After last year’s council election saw the Cobar Shire Council come up one seat short, the Shire is holding a by-election next month, with two candidates in the running for the position. 

Cobar residents Jesse Cochrane and Michael Prince will be going head to head to fill the remaining seat on council, with the community coming together to vote for the second time this term. 

Mr Cochrane said he is eager to see change in Cobar, and would’ve made that more clear by standing for council in December, but his employment prevented him from taking the plunge. 

“I was working for the NSW Rural Fire Service last year, and it’s actually a conflict of interest to be employed by the RFS and to be a member of council, because funding for bushfire business in the Far West regions is dealt with through the Cobar Shire,” Mr Cochrane said. 



After a career change late last year, Mr Cochrane said that he wants to be a part of fixing the challenges he has both seen and experienced within the town. 

“I have a passion for wanting to make a difference, particularly trying to make the place more liveable for younger people. When trying to attract new families to the town I think we need some fresh ideas within the council, particularly around schooling and childcare, where there is such a lack of it,” Mr Cochrane said. 

“A fresh perspective amongst an older generation of councillors will really make a difference,” Mr Cochrane said. 

Having moved to the area in 2019, Mr Cochrane also had first hand experience with the difficulties in finding suitable housing, both in rental and real estate, an issue which he believes to be a major challenge for the shire. 

“To try and attract people to town I think there needs to be some new developments. Particularly if people want to move to the bush, they want to live in a quality house. They’re not going to pack up from the city and move out here into a little fibro shack,” he said. 

For Cobar-born Michael Prince, there is room for improvement across the shire. 

“I’ve got a lot of goals. A lot of things need fixing around the place and that doesn’t seem to be happening. (The council) is doing a good job…but there’s still a lot to be done,” Mr Prince said. 

Running a business in Cobar’s industrial area, Mr Prince said that the area is in dramatic need of upgrade. 

“The roads, the gutters and the drainage, it’s all disgusting,” Mr Prince said. 

“I’d also like to try and see about getting more doctors for the town.”

Mr Prince said that for Cobar, the biggest challenge has and will continue to be the FIFO workers at the local mine.

“They stay in the miners' camp out of town and then don’t spend any money (in Cobar). They don’t bring family and local schools have fallen off,” Mr Prince said.

The ultimate fix, Mr Prince said, would be to find long term employees for the mine, who can contribute to both the local community and economy. 

Mr Prince said that with a lifetime of living in Cobar, he wants to help make the necessary improvements. 

“I have the opinion that you can’t sit back and whinge if you don’t want to have a go at fixing things up,” Mr Prince said. 

Enrolled Cobar locals will be required to vote in the by-election on Saturday, 26 February.