Mayor Cr Neville Kschenka has provided an open letter in response to the offensive YouTube clip:

“Good afternoon residents,

I am aware of the recent social media attack on our community, for political purposes and shock value. To ridicule and besmudge our residents in this way is totally unacceptable and to do so in the framework used is a disgrace.

To say that I am disappointed is an understatement.

The Councillors, staff and I believe our residents deserve better than this. We put our positive energies and focus into creating a quality and thriving place to live for everyone and we will continue to progress and move forward in this manner.

Given the opportunity, myself or our General Manager, George Cowan, would have happily and openly provided a more realistic portrayal of Narrandera and its residents, but we were not asked.

It is true that we have lost many jobs in the last 30 years, particularly in the public sector – rail, Telstra and Country Energy. The employment impacts of drought and ever improving technology on our farms are also real. However, now our businesses are working to address the combined effects of the drought, COVID-19 and of course trends within the retail sector and I am extremely proud of them.

I am also heartened to see how the community has joined together in condemning the video and how much support has been given to Narrandera and Council, by our residents, through online commentary and directly to myself. The General Manager, George Cowan, has provided responses (please see below) to several important issues raised in that commentary as a factsheet.

I realise that Council is only part of this community and we understand that the challenge is ongoing. Our agenda includes better water, the main street, the pool, Lake Talbot, increased tourism, better roads and jobs - so much more needs to be done if we are to meet residents’ objectives. We are committed to continuing to work hard and with our State and Federal members to do our best for this town and for this shire.

Yours sincerely,

Mayor Cr. Neville Kschenka"

Factsheet:

• The allegations raised in the YouTube video about septic systems, document destruction and staff and councillor conduct have all been investigated several times by Independent assessors, the Office of Local Government, the Ombudsman and in some cases even by ICAC. The only outcome has been the cost of many thousands of dollars of ratepayer’s money wasted.
• Narrandera Treatment plant is licenced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and processes the town’s sewage. The licence allows up to two (2) megalitres of treated effluent to be released into the Murrumbidgee system daily. To put that into context the average flow rate for the Murrumbidgee at Narrandera is 9.1 GL per day. All effluent produced at the plant is tested and Council reports annually to the EPA on compliance. This is common practice for plants across NSW. No reports have been received from the EPA or the NSW Fisheries connecting the Narrandera Treatment plant to algal blooms (blue green algae) or fish kills. The Department of Primary Industry website contains details of all recent fish kills in NSW.
• Narrandera, like most rural towns, struggles to provide quality employment opportunities for school leavers. Fortunately, we do have a new Connected Learning Centre that supports trainees and apprentices. Council also has a program offering work experience, school-based traineeships, and apprenticeships.
• Our young people are a vital part of the fabric of this community. In the past 18 months a Community Liaison Officer has been employed, whose role includes working with the young people of the shire. A Youth Advisory Council was established in 2019 and it is beginning to spread its wings.
• Council continues to work hard to maximise grant income from both State and Federal Governments and those grants are helping with major projects such as the Lake Talbot Water Park upgrade and improving the roads system. That is not unusual, and our grant income is not dissimilar to that received by most rural councils but less than you would expect say in a regional council. We make no apologies for our efforts and will continue to work with governments of all persuasions to maximise grant income because our residents simply cannot afford to meet the full cost of providing these assets and services. All grants received are strictly accounted for and assertions to the contrary are simply rubbish. NSW Councils are all audited by the NSW Auditor General. In addition to Council both our State and Federal Governments through their hard-working local members continue to be strong supporters of our community generally and have been responsible for many worthwhile projects – Narrandera Golf Course irrigation, the community halls upgrades and Barellan Aged care units just to name a few.
• In recent times Council has made several unsuccessful approaches attempting to interest well known fast food outlets in Narrandera. In a similar way we have also had discussions with other supermarket chains. Our staff work hard to attract new business and to support existing businesses. Practical examples of that support include the Truck Wash, the Return and Earn vending machine, Service NSW office and the social media campaign ‘Narrandera Business as Usual’. The fact is that businesses will only establish in Narrandera if they believe they will achieve positive financial outcomes. We welcome any development applications (DA) for new business including hospitality services and to date no DA has been received for the establishment of any fast-food outlets in Narrandera.
• In 2017 the Federal Government decided to develop the inland rail on a route through Wagga Wagga and in 2018 the NSW Government completed a study which concluded that re-opening the Narrandera-Tocumwal rail line was not economically feasible. Over several years Council invested considerable ratepayers’ funds in attempting to influence those two decisions – without success. Now Council has grant approval to develop a project to install a walkway over the rail bridge as part of the ‘Bike and Hike’ trails and is working with John Holland and local community groups to develop the project. Hopefully, we may be able to establish another long term tourist attraction out of the iconic bridge.
• Residents should also be aware that Council is currently liaising very closely with the proponents of the solar farms and Rex Airlines/AAPA who all have very significant investments in Narrandera Shire in the planning stage. We are also in the early stages of developing a proposal for an independent living village. The new Liberty Service Station will open shortly, and work should commence on the new service station at Gillenbah in the coming weeks.
• As the GM of Narrandera Shire Council, I am responsible and accountable for the way we operate and am happy to meet (in person/phone or email) with any resident or ratepayer to discuss any Council activity, program or project. I can be contacted on 02 6959 5500 or council@narrandera.nsw.gov.au .