A new era of strategic partnerships in Local Government

I am no stranger to walking the halls of NSW Parliament House to advocate for those who call Wollongong home.

However, last week, I was so proud to dial up our advocacy to a whole new level when we officially launched the LG8 Strategic Partnership with our neighbouring councils – Wollondilly, Camden, Campbelltown, Wingecarribee, Shellharbour, Kiama and Shoalhaven – at NSW Parliament House.

While there is a glossy brochure that accompanies this Partnership, it’s about far more than words on a page.

This Partnership brings together eight local government areas who represent more than 10 per cent of NSW’s population and a combined Gross Regional Project of $54.2 billion.

Together, we’ve a number of agreed regional priorities that we’re keen to work together on – transport, tourism and health.

It’s a strong pitch when you see the Mayors and General Managers of all these councils sitting around a table discussing regional priorities that can improve the lives of all those who live within our borders.

We shared these priorities and our determination to see improvements in all these areas at a Ministerial Roundtable where we briefed key Ministers and their advisors about the opportunities for our region including our growing visitor economy, increasing equitable access to health services and strengthening connectivity in and around the region including road and rail.

In the room was Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully, Minister for the Illawarra and Minister for Health Ryan Park, Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison, Minister for Industry, Trade and Innovation Anoulack Chanthivong, Minister for Local Government Ron Hoenig and Parliamentary Secretary for Transport Marjorie O’Neill.

After the roundtable the Ministers, our Members of Parliament and their advisors joined us at a partner event paving the way for further discussions, networking, and a clear, keen interest in understanding more about the work we are doing as a region.

This partnership doesn’t change our identities as individual Local Government Areas or the independence of the eight Councils – what it will do is give our region a stronger collective voice and have more rigour and support behind us when advocating to State and Federal government for the infrastructure and investment our communities need.

I was pleased to see our LG8 advocacy formalised and able to demonstrate an unprecedented level of cooperation and collaboration which will enhance our government interactions and ultimately benefit all our regions.