By Gunnedah Shir Council mayor Colleen Fuller

It’s been an eventful fortnight, so I have plenty of news to share with you.

The online petition to secure 24-hour policing in Gunnedah is off to a great start – more than 1200 residents have already signed in support.

The petition is urgently calling on the New South Wales Government to:

1. Implement 24-hour on-site staffing at Gunnedah Police Station, ensuring officers are available to respond in real-time to overnight incidents.

2. Increase police resourcing in Gunnedah, including staffing levels, patrol capability, and crime prevention units.

3. Introduce a dedicated, locally-answered Gunnedah police phone line so that calls made to the station during emergencies or disturbances are answered and actioned by on-site officers, rather than being redirected to distant locations.

I thank Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson for launching this much-needed initiative with the support of council, the Gunnedah Chamber of Commerce and the Gunnedah Crime Prevention Group.

I have been a member of Crime Prevention Group for many years and a stronger police presence is something we have been advocating for a long time.

Crime is an everyday topic in our streets and homes as petty crime, vehicle theft, assault, break-and-enter, and armed incidents become commonplace.

The fact is that residents no longer feel safe in their homes, in their communities, and this troubles me greatly, particularly when I think about the many vulnerable members of our communities.

I want the Gunnedah shire to be a safe haven, not a perilous place, and if this petition is successful, it will be a step towards achieving that, so I urge you to sign the petition, and tell your family and friends about it.

We need 20,000 signatures for the issue to be debated at Parliament and I am hopeful we will reach this figure with our community’s help.

Gunnedah shire mayor Colleen Fuller.

To sign the online petition, visit the Facebook pages or websites of council, Kevin Anderson or the Chamber of Commerce to access the link.

While we are on the topic of law enforcement, I’d like to acknowledge National Police Remembrance Day, which is held annually on September 29. I attended a ceremony in Tamworth on Monday and laid a wreath on behalf of council.

This important event honours the lives and service of fallen police officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice while on duty, or as a result of their duties.

Our police play a vital role in safeguarding our communities and I’d like to thank all of those who carry out this significant duty, at times risking life and limb to uphold their pledge to serve and uphold the law.

Another group of individuals who serve our communities in everyday life are Rural Fire Service volunteers.

On Saturday, a number of volunteers from Gunnedah, Carroll, Curlewis, Mullaley and Tambar Springs were acknowledged for many years of dedication, receiving Long Service Awards at a ceremony in Quirindi.

Deputy Mayor Kate McGrath attended the ceremony, and we thank the RFS for inviting council to take part in the crucial recognition of volunteers who have leave their homes and their vocations to help protect us from the devastating destruction of fires and storms.

Congratulations to all those who received their Long Service Awards – we are fortunate to have you in our communities.

Volunteers play an essential role in our communities, particularly during times of hardship. As part of the ongoing work by Gunnedah and Liverpool Plains Shire councils to plan and prepare for future drought, we are keen to hear from volunteers about their experiences to help us identify where there might be skills shortages that can be addressed.

This understanding was identified as a priority during the community consultation stage of the Regional Drought Resilience Plan.

A short survey has been prepared for volunteers and people who manage or support volunteers as part of their roles, and we urge you to complete it.

The survey will be open until Friday, October 24, 2025 and can be found under ‘Regional Drought Resilience Plan’ on council’s website.