Mayoral Message - July & August 2025

As the wattle blooms around Yass Valley heralding we’re on the other side of the dead of winter, those yellow blossoms never fail to stir a gratefulness in my heart for the beauty and renewal of strength of our community spirit in Yass Valley. It’s also the best time to take in the wonder of our town’s wild side – the Yass Gorge with its honey coloured cliffs, frog song opera, endangered natural temperate grassland, swamp wallabies, river bird life and soaring eagles, without (much) fear of stepping on ‘danger noodles!’ 

MESSAGE OF SOLIDARITY WITH DROUGHT IMPACTED FARMERS 

I would like to extend Council’s heartfelt support to our local farmers who, amidst the busy and back breaking shearing work now underway, are still enduring the impact of the ‘green drought’. They have the added burden of hours of hand-feeding, the soaring freight and fodder prices, plus the slow erosion of finances, health and resilience from the sustained effect of being drought impacted since May 2024. The flush of green on paddocks hides the truth of no meaningful growth to support flocks - and without drought listed as a natural disaster, it’s been tough going to draw attention to the problem. 

The Council is committed to advocating for resources and support to help you through these challenging times. Please know that you are not alone, and our community stands with you.  

It’s times such as these that our NSW Farmers local network, CWA, Red Cross - and even school and sporting groups - can play a role sparking conversations with farming families to check in on their well being and connect them with professional support if needed. 

For immediate assistance, reach out to the Rural Adversity Mental Health Program (RAMHP) Coordinator in Yass, Judy Carmody Judy.Carmody@health.nsw.gov.au. Judy is co-located with community mental health staff at Yass Hospital on tel: 02 6220 2000. Contact details for RAMHP are here . Useful resources include online resources, Boots on the ground magazine, podcasts and training.  

Specialist mental health services can be contacted through the NSW Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511. This will connect Yass community members with Southern mental health staff 24/7. 

DROUGHT SUMMIT 

Over the past month, five mayors representing Greater Hume, Wagga Wagga, Cootamundra-Gundagai, Snowy Valleys and Yass Valley Councils worked tirelessly to pull together a Drought Summit with more than 474 registrations and attended by State and Federal Ministers (and their delegates), producers and peak bodies.  

The Summit on August 4th endorsed the following key recommendations: 

• Establish a NSW Government-led, Producer-Informed Drought Taskforce to oversee drought response, policy coordination, and implementation. 
• Reinstate drought as a natural disaster to enable fair and timely access to emergency support across all jurisdictions. 
• Provide immediate financial relief including freight and fodder subsidies, LLS rate waivers, and direct support for water and feed access. 
• Strengthen mental health and rural support services, including expanded rural counseling and targeted wellbeing programs. 
• Fund recovery and resilience measures including restocking support, regional fodder reserves, and pasture restoration. 
• Improve drought logistics through road repairs, freight access upgrades, and support for local councils. 
• Review taxation law to introduce incentives for drought resilience and preparedness. 
• Reinstate and expand the Rural Investment Fund to support producers under prolonged financial stress. 

The summit made it clear that while producers have done everything in their power to prepare, the scale and duration of the current drought has pushed even the most resilient operations to breaking point. Coordinated, government-led support is now essential to ensure the survival of family farms, regional businesses, and the communities they support. 

As part of our cross border discussions, I also alerted the ACT to the potential threat to the aerial bushfire protection of Canberra from the proposed Bondo Wind farm. This will flank the ACT and Yass Valley with almost 200 turbines, Battery Energy Storage Systems and transmission lines in bushland and forest.    

LOCAL GOVERNMENT MINISTER & OLG SECRETARY TOURS YASS VALLEY  

It was my honour to escort Local Government Minister, The Hon. Ron Hoenig, and Office of Local Government Secretary, Mr Brett Whitworth, to a number of key projects in Yass Valley during their visit to Yass. We toured the Crago Mill precinct, the Water Treatment plant (now in the early phase of fully funded upgrade planning), had an engaging drop in on our new apprentices and dedicated team at Council Works Depot, followed by an informative visit with Yass Landcare volunteers.   

I also took the opportunity to discuss pressing issues for Yass Valley and Local Government, including the need for councils to be given access to the geo-specific National Emergency Messaging System under construction. This would allow us to alert residents to any danger to health and safety from Boil Water Alerts, to emergency infrastructure works that could impede evacuation plans or access to essential services. I also raised the need for fairer ‘legacy benefit sharing’ to flow to Councils hosting the HumeLink transmission lines and towers, the renewable energy rollout cumulative impact on our residents and regional communities, and ensuring we remain financially sustainable as the Parkwood development into NSW approaches.  

TURBINE TALK WITH ENERGY COMMISSIONER 

Australian Energy Commissioner, Tony Mahar, accepted my request to meet in Yass to discuss both the need for TransGrid to be a good community citizen and provide ongoing legacy payments to Councils hosting the transmission lines and massive towers through our region, and the pressing issue to address the cumulative impact of state significant energy projects on our residents. 

BOWNING MEETINGS 

I have attended two meetings in June and July of the Bowning Community Association, where community members have justifiably raised some serious concerns over proposed controversial super-sized turbines and BESS (battery storage) proposals in prime agricultural areas, including Wind Prospect and Mint Renewables ‘Bendenine’ comprising 90 x 260m turbines between Bowning & Binalong. The proponents were given a clear indication from the village residents there is NO social licence, and community efforts have ramped up to fight this project - which is clearly proposed for a completely unsuitable area. 

On behalf of Council and alongside community action groups, I have been active in the community, media and even at Parliament House, talking about the need for the cumulative impact on our communities of state significant industrial scale renewable energy projects to be assessed before proceeding with any more. With six state significant turbine and solar projects already approved, and more cropping up every month proposed for our region, the focus needs to be on a ‘fair go’ for Yass Valley - that is already doing significant heavy lifting despite our NON-Renewable Energy Zone status. I championed the protection of our rural amenity, our existing wine and agri-tourism destination economy, equine-wellbeing businesses and even the protection of dark skies for the space sector established in Bowning since 2016.  

I would like to acknowledge just some of the community members working tirelessly on the advocacy. Emma Webb, a grazier and mum giving her absolute all to protect the land and community she loves as President of the Binalong Bowning Community Action Group; Anne Glover and Duncan Waugh as formidable support; Keith Rosario and Marina and Ben Maguire for their diligence, research and determined advocacy; Derek Bush for his inspiring and dogged defence of our rural community as part of Stop Bookham Woolgarlo Burrinjuck Wind Factory; and BPA President Andy Henderson for his coordination and facilitation of respectful community meetings.  

TAKING OUR ISSUES TO NSW PARLIAMENT  

The CEO and I made the most of a visit to NSW Parliament last week to take Yass Valley issues to ministers and members of Parliament and attend Country Mayors’ Association workshops and General Meeting.  

This gave Mayors access to Ministers such as: 

• Police Minister Catley & Shadow Minister, Paul Toole, on crime prevention and police resourcing. I am keen to work with Yass Police to bring a pilot night driving program to Yass Valley that includes mock crash rescue, RBT simulation, night driving under controlled conditions, plus truck blind spot demonstrations using council and business donated heavy vehicles and instructor tips for safer handling and parking.  
• Environment Minister, Penny Sharpe, on biodiversity offsets and country communities. 
• Treasurer Mookhey where I asked for immediate release of funds for drought impacted communities and pointed out the glaring inequities for non-REZ councils burdened by state significant projects.    

Prior I met with:

• Emergency Services Minister Dib - to protect our CT511 4WD resource and step out the need to resource our Fire & Rescue team with additional retained members in recognition of our cross border workforce challenges.  
• Planning Minister Scully - to fight for our region’s protection from turbine and BESS industrialisation, and discuss Parkwood, Yass and Murrumbateman.  
• Cameron Murphy MLC Committee Member - on the impacts of renewable projects on communities and alerted him of the need to look at non-REZ areas such as Yass Valley that are targeted by developers. 
• Our local member Wendy Tuckerman MP - in what has been a monumental week for her fighting for our community. She resigned from Shadow Cabinet in response to the lack of fair process for representatives of energy project affected regions, in the face of a bill giving Minister Sharpe sweeping powers of approval. 
• MP’s such as National’s Wes Fang willing to fight for rural communities.
• And, thanks to Country Mayors Association, an engaging talk from former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who applauded our region for fighting the turbine industrialisation of our rural communities, and encouraged Yass Valley to protect all that we value about our unique rural and bush environment. 

COUNCIL MEETINGS AND DECISIONS 

Dragon Dreaming - Monday’s Extraordinary Meeting of Council voted 7-1 for the five year approval of the Dragon Dreaming Festival at Wee Jasper, being held next month.  

BESS Murrumbateman - The Ordinary Council Meeting on 24 July 2025 covered several important topics. Key decisions included formally objecting to a regionally significant Development Application for a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) right in the heart of the Murrumbateman Winery Trail and cool climate wine region of excellence.  

As Council is not the approval authority, but our planning officers are used by the Regional Panel to prepare a report,  it fell to me to perform the formidable task of preparing a 7,000 word submission against the proposal in two working days (and utilised the weekend in between as well!).  

Yass Valley was passionately represented by myself and Councillor Carter as we addressed the shocking inappropriateness and complete lack of public interest served of such a proposal - amid a small lot rural area in the heart of the Canberra District Wine Region of Murrumbateman with ten internationally acclaimed wineries nearby. Just one fire at such a facility could jeopardise the entire harvest with smoke taint, and the mental stress of such a real and present risk on our community is unjust.  A decision is yet to be made by the Panel. 

BOOKHAM WIND FARM FORUM 

On Monday 13 August, Council heard from proponents of the Bookham Wind Farm, Squadron Energy, and then from more than a dozen community members passionately objecting to a development application requesting approval to do investigative bore hole drilling for 99 turbines and associated infrastructure across various farms for a state significant development. Community concerns raised included that the DA would present scoping creep of a prohibited use of land, only permissible with consent under state - not local - legislation. This was along with a myriad of environmental concerns and bio security risk to farms as producers are forced to open their gates to unknown contractors traversing multiple properties.  

CRAGO MILL UPDATE 

The Crago Mill Precinct project is on track and budget with Council recently approving the contract for removalists to decant and transport the library and office assets. Stage 1, including the library and administration buildings, is set for completion and handover in October 2025. Our Ngunnawal elders continue to tirelessly support our staff and the project with input into yarning circle design, finalisation of Ngunnawal language for many of the meeting room signs, and procurement process input for artistic designs. 

COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE 

YVC staff also attended the Yass Careers Day at Yass High School on Thursday 7 August to showcase to primary and high school children of what career or learning opportunities are available at YVC. 

CELEBRATING 100 DAYS OF KINDERGARTEN WITH BERINBA 

It was my honour to celebrate with Berinba Public Schools kindergarten children, parents and teachers, a very special milestone of their first 100 days of school. I commend all the kindergarteners for their determined learning efforts, honest value of friendship, and keen curiosity.   

CELEBRATING 95 YEARS OF YASS HOSPITAL AUXILIARY 

Cake continued with the Yass Hospital Auxiliary.  I was honoured to attend their 95th anniversary and learn of their achievements - from funds raised for comfort packs given to Yass Hospital patients that find themselves far from home, to vital equipment to support Yass Hospital doctors and nurses deliver professional care. 

MELBOURNE CUP VISITS MURRUMBATEMAN 

The Melbourne Cup visited Murrumbateman escorted by Victoria Racing Club Members and coinciding with Murrumbateman Pony Club’s 45th anniversary. Twice entered trainer, with 100% win track record, Shelia Laxon, shared inspiring stories with the 50 strong club members young and old. 

Thank you 7 year-old Helia Saeedi who helped me hold up the 18 carat gold 3.79 kg $850,000 trophy! 

Congratulations to Club President Carly and all the members for the dedication over the years supporting the club’s young riders…and who knows what this experience may lead to in their futures.  

MONDAYS WITH THE MAYOR & DEPUTY  

Make sure to book in advance for valuable face-to-face time to let us know of your good idea or identify a way Council can assist make our community an even better place to live. Visit the events tab on Council’s webpage to book online.  

I’d also like to acknowledge theYass RSL Subbranch President, Mr Steve Neuhaus; Yass Valley Business Chamber President, Jack Walker; along with Bookham Village’s Tess and Marguerite Julian for their time in meeting with me over the past month.

LOOKING AHEAD 

As we look forward to the coming months of Spring, it’s a glorious time to be in Yass Valley. Councillors remain committed to working collaboratively with our community to ensure Yass Valley continues to thrive. Here are some major events happening in the rest of August and September that wouldn’t be possible without the efforts of local volunteers: