Bathurst Regional Council held an Ordinary Council Meeting on 5 February 2025.
Below is a media release collation from the meeting’s business papers.
8.1 NGA Canberra notice(s) of motion: Infrastructure (road) upgrades
Bathurst is uniquely positioned at the intersection of regional and national transport routes, making it a critical node for freight, passenger transport, and tourism. However, infrastructure limitations such as traffic congestion within Bathurst and the incomplete Great Western Highway upgrade, including the proposed Blue Mountains tunnel, constrain the economic potential of the Central West region.
Given this, Bathurst Regional Council has resolved to submit the following motion for consideration at the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) National General Assembly:
"That the Federal Government:
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Complete the Great Western Highway upgrade, including the tunnel under the Blue Mountains, to improve trade routes, passenger transport, and tourism access between Regional NSW, Greater Sydney and across Australia; and
These infrastructure upgrades are of national significance, as they are critical to supporting Australia's economic growth, improving the resilience of national freight and passenger transport networks, and fostering regional tourism opportunities."
These two proposed infrastructure projects will foster:
1. Economic Growth: by unlocking the economic potential of Regional NSW, supporting national trade and creating jobs across agriculture, mining, and tourism sectors.
2. Tourism Enhancement: The upgrades will improve access to key tourism destinations, driving economic activity and fostering regional prosperity.
3. Transport Resilience: Upgrading the Great Western Highway and developing the Bathurst Ring Road will address traffic vulnerabilities, particularly in times of natural disasters, strengthening the national transport network.
9.1.2 Kelso Community Hub – Lease Proposal: Wahluu Health Aboriginal Corporation Bathurst
Council has approved the proposal of entering a lease with Wahluu Health Aboriginal Corporation Bathurst for 24 Bonnor Street, Kelso, known as the Kelso Community Hub.
The Kelso Community Hub was designed to provide a space for community groups, government or nongovernment agencies and businesses to deliver their services/programs effectively.
As Council is not traditionally a direct service provider, the preferred model is the provision of community facilities that are managed by other organisations/groups.
After discussions at a Working Party held 22 June 2022, an Expression of Interest (EOI) process, inviting interested organisations to enter tenancy with Council for the Kelso Community Hub, commenced on 4 November 2022 and remained open through to 16 December 2022. The process was undertaken to ensure Council would identify suitable organisations that met the following criteria:
Council was subsequently approached by Wahluu Health Aboriginal Corporation Bathurst (WHACB), previously known as Bathurst Aboriginal Health Service Advisory Group in August 2023, to commence discussions on a medium-term lease arrangement with Council.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Census population of Bathurst Regional Council LGA in 2021 was 3,154 living in 1,324 dwellings. This represents an increase of 1.8% since the previous census and is 7.2% of the Bathurst population. In comparison, the Regional NSW Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is 6.6%.
For a range of economic and cultural reasons, First Nations people often miss out on healthcare, and delayed care equates to disadvantaged health outcomes.
Aboriginal Medical Services are crucial in addressing the negative impacts of continued discrimination on Indigenous health by providing comprehensive, culturally appropriate, community empowering health services.
At present, the closest Aboriginal Medical Service for the Bathurst community is in Orange. Availability and affordability of transport is a genuine barrier for individuals that wish to access their services.
An Aboriginal Health Service in Bathurst, like WHACB, will improve access and outcomes, which will lead to earlier intervention, more effective treatment, more testing and prevention, earlier detection, better health outcomes and improved management of health. This improved management of health will reduce the pressure on healthcare and other services in the region, advance community ownership and empowerment, improve cross-agency decisions affecting health, and introduce beneficial alliances with education, housing and justice.
The WHACB has detailed benefits to all of Bathurst through their proposed lease that include;
The Wahluu Health Aboriginal Corporation Bathurst proposal, is a positive step for Bathurst in achieving the objectives of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.
Bathurst Library invited its first submissions for the virtual Pillars of Bathurst project in 2024. The library received eight submissions, five of which met the assessment criteria. The five Pillars of Bathurst selected for 2024 are Susan Colley, Frank Corry, Beryl Dowling, Dr David Goldney AM and James Lynch. These individuals made significant contributions to the areas of sport, environment, health and music. Their stories are now live and available to view on the Bathurst Library online catalogue.