Forbes Shire Mayor and President of Local Government NSW, Mayor Phyllis Miller OAM has been recognised for her three decades of service to the people of Forbes and to the Local Government sector in general.
media release 23 October 2025:
Mayor Miller received the highest honour at today’s announcement of the 2025 Ministers’ Awards for Women in Local Government held at Parliament House, Sydney.
The Councillor Lilliane Brady OAM Award is named after Cr Lilliane Brady who served as mayor of Cobar Shire for more than 20 years and sat on the local council for 40 years. At the time of her death in 2021, Mayor Brady was the longest-serving female mayor in the history of NSW.
The winner of the Award is determined by the Minister for Local Government and recognises and honours the dedication and tireless work of a female council staff member or elected representative.
Mayor Miller said receiving the award in honour of Lilliane Brady was particularly special as she had worked closely with the late Mayor over many decades.
“I had the tremendous honour of working closely with Lillian for over 2 decades, so this is such an honour to receive an award in her name. As a fellow country mayor, we had a lot in common – we exchanged ideas and we solved problems together. We even stayed at each other’s houses. She was an amazing servant to the community of Cobar, and I hope that I have similarly helped the great people of Forbes over the years,” Mayor Miller said.
“These awards recognising the work of women in local government are so important,” said Mayor Miller.
“We desperately need to highlight the strong, fierce, determined and inspiring women doing incredible work in their communities. I really love that these awards recognise projects and initiatives that are aimed at increasing female participation in local government.”