Shadow Minister for Local Government, Tim James, visits Yass Valley

Published on 09 July 2026

Yass Valley Council was honoured to host Mr Tim James MP, the Shadow Minister for Local Government, in Yass Valley this morning.

The day started with a presentation from members of Council’s Executive Team, also attended by Yass Valley Mayor Jasmin Jones and Wendy Tuckerman MP.

The Shadow Minister also took the opportunity to meet and greet Council staff and tour the fresh, professional spaces within the new Administration Building. Shadow Minister James saw firsthand the dynamic activation of the Yass Valley Library, where children were making the most of the school holidays, a NAIDOC Week activity was in full swing, and he met Onerwal Local Aboriginal Land Council Chair, Ms Cherelle Bell.

Discussions included the necessity for Yass Valley to be properly identified under NSW Strategic Planning as the Strategic Transport Centre it is - traversed by three federal highways, two state roads, and five regional roads. A primary focus was Council’s advocacy for funding for the Barton Highway duplication and bypass, as well as funding for improving local roads and other important community infrastructure. Water security from either the ACT or alternative sources to support our predicted population and employment growth was also raised with Shadow Minister James.

Mayor Jasmin Jones said “It was a pleasure to welcome Shadow Minister Tim James and local member Wendy Tuckerman to the Yass Valley today. This visit provided an important opportunity for Council to showcase both the significant opportunities and the pressing challenges facing our region.”

"It was particularly important to demonstrate our most critical infrastructure needs, such as the need to recommission a new Morton Avenue Water Reservoir, which is essential for our current residents, and the ongoing growth in Murrumbateman. We also highlighted the long overdue need for a staged plan for a new Yass Hospital with maternity services. We recognise that important changes to meet residential growth don't happen overnight and a 10-year-plan needs to start now to achieve this uptick in health delivery."

Following the conversation, the dignitaries took a tour of Yass Valley stopping at the Yass Memorial Swimming Pool. This gave Council Officers an opportunity to advocate further for the establishment of a National Fund for swimming pools – a motion put forward by Yass Valley Council at the recent Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) National General Assembly (NGA) (see more here: Yass Valley Council Leads Push for National Swimming Pool Fund Yass Valley Council).

The tour progressed to Murrumbateman Primary School and the All Abilities Playground worksite. Key areas of growth in the village were inspected and discussed, further evidencing the need for the Barton Highway funding and water security.

Over lunch at one of our many fabulous wineries, Council Officers again stressed the importance of protecting the area’s natural charm and beauty, to enhance our tourism potential for the benefit of local businesses and the wider community. This provided a chance to discuss and digest all the important subjects that had been raised throughout the day.

Council took the opportunity to reiterate and explain its position on no further renewable energy projects being developed in the Yass Valley, and the rejection of other projects that large cities don’t want, such as Data Centres and Waste-to-Energy projects. The Parkwood Development was a major point of discussion, and Council reiterated its position for the development to be retained in the Yass Valley.

The Mayor acknowledged how valuable the session was saying "Tim was very understanding of the challenges we raised regarding renewable projects in our region. Currently, the playing field is unfair because we shoulder the lion’s share of these projects without adequate funding, cumulative impact planning, community social license, or respect for our community’s amenity, the environment, and existing economies. We thank Tim and Wendy for their time and for listening to the priorities of the Yass Valley community.” 

This was an extremely productive morning, and Council valued the opportunity to share with Shadow Minister James the unique challenges facing Yass Valley, and regional and rural NSW Councils as a whole. Council thanks Shadow Minister James for taking the time to visit the Yass Valley.