Opinion & Perspectives
14 June, 2026
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Buloke residents deserve better
Want to send us a letter? Email us at: news@ncnherald.com.au
BULOKE residents deserve clear and honest information about the future of our roads, our assets, and our financial stability.
Since the October 2022 floods, our Shire has been relying on very large amounts of disaster funding from the State and Federal Governments to repair the enormous damage across our network.
The 2025/26 Budget openly states that Council is “awaiting approval for approximately $84 million” in floodrelated works, and the 2026/27 Draft Budget adds another two years of major reconstruction needs.
The reality is simple: the money still hasn’t arrived.
Now the Federal Government has announced it will change the way disaster funding is allocated.
No one yet knows what this means for Buloke, but it is clear the rules will be different - and possibly tougher.
If the funding is delayed, reduced, or reassessed, our Shire will be left with a massive backlog of damaged roads and infrastructure that we simply cannot afford to fix on our own.
This is not a political argument. This is about safety, freight, school buses, emergency access, and the basic functioning of our community.
At the May Council meeting, Councillors approved a trip for both the Mayor and the CEO to attend the National General Assembly of Local Government in Canberra. Given the situation we now face, this trip cannot be another networking exercise or photo opportunity.
It must deliver real outcomes for Buloke.
This is especially important because at the June Council meeting, councillors will adopt the 2026/27 Annual Budget - a Budget that is built around these very disasterfunding assumptions.
If the funding does not come, the Budget’s foundations are at risk, and so is the Shire’s longterm financial sustainability.
The mayor and CEO are travelling at a critical moment.
They must return with:
Clear answers on how the new disaster funding model will affect Buloke
Firm commitments that our long delayed reconstruction funding will be approved
A pathway to ensure our roads and assets are restored to safe standards
Anything less is unacceptable.
Buloke residents have been patient for four years. Our roads are deteriorating, our infrastructure backlog is growing, and our budgets have been built on funding that has not yet materialised.
The community expects - and deserves - strong, effective advocacy in Canberra.
This is the moment for leadership.
This is the moment to deliver.
Daryl Warren, Donald
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