Shoalhaven relief fund holds $86,775, with no minimum reserve required

The Shoalhaven City Mayor’s Relief Fund holds $86,775 after distributing $5,597 during 2025/26, with eligible people in need able to receive assistance under rules that do not require a minimum reserve to be retained.

Shoalhaven City Council’s Fund Committee was advised that money can be distributed in accordance with the Mayor’s Relief Fund Rules. No additional payment, funding allocation or eligibility change was approved.

The fund is maintained to relieve people in Australia who are in necessitous circumstances. Its use and distribution remain restricted under the Fund Rules.

The committee received the fund’s 2025/26 financial reports by consent. Deputy Mayor Peter Wilkins chaired the email meeting on 20 August 2026.

Councillor Selena Clancy asked whether interest figures of $5,124 and $3,972 had been transposed in the income statement. The Manager, Reporting and Controls, confirmed the figures accurately represented the fund’s financial performance over the previous two financial years and had not been transposed.

Cr Clancy also asked about $75,188 identified as funds from previous campaigns, including how old the money was and whether restrictions applied to its use. The manager advised that members of the public had contributed to the fund over a number of years, with $75,188 recorded as the balance of undistributed funds at the beginning of the financial year.

The fund’s rules were reaffirmed in revised form by Council resolutions in 2004 and 2009. The manager said the $75,188 remained subject to those rules.

The committee was also asked whether more of the fund could be distributed to eligible community members. It was told there is no required minimum reserve, and the committee can distribute money under the existing rules.

Administration and distribution of the fund will continue under those rules. The meeting did not approve a new payment or alter who is eligible for assistance.