Augusta-Margaret River Shire president Julia Meldrum meets with Federal ministers to outline region’s plight

A trip to Canberra has allowed Shire of Augusta Margaret River president Julia Meldrum to get in the room with Federal decision-makers to argue the region’s plight in the face of rampant population and tourism growth. Cr Meldrum and the shire’s top director Nick Byrne attended the Australian Local Government Association’s National General Assembly last week. The meeting occurred in the shadow of an inquiry into local government tax distributions which has led to annual compensation to regional centres falling by about 50 per cent in recent decades. Cs Meldrum said the trip was a chance to highlight the challenges of the Margaret River region being a sought-after tourism destination with a resident population that was largely footing the bill. “In summer, the equivalent of the entire population of Adelaide comes to our shire but we only receive funding based on our small permanent population of around 17,000 people,” she said. “We live in a tourism hotspot, which is wonderful for our local economy. “However, the surge in visitor numbers during peak seasons strains our resources. “We need State and Federal ministers to recognise that we need assistance before we hit breaking point.” Breakout sessions during the assembly gave the shire president a chance to have personal meetings with bigwigs including Regional Development, Local Government and Territories Minister Kristy McBain and the Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention and Rural and Regional Health Emma McBride, as well as ALGA’s president Cr Linda Scott. Shire chiefs have already flagged concerns that State support was focused on upgrading facilities to boost the region’s tourism appeal rather than funding crucial conservation work to maintain drawcard assets such as the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park. And Cr Meldrum said there was no doubt the region had also experienced a “retreat” of State and Federally funded social support services that were having a “severe impact” on the community.