Drought, water and transport are high on the Canberra Region Joint Organisation's (CRJO) agenda for meetings with state ministers in Sydney this week.
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The mayor and general manager of the organisation's 13 councils, including Goulburn Mulwaree, will attend the meetings and have a chance to ask questions about their areas.
New South Wales minister for water Melinda Pavey will meet the CRJO on Wednesday and eight other ministers and staffers will meet the CRJO on Thursday, following the Local Government NSW Annual Conference on Monday and Tuesday in Warwick Farm.
There are about 58 water and water waste projects across the Canberra Region and the councils will propose completing the projects together to Mrs Pavey, CRJO chair and Yass Valley mayor Rowena Abbey said.
"A lot of these projects had funding commitments in the last election, so the government wants us to spend the money, but there is a lack of resources to deliver them," Cr Abbey said.
Part of the problem is attracting skilled workers, such as engineers, into the regions to complete the projects. By grouping projects together, the CRJO hopes tenders will become more attractive and competitive, Cr Abbey said.
"It's public money, so we've got to make sure it's spent right," she said.
Construction of the new Yass water treatment plant could be one of the projects combined under the one contractor, Cr Abbey said.
On Thursday, the councils will meet with nine ministers and staffers including NSW minister for transport and roads Andrew Constance; minister for local government Shelley Hancock; minister for regional transport and roads Paul Toole; minister for agriculture Adam Marshall; and Department of Planning, Industry and Environment secretary Jim Betts, to name just a few.
The councils gave questions on notice and will expect answers on Thursday.
They have asked why some councils in the CRJO, including Yass Valley and Queanbeyan-Palerang, missed out on recent drought funding and what the NSW Government's plans are for the drought.
"It's not just the drought now, but the recovery time," Cr Abbey said.
Questions about the progress of the Barton Highway duplication, Canberra to Eden transport links and bridge upgrades across the Canberra Region, and whether dirt roads to Snowy Hydro 2.0 will be upgraded. will be directed to Mr Constance and Mr Toole.
These meetings take place once a year and are, "an opportunity to sit across the table from ministers and discuss the issues the councils in our region are facing," Cr Abbey said.
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