Keith Williams says restoring the Richmond River was the reason he first entered politics and remains his highest priority … and he is now in a position to realise the dream.
The Ballina Shire councillor, who was elected deputy mayor yesterday, was also elected as the new chairman of Rous County Council last week.
Rous County Council has responsibility for bulk water supply for Byron, Ballina, Lismore and Richmond Valley shires, is the weeds management authority for the North Coast and undertakes floodplain management for the Richmond River.
Cr Williams, who is also the manager of Australian Seabird Rescue, said the Richmond River remained his top priority.
‘I thought the river couldn’t get any worse when I started on this campaign, but then nearly all the natural oysters in the estuary died two years ago and we knew that the situation was dire and we urgently needed practical solutions to address the decline,’ he said.
As a Ballina councillor, he pushed for the creation of the council’s Healthy Waterways Program that will contribute $300,000 each year to projects aimed at restoring the health of the river.
But he said the project was doomed to fail unless other council’s also stepped up.
‘As the organisation responsible for managing floodgates and the historical draining of swamps to convert them to farmland, Rous County Council is the key player needed at the table,’ he said.
He said the work of individual councils and non-government organisations such as Richmond River chapter of OzFish needs to be supported by bodies such as Rous.
‘As chairperson I will focus on ensuring that we maintain the communication and collaboration between all the players needed for effective action.
‘I will also be communicating to the State Government the urgency of the situation and their responsibility to provide funding to support the on ground works that are being undertaken.’
Cr Williams thanked his colleagues for their support and said his election was an indication of the goodwill and commitment of councillors throughout the region to effective action on the Richmond.
‘I hope that in 20 years time, when the fish have returned and commercial oysters flourish, we will look back and see 2017 as the year we changed course, when we stopped just talking about the problems and started to take action.’
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