Mayor of Bathurst Councillor Gary Rush has been elected chair of Centroc.
The Centroc board met in Canberra last Thursday for its annual meeting with Federal parliamentarians at Parliament House.
Mayor Rush said the meeting was an opportunity to be briefed on the Government’s priorities for regional Australia and present as a group, the items at the top of the Centroc Councils advocacy list.
In accepting the role of chair of Centroc Mayor Rush acknowledged the work of outgoing chair Councillor Bill West.
“I hope to continue the legacy left by Bill as chair of Centroc. I am committed to advocating on behalf of the Centroc group to both levels of government so that the Central West, and the member councils of Centroc continue to prosper with investment and financial support.
Mayor Rush said the Canberra based meeting had been supported by the three Federal MPs who represent the Centroc area; Member for Calare Andrew Gee, Member for Riverina and Minister for Small Business Michael McCormack and Member for Hume and Assistant Minister for Cities and Digital Transformation Angus Taylor along with Senator Fiona Nash, the Minister for Regional Development, Local government and Territories and Regional Communications.
“The opportunity for councils to have an audience with ministers in Canberra is invaluable in helping councils gain a better understanding of the priorities of the Federal Government and for the Government to hear what the issues are in regional NSW.
“Centroc has been meeting in Canberra annually for a number of years and we also hold similar meetings at a state level as it is vital that we work collectively with all levels of government in our efforts to grow and develop our region.”
Centroc is a voluntary collaboration of councils in Central NSW. The organisation exists to advocate for and improve operational efficiencies of its member councils – Bathurst, Blayney, Cabonne, Cowra, Forbes, Hilltops, Lachlan, Lithgow, Mid Western Regional Council, Oberon, Orange, Parkes, Upper Lachlan, Weddin and Central Tablelands Water.
