5 June 2023

The Two Cities One Community partnership between AlburyCity and Wodonga Council took out the Borderless Communities Award at the Local Government Professionals NSW Excellence Awards.

The awards celebrate outstanding achievements and promote innovation and continuous improvement within NSW Local Government.

The Borderless Communities Award recognises Councils who have established collaborative agreements with neighbouring jurisdictions to implement practical actions to improve social, economic, and wellbeing outcomes for their community.

The Two Cities One Community partnership was formed in 2017, and is underpinned by the belief that we are 'Stronger Together'. It is a commitment to working together in planning, developing and growing the Albury Wodonga region.

The partnership aims to drive forward the community's aspirations for our border community, adopt a holistic approach to regional planning, advocate to other levels of government for the benefit of our shared community, and focus on cross-border issue resolution.

AlburyCity Mayor Kylie King said the partnership has delivered a number of important initiatives for the Albury Wodonga community.

"The partnership has seen the launch of a number of successful joint marketing initiatives such as Visit Albury Wodonga, Live Albury Wodonga, and Invest Albury Wodonga, promoting tourism, resident attraction and investment in our region," Mayor King said.

"The successful Halve Waste campaign was also driven by the partnership, taking us to a leadership position in waste reduction with the introduction of organics waste collection and treatment services."

Wodonga Mayor Ron Mildren said the partnership involves joint strategic planning to enhance the liveability and growth of our region.

"Together we've developed the Smart Community Framework and Strategy, Regional Natural Environment Strategy, Regional Economic Development Strategy, and Sport and Recreation Strategy, focusing on digital connectivity, protection of our beautiful natural environment, driving economic growth and future planning for our sporting facilities," Mayor Mildren said.

"The development of our draft Integrated Transport Strategy is also underway, which will look at how we move between our two cities."

Find out more about the Two Cities One Community partnership on the Two Cities One Community website.

Find out more about the awards on the Local Government Professionals website.

Image: Wodonga Council CEO Matt Hyde and AlburyCity CEO Frank Zaknich.