Affordable housing, and the impact of disaster funding on tourism were both on the agenda of last night's (20 August) Council meeting.
HOUSING: This year's NSW local government conference will debate a motion on affordable housing following a decision at last night's Council meeting.
Council to push for change on affordable housing
This year's Local Government NSW conference will debate a motion on affordable housing, following a decision at last night's Council meeting.
The annual conference, which brings together representatives of Council across NSW, will be held in November in Tamworth.
The meeting decided to propose a motion calling on Local Government NSW to lobby the state government to change "the NSW Affordable Housing Ministerial Guidelines to provide a definition of affordable housing that is consistent with the NSW Housing SEPP 2021" to make it clear that "households living in affordable housing must pay no more than 30% of their gross income in rent."
It was argued during the meeting that there are currently differences between NSW planning law (SEPP 2021) and the Ministerial Guidelines used to implement housing policy in NSW which don't work in the interests of people living in housing stress.
The meeting heard that those differences could lead to a situation where people living in homes designated as affordable housing, could be paying more than 30% of their income in rent and could therefore be experiencing ongoing housing stress.
Register of Returns tabled at meeting
The annual tabling of the Register of Councillor returns happened at last night's meeting.
As a requirement of Local Government legislation, all Councils in NSW collect information about the interests of elected Councilors and senior staff.
An exercise aimed at decision-making transparency, the register includes lodgement of disclosure of interest returns, the lodgement of written declarations and the disclosure of pecuniary interests at Council and Council committee meetings.
Members of the public are entitled to inspect the Register of Returns free of charge. The register will also be published on the Orange City Council website with appropriate redaction.
Disaster recovery support a boost for tourism
Areas in NSW are feeling a growth in tourism as a result of government support for recent disaster recovery.
Last night's Council meeting heard a report on highlights of the recent Destination and Visitor Economy Conference, held in Wagga in May.
The event was attended by the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, General Manager of Orange360 and 2 staff members of the Economic Development team.
Among information in the report:
- Recovery Funding is becoming a catalyst for innovation in tourism in some areas of the state. Projects such as the Northern Rivers Rail Trail, Snowy Sculpture Trail, and Mogo Mountain Bike Park, have been funded through disaster recovery initiatives following natural disasters.
- The most successful projects are deeply rooted in community consultation and ownership. The Snowy Sculpture Trail, was designed with significant input from the community, leading to a shared trail across multiple towns rather than a single location. This approach not only built strong community support but also ensured that the project reflected the needs and desires of the local population, enhancing the overall success.
- The conference heard that areas should avoid a 'local at all costs' mentality, as prioritising quality over local contributions often yields better outcomes. The Snowy Sculpture Trail, with only one of its 26 sculptures created by a local artist, is an example of how international contributions can elevate the quality of local projects.
- Growth is patchy in the NSW visitor economy. The NSW visitor economy reached a record $51 billion in 2023, growing faster than other states. However, this growth is uneven, with significant spikes in Sydney, the north coast, and the Riverina, while the Central West remained flat and the South Coast was in decline.
- Tourism experiences are an emerging trend across the state. Travel experiences such as indigenous tourism, agritourism, storytelling, and cruising/self-drive experiences are seen as a shift from product-based to experience-based tourism, where developing in-depth, multifaceted experiences in collaboration with multiple operators is key.
Grieving mother statue proposal won't go ahead
An investigation to look into creating an additional war memorial in an Orange park focusing on the statue of a grieving mother has come to an end.
The December 2023 Council meeting decided to work with appropriate local organisations to investigate an initiative in establishing a Grieving Mother Statue.
Council has received feedback from the Orange RSL sub-branch that other projects should be given a higher priority.
Last night's meeting decided to acknowledge the feedback received from Orange RSL Sub-Branch and not to proceed with a grieving Widow/Mother Statue.
