Mayoral Memo - 31 May 2023
Thank you to the residents who attend our monthly Council meetings – both in person and online. Council meetings are a great example of democracy at its most basic level and I am always impressed with the respectful and considered debate that occurs with Councillors to deliver the best outcomes for our community.
The May Council meeting was held last Thursday and was a relatively long meeting with a number of significant discussions and decisions. I am always interested in the start of our meetings when the Public Forum allows residents to come forward and put their view to Councillors. Although the last Council meeting involved some rather boisterous commentary, I admire the passion that our residents bring to the forum.
The meeting also had some contentious issues for Councillors to deal with. Bowls NSW wanted to bring the State Championships to a regional location for the first time in its 128-year history but they needed some financial help to cover the additional $55,000 in costs of running the event regionally. The request of Council would have blown our entire event attraction budget for the year, but after some supportive discussions with the three Bowls Clubs in Dubbo and Bowls NSW, Councillors resolved to support the event with $15,000 from Council and $40,000 from the Clubs. A great result that will see 7,650 bed nights and an injection of $1.8 million in to our economy when it is held in 2024. That will be repeated in 2026 and 2028.
The Drug Rehab Centre location is a hot topic of conversation amongst the community and it is a tough one for Council. The State Government is charged with the responsibility for health and Council does not have the power to tell the Western Local Health District how to run their business. At best we can reflect community views and that is exactly what Council resolved to do in this case. Council formally resolved to oppose the current location and send letters to the relevant State Government personnel expressing this opinion.
There was a similar situation in relation to concerns with crime in Dubbo. For those concerned about crime, I recommend reading the BOCSAR information. The statistics contained within are detailed and give a true indication rather than anecdotes. What seems obvious is that you can cherry-pick and make any area in the State look terrible or fantastic. Councillors rejected the idea of a crime summit but will work with government agencies and community stakeholders to continue to develop a Community Safety Strategy and associated action plan.
The Voice referendum was another topic of discussion and Councillors resolved not to take a formal position but to hold an internal workshop and encourage education and registration within our community.
Many more items were discussed and resolved. I look forward to your comments at mayor@dubbo.nsw.gov.au
Councillor Mathew Dickerson
Mayor of Dubbo Regional Council
Last Edited: 30 May 2023