09/08/2026
We prefer to deal with facts and real data, not made up tales from conspiracy theorists.
This council and the one prior has made significant moves to ensure the water security for our region and the process we’re currently undertaking is critically important.
Facts, not fiction: Council's water consultation and water security planning
Recent commentary by some ill-informed members of the community has raised questions about a forum held on 4 August as part of Council's consultation on future water and sewerage infrastructure needs.
✅ Multiple opportunities for community input have been provided, including a public forum, pop-up sessions, targeted engagement, submissions and an online survey.
✅ All water consumers (approximately 9,000 properties) were notified of the consultation by mail and the public engagement opportunities
✅ The 4 August session was a targeted forum designed to hear from residents who may not normally participate in Council consultations. Participants were recruited to ensure a broad cross-section of community views was represented.
✅ Consultants had a limited role, assisting with the targeted community forum, business engagement and development of the community survey. All other engagement activities were delivered by Council staff.
✅ Council has made significant progress on water security planning since the 2019 drought and is now undertaking the Environment Impact Statement (EIS) process for its proposed water security package, a key step in delivering long-term, sustainable water solutions for the region.
The 4 August forum was one of several engagement activities undertaken as part of the consultation. This particular forum was delivered by consultants on behalf of Armidale Regional Council and involved participants who were recruited to represent a broad cross-section of the community, providing input from residents who may not normally engage with Council. As a targeted session, it was not publicly advertised. Contemporary engagement practices recognise that incentives are often required to encourage participation from residents who do not ordinarily engage in consultation processes. People are busy and value their time, and we understand that.
The consultants' involvement in the project was limited to facilitating this targeted community forum, undertaking targeted business engagement, and developing the community survey. All other engagement activities were delivered directly by Council staff.
This followed an open community forum held on 28 July at the Armidale Ex-Services Club, which was promoted to all water consumers through a letter sent to approximately 9,000 properties. Attendance at engagement sessions and survey participation throughout the consultation period have been lower than expected.
In addition to these forums, Council has held pop-up sessions in Armidale and Guyra and continues to encourage residents to complete the community survey. All engagement opportunities have been promoted through direct mail, Council's social media channels, e-newsletters and the Your Say Armidale website.
There has also been commentary suggesting limited progress has been made on water security since the 2019 drought. This is not the case. Working in partnership with the NSW Government, Council has undertaken significant planning and development work and is now progressing the Environment Impact Statement (EIS) for its water security package, a key requirement for State Significant Infrastructure projects.
