Dubbo Regional Council (DRC) is asking for an increase in the travel budget for councillors and the mayor.

Under the proposal, councillors would go from a yearly budget of $2000 to $5000, while the mayor’s budget would increase from $5000 to $18,000.

Speaking to Dubbo Photo News, Mayor Mathew Dickerson said travel had been restricted in recent times due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but now that was changing, face-to-face meetings were again an option.

“No council should be a silo,” he said.

“In the previous couple of years, a lot was online, but now we are back to physical conferences.

“(Recently) I’ve been at the country mayor’s conference, and it’s important to go to those meetings and it’s important for us as a council to be involved.”

According to figures obtained from DRC, the combined councillors’ travel expenses have been as follows:

January to June 2019 – Interstate: $5859.75. NSW: $14,066.19. Total: $19,925.24.

January to June 2020 – Interstate: $88.29. NSW: $3245.47. Total: $3333.76.

January to June 2021 – Interstate: $114.74. NSW: $4994.09. Total: $5108.83.

January to June 2022 – Interstate: $3948.06. NSW: $9102.75. Total: $13,050.81.

Cr Dickerson said attending conferences and face-to-face meetings could be invaluable, particularly for new councillors.

“In my experience, watching or delivering a presentation is just one part of a conference – the other part is the discussions that take place, and they’re just as valuable,” he said.

“You get to talk to others and learn how they might do things.

“It’s the relationships that are important here, and I encourage all our councillors, particularly our new councillors, to attend local government conferences.”

In a recently published Mayoral Memo, Cr Dickerson noted “no man is an island”.

“There are many external organisations that Dubbo Regional Council is involved with or has membership of that are designed to make the Council perform better and therefore deliver benefits to the community,” he wrote.

“Various Councillors and myself typically attend meetings of these organisations to share knowledge and learn from others who may have different experiences.

“The voice of many Councils can often have a greater impact on government policies than the voice of just one.

“Country Mayors Association not only gives Mayors from regional locations a chance to gather and discuss issues of relevance to regional areas, but meetings are often attended by government Ministers who take advantage of the fact they can speak with many Councils in one room.

“I also appreciate those opportunities to have five minutes with a Minister rather than sometimes waiting months for a formal meeting.”

The proposal to increase the council travel budget is currently on display for public comment.