Nearly a year after the snowfall of July 2015 Upper Lachlan Council is still awaiting disaster funding promised last December to offset the $3 million cost of the clean-up.

The huge snowfall resulted in massive damage to trees and roads in the Shire, which Council had to rectify from its own resources because of a delay in a response to its appeal for disaster assistance.

Last December, in a joint media release the State Minister for Justice (Mr. Michael Keenan) and Mr. Troy Grant (Minister for Justice and Police) announced that assistance “has been activate” for the storm clean-up.

Mr. Keenan said the assistance would be provided through the jointly-funded Commonwealth – State Natural Disaster Relief and Recover Arrangements, which provides a safety net for State and Local Governments for costs associated with recovery from a natural disaster.

Mr. Grant said the snow storm had caused an estimated $3.7 million of damage to public infrastructure in Upper Lachlan and Wingecarribee Shires.

He added the funding announcement would ensure these Councils had access to financial support they needed to undertaken vital recovery works and restore essential public assets.

So far, Upper Lachlan has received just $25,000.

When Mayor Cr. John Shaw revealed this at last week’s Council meeting, Cr. Malcolm Barlow asked: “Are they playing for time? Is there a time limit on the payment?”

Cr. Shaw admitted he did not know – Director of Works Mr. Phil Newham commented that it looked like “a snow job,” with the Department possibly taking the view that the problems had been fixed.

Cr. Shaw: “If I have to go to Sydney to see the Treasurer, I will. I will certainly be talking to our local State Member.”

Electoral website now live

The NSW Electoral Commission Local Council event website is now live. The event website address is www.votensw.info

The ‘planning to be a candidate’ link on the homepage of this website will take you to important information on the six step process to become a candidate, including:

a Candidate Information Presentation;

Candidate Handbook LG.200;

Application for Registration of a Candidate and Appointment of Official Agent EF.722

Application for Registration of a Group of Candidates and Appointment of Official Agent EF.721

Nomination Form for Mayor or Councillor – Registered Political Party LG.202;

Nomination Form for Mayor or Councillor – Nomination by 2 Electors LG.203;

It should be noted that the nomination forms LG.202 and LG.203 can only be lodged with the Returning Officer for the Council being contested between Monday, 1 August 2016 and 12 noon, Wednesday, 10 August 2016.

Candidates and groups must be registered with the NSWEC and appoint an official agent before accepting political donations or making payments for electoral expenditure. Groups of candidates are to use the EF721 form and ungrouped candidates and mayoral candidates are to use the EF722 form. More information.

Candidate Helpdesk

A call centre has been established specifically for candidates who have questions in relation to their candidature or the election process.

The call centre operates each weekday from 9:00am to 5:00pm and during the weekend of the election. The candidate call centre number is 1300 088 942

Enquiries from members of the public concerning enrolment, voting options, location of polling places etc should be directed to the NSWEC on 1300 135 736 or www.votensw.info

$2 million Devil’s Elbow, Kiamma Creek Bridge work to go ahead

The straightening of the Devil’s Elbow curve on the Crookwell – Gunning Road and upgrading of the Kiamma Creek Bridge at Crookwell will go ahead with grants from the State Fixing Country Roads program.

The grants will provide $1,080,400 of the total cost of $2,142,400 for the two works, with Council to find the other $1,062,000.

Council had already included the Devil’s Elbow work in its program for 2016/17, and had planned the Kiamma Creek upgrade for the following year.

It now may have to make plans to bring forward the bridge work.

The required Council contribution of $531,200 has been budgeted for Devil’s Elbow,, and Council is hoping to secure $460,000 towards its Kiamma Creek contribution of $540,000 from Federal funding programs.

Announcing the grants, Member for Goulburn Ms Pru Goward said the Fixing Country Roads program was aimed at removing freight pinch points in regional NSW.

“The NSW Government is investing historic levels of funding to build better infrastructure right across the State, and it is great to see local communities in Upper Lachlan benefiting from the program,” Ms Goward said.

“The realignment of Devil’s Elbow corner in particular will generate both productivity and safety benefits by providing a 60 to 70 kilometre distance reduction for 25 B-Doubles accessing the Hume Highway, and open up the road to higher mass limits.

“The upgrade will benefit approximately 100,000 trucks per year carting livestock, timber and general freight.

The upgrade of the Devil’s Elbow will put even more strain on the wooden Kiamma Creek bridge if the expected increase in heavy traffic results.

Already large stock semis and empty timber jinkers regularly using the bridge as access to and from the north and east are causing concern to the normal busy town traffic as the big freighers tend to cross the centre line.

Other projects in Goulburn electorate to receive funding are replacement of the Dick Creek Road bridge over Murrumbateman Creek (cost $1,446,00), and widening and pavement improvements to Murringo Road at Boorowa (cost $1,741,000).

Upper Lachlan’s $9.5 million from record State 2016 - 17 budget

Goulburn Electorate will receive funding amounting to $107.5 million from the State budget for 2016 - 17.

$9.5 million of this will be directed to Upper Lachlan Shire - $6 million to upgrade the Crookwell water supply, $2.5 million for sealing on the Crookwell - Bathurst Road near Tuena, and more than $1 million to straighten the Devil’s Elbow curve on the Crookwell - Gunning road and to upgrade the Kiamma Creek bridge.

Member for Goulburn Pru Goward said the NSW Government has delivered a Budget which provides record investments for essential services including health, education, Family and Community Services and continues spending to employ more frontline workers – more teachers, more nurses and more police.

The 2016-17 NSW Budget also forecasts record infrastructure investment of $73.3 billion over the next four years, with state spending on infrastructure almost double what the Labor Party spent on infrastructure in its last four years in office.

“The NSW Liberals & Nationals Government has shown financial discipline and economic competence to turn this state around from the days of Labor, making possible a Budget that will make a positive difference to the lives of all people in NSW, including in our region ”, Ms Goward said.

The 2016-17 Budget has reported a surplus of $3.4 billion in 2015-16. The Budget forecasts an even higher surplus of $3.7 billion in 2016-17 and surpluses across the forward estimates. The State’s triple-A credit rating has been reaffirmed by both ratings agencies.

Since coming to office in 2011, NSW has created 338,600 jobs. Furthermore, the NSW Government has met its election commitment to create 150,000 jobs in this term in just 13 months, with 154,000 jobs created since April 2015.

Infrastructure projects funded in the 2016-17 Budget in the Goulburn electorate include:

·         $39 million for transport and roads projects across the electorate

·         $6 million to upgrade the Crookwell water supply

·         $9.2 million for work on the Moss Vale Police Station

·         Almost 4% of the state’s total under the Fixing Country Roads programme

·         $20 million to continue the redevelopment of Bowral Hospital

·         $2.5 million for initial sealing work on the main road between Goulburn and Bathurst, 46 kilometres north of Crookwell at Tuena

·         $21.5 million for pavement repair and strengthening of the Hume Motorway at Marulan

·         $3.3 million for the installation of an overtaking lane at Hume Highway Junction on Lachlan Valley Way

·         $35 million over four years to continue planning for the replacement of the XPT rail fleet

“The NSW Government has turned the State around from having the slowest economic growth of the major states under the previous Labor government, to having the strongest economy in the country today. The Government has taken NSW from having the lowest jobs growth of any mainland state to a position where we have the lowest unemployment rate in the country, the strongest employment growth and where we are creating almost two-thirds of the nation’s jobs”, Ms Goward said.

“This is great news for families in the Goulburn electorate – last year 54,900 were created in regional NSW and that expansion is set to continue.”