Mayor’s Monthly Meeting Wrap – July 2026

It’s been a busy and energising few weeks across the Brewarrina Shire, with strong progress on youth development, major roadworks back in full swing, exciting upgrades at the Caravan Park and a community‑led Winter School Holiday and NAIDOC Program that truly showcased the spirit of our region. From welcoming the Premier to advancing key projects and celebrating our young people, there’s been plenty happening right across the Shire — and I’m pleased to share some of the highlights with you in this month’s wrap.

NSW Premier Visit

Recently, I had the opportunity to welcome Premier Chris Minns to the Brewarrina Shire alongside our Local Member Roy Butler, for a regional round‑table at Yetta Dhinnakkal with the Mayors and GMs from Coonamble, Walgett and Bourke. It was an important opportunity to highlight the strong youth development work happening across our communities and to discuss how we can build a coordinated, well‑supported regional approach.

Our meeting focused on several positive steps forward: pilot youth development projects across the four LGAs; a full youth service delivery review led by Kate Baxter to map gaps and opportunities; a proposed Judge‑referred residential program at Yetta Dhinnakkal; and dedicated funding to support local youth programs and community engagement.

This builds on last year’s meeting with the Premier, where we were grateful to receive additional funding to deliver free summer activities — a successful collaboration that has opened the door to longer‑term, place‑based youth development initiatives.

Every community has its own strengths and needs, but we share a commitment to giving our young people the best possible start. The Premier recognised the value of progressing this work together, and we now have commitments for ongoing school holiday funding and a project group to develop the trial residential therapeutic program.

There is still more work to be done, but Council commends Roy Butler for his leadership and thanks Premier Minns for his continued engagement. I have written to both to express our appreciation for their visit and their commitment to strengthening youth development across our region.

Winter School Holiday & NAIDOC Program

This year’s Winter School Holiday and NAIDOC Program was a wonderful reminder of the strength, pride and spirit of our community. Over two weeks, I saw children, young people, families and Elders come together across Brewarrina and Goodooga to celebrate culture, stay active and enjoy a huge range of creative, educational and recreational activities.

Our Family Fun Day at Memorial Park was a standout, with more than 200 people joining us for weaving workshops, rock climbing, arts and crafts, bush medicines, bush foods, laser tag and live entertainment.

We also celebrated a milestone in Goodooga, with the first youth activity held at the brand‑new Skate Park. Watching local young people take part in the Songline Skateboarding workshops and make the space their own was a real highlight.

Across the fortnight, the feedback from families and Elders was overwhelmingly positive. The program strengthened cultural pride, encouraged healthy lifestyles and created safe, inclusive spaces for our young people to shine.

It was a cracking few weeks for our community, and I’m incredibly proud of what we achieved together. A big thank you to Doreen and the community engagement team at Council, as well as all the other stakeholders, partners and supporters who contributed to the success!

Council Housing Update

If you’ve driven past the Brewarrina Caravan Park lately, you’ll have spotted some exciting new additions taking shape. Council’s new accommodation units have officially arrived, marking a big step forward in improving the way we support visiting staff, contractors and consultants who help deliver projects across our Shire.

These units will provide modern, comfortable short‑term housing right here in town — a huge improvement that will make it easier to attract and retain the skilled people we need. Our team is now finalising the placement of each unit and will soon begin installing carports and dedicated parking areas. Works are kicking off immediately, and we’re looking forward to seeing this fresh, practical accommodation precinct come to life.

It’s a great boost for the Caravan Park and another positive investment in Brewarrina’s future.

Roads Update

Our Engineering team continues to make steady progress across both State and Local Roads despite the recent (welcomed!) wet weather. On Jobs Gate Road, a major washout near Weilmoringle was repaired earlier in July and crews are now addressing new edge breaks with premix asphalt.

Goodooga Road widening has also recommenced, with sealing of the stabilised 2 km section expected to be finalised by 24 July. This will bring the total widened and sealed length to around 3.8 km, with a further 3 km of widening scheduled through July and August, weather permitting.

Bangate Road construction is also back underway, following delays from rain. Around 750 metres of full‑width reconstruction has already been completed, and the next 600–700 metre section is now progressing, with up to 1.5 km expected to be sealed under the current program.

Maintenance grading has resumed across the network, including Twins River Road, Coola–Bunnawanna Road, Bundarra Road and sections of Coola–Talawanta Road. Additional grading is underway on Billybingbone Road and Gongolgon–Byrock Road, alongside the removal of damaged cattle grids and culvert pipes from Yarrawin Road.

Our crews continue pothole repairs, defect inspections and routine maintenance across township roads, Regional Roads and State Highways, ensuring the network remains safe and serviceable as conditions improve.