Tamworth Mayor Russell Webb says 'good outcomes' to come from Canberra trip

Last week, Tamworth Regional Council sent a delegation to the three-day conference in Canberra, designed to encourage collaboration between the Australian federal government and local councils.

Mayor Russell Webb said while there he spoke with several federal ministers and their staff about the region's most pressing issues, including water security, road repair, and attracting more workers to the region.

The top priority was delivering a cutting-edge water purification plant to take the city's three water-guzzling abattoirs off council's water supply.

Cr Webb said he spoke "at length" with the Federal Minister for Environment and Water's chief water adviser, seeking advice on how to best approach the federal government for funding to get the project off the ground.

"He also advised that we need to get all our ducks in a row with the state government in terms of where the legislation is sitting and of course what governance needs to be put in place," he said.

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Cr Webb previously told the Leader part of the issue with the project is that the technology is ahead of the legislation which governs it.

Now he says the first challenge is navigating the uncharted waters with several state agencies, as the proposed facility will be the first of its kind in NSW.

"Part of our business case in pulling that together will involve getting some of those other government agencies like the DPE (Department of Planning and Environment), the Department of Health, and the Food Authority," Cr Webb said.

"There's a lot of work to be done in that space but I've had meetings with the NSW Water Minister Rose Jackson and we're working on it."

Cr Webb said he also spoke informally with the Federal Minister for Regional Development, Local Government, and Territories, Kristy McBaine, about some of the issues our region is experiencing with gluts in construction and development.

"In particular, some of the funding that's being held up with some of the projects like Goonoo Goonoo Road," he said.

Federal funding for the Goonoo Goonoo Road upgrade was first announced in 2021.

The mayor said his discussion with the Local Government Minister was similar to a "fireside chat" and hopes to have an official meeting with her and invite her to visit Tamworth in the near future.

Speaking of invitations, Cr Webb also said he plans to invite the Federal Minister for Immigration and Cultural Affairs, Andrew Giles, up to Tamworth for the next new residents' event or Fiesta La Peel.

"[The minister] recognises that Tamworth is one of those areas that are doing a great job with multiculturalism and a lot of that is due to Multicultural Tamworth," he said.

The mayor said the trip would be for business, not just pleasure.

"At the same time, I'll be meeting with some businessmen who are trying to get their head around how the visa systems work and work through some of those problems that they're facing in getting people out here to work for them," he said.

"We're trying to make the pathway a bit smoother for those businesses and for those people who are wanting to come out here and work in our region and help us grow our economy."

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