Role of the Council
The Council was announced at the Bush Summit 2025. The announcement was made by NSW Premier Chris Minns and Minister for Regional NSW Tara Moriarty.
The Council:
- facilitates collaboration between the NSW Premier, the Minister for Regional NSW and key regional stakeholder groups across NSW
- provides strategic advice and advocacy on matters affecting regional, rural and remote communities in NSW
- informs government policy, promotes regional priorities and showcases local successes.
Communiques
After each meeting, the Council will share a summary of key discussions and actions. This is called a ‘communique’.
Open the communique for each meeting by clicking the drop-down arrow on the box below.
Communique - NSW Premier’s Rural, Remote and Regional Advisory Council
Update from the meeting of the 6 March 2026.
Attendance
In attendance
- Premier of NSW, The Hon. Chris Minns MP
- The Hon Tara Moriarty MLC, Minister for Regional New South Wales
- Mayor Rick Firman OAM (Temora Shire), Country Mayors Association of NSW Chairman
- Mayor Steve Krieg (Lismore), NSW Regional Cities Chair
- Mayor Sue Moore (Singleton), NSW Joint Organisation Chairs Forum Chair
- Tanya Jolly, Country Women’s Association President
Dr Richard Colbran PhD, Regional Health Ministerial Advisory Panel Chair - Jane Laverty, Business NSW, Regional Director, Northern Rivers
- Cr Leeanne Hampton, NSW Aboriginal Land Council representative
- Tess Herbert, Local Land Services, Chair of Chairs
- Xavier Martin, NSW Farmers Association President
Apologies
- Andrea Plawutsky, Destination Country and Outback NSW, Chair
- Annabel Strachan, Isolated Children’s Parents Association, NSW State President
Background
- Prior to meeting with the Premier on 6 March, the Premier’s Rural, Remote and Regional Advisory Council (PRRRAC) held four pre-meetings (three online and one face-to-face on 5 March). The Advisory Council identified two key priorities for discussion with the Premier and adopted a Regional Priority Assessment Framework for issues of significance raised by members.
- PRRRAC will establish working parties as subcommittees where relevant to progress work on high priority issues.
- The PRRRAC identified which Council members would make presentations during the meeting with the Premier and which success stories would be showcased. It was agreed that the successes not showcased would be pulled together as a resource to share with the Premier and relevant ministers and agencies.
Meeting updates
- The PRRRAC met with the Premier and the Hon Tara Moriarty at Parliament House on Friday 6 March 2026 to discuss priorities for rural, remote and regional communities.
- Jane Laverty, Regional Director at Business NSW led a conversation on a Regional Priority Assessment Framework developed and adopted by the Council. The Framework will be used by Council members to submit, assess and prioritise issues against a common set of criteria. The criteria include place-based market failure, systemic impact, cost of inaction, reversibility risk, metro transferability test and value for place.
- The Council noted two recurring challenges in regional policy discussions:
- metropolitan designed policies being applied universally
- urgent issues overshadowing more structurally significant ones in regional, rural and remote areas.
- The Council raised two initial priority areas with the Premier – drought and housing and enabling infrastructure.
- Drought:
- Dr Richard Colbran PhD introduced the Drought and Water Working Party (DWWP) formed by the Council. The Working party was formed to provide strategic advice, coordination and advocacy on drought resilience, water security and sustainable water management.
- Dr Richard Colbran PhD has been elected by the DWWP as Chairman of this working party. The panel includes key members of the Council and will include external regional stakeholders as required.
- Initial focus areas for the DWWP were discussed. This included discussion on exploring financial programs and products such as grants and subsidies, access to mental health and health services during drought, promotion of drought supports available and cross-jurisdictional communications.
- Housing and enabling infrastructure:
- Leeanne Hampton, NSW Aboriginal Land Council representative, led a discussion with the Premier on housing and enabling infrastructure issues in rural, remote and regional areas.
- The Council and the Premier discussed construction and infrastructure costs, enabling infrastructure required to activate land, the need to strengthen workforce through skills and training, and construction methods that could reduce build time and cost.
- The Premier sought feedback from the Council on some recent Government reforms and initiatives in the regions.
- Presentations
- Tess Herbert highlighted the success of Local Land Service’s Drought Adoption Offices
- Tanya Jolly spoke about a Country Women’s Association initiative that is providing a temporary accommodation solution.
Next steps
- Two additional Advisory Council meetings are to be held with the Premier in 2026.
- The Council agreed:
- DWWP will provide a position paper to the Premier within 8 weeks to further consider the Premier’s request for feedback on recent reforms and initiatives in the regions before the next Advisory Council meeting.
End of communique
Contact the Council
For more information or questions, please email prrrac@premiersdepartment.nsw.gov.au
Meet the Council members
Key regional and rural stakeholder organisations in NSW were invited to be part of the Council. These organisations were selected to ensure there is broad sector and geographic coverage. This means the diversity of rural, remote, and regional NSW is represented. The members below represent these groups.
Rural, Remote and Regional Advisory Council meeting: 6 March, 2026
Absent from picture: Andrea Plawutsky and Annabel Strachan
Rick Firman OAM
Council Member
Rick is Chair of the NSW Country Mayors Association and Mayor of Temora Shire Council.
He also actively contributes to several other key committees and organisations including as a Panel Member of the NSW Regional Health Ministerial Advisory Panel and Commissioner of the NSW Local Government Boundaries Commission.
Rick is committed to enhancing local government operations, promoting regional development, and fostering community spirit. This is evident through his extensive contributions to organisations and communities.
The NSW Country Mayor’s Association also assists in providing secretariat functions for the Council.
Dr Richard Colbran
Council Member
Richard is Chief Executive Officer of RDN – The Charity for Health Access.
He is an experienced executive officer of non-profit and charity organisations that specialise in health and social services. His professional interest is building contemporary business practices of non-profits so that the sector can enhance its impact and benefit for communities.
Richard’s doctorate explored organisational performance of health charities. He is an advocate for social leadership and is a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and Social Leadership Australia.
Cr Leeanne Hampton
Council Member
Leeanne Hampton is a Councillor for the Wiradjuri Region of the NSW Aboriginal Land Council.
Leeanne has served as Councillor for the past four years and was CEO of the West Wyalong Local Aboriginal Land Council for 13 years prior to her election to NSWALC in 2019.
She is a committed advocate for Aboriginal culture and heritage, having previously been appointed to the NSW Government’s Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee and serving on the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee (ACHAC), as well as the Fishing Advisory, Finance and Governance Committees within NSWALC.
Tess Herbert
Council Member
Tess is Board Chair of Local Land Services. She has held this role since July 2024.
She has more than 30 years of experience in the Australian red meat industry, covering agricultural policy, research and development, marketing, and governance. She has supported the strategic planning of national and local strategies including the Meat Industry Strategic Plan and the Central Tablelands Local Land Services Strategic Plan. She holds a Masters in Agribusiness from the University of Melbourne.
Tess serves as a non-executive director of Meat and Livestock Australia and is the Grains Industry Sustainability Framework Governance Council independent chair.
Tanya Jolly
Council Member
Tanya is President of the Country Women’s Association. She was elected to this role in May 2025.
She is also a member of the Barellan Country Women’s Association of NSW branch.
Tanya has 28 years of membership with the association. She has held a range of executive positions at both the Group and State levels during this time. This demonstrates her extensive leadership and commitment to the association.
Steve Krieg
Council Member
Steve is Mayor of Lismore and Chair of NSW Regional Cities.
He has a background in operating various businesses in Lismore since 2007 and 13 years of experience as a high school teacher. This combination brings business acumen and educational insight to his roles.
Steve's dedication to business and economic management is balanced by a strong belief in social justice and environmental protection. As Mayor, his primary objective is to foster and strengthen Lismore's economic growth while maintaining its strong environmental and cultural heritage.
Jane Laverty
Council Member
Jane is Regional Director of Business NSW for the Northern Rivers.
In this role, she leads regional advocacy, business support, and economic development.
Jane has spent two decades working at the intersection of business, community and government. She has deep experience in marketing, stakeholder engagement and place-based strategy. She is dedicated to making sure local voices are heard when decisions are made.
Xavier Martin
Council Member
Xavier is President of the NSW Farmers Association.
He has more than thirty years’ experience in grain production, specialising in wheat, canola and sorghum. In his role as President of NSW Farmers Association he represents producers across the state and leads advocacy on key regional issues.
Xavier brings deep expertise in agri‑business management, land stewardship and risk management, and is committed to strong community engagement and ensuring regional voices are central to decision‑making.
Sue Moore
Council Member
Sue Moore is Mayor of Singleton and Chair of the NSW Joint Organisation Chairs Forum.
As Chair of the NSW Joint Organisation Chairs Forum, she leads regional representatives of Joint Organisations to engage and exchange information on strategic regional priorities and collaboration activities.
Sue is a distinguished leader in local government. She is dedicated to fostering collaboration and driving regional development across NSW.
Andrea Plawutsky
Council Member
Andrea is Chair of Destination Country and Outback NSW (DCON).
As a regional tourism professional with over twenty years’ experience, she is focused on growing the visitor economy across Regional NSW, whether through festivals and events that revitalise towns and activate local spaces or helping tourism partners grow their reach and impact.
Andrea is also Director of Amplify Me, Senior Program Manager at Haymarket HQ, a Board Member of Women Chiefs of Enterprises International (Australia) and a previous Board Member of Transport Heritage NSW.
Annabel Strachan
Council Member
Annabel is the NSW State President of the Isolated Children’s Parents Association (ICPA).
She is also a member of the ICPA Louth branch.
Annabel has co-convened two ICPA State Conferences – in 1998 at Cobar and in 2017 at Bourke.
She is dedicated to ensuring education equity for all isolated children and has seen many families benefit from ICPA's efforts. She held the role of School Administration Manager at Louth Public School for 18 years and resigned in 2020. Annabel now engages in casual administration work in Bourke in addition to her role at ICPA.