With the Orana Region not known as a hot-bed of political protest, council was surprised to recently find a regulation regarding public demonstrations on their books, as the mayor calls for a fair shake of the federal funding sauce bottle; while tree poisoning, work (finally) on the Duke of Wellington Bridge, and Simultaneous Storytime, all among current Dubbo Regional Council news.

•••

Council 'mystified' over public protest policy

While public protests in our major cities are currently almost a weekly event, Dubbo rarely has any public demonstrations – which makes the recent discovery that council actually has a policy regarding approving public protests in the region a genuine surprise.

According to mayor Josh Black, it was a bit of a shock to council also who was largely unaware that the near decade-old regulation existed, with a suggestion at the recent Standing Committee Meetings that it be removed from the books altogether.

“We don’t even know why we had it. It apparently was triggered by a piece of legislation at the time, but it doesn’t have anything to do with council,” mayor Black told Dubbo Photo News.

“Police approve protests and the like, all we do is book the public place for where they are to occur, road closures and such, after they notify us,” he added.

The unusual council by-law was only discovered during a standard review of current regulations by executive staff and has apparently been on the books since 2019.

This was from a time during which no current representatives – including long-serving councillor, Mathew Dickerson, who also could shed no light on the rule – were in local government.

•••

Fair shake of federal sauce bottle...

With the recent federal budget showing the overall proportion of local government Financial Assistance Grants (FAGs) have dropped from one per cent of tax revenue in 1996 to a new low of 0.49 per cent for 2026/2027, mayor Black believes it's time for local government to get the recognition it deserves.

Cr Dickerson was mayor in 2013 when the last attempt to have our much-neglected third tier of government recognised in the Constitution fell foul of PM Kevin Rudd’s rush to the polls.

“We missed having the referendum by one week. The campaign was called just a few days short for all the legal requirements to have the vote on local government,” Cr Dickerson told Dubbo Photo News.

“The State Government always says: ‘hang on a minute, the federal government shouldn’t be giving money to local, government, without our say-so’. If we were in the Constitution, this wouldn’t be a problem,” he argued.

Mayor Black, however, is taking the issue up more directly, through the “Invest in Us” campaign being launched by local government Australia-wide aimed at reversing the cents-in-the-dollar now going to our councils.

“This reduction in grants is a major issue for regional councils, because if we don’t get a fair share, we won’t have enough money for things like asset renewal and maintenance, those are, the things we already have,” Cr Black explained.

“These untied grants go to projects like major road works, sewerage, and water infrastructure – capital investments we can’t pay for just from rates and state money; we’re talking between $4–8 million a year,” he added

•••

No Waterloo for Duke of Wellington Bridge repairs

A council committee has recommended setting aside $519,816, including GST, for NSW Public Works to start reconstruction work on the road “unceremoniously” washed-away approaching the Duke of Wellington Bridge in Wellington.

The flooding in 2022 saw a giant bite taken out of the approach road, repair work that council cannot take on itself. The money is to “provide construction procurement, project management, and contract administration services for the approach reconstruction,” council said.

The actual job of repairing the approach roads and stabilising the riverbank on the Gobolion Street side will, however, cost a lot more than that, mayor Black revealed.

“We’re subbing it out to Public Works as they have a bit more expertise on this type of job; it’s a very complex project,” Cr Black explained.

“These are just the management fees, the whole project will ultimately cost about $12 million, jointly-funded by the Australian and state government through Disaster Recovery Funding,” he added.

The bridge was famously opened by the Eighth Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, and his wife, the Duchess, in August 1990 to mark the 175th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo!

•••

Cruel cutting for poisoned gums

Council has substantially pruned two dead gum trees on Opal Street after they were deliberately poisoned by an unknown individual.

These trees belonged to the Dubbo community and provided a critical habitat for local wildlife, the mayor lamented.

“It’s very disappointing to see an act like this happening in the Dubbo Region. Trees like this provide many benefits to the local community, including keeping our streets cool during summer and providing much needed habitat for our wildlife,” Cr Black said.

“I’d encourage anyone who has information on tree poisonings within the region to contact council. There are heavy fines for this sort of activity,” he added.

Anyone interested in dobbing-in local environmental vandals can call council on 6801 4000.

••••

National Simultaneous Storytime is on again

Council is again taking part in the National Simultaneous Storytime at Dubbo and Wellington libraries on Wednesday, May 27, from 12pm.

This year’s book is “Luna Roo; The Kangaroo Baller” by Adam Jackson and Adrian Lloyd and illustrated by Jake A Minton, Macquarie Regional Library Children and Young People’s Services Officer, Suzie Samson, revealed.

“This year’s book is about rookie captain, Luna Roo, who leaves nothing on the pitch as she leads FC Outback in a thrilling face-off against Bush United,” Ms Samson enthused.

“Luna Roo is faced with a spider goalkeeper, snakes in attack and bubbling nerves, and she must trust her skills and her teammates to soar to victory,” she added.

National Simultaneous Storytime is held each year by the Australian Library and Information Association and celebrates the joy of reading and storytelling. Parents and kids are encouraged to arrive a few minutes early for this great national tradition.