Councillor Role

In 2008 Fiona ran for re-election on her own ticket- Team H. She was successful in being re-elected and only 100 votes short of her second candidate Gerald Power being elected also. If she had of been successful with the second candidate Orange Council would have had its first Aboriginal Councillor.

Items of particular interest to Fiona at this time would be the water issue in Orange. She has been active in working towards a way for future water sustainability. Evidence of the work done to date can be viewed on the Council web site- Water Project

Fiona also enjoys the role she plays in the numerous areas relating to the major portfolio in which she holds- Community Services. Given her background as a Registered Nurse, previous Councillor, Justice of the Peace, involvement in local community projects and various fundraising activities Fiona believes she is well suited to this role. In particular she is approachable, empathic, professional, understanding and seeks out the various needs of her community. Projects Fiona has been involved in through Council are:

* Water strategy for the future 2050
* Storm Water Harvesting scheme
* Planning and development of the New PCYC centre in Orange
* Spring Street Bridge
* Children's Memorial Garden
* Expansion of the Skate park
* Advocate for Icely and Ophir road users linking to Northern Distributor
* Youth Conference Orange
* Australian Rural Leadership Course- Vision Task needs assessment for families.
* Crime Prevention CCTV cameras
* Christmas Festival
* Chamber of Commerce representative for Council
* Disability services
* Mount Canobolas as a Tourist area
* Dragon Boats Orange

In 2004 Fiona was first elected as a Councillor with Orange City Council. After a busy time with election and campaigning against 77 other possible candidates. Fiona became the third female Councillor at Orange. Fiona is an extremely active Council member and some of the projects that she has driven or been involved in are:

  • Designing and building two BMX Tracks in Orange after establishing a partnership with organisations to provide funding in support (competitive and recreational)
  • Lobbying and building a recreational play area for children at Glenroi
  • Working with the community and other Councillors to have an Aboriginal Flag flown at the Council Chambers
  • Working with a committee and Youth to establish "Not just another CafĂ©" (NJAC)
  • Set up a Pilot Project with Police, Public School and Council to provide bikes and helmets so that bike riding could become part of the sport curriculum at no cost to students.
  • Lobbied for changes in phone directory, reduced speed on distributor road, better meeting times, shared space, and much more.
  • Been an active member in the Community Plan 2020 for Orange
  • Amongst many other things... Visit this site monthly to stay updated on what Fiona has been involved in with Council.

Fiona's objectives on council

Council Objectives (PDF File)

Orange Councillor and Candidate 2008 Election
Please find in this document the completed profile with full policy information and many other extras added in.

You Tube- Orange Electorate Fiona Rossiter Team H

Visit this new website Australian Family Matters


Tuesday, November 25, 2008

NSW Local Government Aboriginal Network Conference


This was a three day trip to Armidale where I attended the NSW Local Government Aboriginal Network (LGAN) conference.

The theme of the conference was "Community Strength, Sustainability and Resilience" This was the third time Armidale had hosted the LGAN conference and as said in the program there has been a strong relationship with their Aboriginal community and they value the contribution made by members of Council's Ngayinyaga Aboriginal Community Consultative committee over the years.

The conference program included topics such as
"Two Ways Together"
"Local Government- holding and nurturing Aboriginal strengths and solutions to enrich our capacity to govern locally"
"Community Resilience and Governance"
"Community Cultural Development- What's its value?"
"Link with traditional culture"
"Getting Down to Business"
"Black & White: stories behind the development of the Thomas Dick Exhibition"
"Gomeroi National Project: The People's Initiative"
"Koori Toastmasters- Strong Voices"
A documentary drama film- "Who is Frank Archibald?"
"The Australian Employment Covenant"
"The Importance of Leadership to Community Progress"
"Closing the Gap"
"Showcasing Armidale"
"Crime Prevention moving with the times"
"Where we came from to where we are today"
"Aboriginal Employment in the Local Government Industry"
"Using traditional concepts in today's environment"
"LGSA (Local Government and Shires Associations of NSW) and Aboriginal Affairs"
"Aboriginal employment strategies"

To learn more visit the Local Government site


The Conference Dinner was held on the last evening and it gave us great joy to be the winners of the Local Government Council and to receive the Major Award. The award now takes pride of place in at our Council Chambers in Orange NSW. We have undertaken with the initiation of our Aboriginal community a great variety of projects which support the needs and connectedness of our people. We feel very privileged to receive the award and look forward to work further with our community as a whole. We now have a statement of commitment to our Aboriginal community which can be view on our web-site.

Posted by Fiona at 8:19 PM

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