MEMBER for Northern Tablelands Brendan Moylan was not consulted prior to Moree Plains Shire Council’s decision to request the State Government to ‘stage’ funding for the Special Activation Precinct.

At an extraordinary council meeting last Thursday, councillors voted in favour of adopting a report tabled by senior staff, which recommended Council request the NSW Government to ‘stage’ the project by reducing the initial infrastructure burden from $79 million to around $40 million.

Councillors Susannah Pearse, Brooke Sauer, Peter Mailler, Debra Williams, Fred McGrady, Wayne Tighe and Kerry Cassells attended the meeting, with Cr Kelly James attending via audio-visual link.

Cr Dominique Hodgkinson was unable to attend.

Mr Moylan said he was not consulted by Moree Plains Shire Council, nor was he requested to facilitate any meetings with Ministers or State Government representatives in relation to the SAP.

“I was not advised the SAP was up for discussion in the Council meeting and I was only made aware of this after the meeting had concluded when I started to receive phone calls from community members,” Mr Moylan said.

“I have previously communicated my support of the project to the MPSC general manager and mayor, the Minister for Regional NSW and RDGC, and have offered to help and be involved at any stage of the project if I could be of any assistance.

“I remain a strong supporter of the project as I want Moree to grow into a major regional location. I want Moree to move forward, not backward, and remain willing to assist MPSC with this process if they require any advice or help.

“My door is always open,” Mr Moylan said.

Since becoming the local member in 2024, Mr Moylan has worked hard to ensure the State Labor Government did not walk away from the SAP or reduce the size of the investment.

“I am pleased to say the State Government is committed to delivering the SAP as intended by a staged roll-out over 40 years with a budget of $224million secured from the sale of the Snowy Hydro,” Mr Moylan said.

He said the Moree Special Activation Precinct was announced by the previous National and Liberal State Government in December, 2019.

“The project has the capacity to transform Moree with a budget of approximately $224 million and delivering up to 4000 jobs for the people of the Moree Plains into the future,” Mr Moylan said.

“The master plan outlines a 40-year strategy for delivering a precinct that specialises in agribusiness, logistics and food processing industries – that means the project is designed to be staged, built and implemented over 40 years.

“The intention of the Moree SAP is to attract investment and encourage business growth by fast-tracking development and by avoiding delays from issues such as state significant project declarations, local council DA requirements and the like,” he said.

“The SAP is designed to deliver developer-ready land with all services connected which means the developer will not incur the usual development costs and delays of business.

“So, the project is designed to have fast approvals with ready infrastructure located in a strategic location (Moree) with Government financial backing,” he said.

Mr Moylan said the business case was finalised in 2022, and Moree Plains Shire Council design standards were consulted during the development of the Moree SAP concept design.

“Council was involved in all key workshops, design reviews and decisions during the design phase. As of today, the SAP tender process is understood to be well advanced,” Mr Moylan said.

“Without infrastructure, we cannot progress the vision of the SAP.

“The SAP is designed to take a ‘build-it-and-they-will-come’ approach on a staged basis over 40 years.

“I am a big supporter of the SAP as it has the potential to drought-proof Moree’s economy and transform our town into a significant regional population centre,” he said.

On Thursday, Council resolved to note that Council is engaging with the Regional Growth NSW Development Corporation regarding the negotiation of the Deed for the Moree Special Activation Precinct Master Plan; endorse a staged delivery approach for the Moree Plains Special Activation Precinct infrastructure; support an initial infrastructure cap of approximately $40 million, with road infrastructure capped at approximately $20 million; delegate authority to the General Manager to formally write to the Regional Growth NSW Development Corporation seeking this revised staging approach prior to the finalisation of contractual arrangements; and note that this approach is intended to protect Council’s financial sustainability while still supporting the long-term objectives of the Special Activation Precinct.