Gunnedah mayor Jamie Chaffey elected to deputy chair of Country Mayors Association

Cr Chaffey has already successfully sponsored his first motion at the Country Mayors' Association, calling on the Rural Health Minister Bronny Taylor to hold a forum after the release of a report into the rural health system next month.

Tamworth Regional Council has also got at voice at the table of the association, with mayor Russell Webb elected to an executive position at the Sydney meeting on Friday.

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Cr Chaffey said that he was humbled to be elected to the role of vice chairman, behind Parkes Mayor Ken Keith, who remains chair.

"The Country Mayors Association has representatives right across NSW from regional and rural local government," he said.

"The leadership, which is the Chair, Vice C and eight that sit on the executive, are the ones who listen to our membership and do the planning around how we advocate.

"We make sure we're using the best of our time, to the best of our ability to make sure our collective voice is heard."

The Gunnedah mayor has long made rural healthcare a personal focus. A doctor shortage in the rural town has become a major political issue, and featured at the NSW Parliament's nearly two-year rural health inquiry.

Cr Keith told the Leader that the association had unanimously backed a motion by Cr Chaffey on Friday calling on the Minister for Regional Health and Mental Health, Bronnie Taylor, to front up at the mayors' association once the inquiry releases its final report.

They also invited shadow minister Ryan Park to a proposed forum, which would be used to discuss the inquiry recommendations and work out how they might be implemented.

"Regional health has declined in relatively to metropolitan health over a number of years, it's not just something that's happened since COVID was here and we've taken our eye off the ball," he said.

"This has been a gradual thing and Gunnedah and Parkes are very similar in a lot of ways."

Cr Chaffey's motion passed unanimously.

Cr Keith told the Leader he would step aside from the top job in November.

The current boss said the association had unanimously backed a motion by Cr Chaffey on Friday

The Gunnedah mayor has long made rural healthcare a personal focus. A doctor shortage in the rural town has become a major political issue, and featured at the NSW Parliament's nearly two-year rural health inquiry.

The health inquiry is due to release its final report on April 29.

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