Clarence Valley News

Council backs tourism veteran

Published

2 months ago

5 June 2024

Liam

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Council backs tourism veteran

By Tim Howard

A veteran of Clarence Valley tourism has been able to sway all nine of his peers on the Clarence Valley Council to support his vision for visitor destinations in the region.

At the May 28 council meeting Cr Bill Day argued passionately to get the council more focussed on tourism than to simply rely on the multi-year outlook for tourism planning and development.

Cr Day moved the council should take a more hands-on approach to tourism development and ensure annual budgeting and reporting to ensure it remains front of mind for councillors.

Cr Day’s NOM asked that:

present a report to the councillor workshop scheduled to review the draft Clarence Valley Management Plan and submissions following public exhibition
include the following in this CVC staff report;

- Major visitor information centre at Grafton Regional Gallery (closure, or staffing via volunteers, or location to Ferry Park)
- Supplementary Information Centres in all main towns and villages (how to select and sign- post outlets; brochure display and distribution)
- Valley-wide Tourist Book (production, funding and distribution)
- Information sheets to cover villages plus items of special interest (production; funding and distribution)
- Coach and Tour Group assistance, information and marketing
- Farm tours and accommodation
- CVC Tourism Brand (manage current brand or replace)
- Festivals and Events
- MyClarenceValley Marketing (use “Call-to-Action” to secure business and to track results)
- MyClarenceValley website management and updating
- Tracking Results and Reporting all CVC tourism activities and results (regular reporting to Council)
- Other CVC tourism activities and issues
- provide details of the 2024/25 CVC Tourism budget.

“The Destination Management Plan is a broad brush plan and it’s basically a waste of time and money without connection to funding and staff resources via an annual more detailed plan,” Cr Day said.

“And This is what I’m suggesting. The details provided in the general manager’s report under the General Manager’s comments to my notice of motion, are the first I’ve seen outlining greater details than the draft destination management plan, and they’re very welcome.”

He said there had been some disastrous decision made since the council disbanded the Clarence River Tourism Association in 2014 and took it in-house.

He pointed to the decision to install seven touchscreen tourism information hubs in venues around the Valley at a cost of more than $700,000 that were now on the scrapheap.

But Cr Day did have an opponent during debate in Cr Karen Toms.

She was concerned the proposal would override the community response to the Destination Management Plan which had just been placed on public exhibition.

“I just think this is too heavy on detail,” she said. “Before we were even bringing back the community’s response to this plan.

“I think perhaps after another workshop of having a look and hearing what’s happening, looking at it then.”

But other councillors supported the proposal.

Cr Steve Pickering welcome the opportunity to give tourism more focus.

“Tourism is the second largest industry in the Clarence Valley,” he said. “For councillors to receive a little bit of extra information about the sector has to be a good thing.

“Also, touching on the the budget and what we’re what we’re actually expecting to see during the next 12 months, I don’t see any negatives in that at all.”

Cr Debrah Novak also agreed with the idea in principle, without agreeing with some of the details.

“I’ll be supporting this NOM,” she said. “Not that I agree with a lot of the information in there. I can see where Cr Day is trying to go with it.

“It’ll be worthy of just having that little bit of extra knowledge and if it doesn’t get up well it can come back on the the draft Destination Management Plan.”

Cr Day said his proposal was a way of combining traditional tourism promotion with the new communication avenues available.

Buy what he really wanted to see was council getting value for money for its tourism dollar.

“It’s just a matter of exploring what council is doing with ratepayer funds and getting the best value that we can for that money,” he said.

Council voted unanimously to support Cr Day’s NOM.

For more local Clarence Valley news, click here.

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Clarence Valley News

Community group’s council audit delayed

Published

2 days ago

24 July 2024

Liam

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Community group’s council audit delayed

By Tim Howard

A community group supposedly the target of a Clarence Valley Council audit in February 2024 over the cost of its interactions with council has pointed out the audit has not been completed. The General Manager, Laura Black commented, “I anticipate it will take a couple of months.”

The secretary of Yamba Community Action Network (YambaCAN), Lynne Cairns, said this week’s council business paper included a report, Council Meeting Checklist – update on actions taken.

The report revealed staff had not completed the action, the result of a council resolution at the February 2024 council meeting.

“On page 175 of the business paper there is a note next to the item,” Ms Cairns said.

“It reads: ‘Staff responsible for collating information have been diverted to prepare and respond to legal action taken against council by an executive member of YambaCan’.”

Ms Cairns said this was incorrect as no-one on the YambaCAN executive had taken legal action against the council.

She was aware of some matters concerning the council a member of YambaCAN had taken to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

“These matters were not matters concerning YambaCAN and the member who brought them was not acting for YambaCAN,” Ms Cairns said.

“I’m concerned this is some disinformation that somehow YambaCAN is responsible for delaying council’s investigation of its actions.

“YambaCAN is requesting an apology from council for the incorrect information in the business paper.”

The resolution read: that the general manager advises, by way of a report the:

1. allocation of resources required to respond to GIPAs submitted by YambaCan since January 2022.

2. allocation of resources required to respond to RFI (Request for Information) submitted by YambaCan since January 2022.

3. any cost implications of delays to delivering the Yamba Community Precinct project since January 2022.

The matter was passed 5-4, but debate was fiery.

Cr Karen Toms brought it as a notice of motion to alert the public to the costs the group’s GIPA requests and requests for information were incurring.

But other councillors said these costs were part of council operating openly and transparently.

Cr Greg Clancy was concerned the motion focused on just one group when council records showed it was responsible for a fraction of the requests.

“As seen in the listing of GIPA applications on council’s website, there are 22 GIPA applications and only six of these refer to YambaCAN,” he told the February meeting.

He also revealed YambaCAN had lodged a request for information, however were informed that there were 290 requests for information previously lodged by others that were waiting to be processed.

Ms Cairns was concerned that with the council going into caretaker mode on August 16, ahead of the September local government elections, council could not effectively decide on the matter.

There will be report on the outcome of this matter and other matters at council in next week’s edition of The Northern Rivers Times.

For more Yamba news, click here.

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Clarence Valley News

Clarence Valley Country Muster

Published

1 week ago

17 July 2024

Liam

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Clarence Valley Country Muster

If you are missing the country sounds from Tamworth, fret not, as the Clarence Valley Country Muster is just around the corner.

Expanded from two days to four, the event will start on July 25^th and go to July 28^th at 11 Coulters Lane, Ulmarra, near Grafton.

You will enjoy artists such as Jade Hurley, John, Lloyd, Jack Watson, Lindsay Waddington and Jamie Davis.

Special guest artists, Paul Ricketts, Winner of the Thornton Young Award and Nay McAplin, Winner of the Walk Ups in July, will also make an appearance.

Your comperes for the main stage will be Terry Gordon OAM and Ken ‘Chainsaw’ Lindsay.

And bring those nerves with you, as from 10.30am on Thursday, aspiring artists can take their turn on the microphone, with John Lloyd hosting the walk-ups.

All acts will be vying for a gig at next July’s event.

Now is the time to grab a group of friends or family members and book your spot by heading to their website www.cvcmuster.com.au or calling Wendy Gordon on 0432 741947.

Gates open for early arrival at the muster site on Tuesday, July 23.

For $120 per person, you can enjoy a full week of camping, camaraderie and entertainment at one of the best value-for-money festivals in the Clarence Valley.

Check out is Tuesday, July 30.

If you have a fire pit, bring it along as wood will be supplied.

There will be songs around the campfire, best dressed Christmas and party games and a big finale on the Sunday.

For more local Clarence Valley news, click here.

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Clarence Valley News

NSW BUDGET: NOTHING FOR RICHMOND AND CLARENCE VALLEYS COST OF LIVING CRISIS, BUT SOME WINS

Published

4 weeks ago

27 June 2024

Liam

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NSW BUDGET: NOTHING FOR RICHMOND AND CLARENCE VALLEYS COST OF LIVING CRISIS, BUT SOME WINS

The NSW Labor Government’s 18 June Budget does nothing to alleviate the growing cost of living problems in the Richmond and Clarence Valleys, although there is some good news for the region, according to Clarence Nationals MP Richie Williamson.

“Everywhere I go, every local I talk to, they all say the same thing: we’re struggling with rising costs – why isn’t the Government helping?” Mr Williamson said.

Mr Williamson said that he was all for working cooperatively with the Government, but there was mounting evidence Sydney Labor is “out of town, out of touch and the budget is out of control”.

“Calls to reinstate the $250 fuel card for regional seniors, students and apprentices have fallen on deaf ears, but Sydney seniors now enjoy $2-a-day Gold Passes on Sydney’s massive and massively subsidised public transport system as well as toll relief for Sydneysiders,” Mr Williamson said.

“Calls to save the Ulmarra ferry from Labor’s axe met a similar fate, at the same time as Labor is buying a fleet of new ferries for Sydney and took over another Sydney ferry service that has lower patronage than Ulmarra to Southgate.”

Mr Williamson did acknowledge the Government’s ongoing funding of the previous Liberals and Nationals Government’s Grafton Base Hospital rebuild, the allocation of $6.2m in the fight against White Spot disease in local rivers as well as a “welcome” $90m boost for the Resilient Homes Program, following the 2022 floods.

“These are crumbs compared to what Labor is lavishing on its Sydney heartland,” Mr Williamson cautioned.

“The Richmond and Clarence Valleys provide the timber for Sydney homes, the beef for Sydney dinners as well as the sugar and milk for Sydney cappuccinos.

“That needs to be acknowledged and we deserve our fair share,” Mr Williamson concluded.”

For more Richmond Valley news, click here.

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