Former mayor on statewide board to highlight issues of 128 councils

Susanna Freymark

Former mayor Danielle Mulholland was doing her ‘happy dance’ after being elected to the new Local Government NSW board.

“I am so honoured I don’t know what to say – it’s a big responsibility,” Ms Mulholland said.

Her appointment is for two years. The LGNSW consists of 128 councils who come together to work with the Australian Local Government Association to lobby State Government and develop policies.

“I feel strongly about being a rural representative,” Ms Mulholland said.

Various subcommittees were formed and Ms Mulholland was pleased to be selected for the Policy Review Committee.

“LGNSW and ALGA is where major change happens, along with increased access to ministers, senior advisors and public servants at the state and federal level and determining what our policies will be going forward,” she said.

“Although the board will have a state-wide perspective, we share many commonalities with other rural and regional councils.”

This includes the issues of infrastructure backlog, cost shifting and historic underfunding by the state government, the ridiculous amount of levies that every ratepayer has to pay but which get rolled up in our rates notice, (so it appears that council has put your rates up by themselves), the chronic housing shortage, transport, aged care, climate change, environmental issues, domestic violence, issues affecting the farming sector – and virtually every state portfolio you can think of,” Ms Mulholland said.

“Whilst I remain committed to representing the residents and ratepayers of the Kyogle Council area, I see this as an opportunity for our entire region to have a voice on the board,” Ms Mulholland said.