Local news for local people
This week's Minute with Mayor McKibbin
June 4, 2026
The
Central West Joint Organisation held meetings in Sydney on Wednesday
27th and Thursday 28th May with its 11 constituent Council
Members and 2 associate member County Councils. On Thursday there were
meetings with Ministers including Penny Sharpe, Jenny Aitchison, Minister
Paul Scully and Tara Moriarty.
The closure of the Great Western Highway at Victoria Pass and the expected duration of the closure was obviously centre stage. Transport for NSW officials indicated that by mid-June a solution would be selected from an engineering company and then an estimated timeframe for construction and implementation of the engineering solution. This will only be a fix not a betterment allowing for greater capacity for freight and commuters. However, it was indicated that two possible long-term solutions to allow for increases in freight and car movements are being looked at for the future but there was no indication either would be approved or funded. Minister Aitchison was asked whether there was a long-term strategy to increase the percentage of freight carried by rail, noting it is relatively low compared to other countries. It was indicated that many companies, even with rail sidings, continue to rely on trucks due to the cost of rail and lack of flexibility. The Minister indicated continuous improvements are being made to the rail system for both passenger and freight, and it is hoped this will increase rail freight usage.
The increased number of wild pigs throughout the State was discussed with Minister Moriarty, the Minister for Agriculture and Forestry, who indicated increased funding had been provided to Local Land Services to assist in combatting the problem. However, the numbers are still increasing. Shooting, trapping and poisoning methods are being used, and this will continue, along with aerial shoots.
The NSW Commissioner for Small Business, Kalina Koloff, advised that several councils, including Oberon, impacted by the closure of the Great Western Highway will be offered funding support. This includes $15,000 to strengthen visitor economies through local activations and promotional activities that encourage visits to local businesses, as well as $5,000 to support events aimed at boosting tourism and encouraging longer stays in the region.
The Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Paul Scully, spoke about the new planning reforms designed to speed up approvals. When questioned about the removal of Councils and Local Planning Panels from planning decisions, he indicated this was to allow Councillors to spend more time on strategic issues and not approvals of routine planning issues.
The Minister for Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Heritage, Penny Sharpe, advised that the Government is proposing to legislate the current minimum Benefit Sharing Guidelines for renewable energy projects. These guidelines set minimum payments to councils under Voluntary Planning Agreements for wind, solar and battery developments.
The Minister was asked whether minimum standards for decommissioning renewable projects would be established. This included requirements such as removing wind turbine foundations to 600mm below ground level, removing substation and battery slabs, and removing underground cables and project-specific overhead powerlines. The Minister indicated this level of detail had not yet been considered.
The Minister was also asked about progress on establishing decommissioning bank guarantees or a trust fund, contributed to by renewable companies, to cover the cost of decommissioning in the event of insolvency. It was noted by the Joint Organisation that if a company became insolvent, responsibility would fall to the landowner, who may not have the financial capacity to undertake removal works. In such cases, the community may look to Council or the NSW Government, despite there being no legal obligation for either to act.
The Minister was advised that at least one wind farm at Blayney is approaching the end of its operational life. The Minister acknowledged the feedback and advised the issues would be considered further, noting a current focus on developing recycling processes for end-of-life solar panels.
Andrew McKibbin
Mayor
