Country Mayors Association of NSW (CMA) Board and its 89 remote, rural and regional member Councils has welcomed the Labor National Conference’s support for the Federation Compact which is not only promising to increase core funding for Local Government but also addresses road funding, training and capacity building for councils.

“Financial sustainability is the number one issue facing our Members. The Federation Compact which we understand was unanimously supported by delegates at the Conference is very welcome news. The Compact goes to the heart of the problems that almost every council in Australia faces; financial sustainability, skills shortages, road maintenance and the capacity to deliver the services our communities need,“ Mayor Firman said.

The announcement of the Federation Compact, is the culmination of years of lobbying by the Local Government sector to address successive Federal Governments’ falling financial contribution to Local Government through the Financial Assistance Grant’s program. The Grant is untied funding which allows councils to deliver the infrastructure and services their communities need and demand. The Grant has fallen from 1% of total tax revenue in the mid-1990s to 0.49% in the most recent budget.

“While we appreciate there is more work to do, to tease out the fine details of the operation of the Compact, the commitment to on-going annual increases for the Financial Assistance Grant is great news. The CMA along with our friends at LGNSW, ALGA, the USU as well as other state and territory associations and councils across Australia have worked hard to encourage Federal Governments to commit to sustainable funding for Local Government. The CMAs’ Invest in Us Campaign has been the most recent way we have tried to ensure the Commonwealth recognises the importance of councils in building and sustaining the economic, social, environmental wellbeing of Australian communities,“ Mayor Firman said.

“We thank the Prime Minister for supporting this great initiative and recognise the work that now needs to be done to turn the Labor Party’s overwhelming support for the Compact into implemented Government Policy as quickly as possible,” Mayor Firman said.

On behalf of the CMA Board, Members and staff I would like to acknowledge the tireless work of Mr Graeme Kelly, General Secretary of the USU for his intense lobbying work over several years to raise awareness of the perilous nature of council finances, especially in remote, rural and regional Australia and the need to increase the Financial Assistance Grants. The work of Mayor Matt Burnett, President of ALGA and Mayor Darcy Byrne at LGNSW as well as regional organisations of councils, Joint Organisations and council alliances should also be acknowledged as we know that they have raised the issue at every opportunity, as has the CMA.,” Mayor Firman said.

—-end—-

Caption: Country Mayors Association of NSW (CMA) Chairman Mayor Rick Firman OAM, Prime Minister The Hon Anthony Albanese MP, CMA and LGNSW Board Member Mayor Phyllis Miller OAM and LGNSW President Mayor Darcy Byrne.

Contacts: Mayor Rick Firman OAM, CMA Chairman: 0429 204 060

Gary Fry, CMA Secretariat, Mobile: 0427 008 572   Email: *****************************

The post Federation Compact welcomed by NSW Country Mayors appeared first on RAMJO - Riverina & Murray Joint Organisation .

Country Mayors Association of NSW (CMA) Board and its 89 remote, rural and regional member Councils has slammed the Federal Government’s proposed changes to the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) which would result in the Government to substantially reducing the financial contribution it makes to disasters that occur in NSW.

Chairman of CMA, Mayor Rick Firman OAM (of Temora Shire) said “it is totally unacceptable that the Federal Government is going to shift more of the burden for disaster recovery onto the NSW State Government and Local Government. So many of the natural disasters that occur in NSW happen in the communities that our Member Councils represent. I can say without reservation they are in no position to pick up more of the financial responsibility just because the Federal Government thinks it is okay to walk away from its responsibilities.”

The Federal Government recently announced that it was considering implementing 50/50 funding for natural disasters across all states. In NSW the Commonwealth typically contributes 65 per cent which will leave NSW millions of dollars behind in funding. The announcement comes on the back of the Colvin Review of Commonwealth Disaster Funding. While the Review did not recommend the proposed funding change, the Federal Government has attempted to justify the funding reduction on the back of the Review.

“The proposal is all the more galling because the NSW State Government does not receive its fair share of the GST. Expecting that NSW State and Local Government have the financial capacity to pick up more of the tab for disaster recovery, is just not on, especially given that the financial sustainability of Local Government is the CMA’s number one issue,” Mayor Firman said.

“The CMA will be joining with ALGA, LGNSW and the NSW State Government to vehemently oppose the proposed change. Disaster recovery is expensive, councils receive just three cents out of every dollar of national taxation, while the Federal government collects 80 cents of every dollar, it is fitting therefore that the Federal Government carries the majority of the funding burden,” Mayor Firman said.

—-end—-

Contacts:             Mayor Rick Firman OAM, CMA Chairman:              0429 204 060

Mr Gary Fry, CMA Secretariat, Mobile: 0427 008 572   Email: *****************************

The post NSW Country Mayors slam Federal plans to reduce disaster assistance appeared first on RAMJO - Riverina & Murray Joint Organisation .

Edward River Council understands and acknowledges the concern and uncertainty many people in our community are feeling following the announcement regarding the early dissolution of Ochre Health’s lease of the Deniliquin Medical Centre.

Access to reliable healthcare is something we all care deeply about. Council’s responsibility as owner of the purpose-built medical facility is to ensure it is being used to its full potential to deliver the healthcare services our community needs and deserves.

For a significant period of time, the service levels delivered from the Deniliquin Medical Centre have not met the requirements set out in the relevant legal agreement. These requirements relate to the delivery of healthcare services from the facility, including practitioner availability, service levels and commitments intended to support reliable access to primary healthcare for the Edward River community.

Since late 2025, Council and Ochre Health have been engaged in discussions aimed at addressing these issues and improving service delivery. Throughout these discussions, Council acknowledged the significant workforce recruitment challenges facing rural and regional healthcare providers across Australia and explored a range of options aimed at strengthening service delivery and supporting improved healthcare outcomes for the community.

While Ochre Health has worked with Council throughout this process, the parties have been unable to reach a long-term solution that provides confidence the facility will be fully utilised to meet the growing healthcare needs of our region.

The conditions attached to the lease were established to ensure the community receives the maximum benefit from this purpose-built facility. This includes making full use of available consulting rooms and supporting the provision of sufficient medical services to deliver reliable access to healthcare for local residents.

After careful consideration, Council has therefore made the decision to dissolve its lease arrangement with Ochre Health Pty Ltd prior to its October 2027 expiry and commence the process of securing a provider capable of delivering the level of healthcare services the community expects and deserves.

The decision relates specifically to Council’s lease arrangements for the Deniliquin Medical Centre and does not prevent Ochre Health from delivering healthcare services elsewhere within the community.

This decision was not made lightly. It follows many months of discussion, negotiation and consideration of available options. Council’s focus throughout has been, and remains, securingsustainable, accessible and high-quality healthcare services for the Edward River community, both now and into the future.

Ochre Health has operated the Deniliquin Medical Centre under lease since 2012, and both parties remain committed to working cooperatively throughout the transition period to minimise disruption for patients and maintain continuity of care.

There has been speculation that the leasing decision was made on Wednesday afternoon following a meeting with Ochre Health; this is not accurate. Councillors resolved to terminate the lease during a three-hour confidential session of Tuesday’s Council meeting, following an amendment to the original Notice of Motion.

Chief Executive Officer Jack Bond said the Extraordinary Council Meeting held on Wednesday was convened to ensure the resolution stated Council’s intention to maintain a positive and collaborative working relationship with Ochre Health during the transition period.

“Since late 2025, Council and Ochre Health have held discussions about the future delivery of healthcare services from Council’s leased facility, the Deniliquin Medical Centre. Those discussions have resulted in an agreed pathway that allows both parties to focus on maintaining continuity of care while future service arrangements are progressed,” Mr Bond said.

“Council remains committed to working professionally and collaboratively with Ochre Health throughout the transition period and acknowledges the organisation’s contribution to healthcare delivery in Deniliquin over many years.”

Mayor Ashley Hall said Council will make the retention and engagement of existing locally based staff an important consideration during discussions with the future operator, recognising the valuable contribution they make to healthcare delivery in our community.

“We have listened to the community to better understand expectations of healthcare services in the region. Every decision throughout this process has been guided by one objective – securing the strongest possible long-term healthcare outcome for the people of the Edward River Council region,” Cr Hall said.

“We also recognise the significant challenges faced by healthcare providers in attracting and retaining medical practitioners in regional communities. This decision was not about those challenges in isolation. It was about ensuring Council’s community-owned medical facility is positioned to deliver the strongest possible long-term healthcare outcomes for local residents.”

Council is here to answer any questions the community may have. We have established drop-in sessions at the Deniliquin Town Hall foyer on Monday 13 July from 12:00pm-2:00pm and 4:00pm-6:00pm, and encourage community members with questions to visit and speak with Council staff. For those unable to attend, Council can be contacted on 03 5898 3000.

Edward River Council is progressing with a formal process to find and appoint a new GP provider committed to delivering accessible and sustainable healthcare that suitably meets the needs of our region.

< ENDS >

Media Enquiries:
Phone: Yvette Height 0439 314 408
Email: *************************************

The post Council commitment to accessible and sustainable healthcare services appeared first on RAMJO - Riverina & Murray Joint Organisation .

The Riverina and Murray Joint Organisation has expressed deep concern at SunRice’s announcement that it is consulting with workers about voluntary redundancies and workforce changes across its Riverina milling and packaging operations.

RAMJO Chair Cr Ruth McRae OAM said that while SunRice was responding to reduced rice supply and drier conditions, the announcement was a clear warning about the human and economic consequences of continued water recovery from food-producing communities which has reduced water availability and artificially pushed up water prices.

“SunRice is a cornerstone employer for Leeton, Deniliquin and the wider Riverina. We understand the company is responding to commercial realities, but those realities are being driven by a policy environment that continues to remove productive water from our communities,” Cr McRae said.

“Water buybacks do not just affect irrigators. They flow through to mills, transport operators, contractors, local businesses, families and regional jobs.”

Cr McRae said RAMJO supports healthy rivers and practical environmental outcomes, but the Australian Government’s continued reliance on buybacks was damaging confidence in southern Basin communities and taking away jobs.

“The Federal Government must stop treating water recovery as a target to be chased regardless of local consequences. Food production, manufacturing jobs and regional communities must be part of the Basin Plan equation,” Cr McRae said.

RAMJO Water Sub-Committee Chair Jackie Kruger said the SunRice announcement reinforced the concerns raised in RAMJO’s submission to the Murray-Darling Basin Authority’s 2026 Basin Plan Review, and the findings of the REMPLAN case study commissioned by RAMJO into the rice industry at Leeton and Deniliquin.

“The REMPLAN case study shows why the rice industry matters well beyond the farm gate. When rice production falls, the impacts are felt across processing, freight, farm services, retail and local community life,” Ms Kruger said.

“This announcement is a sobering example of what RAMJO has been warning about. Further water recovery by buybacks, rules changes or reliability reductions will place even more pressure on productive industries and regional towns.”

Ms Kruger said RAMJO was calling for a shift away from blunt buybacks and towards practical, place-based environmental projects delivered with local government, irrigation companies, landholders, growers and communities.

“The Basin Plan must achieve environmental outcomes without stripping productive capacity from communities that help feed the nation.”

“It is imperative that the government starts to take a more intelligent, considered and strategic approach to achieving balance across the Basin,” Ms Kruger said.

~ ENDS ~

Media contacts

Photo courtesy of REMPLAN

The post SunRice job cutbacks show real cost of water buybacks appeared first on RAMJO - Riverina & Murray Joint Organisation .

Leeton Shire Council has secured $150,000 in funding from Transport for NSW through the Safer Cities: Her Way 2 grant program to help improve perceptions of safety in Leeton’s CBD after dark. The funding will support delivery of the Her Way Leeton: Safe Nights, Safe Journeys project, a strategic communication and placemaking initiative focused on improving feelings of safety for women, girls and gender-diverse people accessing the CBD at night.

Throughout the project, Council will work with the community to identify and test potential solutions that could include safer waiting areas, wayfinding and other place-based interventions – with pop-up trials planned that will be evaluated with the community. Following feedback, any longer-term, permanent capital projects identified will require separate funding.

Councillor and Portfolio Lead for Diversity & Inclusion, Nicholas Wright, said the funding recognises the importance of creating safe and welcoming public spaces for everyone in the community.

“This investment will help Council plan and explore practical and meaningful improvements that support people to feel safer and more confident moving around our CBD after dark,” said Cr Wright.

The project will officially kick off with community engagement in August, including daytime and night-time walking workshops or ‘walkshops’, co-design sessions and surveys to better understand how people experience public spaces and identify opportunities for improvement.

Minister for Transport John Graham said this was the second round of the first-of-its-kind Safer Cities: Her Way program.

“This new funding builds on the success of the Safer Cities program, which has already engaged with around 30,000 people to shape projects across more than 80 communities across the state.

“Whether walking, riding or using public transport, everyone has the right to travel safely and feel safe in public spaces, both day and night.

“It’s important we continue to invest in programs like this to help deliver local upgrades that make a big difference in building safer, vibrant, thriving communities for everyone.”

Leeton Shire Council acknowledges and thanks Transport for NSW for their support through the Safer Cities: Her Way 2 program.

Council looks forward to working with the community and local partners to consider ways to strengthen safety, accessibility and vibrancy in Leeton’s CBD.

**ENDS**
MEDIA ENQUIRIES
Sarah Stewart |Manager Community Development
P: (02) 6953 0911 | E: ************************

The post Leeton Shire Council Secures $150,000 to Identify Improvements in Night-time Safety in the CBD appeared first on RAMJO - Riverina & Murray Joint Organisation .

Mayor Rick Firman OAM, Chairman of the Country Mayors Association of NSW (CMA), has said today that councils wanted to see a bigger commitment in the State Budget to investing in services and infrastructure across remote, rural and regional NSW.

We recognise and are thankful for the financial commitments made in relation to upgrading hospitals as quality health care is so important to our Member Councils. Of course, additional investment in regional roads is always welcome,” Mayor Firman said.

“However, we are very disappointed about the lack of investment in Local Water Utilities. The NSW Audit Office’s 2025 Report on Local Government estimated that $1 billion was needed to bring water infrastructure up to scratch. About one-third of CMA members are also Local Water Utilities, providing drinking water to the almost 3 million people that live and work in remote, rural and regional NSW.”

“Local Water Utilities are in desperate need of investment to upgrade and build new facilities. Since COVID, many remote, rural and regional communities have seen a surge in population which has increased the demand for quality drinking water.”

“While the State is understandably focused on housing, every new house requires a connection to drinking water. The Budget notes this with the Budget Paper on Infrastructure stating that delivery of water infrastructure underpins the Government’s housing plans. The Budget identifies $5.2 billion in key water treatment facilities’ projects for Metro Sydney but apparently nothing for the rest of the State. As always, the CMA wants to see our Members and the communities they represent receive their fair share.”

“Currently most Local Water Utilities are struggling to meet demand and are unable to meet the cost of upgrading existing facilities or building new water treatment plants. It costs millions of dollars to do the work, and we need more investment from the State to address the challenge. We are very disappointed that the State can find over $5 billion dollars for water treatment facilities in the City while needed investments, identified by the State’s Auditor, have seemingly gone unanswered,” Mayor Firman said.

“As previously indicated, CMA Members are very pleased and grateful for the transfer of ownership and control of the Rural Fire Service’s Red Fleet. I’ve sought advice direct from NSW Minister for Emergency Services (The Hon. Jihad Dib MP) who indicated the transfer will take place from 1st July, 2027, noting that the $470 Million cost will be spread over 10 years,” Mayor Firman concluded.

—–end——

Contacts:

Mayor Rick Firman OAM, CMA Chairman: 0429 204 060

Mr Gary Fry, CMA Secretariat, Mobile: 0427 008 572 Email: *****************************

The post Country Mayors ask about their fair share of the Budget appeared first on RAMJO - Riverina & Murray Joint Organisation .

The Federal Government has dealt another blow to the southern New South Wales food-bowl with its latest purchase of almost 86 billion litres of water in June 2026 at a cost of $430M to taxpayers.

Leeton’s Mayor, Cr George Weston, says he is exasperated by the Labor party’s disingenuous engagement with local Basin communities who are bearing the brunt of the Water Minister’s needless water buybacks.
“It is hugely frustrating as we are all aiming for the same thing – a healthier natural environment – but Senator Murray Watt persists with bulldozing through buybacks that will see jobs lost and economies devastated when there are much smarter options available to achieve environmental goals.

“Minister Watt is not listening and conveniently ignores his own government’s facts, trots out practiced and paternalistic half-truths, and makes very sure he’s never available to genuinely engage with communities that are suffering under his decisions.

“He hides in Canberra and, when he does front up, he stands behind a microphone instead of genuinely listening,” said Mayor Weston.

As recently as yesterday (22 June), at a local government forum in Parliament House, Minister Watt defended the recent buybacks saying the Basin Plan enjoys bipartisan support and has always included the recovery of 450GL.

Mayor Weston says this is simply not true.

“Under the 2012 Basin Plan, the 450GL ‘upwater’ was only supposed to be recovered if it was socio-economically neutral. Labor changed that in 2023 by amending the legislation – removing proper socio-economic testing – and they certainly did not have bipartisan support either.

“In fact, even the NSW Labor government doesn’t support the Federal Water Minister’s buybacks as they know it is devastating local communities, yet Senator Murray Watt continues with the furphy that his policy enjoys broad political support.”

Mayor Weston is not alone, with Mayors from across the Riverina Murray deeply disappointed that Labor has pressed ahead with buybacks despite the MDBA’s best available science (released in February) demonstrating the 450GL will deliver little to no additional environmental benefit over the more than 3000GL already recovered since 2000.

“Much of the extra water the Federal Government has bought (380GL of the 450GL target) cannot even be delivered, which makes these buybacks even more irresponsible,” said Mayor Weston.
“Imagine knowing that yet still persisting with a policy decision that is costing taxpayers billions of dollars and will see hundreds of rural jobs lost without actually fixing the environment!

“In our Shire, for example, we have 8 value-adding jobs for every 1 farm job in rice. Destroying real jobs to pursue needless water recovery is ideological madness,” he said.

Mayor Weston believes it’s time for the Finance Minister Kate Gallagher and Treasurer Jim Chalmers to honestly and holistically investigate the cost-benefit of these additional buybacks on Australian taxpayers.
He is also calling on the Prime Minister to honour his election promise to regional Australia – “no one held back, no one left behind” – by immediately stopping any further buybacks and engaging genuinely and directly with Basin Mayors from irrigation communities that feed the nation.

“The Government is spending billions of dollars acquiring water that cannot be effectively delivered to achieve its intended environmental outcomes. Worse, this spending is destroying rural economies. This is neither sound policy nor responsible stewardship of taxpayers’ money. We call on the Prime Minister to show that he really cares before large numbers of Basin jobs are lost under his watch and billions of taxpayer dollars are needlessly spent.”

MEDIA ENQUIRIES
Cr George Weston
Mayor
P: 0417 519 580 E: *************************

The post Leeton Shire Council Calls for Prime Minister Intervention in Basin Plan Buybacks appeared first on RAMJO - Riverina & Murray Joint Organisation .

The Sturt Highway Taskforce is once again pleading for urgent and meaningful investment in the Sturt Highway after another devastating tragedy, with yesterday’s crash near Euroley claiming two lives and leaving three others injured.

Sturt Highway Taskforce Chair and Murrumbidgee Mayor Ruth McRae OAM said on behalf of the taskforce, our thoughts are with the families, friends and communities affected by this heartbreaking incident.
“Today, two families are facing the unimaginable loss of loved ones who will not be coming home. Friends, neighbours and entire communities are grieving, while others continue their recovery from injuries and trauma that can leave lasting impacts,” she said. This accident near Euroley follows another serious incident on the Sturt Highway last week near Darlington Point highlighting the devastating toll road trauma continues to have on regional communities.

The Sturt Highway is a vital east-west route connecting regional communities, industry and major freight networks across New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. It carries an increasingly complex and growing freight task, with CSIRO modelling showing some sections handle more than 300,000 trailer movements each year. Heavy vehicle and oversized freight movements are expected to increase as renewable energy projects continue to expand across south-west NSW.

Road safety data reinforces the need for action. Between July 2019 and June 2024, 277 crashes were recorded on the Sturt Highway, with almost one in five resulting in serious injury and more than five per cent proving fatal. The taskforce has consistently advocated for investment, estimated at between $600 million and $800 million, to deliver long-term safety improvements. Cr McRae said regional communities are demanding stronger action on Sturt Highway safety. “Sadly, families continue to receive the call that changes lives forever. Those families, their friends and the people who know and love them will carry this pain for years to come.

“Our communities are not asking for special treatment. We are asking for safe roads and fair investment,” she said. “The Sturt Highway is becoming increasingly important to the nation’s freight and renewable energy future, yet communities along this corridor continue to shoulder the growing pressure without infrastructure keeping pace. “One life lost on our roads is one too many. We cannot keep accepting repeated tragedy and then moving on as though it is simply part of living in regional Australia.

“We owe it to the families who have already lost loved ones, and to every person who travels this road each day, to do better.

The taskforce is pleading with both State and Federal Governments to take decisive action and commit to urgent, meaningful investment that delivers safer roads and infrastructure improvements along the Sturt Highway corridor.

“We urge every Australian, whether they live near the Sturt Highway or has ever travelled it, to contact their State and Federal members of parliament and join the call for urgent investment before more lives are lost,” Cr McRae said.

Cr Ruth McRae OAM
Chair Sturt Highway Taskforce
Mayor Murrumbidgee Council

– ENDS –
Media contact:
Anne Lyons, Murrumbidgee Council, *****************************, 0418 294 010

The post Sturt Highway Taskforce pleads for urgent action following Euroley tragedy appeared first on RAMJO - Riverina & Murray Joint Organisation .

For immediate release | 21 June 2026

RAMJO says $430 million water buyback shows Basin communities are still being ignored

The Riverina and Murray Joint Organisation (RAMJO) has condemned the Federal Government’s latest Murray-Darling Basin water purchase, saying the reported buyback of almost 86 gigalitres for more than $430 million is another blow to food-producing communities across southern New South Wales.

RAMJO Chair Cr Ruth McRae OAM said the purchase shows the Commonwealth is still pursuing water recovery targets without properly accounting for the local and regional impacts on farming, food manufacturing, transport, service industries and towns.

“RAMJO supports healthy rivers and a healthy environment. What we do not support is a policy framework that continues to take productive water out of regional communities while treating socioeconomic impacts as an afterthought,” Cr McRae said.

“The Basin Plan has been done to our communities, not with our communities. This latest buyback confirms that the Federal Government is still chasing numbers instead of delivering practical, place-based environmental outcomes.”

RAMJO’s Murray-Darling Basin Plan 2026 Review submission argues that water recovery by any means, including buybacks, rules changes and reductions in reliability, must stop immediately.

The submission says reducing the consumptive pool by 37 per cent in the southern connected Basin has already weakened the resilience of water-dependent industries, reduced production of staples such as rice and dairy, undermined irrigation districts, and caused flow-on impacts to food processing, transport, farm services and local jobs.

Cr McRae said the latest purchase would further reduce confidence in communities already carrying a disproportionate share of Basin Plan adjustment.

“Every gigalitre removed from productive use has consequences. It affects what farmers can plant, what processors can source, what transport operators can move, and whether small towns can retain jobs, services, schools, sporting clubs and young families,” Cr McRae said.

“Communities in the Riverina and NSW Murray are not opposed to environmental outcomes. We are opposed to blunt buybacks that damage local economies while failing to solve the real environmental constraints.”

RAMJO says the Commonwealth should immediately redirect remaining water recovery funding to collaborative environmental projects that deliver measurable outcomes, including floodplain and wetland works, fish passage, carp control, modern fish screens, riparian restoration and integrated catchment management.

Cr McRae said the Government’s own approach needed to shift away from headline volumes and toward practical ecological outcomes.

“The problem is not simply the volume of water held by the Commonwealth. The real barriers are constraints on getting environmental water onto floodplains and wetlands, invasive species such as carp, degraded habitat, cold water pollution and poor fish passage,” she said.

“Buying more water does not fix those problems. Working with councils, landholders, irrigation companies and communities can.”

RAMJO also said the Federal Government’s $300 million Sustainable Communities Program is grossly inadequate compared with the economic risks created by continued water recovery.

“Our communities are being asked to absorb long-term structural change for the benefit of a national policy objective, but the support on the table does not come close to the scale of the impact,” Cr McRae said.

“Before any further water recovery proceeds, there must be comprehensive local and regional socioeconomic assessment. Unless impacts are neutral, or knowingly accepted by the affected community, implementation should not proceed.”

RAMJO is calling on the Federal Government to:

• immediately cease further water recovery by any means, including buybacks and rules changes;
• redirect remaining water recovery funding to practical environmental works and community support;
• undertake genuine local and regional socioeconomic impact assessment before further Basin Plan decisions are made;
• give local government a formal seat at the Basin Ministerial Council table;
• move from volumetric water recovery targets to place-based ecological outcomes; and
• work with Basin communities as partners, not as policy casualties.

“The Riverina and Murray are the food bowl of NSW. These communities have helped build the nation’s food security, export strength and regional economy,” Cr McRae said.

“They deserve better than another round of buybacks that drains confidence, reduces productive capacity and ignores local knowledge.”

“The Federal Government must stop buying water, start listening to Basin communities, and invest in environmental outcomes that actually work.”

ENDS

Media contacts

The post RAMJO says $430 million water buyback shows Basin communities are still being ignored appeared first on RAMJO - Riverina & Murray Joint Organisation .

Leeton Shire Council is pleased to announce it has secured $5.192 million in funding through Round 2 of the NSW Sustainable Communities Program to support enabling infrastructure for Council’s Affordable Housing Project at the former caravan park site on Brobenah Road.

The funding will enable Council to construct the essential infrastructure needed to prepare the site for residential development, including roads, water, sewer and stormwater drainage.

Mayor Cr George Weston acknowledged both the Australian and NSW Government and said the funding will help address one of Leeton’s main priorities.

“Like many regional communities, Leeton is experiencing strong demand for housing. Increasing housing supply is critical to attracting and retaining workers, supporting local businesses and ensuring our community continues to grow,” Mayor Weston said.

“The project is about creating more affordable housing opportunities for working people and families, including essential workers and professionals who want to live and work in Leeton.”

Council will now progress planning for the enabling infrastructure works and consider options for a suitable development partner or partners to deliver the housing project.

The project site is currently home to Leeton’s off-leash dog park. Council has committed to relocating the facility, with funding included in the Draft 2026/27 Budget, which will be tabled at the June 2026 Ordinary Council meeting for adoption.

Consultation with dog park stakeholders has commenced, covering potential locations and project scope.

Council will provide further updates on the project as planning progresses.

The NSW Sustainable Communities Program is funded by the Australian Government and delivered by the NSW Government.

Council also encourages Leeton Shire businesses to apply for funding through the $50 million Business and Industry round of grants. Applications are open now and close 3 August at 12pm.

This funding will provide grants between $100,000 to $5 million for projects that improve business and industry sustainability, retain and create local jobs and provide long-lasting benefits and economic growth for local communities.

MEDIA ENQUIRIES
Michelle Evans
Manager Economic & Community Development
P: (02) 6953 0911 E: ***************************

The post $5.192 Million Funding Boost to Help Deliver Affordable Housing in Leeton appeared first on RAMJO - Riverina & Murray Joint Organisation .