Mark Coulton (Parkes, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My admiration for the community of Brewarrina and the leadership shown by Brewarrina Shire Council under the leadership of Mayor Vivian Slack-Smith is well known. Six of the nine councillors of Brewarrina Shire Council are local Indigenous people, and 75 per cent of their workforce is Indigenous, including the CEO, David Kirby. They are a progressive council. They show great leadership. Last week they decided, under a notice of motion from Councillor Gordon, that they would no longer work with the local community working party or the Murdi Paaki Regional Assembly.

The community working party, an unelected organisation, has been bullying, intimidating and harassing the members of Brewarrina for a long time. The council has said that enough is enough. They are a positive council. They are looking forward. They are sick of the disruptive behaviour of the working party.

I would welcome anyone going to Brewarrina, the home of the fish traps, one of the oldest man-made structures on earth. The leadership in that community, an isolated community with a small population, is punching way above its weight when it comes to a community inclusion, outcomes for the community and local economic benefit. I support their decision.