Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to pay tribute and compliments to Tumbarumba Shire Council in my Riverina electorate. It is in the Snowy Mountains. Today the council is celebrating its win in a highly prestigious award. It won for its financial management and has been recognised as the most progressive council in the state of New South Wales. That is a big award for a little council. According to the AR Bluett foundation, the annual award is the greatest accolade a council can achieve, and Tumbarumba Shire has won that award. The AR Bluett Memorial Award, named after Albert Robert Bluett, is an annual award in New South Wales local government which has been presented since 1945. Its namesake gave his life to local government in New South Wales.

According to the foundation formed in his name, Mr Bluett served as the secretary and solicitor to the Local Government and Shires Association of New South Wales for some 30 years. He was the authority on local government law and his opinion was respected by the legal profession and ministers of the Crown. He helped to write the Local Government Act of 1919. Following his death in 1944, an annual award was created in his name to acknowledge the best-performing councils in New South Wales.

I am delighted that the Tumbarumba Shire Council—under the absolutely wonderful guidance of Mayor Ian Chaffey, his very astute general manager, Kay Whitehead, and a fabulous team not just of councillors but also of dedicated staff—have won this most deserved award. They are a prudent and very progressive team. They have managed Tumbarumba's rich tourist attractions and the natural beauty that surround the area whilst having strong economic management and carefully spending ratepayers' money. According to the shire's media release, Tumbarumba Shire Council, which is one of the smallest in the state, is one of only two councils in New South Wales—the other being the Sydney city council—that have a strong financial sustainability rating. Let us think about that. Tumbarumba shire with 3,471 residents is considered and ranked right up there with Sydney city council, which has many tens of thousands of ratepayers—many tens of thousands of residents. Little Tumbarumba in the picturesque Snowy Mountains is right up there equal with the Sydney city council. That is tremendous.

The feature of the Tumbarumba council's submission was its ability to work in partnership with state and federal governments, private enterprise and the community to deliver services to a small, rural community at a time when many other communities have suffered reduced services. I know the great work that Tumbarumba is doing, certainly in aged care. I know the work that it is doing to lobby for better mobile communications. I know the work it has done to help the little districts within the shire, which in recent years have suffered damage from fires and other weather calamities. Tumbarumba is doing its bit as a community, pitching in to help wherever and whenever possible. Certainly the shire is doing its bit not just to help those in need when disaster strikes but also to come together to unify as a community—as a shire—to do the very best to make sure the books are balanced, and the shire is as progressive as it can be. May it long continue to do that in the future.

At the start of each year, in late January or early February, Tumbarumba shire hosts the Tumbatrek. It has been a great feature. It was started by the former Nationals leader and Deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer to promote the magic in the mountains that is Tumbarumba shire. Last year I had the opportunity to take with me Nigel Scullion, who of course is a National Party senator, as well as the New South Wales Premier, Barry O'Farrell. Not only did we walk the Tumbatrek but we attended the Tumbarumba Cup race meeting. The Tumbarumba Turf Club is unique. It is one of those great little country clubs where you can still get homemade lemonade. It is a great little country club where you have tremendous hospitality and fashions on the field. It has everything. If you ever want to go to a race meeting with a bush flavour, Tumbarumba is the place to go.

They had a course that went slightly out of sight—and it still does a bit—on the back straight. Whilst it is a very small course, in the past on the back straight the horses went out of sight. There was many a story that, when the horses came back into view, the horses had often changed leaders and sometimes even jockeys. I think that was a bit of a fallacy, but certainly it is a unique course. Then they come back for the short downhill home stretch at a fast and furious pace—quite frankly, at almost breakneck speed. I do not how the jockeys hang on, but they do.

Tumbarumba cup day is a tremendous day. It has been going since the 1880s. May it also long continue. It was great to have Premier O'Farrell and Senator Scullion there for the Tumbarumba cup race meeting. Daryl Maguire often comes up there, too. Greg Aplin, the member for Albury, is the local state member for Tumbarumba. He was there, too. He and Daryl have provided good service for Tumbarumba Shire over many years. Certainly it was one of the highlights of the year for Tumbarumba Shire.

Some of the highlights in winning the AR Bluett Award included stage 1 of the retirement village project; the upgrade of the central business district, The Parade, including free wi-fi; the library extensions; a new waste water treatment plant; extensive upgrades to reserves and recreation and camping facilities; stage 2 of a housing estate; a development of a new office and information centre in a joint project with the National Parks and Wildlife Service at Khancoban. These were achieved against the background of four declared natural disasters that did more than $9 million damage to roads, bridges and other community facilities.

The fact that Mayor Chaffey have been able to balance the books, come out in the black and win an AR Bluett Award is tremendous. Fair dinkum, the bloke should be made Treasurer if not Prime Minister—just ask him; he would tell you that he should be, too! And he would get the approval of Labor. I can hear them calling for him. It would be great. He has a very candid way of speaking and a unique way of looking at the world. He is a man of common sense. He will often tell me how the country should be being run. I have not quite worked out Ian's politics. But I tell you that if more people listened to the likes of Councillor Chaffey and some of the councillors under him I think that we would all be in a better place. Be that as it may, I am proud to serve under the Prime Minister that we have in Tony Abbott, much to the member for Fraser's disappointment.

Tumbarumba Shire was announced as the AR Bluett Award at the Local Government New South Wales annual conference in October this year. The award was presented this morning. I am sorry that parliamentary sittings prevented me from being there, but I am certain that the state member, Greg Aplin, was delighted, as I am in being a member serving that wonderful shire, that this award has been conferred. The award was presented by the New South Wales Minister for Local Government and my state National Party colleague, the Hon. Don Page.

There are only 3,471 residents in Tumbarumba. The urban population is 1,981. The rural population is 1,490. Tumbarumba services an area of 4,392 square kilometres. A lot of that is very hilly countryside. There are a lot of dirt roads and a lot of upkeep. They have a very dedicated staff, well led by Kay Whitehead, the general manager. They are doing wonderful work in Tumbarumba Shire. Anybody who has nothing to do early next year should come along on the Tumbarumba trek. I recommend it. I am hoping to get a high profile politician, and maybe the member for Fraser might indeed turn up. It is not far from Canberra and he would do well to come and listen to these good country folk, because they have a story to tell. They are very proud of their region and they are very proud of what they have done in the past and are eagerly looking forward to the future. The difference in one sense between country people and city people is that they do not have this air of expectation or entitlement; they just get in and do it. They are very resilient people. They cop what comes to them and get in and support their communities and their councils. They have done a great job in supporting their local council. I am proud to say that I represent that area. I am proud to say that they have won the AR Bluett Award. They deserved to.

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