What an incredible Frost and Fire festival! We were so lucky with the weather, whichhelped bring out a fantastic crowd. Over 2,000 people rugged up to be part of the winter solstice celebrations at the Forbes Ski Dam. It’s great to see the event continuing to grow evolve. An estimated $300,000 was injected into our local economy, which is a huge win for our businesses and community.
A big thank you to everyone who helped make it happen and to all who came along.
Particularly our sponsors and special events crew. You made it a night to remember. We’re already working on some new ideas for next year.
This week I’ve been in Canberra attending the National General Assembly of Local Government. It’s the largest gathering of council leaders, with around 1,000 delegates from across Australia and overseas.
It’s a valuable opportunity to advocate for stronger federal funding, smarter policy and better partnerships for our communities. This year’s discussions focused on ten key priorities, with financial sustainability emerging as the major challenge.
As councils take on more responsibilities, the pressure on local budgets continues to grow. At the same time, Financial Assistance Grants have fallen from 1% of Commonwealth taxation revenue in 1996 to just 0.5% today. To address this, Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) is calling for funding to be restored to 1% over the next three years. We’ll keep pushing to ensure communities like Forbes are better supported into the future.
Plastic Free July kicks off next week, and it’s a great chance to make a simple change. Why not give up one single-use plastic item like your daily takeaway cup, plastic bottles or packaged produce and see how you go? You can do it on your own or challenge your friends, family or colleagues. Make your plastic-free pledge at www.plasticfreejuly.org. You can also go in the draw to win an amazing plastic-free prize. Just head to Council’s social media pages and share your pledge in the comments. Every small step adds up to a big difference for a more plastic-free future.
God Bless
Mayor Phyllis Miller OAM