Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC) (pronounced 'wesrock') is one of the oldest Regional Organisations of Councils or ROCs in NSW, Australia. It was formed in November 1973 to represent the councils of Western Sydney and to advocate for the people of the region. Its current membership includes 8 of the 13 Greater Western Sydney councils, making it one of the largest NSW Regional Organisations of Councils[1]
The following councils make up WSROC:[2]
The WSROC region covers 8,872 square kilometres and had an estimated resident population as at 2016 of 2,175,338.[3]
The Whitlam federal Labor government elected in 1972 had a strong interest in regions and formed the Department of Urban and Regional Development. In 1973 the department introduced a program to promote regional co-operation between councils, identifying 76 regions across Australia.
These regions were also intended to be a vehicle for federal funding for local services and infrastructure to bypass the largely non-Labor state governments of the time. However, by the time the Labor government was sacked in 1975, only 13 of these regional organisations had received substantial funding and of these ROCs only two continue to operate.[4]
One of the two ROCs to survive is WSROC. At the time of its formation in 1973, councils in Western Sydney had already been meeting in a number of informal groupings to discuss their concerns. These largely centred on the failure of state governments in the postwar era to provide infrastructure and services such as hospitals, public transport and tertiary education to match the region's rapidly growing population.
These concerns coincided with the Whitlam government's interest in regional co-operation and provided the basis for WSROC's ongoing support by its member councils even after the demise of the Labor government.
WSROC employed its first staff member in 1977 and became a company limited in 1991. Although most of the other Whitlam-era ROCs eventually folded, WSROC itself became a model for the formation in the 1980s and 1990s of a number of other ROCs. WSROC remains distinct from most other ROCs, however, because of its continued strong emphasis on research and advocacy.
WSROC has been cited as one of Australia's most successful ROCs.[4] These assessments refer primarily to the organisation's regional advocacy role and those campaigns which were successful usually also involved a number of other key partners, including community organisations and the councils themselves.
Key campaigns and other WSROC regional initiatives include:[5]
In addition WSROC prepares State and Federal Election Issues Papers, comprising a set of one-page sheets identifying up to ten key issues for every major policy area. These are distributed to the candidates and leaders of all the major parties in the run-up to each election, with the issues papers and the party responses published on the WSROC website.
Not all of WSROC's campaigns have succeeded, but even in these cases the organisation has usually had some impact on the policy debate. The organisation's advocacy has probably been least effective in relation to persuading state governments to make major investments in the region's public transport infrastructure, though WSROC was involved in the successful campaigns for the Westlink M7 Motorway, the South West Rail Link and the North West Rail Link which have been completed.
On 8 November 2023, ABC News reported that WSROC has called on the NSW Government to move the deadline for food and organic waste (FOGO) collections to 2035.[9] The NSW Government's waste and sustainable materials strategy currently requires the separation of household food and garden organic waste by 2030.[10]
All member councils make an equal annual contribution to the operating costs of WSROC and have equal voting rights on the organisation's board, which is its primary decision-making body.[1]
The WSROC board comprises two voting directors from each member council who serve a four-year term concurrent with their councillor terms. The directors in turn elect the organisation's president and other executive positions. The organisation is supported by a small regional secretariat. Several professional committees made up of staff from member Councils also assist in implementing the work program.
The Board sets WSROC's strategic plan and work program through a planning forum held every four years and regularly reviewed. The work program centres on WSROC's primary role – to lobby for the councils and communities of Western Sydney – but the organisation also undertakes a number of other "typical" ROC roles such as regional project development and management, resource sharing between councils and supporting regional joint purchase initiatives.
"Our mission is: to secure – through research, lobbying and the fostering of cooperation between councils – a sustainable lifestyle for the people of Western Sydney and the provision of infrastructure such that no one should have to leave the region to have access to the sorts of amenities, services and opportunities others in urban Australia take for granted."
WSROC's objectives, as set out in its Constitution, are:
A number of politicians who were subsequently elected to state or federal parliament had key roles on the WSROC board in the early stages of their political careers.
Current examples include Chris Bowen who is the Federal Minister for Immigration and Citizenship and who served as a WSROC president, as did Paul Lynch who is the Shadow Minister for Attorney General and Justice in the NSW state opposition and Helen Westwood, a member of the NSW Legislative Council.
In 2015 former Member for Strathfield (NSW Legislative Assembly) Charles Casuscelli RFD was appointed CEO of WSROC.