Community & Business
1 July, 2026
Country Mayors Calls for "Fair Share" of State Budget
Mayor Rick Firman OAM, chairman of the Country Mayors Association of NSW (CMA) said they are "disappointed about the lack of investment in local water utilities" in the state budget.
Mayor Rick Firman OAM, chairman of the Country Mayors Association of NSW (CMA), said councils wanted to see a bigger commitment in the state budget to investing in services and infrastructure across remote, rural and regional NSW.
We recognise and are thankful for the financial commitments made in relation to upgrading hospitals as quality health care is so important to our member councils. Of course, additional investment in regional roads is always welcome,” mayor Firman said.
“However, we are very disappointed about the lack of investment in local water utilities. The NSW Audit Office’s 2025 Report on Local Government estimated that $1 billion was needed to bring water infrastructure up to scratch. About one-third of CMA members are also local water utilities, providing drinking water to the almost three million people that live and work in remote, rural and regional NSW. Local water utilities are in desperate need of investment to upgrade and build new facilities. Since COVID, many remote, rural and regional communities have seen a surge in population which has increased the demand for quality drinking water.”
Large infrastructure projects need government support, as ratepayer bases aren't enough to cover costs. Gilgandra Shire Council is will be replacing the sewerage treatment plant in the 2026/27 financial year to the tune of $27.3 million (90 per cent funded under the NSW Safe and Secure Water Program), and mayor Doug Batten has said council is actively taking further steps to secure funding to enable the replacement of an aging water treatment plant as well.
“While the state is understandably focused on housing, every new house requires a connection to drinking water. The budget notes this with the budget paper on infrastructure stating that delivery of water infrastructure underpins the government’s housing plans. The budget identifies $5.2 billion in key water treatment facilities’ projects for metro Sydney but apparently nothing for the rest of the state. As always, the CMA wants to see our members and the communities they represent receive their fair share," mayor Firman said.
“Currently most local water utilities are struggling to meet demand and are unable to meet the cost of upgrading existing facilities or building new water treatment plants. It costs millions of dollars to do the work, and we need more investment from the state to address the challenge. We are very disappointed that the state can find over $5 billion dollars for water treatment facilities in the city while needed investments, identified by the state’s auditor, have seemingly gone unanswered,” mayor Firman said.
