August 2025 Mayor's Message
Published on 27 August 2025
On 7 August Regional Development Australia Murray hosted an industry roundtable in Tocumwal. For this month’s message I am sharing a summary of the opening remarks I gave at that event.
When putting this speech together I reflected on the two major industries that contribute to Berrigan Shire’s economic prosperity—agriculture and our visitor-driven hospitality, sport, and retail sectors. Both rely on one thing we can’t control: the weather. I like to joke that “the weather gods” aren’t taking my calls, but the truth is, whether it’s flood or drought, government responses to extremes are often late or inadequate.
It’s not just the weather where our calls go unanswered. I’ve tried to reach out—unsuccessfully—to ministers in Canberra about the very real and disproportionate impacts water buybacks have had and will continue to have on our community. I also noted that failing to recognise how the MDBA’s water management hurts our industries is not just incompetent, it’s immoral.
But that’s far from the full story. Workforce shortages—both skilled and unskilled—are a real concern, and while housing plays a part, the real issue is the city-country divide. Inequity is the thread running through many of our challenges. Take education: TAFE is great, but we need a Country University Centre so locals can study closer to home. Higher education should be for everyone and not just for those who can afford to live away from home. I use the word ‘afford’ to reference not only the financial impacts but the emotional impacts of studying away from support networks. We need to get better at growing our own.
Healthcare is another concern. Last year, if you needed an ambulance for a life-threatening emergency in Tocumwal, your wait was about 40 minutes—nowhere near the 8 minutes quoted for the wider Upper Murray by NSW Ambulance. That’s not just misleading, it’s a flat-out obfuscation. Tocumwal is not the Upper Murray.
Other inequities persist. Access to adequate mobile and internet services is sporadic. When the population peaks in our river towns during holiday periods it is wholly inadequate leaving residents and businesses in the lurch, especially those relying on digital payments. There are promises of solutions, but they’re still years away, and that’s just not good enough.
Being on the border doesn’t make things easier. Sometimes I wonder if COVID made it worse or just brought it to the surface, but often we’re kicked around like a political football between Victoria and NSW. With two Labor governments, you’d think things might have changed, but too often NSW expects Victoria to “carry the can” and forgets about those of us south of the Murrumbidgee.
Beneath it all is the need for local government to be financially sustainable. The Federal Assistance Grants, both in distribution and value, simply don’t cut it. That’s why I called on RDA Murray to join all councils in pushing for a fairer deal from both state and federal governments.
As I reflect on these issues, I remain confident in our community’s resilience and determination. Together, we can meet these challenges head-on and work for a bright future here in Berrigan Shire.