New team to lead Regional Capitals Australia

Regional Capitals Australia (RCA) has elected a new Chair and Deputy Chair to lead the organisation for the next two years.

At the Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on Tuesday 10 December, Mayor Peter Carter from the Town of Port Hedland was elected Chair, while Cr Kevin Mack, Mayor of Albury City 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,” Mayor Carter said.

“It is a privilege to be chair of an alliance that has a 13-year history of making the case for the investment our member cities need to continue to grow,” Mayor Carter said.

“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,” Mayor Carter said.

“I look forward to serving our members alongside Cr Kevin Mack to continue this task as we move to a federal election next year,” Mayor Carter said.

Mayor Carter takes over from former Cr Kylie King from Albury City Council who served as RCA chair for more than two years.

“Cr King’s leadership has been steadfast during a particularly difficult time where our members have faced housing and labour shortages and inflated markets that have made the job of every regional capital Mayor and council challenging,” Mayor Carter said.

“She was a strong advocate for funding programs that helped our regional capitals grow, such as the Federal Government’s new Housing Support Program, the Federal Opposition’s Housing Infrastructure Programme and the re-established Regional Airports Program,” Mayor Carter said.

During the meeting the new Board confirmed RCA’s priorities for the 2025 year:

1. A national population plan that recognises and plans for the growth of regional capital cities;

2. Regional migration settings that enable regional capitals to sustainably grow;

3. Housing enabling infrastructure and a housing innovation fund to enable our member cities to address the housing crisis;

4. Annual allocations to each regional council to support the delivery of community infrastructure;

5. Topping up the regional airports program and resolving airport security arrangements to allow for a more equitable system that reflects the risk environment;

6. More support for regional arts and culture activities in regional capitals; and

7. Better planning and access to funding for water infrastructure to support industry and population growth.

“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,” Mayor Carter said.

Seven other board positions were confirmed/filled at the AGM. They were:

Secretary: Cr Doug Curran, Mayor, Griffith City Council

Treasurer: Virginia Miltrup, CEO, City of Karratha

New South Wales Regional Representative: Cr Jim Hickey, Deputy Mayor, Broken Hill City Council

Victorian Regional Representative: Cr Dale Harriman, Mayor, Latrobe City Council

Western Australian Regional Representative: Mayor Jerry Clune, City of Greater Geraldton

South Australian Regional Representative: Mayor Diana Mislov, City of Port Lincoln

Northern Territory Regional Representative: Mayor Athina Pascoe-Bell, City of Palmerston

Queensland Regional Representative: Cr George Seymour, Mayor, Fraser Coast Regional Council

 -Ends-