offset initiative, including $160 million for the most heavily impacted 9 LGAs in the Southern Basin, is now open for shovel-ready projects. All LGAs have projects ready to submit - just how the cards fall with this opportunity is in the lap of the gods. The primary considerations for success are that the projects must be job generators with significant economic activity. 

Telecommunications remain a key focus, and we are working hard through RAMJO to ensure reliable connectivity for all residents.  

We continue to push for increased funding for our road network. Our involvement in regional groups gives us greater strength to advocate for our needs. Our presence in this space is vital, even if it comes with long car trips for meetings like the Newell Highway Taskforce meeting attended in Narrabri recently.  

We have been conducting extensive community consultation for the renewal of our Community Strategic Plan. A presence across all 3 communities with both operational and elected members will help us deliver a comprehensive priority list moving forward. Thank you to those involved and to all who participated. The draft plan will be available for public comment in late April.

Council has some exciting Youth Week activities proposed for the week of 12-17 March. Activities include a bus trip to Bounce in Wodonga, a mural workshop resulting in a freshly painted wall at Darlington Point Skate Park and a painting workshop in Coleambally. These events are funded by NSW Youth Week and Murrumbidgee Council. 

Coming up, seniors can enjoy morning teas and luncheons in Coleambally on 30 April and Jerilderie on 1 May, and a high tea and movie session at Darlington Point on 13 May. These are provided free of charge with funding from Murrumbidgee Council.

We have also recently celebrated several wonderful community-run events, including the centenary of Darlington Point’s Punt Hotel. It was a pleasure to be part of this momentous occasion. In addition, other events have included the Warangesda Festival and the Jerilderie Fun Fair, with Jerilderie Uniting Church School Holiday Youth Program and Heritage Darlington Point’s Open Day coming up soon. I want to thank everyone who contributes to making these events possible.

A special thank you to Council’s Finance Manager Vicki Sutton as she retires after contributing to both Jerilderie Shire Council and Murrumbidgee Council. We wish her all the best in her retirement. 

As we head into our busy football, netball and soccer seasons, thank you to our Council staff and the sports organisations for ensuring our facilities are ready and looking great. We are fortunate to have such wonderful facilities in our towns. 

Regards

Ruth McRae OAM 

April 2025