CEO Matters | Brent McAlister, July 3, 2026

Published on 03 July 2026

This month I participated in the Vinnies CEO Sleepout for homelessness in a Melbourne car park. This is something dear to my heart, as I recall sleeping on a park bench 40-plus years ago on my first night at Auckland University. I have also slept rough on other occasions.  

I'm pleased to report I raised $3500 of the national $10 million for the sleepout. Vinnies uses this money to provide food, accommodation and personal programs. Any of us could become homeless with a loss of job or some unforeseen circumstance. Sleeping on concrete with a strip of cardboard to soften the hardness was a great reminder of what is a big issue. 

Our mayor, Cr Karen Hyslop, and I had the opportunity to discuss many of the issues affecting our shire and the wider Wimmera-southern Mallee region at the National General Assembly of Local Government in Canberra (NGA) late last month. 

The NGA is the largest annual gathering of local government leaders in Australia. 

Since 1994, council leaders have converged in Canberra to advocate for better federal funding, policy reforms and effective partnerships. 

As a council, we haven’t attended for a few years, however this year it was important for us to be there given we have taken a lead role with the Northwest-9. 

The Northwest-9 is a partnership of nine councils from Swan Hill to Stawell, covering almost a third of the state's land area.  

We have jointly developed and endorsed the Resource Ready Strategy, which contains a comprehensive stocktake of renewables and mining developments proposed in the region. More importantly, it sets out a blueprint for readiness if these projects go ahead.  

As councils we have a statutory responsibility to plan for this. Our visit to Canberra enabled the Northwest-9 to advocate to Ministers to help fund our readiness. 

Of note, being part of the Northwest-9 does not mean we endorse any particular project – in fact, Northern Grampians Shire Council has resolutions opposed to VNI West and Renewable Energy Zone in their current form. 

Back home, it was good to see the 2026/27 Annual Budget adopted by council. I've always had a big focus on ensuring our financial sustainability and keeping a healthy cash surplus.  

This will be particularly important in the coming year with the fuel crisis. With that in mind, the 2026/27 budget allows for a fuel buffer or contingency of more than $1 million, so if fuel prices significantly increase then we can still be in a strong financial position.  

Council typically spends about $750,000 on fuel and if prices double, the fuel buffer will come into play.