Federation Council celebrates Local Government Week

Published on 28 July 2026

Federation Council is proud to celebrate Local Government Week, which will run from Monday, 3 August to Sunday, 9 August 2026. This year, the campaign focuses on showcasing the wide variety of services councils provide, helping to move the conversation beyond just "roads, rates and rubbish" to highlight the important and far-reaching role councils play as the true hubs of their community.

To showcase the incredible variety of everyday services provided to our region, Federation Council is sharing a snapshot of the impressive volume of work delivered across our various departments over the past Financial Year:

Corowa Aquatic Centre

• Recorded 36,295 admissions and maintained 249 active memberships.
• Enrolled 989 students in Learn to Swim programs.
• Welcomed 1,872 school students for swimming lessons and school carnivals.
• Facilitated 67 physiotherapy sessions, delivered twice a week by a third party.
• Hosted 370 subsidised aqua exercise classes (5 sessions per week) through the Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD).

Customer Service

• Conducted 6,241 in-person customer interactions across the Corowa, Urana, Howlong, and Mulwala offices.
• Handled 18,502 telephone calls—representing a 9.9% increase from the previous year—spanning general customer service, Rates, Planning, and Urana departments.
• Received and processed 2,555 customer requests, reflecting a 3.7% increase from last year.
• Responded to a wide variety of community needs, with the top five request categories being: Water Leaks (South), Tree Hazards, Park and Playground Maintenance, Overgrown Non-Council Properties, and Stray Domestic Animals.
• Handled 255 animal registrations, keeping local pets safe by registering 204 dogs and 51 cats.

Corowa Saleyards

• Achieved a sheep throughput of 441,786.
• Generated a total sales value of $104,550,661 for the year.
• Maintained its proud status as the 5th largest sheep and livestock exchange in New South Wales.

Tourism

• Welcomed 3,920 walk-in visitors to the Visitor Information Centre, with 16.7% of those walk-ins being locals.
• Handled 260 phone enquiries and 604 email enquiries.
• Engaged a massive online audience for "North of the Murray," boasting 45,086 Facebook followers (2,877,044 post views) and 2,961 Instagram followers (182,615 post views).
  
  

Communications

• Managed the corporate website which saw 322,193 page views, 142,969 sessions (the digital equivalent of a customer walking into a building for assistance), and 19,945 file downloads.
• Connected with 6,133 Federation Council Facebook followers, generating 2,822,680 post views.
• Published 44 news and media articles on the Council's website and 98 Council Snippets in the Corowa Free Press and Yarrawonga Chronicle.
• Distributed 11 Urana Newsletter editions and 11 Community Conversation e-newsletters to 485 subscribers.

Utilities

• Produced over 3,000 Megalitres (ML) of drinking water (1 ML = 1,000,000 litres).
• Treated over 850 ML of wastewater at our Sewerage Plants.
• Repaired over 400 water leaks and rectified over 200 sewer blockages.

Community Development

• Ran 21 events and workshops through the Events Team and hosted 10 art exhibitions showcasing 79 artists.
• Awarded 19 Community Grants worth a total of $43,000, and 20 Volunteer Week Micro Grants of $250 each.
• Delivered 100 Kinder Library Bag Packs to local families.
• Secured over $7 million via the new Grants Officer for a new Howlong water reservoir.

Libraries

• Supported 1,972 current memberships with 22,083 items available to borrow.
• Loaned out 27,709 items to the community.
• Hosted 9 educational skills-based workshops alongside 27 creative workshops, events, and author talks.

As we mark Local Government Week, we invite our residents to reflect on the diverse ways Council supports our community. Whether it is securing major grants for critical infrastructure, fostering local arts, or maintaining robust agricultural hubs like the Corowa Saleyards, our commitment goes far beyond the basics. We look forward to continuing this vital work and building an even stronger, more vibrant Federation region.