IN SHORT

Central Darling Shire is managing over nine million dollars in capital works across roads, aerodromes, water infrastructure and community facilities. A two million dollar road sealing program is progressing across the state and regional network, while nearly six million dollars has been allocated for runway improvements at White Cliffs that will support emergency medical flights. New water treatment plants are being constructed for Ivanhoe and Wilcannia, and a one million dollar program will upgrade four swimming pools across the shire.

Despite the financial pressures that have earned Central Darling Shire a spot on the NSW Auditor General's watchlist, the council is pushing forward with an extensive capital works program that touches almost every community in the shire.

More than six million dollars is allocated for regional road works across the shire's vast network, which includes sections of the Barrier and Cobb Highways managed in close partnership with Transport for NSW. A successful two million dollar work proposal for this year's sealing program will see improvements to both state-managed and local road surfaces across the region. For those who drive these roads regularly, the significance of that investment needs no explanation. Distance is the constant companion of life in the Far West and the condition of the roads between communities is not an abstraction but a daily reality.

White Cliffs Aerodrome is set for significant improvement, with close to six million dollars allocated for work that will lengthen and strengthen the runway. The urgency of this upgrade is underscored by recent discussions at council about low spots on aerodrome runways that have previously made emergency medical flights difficult or impossible to land. In a part of the world where the Royal Flying Doctor Service is a genuine lifeline, the condition of rural aerodrome infrastructure is a matter of life and death. Improving the White Cliffs runway is not just a capital works tick. It is an investment in the safety of every person living within its catchment.

Water security is another critical thread running through the shire's infrastructure program. New water treatment plants are currently being fabricated and constructed for both Ivanhoe and Wilcannia. These towns sit in some of the most water-stressed country in Australia, and the quality and reliability of treated water supply is fundamental to the health and liveability of the communities that depend on it. The level four water restrictions currently in place in White Cliffs serve as a pointed reminder of how vulnerable the shire's water supply can be when rainfall fails.

A one million dollar swimming pool upgrade program is also underway, covering four pools across the shire. The works include repainting and the installation of new shade sails. Community pools in remote towns are more than leisure facilities. They are gathering places, health assets and in the extreme summer heat of the western interior, a practical necessity.

The council has also been managing the aftermath of environmental challenges, with staff and contractors recently removing eight truckloads of dead fish from the Menindee foreshore. Fish kills in the lower Darling and Menindee Lakes system have become a distressing but recurring feature of life in the region, and the clean-up work, while unglamorous, is a necessary part of managing the environmental consequences.