Country Mayors Association of NSW

14/06/2026

12/06/2026

NSW COUNTRY MAYORS WELCOME RED FLEET ANNOUNCEMENT

Country Mayors Association of NSW (CMA) Chairman, Mayor Rick Firman OAM has welcomed today’s announcement by Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib MP that Rural Fire Service (RFS) assets, commonly known as the Red Fleet, will transfer to State Government ownership from 1 July 2027.

“After years of advocacy and a Parliamentary inquiry, the right decision has finally been made: RFS assets should belong to the RFS, not local councils. Councils across remote, rural and regional NSW strongly support the RFS, but that support should never have included carrying ownership of RFS firefighting equipment and vehicles,” Mayor Firman said.

“From 1 July 2027, ownership of the Red Fleet will finally align with operational reality: the RFS already has full control of these assets. It has never made sense for councils to carry Red Fleet assets on their books. The CMA has long advocated that both ownership and control should sit with the RFS.”

“We warmly thank Minister Dib, the Treasurer, the Hon Daniel Mookhey MP, the Minister for Local Government, the Hon Ron Hoenig MP and the NSW Government for this decision. Since he took office, the CMA has worn a path to the Minister’s door advocating for this change. The Minister has always taken the time to listen carefully and shown a genuine commitment to resolving it,” Mayor Firman said.

Under the current legislative arrangements, ownership of RFS firefighting equipment rests with local councils. As a result, councils across the State have been required to record, account for and depreciate assets over which they have no operational control.

“It is important that the RFS not only controls the assets it uses for firefighting but also owns them. This is also a positive outcome for the RFS, as it brings ownership into line with responsibility and day-to-day operational use,” Mayor Firman said.

“Minister Dib has invited the CMA to be involved in working through the transition to the new arrangements to ensure that it goes as smoothly as possible,” he said.

“Our CMA Board, 89 rural, remote and regional council members are very happy with this news,” Mayor Firman said.

Caption: CMA Secretary and Temora Shire GM Melissa Boxall, CMA Chairman and Temora Shire Mayor Rick Firman OAM, Minister for Emergency Services The Hon Jihad Dib MP and CMA Policy Advisor Julie Briggs, in one of the discussions about the Red Fleet issue.

10/06/2026

COUNTRY MAYORS VOICE CONCERNS OVER CESSATION OF INLAND RAIL

The Board of the Country Mayors Association of NSW (CMA) has met with Minister Catherine King MP, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government to discuss the cessation of the Inland Rail project.

“Following the Government’s announcement, there was a unanimous resolution passed at our last CMA meeting to seek a meeting with Minister King to raise the many concerns our Members have about the decision to terminate the Inland Rail at Parkes,” CMA Chairman, (Temora Shire) Mayor Rick Firman OAM said.

“There is ample evidence of the millions of dollars that both Local Government and private enterprise have invested in anticipation of the Inland Rail’s completion. The truncation of the project has left many with large investments, made on the back of Government promises, with literally nowhere to go.”

“We were able to have a frank discussion with the Minister about the decision. It is very evident that the budget which started with an original allocation of $8.4 billion in 2017, rising progressively since then to $45 billion deserves to be questioned. However, there is no getting away from the fact that the Government’s decision has left many between Parkes and the Queensland border, particularly Narromine, Narrabri, Moree feeling devastated,” Mayor Firman said.

The Minister advised the CMA Board that the focus will now be on east-west linkages from Parkes to Perth and from Parkes to Botany and Newcastle ports. The Minister also advised that the Government was aiming to preserve the existing corridor wherever possible.

“While we are very disappointed with decision, we are hopeful that the Minister’s advice that the Government is looking at working with the National Intermodal Corporation on intermodals that could feed into the Inland Rail will provide a viable fallback position for some,” Mayor Firman commented.

“The CMA will continue to lobby for better outcomes for our affected Members and the communities they represent. We want to explore other possible scenarios for its completion – if it cannot provide a Port-to-Port freight solution, because of the cost, why not an Intermodal-to-Intermodal approach with the rail line running from Beveridge in Victoria to Ebenezer in Queensland?” Mayor Firman said.

Dr Schott in her 2023 review of the projects stated Ebenezer is the best option when assessed against the ability to meet the Inland Rail service requirements, maximising rail freight competitiveness, proximity to end-user freight demand, and alignment and compatibility with surrounding land uses.

We do not believe that simply deciding to truncate the project is providing the community, transport operators or all three tiers of government with the best outcomes, either economically, socially or environmentally. Given the sunk costs already incurred there must be a way to get a better return on investment,” Mayor Firman said.

“We look forward to continuing to speak with the Minister about pathways to success for this project,” he said.

10/06/2026

Welcome Experience for Local Government workers in NSW

“Skilled labour shortages in rural, remote and regional NSW are a real challenge for our Member Councils. They are one of the largest employers of skilled workers in country communities and the struggle to fill positions can be impactful,” Country Mayors Association of NSW (CMA) Chairman, Mayor Rick Firman OAM (of Temora Shire) said.

“The NSW Government broadening its’ Welcome Experience program to include Local Government workers, in addition to ‘essential workers’ is a real win that our rural, remote and regional members are grateful for,” he said.

“On behalf of our Board and 89 Members, I have written to Minister for Regional NSW The Hon. Tara Moriarty MLC to express our appreciation.”

“Critical workforce shortages in rural, remote and regional Councils heavily impact our ability to deliver essential town planning, engineering, road maintenance, and even childcare and aged-care services. This free settlement concierge service is helping to make a completely new environment feel like home and that’s a vital step toward retaining the people we need,” Mayor Firman said.

“The practical, on-the-ground support provided by the program's Local Connectors—including finding housing, arranging childcare, and helping partners to find employment —removes the greatest barriers families face when relocating to the bush. This will not only help with our members’ retention of newer staff but ultimately, their recruitment efforts as well,” he said.

“Whether we are talking about tree-changers, sea-changers and skilled migrants making a country change, the The Welcome Experience program has helped close to 3,500 essential workers (and their families) to settle in rural, remote and regional NSW to date. They value the assistance and so do we, their employers,” Mayor Firman said.

Other Welcome Experience eligible sectors are: Aged-care, Corrective Services NSW, Department of Communities & Justice, Disability support, NSW Ambulance, NSW Police Force, NSW Rural Fire Service, State Emergency Services, Veterinary services, Early childhood education, Education, Fire and Rescue NSW and Health.

Caption:
Minister for Regional NSW The Hon. Tara Moriarty MLC and Country Mayors Association of NSW (CMA) Chairman, Mayor Rick Firman OAM, of Temora Shire.

08/06/2026

NSW PREMIER APPRECIATES COUNTRY MAYORS

NSW Premier, The Hon Chris Minns MP addressed the May general meeting of the Country Mayors Association of NSW (CMA) and his frank engagement was praised by the 150 mayors and general managers in attendance.

The Premier spoke briefly and then opened for questions from the floor.

“Our Members appreciated the willingness of the Premier to answer questions without notice from the floor, his frank “pull no punches” responses was welcomed by our Members.” CMA Chairman, Mayor Rick Firman OAM (of Temora Shire Council) said.

“This is a Premier, who (as he says) was Sydney born and bred, however he has shown, we believe, a genuine commitment to be Premier for all of NSW. The CMA has seen this firsthand in his willingness to establish in partnership with the CMA the Premier’s Rural, Remote and Regional Advisory Council (PRRRAC) and we’ve seen it reinforced through his earnest engagement with country-based Mayors and General Managers.

Mayor Firman kicked off the Q&A seeking Premier Minns’ reaction to the CMA’s ‘Invest In Us’ campaign to raise awareness of the vital work of councils creating the communities that we all live in, from parks and sporting fields to libraries, art galleries, museums and of course roads, bridges and footpaths. The campaign aims to restore the Federal Government’s Financial Assistance Grants (F**s) to one-percent of national taxation revenue. “I am and always have been in favour of the one-percent. That would be money well spent,” Premier Minns said.

It was not a one-way street, with Premier Minns also seeking support from Country Mayors. “We need your help regarding the appallingly inequitable GST distribution. We need a statewide campaign.
We (in NSW) now receive 83c for every dollar we send to Canberra. Victoria receives $1.07 - an additional $1.5 billion. The WA Government is rolling cash.,” he said.

The CMA has lodged a submission with the Productivity Commission addressing the inequities with the current GST distribution methodology, which results in NSW, the State with the largest dispersed population in Australia not receiving its fair share.

The Premier also answered questions on the Great Western Highway closure and its impact on local businesses, drought, rural health services, emergency services staffing arrangements, mobile phone coverage and councillor remuneration.

The cessation of the Inland Rail was also raised with the Premier, who expressed his concerns about the proportionately small quantum of the national spend on infrastructure that is going to NSW.

“On behalf of the CMA Board and our 89 Members, I thank our Premier, The Hon Chris Minns MP for on-going engagement with the CMA Board and our Members. We need our Premier’s strong, ongoing support to ensure financial sustainability of our NSW rural, remote and regional Councils – it’s at a critical situation as the status quo cannot continue – and we believe our Premier has heard this loudly and clearly,” Mayor Firman said.

05/06/2026

The CMA hopes to see this level of midwifery care throughout rural, remote and regional NSW.

Women and families in the Taree region now have improved access to midwifery continuity of care, with the launch of a Midwifery Group Practice model at Manning Hospital.

05/06/2026

Bega is the only non Sydney location mentioned in this NSW Government media release but there might be others...

The Minns Labor Government is delivering more homes. The land audit has identified more than 670 new homes which could be delivered across surplus and underutilised NSW Government-owned sites as part of the NSW Government’s $6.6 billion Building Homes for NSW program to help deliver 30,000 homes a...

05/06/2026

https://www.nsw.gov.au/ministerial-releases/more-investment-low-carbon-industries

The Minns Labor Government is investing a further $225 million to create more local jobs in domestic manufacturing and help NSW businesses build the products and materials needed for the low-carbon industries of the future.

05/06/2026

https://insidelocalgovernment.com.au/nsw-govt-extends-flood-hit-homes-program/

Flood-impacted homeowners across the Northern Rivers and Central West have been given more time to make decisions whether to raise or retrofit homes, with an official extension to the Resilient Homes Program timelines announced by the NSW Government. Under the updated timelines, buyback settlements....

04/06/2026

Have you seen the latest grant opportunities from the Future Drought Fund?

More than $3 million in funding is available to help agriculture-dependent communities prepare for drought by strengthening social resilience. These grants support practical, community-led projects that help people stay connected, build skills and work together.

Projects can include:
💪 Initiatives to strengthen the capacity, capability and collaboration of professional, social or community networks and/or locally based not-for-profit organisations.
🌾 Field days, conferences, forums, summits and seminars that facilitate professional, social and community connection to build understanding of drought and climate change associated risks.
📈 Initiatives to improve skills, knowledge and capacity in community risk management, planning and project delivery in relation to drought.
🏘️ Projects that improve local community meeting places, including purchase of minor equipment, to support increased usage, social connectedness and community wellbeing.
💫 Initiatives to facilitate professional, personal and leadership related development and learning to support drought preparation.

Applications close 30 June. DM us with any questions
👉👉 Learn more and apply via https://frrr.org.au/funding/find-funding-now/

The Future Drought Fund’s (FDF) Communities Program is proudly funded by the Australian Government.