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


Friday, November 27, 2009

Orange Regional Arts Foundation (ORAF) Gives Grand Piano to the City

The Orange Regional Arts Foundation recently gave a Yamaha grand piano, valued at $59 000, to the city of Orange. The piano will be housed at the Orange Regional Conservatorium (ORC). This will really assist those senior students and performers at the conservatorium.

An unveiling was held on Thursday the 26th November when Graham Sattler, the Director of Orange Regional Conservatorium played for us all. It was great to see him engaging the community with his varied repertoire.

Friday, November 20, 2009

Graduation from the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation

What an amazing experience of not only self discovery but also world and state discovery. As you may know I have been on an 18 month course of leadership with the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation (APLF). I was sponsored by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government. One of the days spent in Canberra involved a trip to Outward Bound our adventure can be view at the ARLF site.
As a part of our course we were required to develop a vision statement, ours is "Communities empowered to create their own vibrant future" and my task specifically is to gain a greater understanding of support for all families. I intend to conduct a survey with the support of Orange City Council to establish the needs of Orange residents. More details on this can be viewed at the Australian Rural Leadership site.
A Symposium was held on Friday 20th November which included guest speakers Professor Peter Shergold, Peter Cosier, Leo D'Angelo Fisher, Darriea Turley and Chris Sarra. Mixed in with our guest speakers were presentations from several course participants on their vision tasks. For more details on these they can be viewed at the ARLP site. Leo D'Angelo makes reference to the days activities and I would recommend you read his article at BRW a leading Business magazine.
I welcome any speaking opportunities to speak further about our vision statement, my vision task or my involvement in the Australian Rural Leadership Program. Contact me at frossiter@bigpond.com

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Opening of Yarrawong Children’s Centre

On Monday the 9th November the new extension for the Yarrawong Children’s Centre was opened. Yarrawong Children's Centre is a community-based, not-for-profit, long day care centre that has been offering high quality accredited care since December 1993. The centre caters for children aged between 0 and 5 years. This is a positive, family resource that encourages children to learn and develop through play; where staff encourage exploration in groups and support individuals to learn at their own pace within a safe environment.

The new, council funded, extension allows for a greater separation between age groups and gives the centre 10 extra places to offer the community.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Prime Minister Kevin Rudds visit to Bathurst


Having the opportunity to speak with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Health Minister Nicola Roxon was something I am glad to have been able to do. It is not every day that the Prime Minister comes out to Regional and Rural NSW, in fact it is very rare. The community was able to ask questions relevant to Federal Government and tap into areas of great concern such as health, education, transport, environment and water.

Although this was a great opportunity, it was also frustrating. When viewing and partaking in question time it proved difficult for the Prime Minister at times to answer the relevant questions. Instead time was wasted in finding fault and playing the blame game on others. Questions were asked and answers were needed.

I travelled with other people from Orange because the visit by the Prime Minister did not extend past Bathurst, again this is an unfortunate decision I believe made by the Labor party. It shows those people outside of Bathurst that they are either irrelevant, insignificant or of no value when seeking votes for further elections. Aside from that I would like to think that a positive or several positive outcomes could come from this event.

If the Prime Minister is true to his word along with the Ministers then we (country NSW) can expect some significant changes. One in particular that comes to mind would be the assistance for community service projects which I mentioned. I plan to keep you all updated on this matter and would like to think we could expect a positive outcome.

Looking forward to further contact with the cabinet and discussions and funding to help rural and remote communities.

View the story from the Central Western Daily and there is more... to read

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Presentation of Rural Fire Service Awards and Handover of Tankers.

Yesterday, the NSW Rural Fire Service acknowledged the contributions of long time volunteers to local brigades in the Canobolas Zone. The Rural Fire Service is made up of volunteers from all walks of life - men and women who give up their time to protect our community. Although unable to attend, I sincerely wish to congratulate these people for their ongoing efforts.

The RFS is the lead agency in NSW for bush fire fighting. It is also responsible for fires and related emergency incidents within Rural Fire Districts: districts that cover more than 95% of the State! Add to this, the RFS’s role supporting other agencies in emergency situations such as floods, storms and rescue situations and it is easy to see the vital contribution that these people make to our community.

The brigades in the area had additional cause to celebrate as the NSW Government handed over the long awaited tankers and bus to their Blayney, Cabonne, Cowra and Orange operations.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Orange Outstanding Business Awards 2009

Congratulations to the Orange Business Chamber for all their work contributing to the GGU Orange Outstanding Business Awards 2009. The Orange Business Chamber aims to bring Orange businesses closer together and to promote these business to develop a better economy for all businesses.

In a festive dinner dance at the Orange Ex-Services’ Club, awards were given in over a dozen categories. The theme this year was “driving energy efficiency and water conservation in our community.” This was a very well attended evening and everyone had a great time celebrating and dancing.

Winners include:
Retail Small – Skinsational Beauty Therapy
Retail Medium to large – Printflow
Professional Services – Orange Veterinary Hospital
Hard Trade – Jeff Hort Engineering
Soft Trade – Sheeradiance
Tourism, Food, Accommodation – Black Sheep Inn
Manufacturing – Almighty Industries
Agribusiness – Orange Veterinary Hospital
Innovation – Orange Courier Service
New and Emerging Business – Small Acres Cyder
Not For Profit – Orange Credit Union
Energy Efficiency – Mick Fabar Engineering
Water Conservation – Electrolux Home Products
People’s Choice Business – Mission Australia Community Services
People’s Choice Employee - Catherine Bayada

I attended as a representative of Orange City Council and very much enjoyed the entertaining and informative evening: a culmination of outstanding achievements.