Murray Bridge council awarded for cross-district collaboration

The Rural City of Murray Bridge has been acknowledged statewide for its collaboration efforts with other councils in energy and higher education.

The council won two awards at the Local Government Professionals Annual Leadership Excellence Awards on May 9.

Both awards were part of the excellence in cross council collaboration category, recognising and promoting collaboration between local councils.

The projects awarded were:

• The Murray River and Fleurieu Study Hubs program
• A collaborative council power purchase agreement

Mayor Wayne Thorley said the projects showed the council's commitment to achieving good outcomes for the community by working with others.

“As one council we may be small, but by choosing to proactively work with others across local government, we have shown that we can achieve impressive results for the Murraylands,” he said.

The partnerships with other councils had allowed Murray Bridge to deliver access to university and higher education, and to reduce power bills and emissions, he said.

The Murray River and Fleurieu Study Hubs Program is a joint project, covering an area of 11,000 square kilometres with five other councils: Alexandrina, Berri-Barmera, Victor Harbor, Coorong and Yankalilla.

The hubs provide opportunities for regional students to pursue tertiary education and VET alternatives without having to travel or relocate outside of their region.

They were changing lives and the economy, Mr Thorley said.

“Before the hubs, it was a challenge for our local young people and mature age students to attend university in Adelaide or elsewhere due to the distance and costs involved,” he said.

"We’re seeing the difference this is making first-hand, with our youth and our adult workforce choosing to up-skill and take on new career opportunities in our regions.”

The second project recognises a collaborative council power purchase agreement with the City of Charles Sturt and the City of Mitcham.

The project is a sector-first in renewable energy procurement, delivering cost savings and emissions reductions.

A toolkit is now under development to guide other local governments, setting the standard for energy innovation.

“Not only has the project delivered us savings at a time when cost pressures on council are increasing, but it is also delivering environmental wins through emissions reductions,” Mr Thorley said.

• More information: lgprofessionalssa.org.au/Excellence-Awards.