NSW Premier Mike Baird has been called upon by councils to create cabinet representation for the state’s country areas at the LGNSW Annual Conference.
NSW Premier Mike Baird is under pressure from the local government sector to appoint a Minister for Rural and Regional NSW to ensure that vulnerable country areas are given a voice as influential as Sydneysiders.
The motion came from the Local Government NSW Annual Conference held at Sydney’s Rosehill Racecourse, and has been one of the biggest demands from the sector since Mr Baird scrapped the role of Minister for Western NSW, then held by Kevin Humphries, as well as other regional ministerial roles.
That move in April 2015 following the State Election has been a big frustration for councils who feel that their representation in state Parliament has been significantly diminished.
It couldn’t be any different from what’s been happening in the federal tier of government since the rise of Malcolm Turnbull as Prime Minister of Australia, who essentially created new cabinet roles for Members of Parliament.
These include Paul Fletcher as Minister for Territories, Local Government & Major Projects, as well as Jamie Briggs in the role of Minister for Cities and the Built Environment.
You can read more of GovNews’ analysis of these new federal turnarounds from University of Technology: Centre for Local Government Professor Lee Pugalis, as well as Urban Taskforce of Australia chief executive officer Chris Johnson.
LGNSW President Keith Rhoades put forward the question asking “why do the people of Western Sydney deserve better representation in Cabinet than those people who live in the rest of the state?”
Mr Rhoades said it was also important to recognise the challenges and issues faced by people who lived in all the regions of NSW.
“Our regional and rural areas have a wealth of issues which are directly impacting on the lives of families and voters, and we believe there should be someone at that Cabinet table specifically charged with representing them,” Mr Rhoades said.
He said there may be a Minister for Regional Development, but that role has a completely different focus.
“When the Premier’s new Cabinet was sworn in back in April, Premier Baird told the media he had based his decisions on performance and merit,” Mr Rhoades said.
He said the people of rural and regional NSW also expect nothing less – “nothing less than this government’s best efforts to understand the challenges and issues they face, and represent their best interests”.
“We believe that the government will be able to do this more effectively if there is someone formally charged with the responsibility,” Mr Rhoades said.
“That’s why the sector has carried this motion calling for the appointment of a Minister for Rural and Regional NSW.”
