TRC Meeting outcomes Tuesday 13th October 2026

Here is an overview of outcomes from the Ordinary Meeting of Tamworth Regional Council held on Tuesday 13 October 2026.

• Tamworth Regional Council will contribute $3,500 to the Country Music Association of Australia to support further research to update the ‘Valuing Australian Country Music 2025’ report. The research, led by CMAA Chairman Dobe Newton aims to provide a comprehensive national profile of the current state-of-play of country music in Australia and will seek to confirm the anecdotal evidence that country music, both domestically and internationally, has continued to experience significant growth in popularity and market performance. Being able to statistically verify these observations provides powerful evidence to drive policy and regulatory support with State and Federal governments.
• As smart glasses, which are eyewear fitted with cameras capable of capturing images and recording video, become increasingly prevalent, Councillors received and noted a Notice of Motion from Cr Brooke to investigate the legalities of banning them in Council facilities. The motion calls for a future report to be presented to Council into the privacy, child safety and accessibility implications of smart glasses and other wearable recording devices, including the feasibility of introducing restrictions in Council-operated facilities.
• A total of $48,500 will be shared among 18 property owners across the region this financial year through the Heritage Assistance Grant. Councillors endorsed the Tamworth Regional Council Heritage Working Group’s recommendations for the allocation of the funding. A total of 26 applications were received between 16 June and 19 August 2026, with a diverse range of projects including flooring, roofing and guttering, painting, and maintenance.
• Councillors resolved to request that the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure amend Schedule 5 and associated Heritage Map of the Tamworth Regional Local Environmental Plan 2010 (TRLEP 2010) to remove the heritage listing of Item I513, “Lost Boy’s Grave (Bantry)”, from 8 Den Mountain Road, Watsons Creek. The decision follows investigations and a site inspection which confirmed the grave of local boy Kenny Northey, who passed away in 1925, is not located on the property currently identified in the TRLEP 2010. Council's investigations found the grave is located on nearby Crown Land reserved for the ‘Preservation of Graves’. The amendment will correct the administrative error, and a future planning proposal will consider updating the heritage listing to provide the correct description at its confirmed location.
• Councillors tonight endorsed the draft Waste and Resource Recovery Community Service Obligation Policy for public exhibition, inviting community feedback over the next 28 days before considering its formal adoption.
• Councillors tonight welcomed the nomination of the Jewry Street Causeway Removal project in the 2026 Local Government NSW Environmental Awards and nominated Cr Sutherland to attend the awards ceremony in Sydney this December. The project transformed a redundant river crossing into a healthier, more connected waterway, delivering significant environmental benefits for the Peel River while improving the amenity of Jewry Street Park for the community.
• Following a review of the Register for Council’s Special Purposes Committees, Working Groups, External Boards and Organisations Councillors tonight decided to endorse all recommendations made, with the exception of replacing Cr Sharpham with Cr Brooke on the General Manager’s Review Panel. The full details can be found in the report on Council’s website.
• A new external member of Council’s Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee, Ms Rochelle White, was appointed tonight following an Expression of Interest process prompted by the resignation of Dr Meredith Caelli. Ms White will join the committee as an independent member for a four-year period.
• Councillors finalised the notice of motion they will put forward at 2026 Local Government NSW Annual Conference next month. The motion to be submitted is: “That Local Government NSW calls on the NSW Government to reform the renewable energy benefit-sharing framework to increase the current contribution rates by 25% in addition to accrued indexation, provide an additional 15% for First Nations priorities and confirm annual indexation from the guideline’s 2024–25 base year through negotiation, construction and operation, and require periodic independent reviews.” 

An additional motion was added to repeal or substantially amend the firearms provisions introduced through the Terrorism and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2005.

The Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Cr North and Cr Rodda will be attending as voting delegates and Cr Brooke, Cr Sutherland and Cr Sharpham will be attending as non-voting delegates.

• Councillors were in agreeance to move the Council Meeting scheduled for 1 December, to Tuesday 8 December due to Councillor and senior staff availability.
• Councillors have approved the donation of a lawnmower to the Barraba Rugby League Club. The approximate value of the lawnmower is $6000 and will allow the club to continue to maintain the Barraba Recreation Ground to a high standard for community use.
• Councillors received and noted the Tamworth Region Arts Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes from 16 July 2026 and approved the recommendation to proceed with a detailed design for the Michael Ferris sculpture on the Peel River Loop. 
• The Regional Academies of Sport Incorporated (RAS) Academy Games is hoped to continue to be held in Tamworth after Council approved a sponsorship funding of $30,000 per year for 2028, 2029 and 2030, along with field hire fee waivers. These Academy Games bring roughly 3000 athletes, coaches, officials and support staff to Tamworth along with an economic benefit of approximately $1.3 million each year. In further support for our local Regional Academy, Council has also supported a partnership arrangement with the Northern Inland Academy of Sport, through the provision of office accommodation within the Sports Hub at the Tamworth Sports Dome until December 2030, valued at approximately $18,000 per year.

For more information, see the full reports at www.tamworth.nsw.gov.au/business-papers