Mayoral Memo - 3 August 2022
No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. I am pretty confident that English poet, John Donne, was not thinking about Dubbo Regional Council when he penned these words in 1623. What Donne was referring to was the idea that humans do poorly when isolated from others but being part of a community allows humans to survive and thrive.
The same can be said of a Local Government Area (LGA). There are many external organisations that Dubbo Regional Council (DRC) is involved with or has membership of that are designed to make the Council perform better and therefore deliver benefits to the community. Various Councillors and myself typically attend meetings of these organisations to share knowledge and learn from others who may have different experiences.
The Alliance of Western Councils, which has remarkably similar membership to the now defunct OROC, allows sharing of ideas and plans amongst a dozen Councils generally west of Dubbo. Dubbo is important to those Councils from a service perspective while those Councils are crucial to the economy of Dubbo. Evocities started as a seven-city marketing concept in 2010 and Inland Forum initially started as a way for three major inland cities to share knowledge but they have both largely morphed in to a sixteen-member organisation called Regional Cities NSW. This group represents over a million residents in NSW and not only shares information but allows discussions with government for broader solutions.
The Lower Macquarie Water Utilities Alliance is a group that Dubbo was instrumental in creating but unfortunately DRC withdrew its membership several years ago. This new Council has re-joined this group and with several recent issues involving water, I am sure DRC will take full advantage of that involvement. The Newell Highway Taskforce Committee is another where membership lapsed but with a focus on a bypass along the Newell, DRC has re-joined and will be working with this group to deliver solutions for the city. The voice of many Councils can often have a greater impact on government policies than the voice of just one. Country Mayors Association not only gives Mayors from regional locations a chance to gather and discuss issues of relevance to regional areas, but meetings are often attended by government Ministers who take advantage of the fact they can speak with many Councils in one room. I also appreciate those opportunities to have five minutes with a Minister rather than sometimes waiting months for a formal meeting.
The list goes on. Regional Capitals Australia; Mining and Energy Related Councils; Bathurst-Orange-Dubbo Alliance; Australian Livestock Markets Association; Australian Airports Association; Local Government NSW; Australian Local Government Association and so many more too numerous to mention.
Tell me if you think we should cut off all external ties at mayor@dubbo.nsw.gov.au
Councillor Mathew Dickerson
Mayor of Dubbo Regional Council
Last Edited: 02 Aug 2022