this is a road not a mullock heap, its
dangerous to dig pot holes and in any case,
I am led to believe that all the good opal
has been extracted! Community,
I was pleased to receive a deputation from
youth of Brewarrina and a petition seeking
to upgrade the Brewarrina Skate park as
part of a program for improving facilities
for youth in the Brewarrina Area . The
petition and letter were tabled at the
Council meeting on Friday 23rd August,
at which Council agreed to use this
petition and the strong support from the
children, as a way to ask both State and
Federal Governments for grant funds for a
new skate park. probity,
I do not think that Council will be able to
build a skate park as big as the one at
Parkes, however with the support of
children and funding from Government, I
am certain that we can build something
much better than we currently have in
Brewarrina.
Council has reviewed it Procurement
Policy and it is important for contractors
who work for Council to understand that
staff have delegated authority for
purchasing in accordance with the policy
and this includes provision for local pref-
erence and requirements for contractors
to adhere to Council’s Code of business
ethics.
The Procurement Policy provides guiding
principles for Council in its procurement
of goods and services to assist in:
ensuring best value for money and
cost effectiveness,
meeting the needs of the
documents available for download from
our web page, it has been most
disappointing to read and receive
ill-informed personal criticism of the
Council, Council staff, family and friends
in social media and in-person.
promoting good management
practices,
ensuring transparency and
Promoting sustainability.
The policy also describes the legislative
framework within which Council
operates, procedures and practices within
Council, staff responsibilities, and
expected behaviour of Councillors,
Council staff, suppliers and contractors to
Council. This policy and the code of busi-
ness ethics are available for download
from the Council’s website. http://
www.brewarrina.nsw.gov.au/council/
council-publications/council-policies.aspx
For anyone interested in starting up a new
business the Council has agreed to join
with Service NSW in a State wide
initiative called ‘Easy to Do Business”.
This program provides a single point
of contact within Service NSW to help
people navigate all the required
approvals to start and operate their
business , for example registering a
business, obtaining an ABN and
providing guidance in relation to their
proposal requiring Council approvals. In
addition to this, Council in conjunction
with the Business Enterprise centre has
prepared a handy guide for those wanting
to start up a new business. This guide is
also available from the Council’s website;
http://www.brewarrina.nsw.gov.au/
community/business-and-industry/
businessadvicebooklet.aspx
I have always found Brewarrina to be a
friendly town and whilst the majority of
people respect the boundaries of common
decency, it is clear that a few will make
personal attacks of individuals and family
as a means of promoting their views. I can
only pity the people who engage in such
behaviour, knowing full well that the
Council’s code of conduct, privacy laws
and ethical considerations prevent an open
discussion and defence of such attacks.
Council and Outback Arts staged the
opening of the Volker Leder Art
Exhibition at the Visitor Information
Centre on Saturday and despite flyers,
radio, press, Facebook and newsletter
drops, it was disappointing to see that only
2 members of the local community and 2
visitors to town attended . This will
impact on the planning for such events in
the future. I do however wish to thank
the staff that worked hard to put together
this event.
To our visitors to the Shire, welcome, it is
pleasing to see the large number of
tourists wandering about the Shire. Please
stay a while and have fun.
Jeff Sowiak
General Manager
Whilst I have made reference to
Pictured right are: Brewarrina Shire Council
General Manager Jeff Sowiak, Mayor Councillor
Phillip O’Connor and the Hon Mark Coulton,
Member for Parkes, on his recent visit to
Brewarrina.
Pictured left are: Brewarrina Shire Council
Utilities Manager David Kirby, Mayor Councillor
Phillip O’Connor, Shadow Water Minister
Clayton Barr, General Manager Jeff Sowiak, and
Councillor Bill Loughnan during a recent visit to
Brewarrina.
ISSUE 8 | SEPTEMBER 2019 | FIRST PUBLISHED IN 1863
P AGE 3