Regional Capitals Australia (RCA) today announced its leadership team following the recent Annual General meeting.
Cr Kylie King, Mayor of Albury City Council was re-elected as Chair, with Mayor Peter Carter from the Town of Port Hedland elected as Deputy Chair.
Chair Cr Kylie King said: “It has been a privilege to serve regional Australia during the past year as Chair, and I look forward to continuing in this role to ensure a viable and secure future for the next generation.”
“Regional Australia is thriving but we know there is much work to do to, this includes collaborating with the Federal Government to deliver suitable housing, better connectivity and making sure we have the skills our regional economies need to prosper and grow,” Cr King explained.
“Over the next 12 months, our priority will be to advocate for strategic investment to unlock the potential of regional Australia – particularly funding for soft and hard infrastructure, regional airports, and better population planning,” Cr King said.
RCA’s advocacy program over the past year delivered significant results for regional Australia including the introduction of new regional infrastructure programs with refreshed guidelines to better meet our members’ needs. We have also seen our advocacy yield results with increased support for regional arts and culture and more funding for local roads.
Cr King thanked the outgoing board members for their contribution particularly Shane Van Styn who has served for more than 6 years on the Regional Capitals Australia board.
“Mr Van Styn has been a longstanding and tireless advocate for regional Australia providing steadfast leadership over many years, and we wish him well with his new endeavours” Cr King said.
Additional Executive positions confirmed at the AGM were as follows:
- Secretary – Cr Mathew Dickerson, Mayor of Dubbo Regional Council; and
- Treasurer – Mr Frank Zaknich, CEO Albury City Council.
State Representative Board positions confirmed were:
- NSW Regional Representative – Cr Doug Curran Mayor Griffith City Council;
- VIC Regional Representative – Cr Trent Sullivan Mayor Geelong City Council;
- WA Regional Representative – Mayor Jerry Clune Mayor City of Greater Geraldton; and
- QLD Regional Representative – Cr George Seymour Mayor Fraser Coast Council.
“It is an honour to be continuing in my role as Chair, and I look forward to championing the interests of regional capital cities and the people who live there” Cr King concluded.