Clubs Praised in Parliamentary Inquiry into Far West Power Outages

When power failed across the Far West of NSW in October 2024, local clubs stepped in to support their communities by providing critical shelter, meals and connection. Those efforts have now been formally acknowledged in the findings of a state parliamentary inquiry.

Chaired by Clayton Barr MP, the Legislative Assembly’s Environment and Planning Committee examined the widespread outages that affected Broken Hill, Menindee, Silverton, Tibooburra, White Cliffs and Wilcannia.

In his foreword to the final report, Mr Barr made a point of recognising how clubs played a vital role during the crisis, helping locals stay safe, connected and informed when essential services were down.

ClubsNSW Director of Government Affairs Simon Sawday and Broken Hill Musicians Club CEO Michael Boland appeared before the inquiry during the Broken Hill hearing on 6 March 2025. They spoke about how clubs became hubs for the community during the blackout, offering meals, power, refrigeration and a place for vulnerable residents to gather. 

The Report refers to the way clubs naturally became gathering points when power was lost. In some cases, clubs were the only locations with lights on and doors open, providing calm and support amid uncertainty. 

Recommendation 19 of the Report calls on the NSW Government to build formal partnerships with community organisations like clubs as part of its emergency response and planning. 

This recommendation backs up what regional communities have long known — clubs are part of the fabric of local life and can be relied on in a crisis. 

ClubsNSW is proud to have taken part in the inquiry and welcomes the recognition of the sector’s community leadership. The report affirms the essential role that clubs play not only in good times but also when communities are doing it tough.

The full report is available on the NSW Parliament website here.