Shire President Julia Meldrum Advocates for the Shire at National General Assembly

Last week, Shire President Julia Meldrum represented our community at the Australian Local Government Association’s (ALGA) National General Assembly in Canberra.

Over three days Julia lobbied on behalf of our shire, advocating for funding to support our needs as a rapidly growing community that’s not only experiencing the growing pains of an increasing permanent population, but is also grappling with annual tourist visitation of around 1.5 million. This puts immense pressure on our local services and infrastructure.  

“In summer the equivalent of the entire population of Adelaide  comes to our shire, but we only receive funding based on our small permanent population of around 17,000 people,” she explained. 

"We live in a tourism hotspot, which is wonderful for our local economy. However, the surge in visitor numbers during peak seasons strains our resources. We need state and federal ministers to recognise that we need assistance before we hit breaking point. 

I took this opportunity to have some personal meetings with Ministers and remind them that although we may seem small, our peak season visitation numbers put us on par with much bigger – and better funded – local government areas.” 

At the Assembly, Julia met with influential Ministers and key policymakers including the Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories, the Hon Kristy McBain MP and Cr Linda Scott JP GAICD, Australian Local Government Association President to raise concerns about securing better financial support for our community.

But there was more on the table than infrastructure investment. The retreat of state and federally funded social support services from the Shire is having a severe impact on our community. Taking advantage of the opportunity presented at the Assembly, Julia met with the Hon. Emma McBride MP, Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention and Assistant Minister Rural and Regional Health to discuss the lack of social services and the vital importance of funding for our local Not for Profit groups. 

Julia’s lobbying and advocacy at the National Assembly is a cornerstone of the Shire’s quest for long-term solutions to the stresses on our infrastructure and social services. 

“The Shire is wholeheartedly committed to lobbying hard on both a state and federal level to advocate for the needs of our community,” said Julia.