Regional Capitals Australia (RCA) has elected a new Chair and Deputy Chair to lead the organisation for the next year.
At the Annual General Meeting (AGM) held this week, Dubbo Regional Council Mayor Cr Josh Black was elected Chair, while Cr Chris Cherry, Mayor of Tweed Shire Council, will serve as Deputy Chair.
“RCA advocates on behalf of the nine million people who have made their lives in a regional capital or depend on the important services these cities provide,” Cr Black said.
“It is a privilege to be chair of an alliance that has a 14-year history of making the case for the investment our member cities need to continue to grow.
“RCA is the only national voice in Canberra that reflects the ambitions of regional cities to be the liveable, productive and affordable alternative to the major capital cities.
“We want to partner with the Federal Government to help our member cities to grow sustainably, with particular focus on housing availability, regional airports and water infrastructure.
“I look forward to serving our members alongside Cr Cherry to continue this task,” he said.
During the meeting, the new board confirmed RCA’s priorities for the coming year. They were:
- Housing enabling infrastructure and a housing innovation fund to help our member cities to address the housing crisis in regional Australia;
- Topping up the regional airports program and resolving airport security arrangements to ensure our regions are connected with fare fares; and
- Better planning and access to funding for water infrastructure to support industry and population growth.
Cr Black takes over from Town of Port Hedland Mayor Peter Carter, who resigned from council in August. Albury City Council Mayor Cr Kevin Mack had been acting Chair since then.
“I want to thank both Peter and Kevin for their work leading Regional Capitals Australia over the past year,” Cr Black said.
“Kevin had been the Deputy Chair and stepped up to fill the Chair position and led a number of delegations to Federal Parliament.
“Regional capitals really are the best place to live and my fellow board members and I will continue to champion our communities to make sure they stay this way,” he said.
Eight other board positions were confirmed/filled at the AGM. They were:
Secretary: Cr Doug Curran, Mayor, Griffith City Council
Treasurer and South Australian Regional Representative: Mayor Diana Mislov, City of Port Lincoln
New South Wales Regional Representative: Cr Jim Hickey, Deputy Mayor, Broken Hill City Council
Victorian Regional Representative: Cr Michael Gobel, Mayor, City of Wodonga
Western Australian Regional Representative: Mayor Jerry Clune, City of Greater Geraldton
Northern Territory Regional Representative: Mayor Athina Pascoe-Bell, City of Palmerston
Queensland Regional Representative: Cr George Seymour, Mayor, Fraser Coast Regional Council.
Regional Capitals Australia’s work and achievements of the past 12 months are detailed in our 2025 Annual Statement. You can read it here.