Office of the Cross-Border Commissioner - Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development

We advocate for NSW border communities, businesses and organisations on issues that cross state lines.

Aerial view of bridge and water at start of Hume Weir, Murray River, Albury NSW
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About us

The Office of Cross-Border Commissioner:

  • Is an advocate for cross-border communities, businesses and organisations
  • helps identify, analyse and resolve cross-border issues
  • works closely with local, state and federal colleagues.

The Office of the Cross Border Commissioner works within the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.

The Cross-Border Commissioner is Kalina Koloff, appointed in 2023.

To keep up to date with Office of the Cross-Border Commissioner News, see our News pages and subscribe to our quarterly newsletter.

You can contact us with any feedback, enquiries or concerns.

Also see our Strategic documents.

About NSW border communities

New South Wales shares its borders with four jurisdictions:

These border communities provide outstanding lifestyle choices. They're attractive places to live. Our border communities include more than 620,000 NSW residents.

People living in border areas regard themselves as one community. They may live on one side of the border, in one state, but their everyday lives cross both sides of the border.

Residents often need to comply with rules or policies set by two or more states or territories. This can make day-to-day activities more difficult, and restrict their access to work opportunities, investment, and facilities.

There are 29 NSW local councils that sit along a border. These share strong social and economic ties with their neighbouring state or territory.

Also see Cross-border agreements and issues.

Our vision and programs

Our vision is to facilitate:

  • equitable access and opportunities between border and non-border communities, and 
  • seamless service delivery for people and businesses in cross-border communities.

Also see Strategic documents.

Our commitment 

Our office is committed to working across all levels of government to help resolve any challenges for border communities.

We'll continue to advocate for cross-border communities, advise the NSW Government, and champion better cross-border outcomes for people, businesses, and government agencies. 

Key programs 

The Office of the Cross-Border Commissioner works to: 

  • provide advice on cross-border travel and restrictions during major events, particularly in response to emergency and biosecurity issues
  • improve access to and delivery of essential services
  • enhance investment in cross-border communities, and 
  • improve alignment of border policies and regulations. 

Also see

Community engagement

The NSW Office of the Cross-Border Commissioner assists with the issues that impact people who live or work near a NSW border. If there is a particular cross-border issue affecting your community that you’d like to discuss please contact us at enquiries@cbc.nsw.gov.au.

Our previous community engagement includes:

  • Cross-Border Community Survey 2023 - This year's annual survey closed Sunday 14 May 2023. Findings are helping us guide our priorities in working with other government agencies to solve cross-border issues. 
  • Cross-Border Stakeholder Survey 2022 - Live between 23 May to 14 June 2022. The survey findings have informed, shaped and coordinated the way the Office advocates on cross-border issues.
  • Impact of COVID-19 border closures and restrictions on cross-border communities. We recorded the experiences of cross-border communities from 2020 to 2022 as a result of the response to COVID-19 health directions, travel restrictions and border closures. We worked with thousands of people and businesses in cross-border communities during this time, and because of this talked to a range of people to ensure their experiences were recorded. This will inform our ongoing work and contribute to the advice we provide to improve the NSW Government's consideration of cross-border issues and decision making, particularly related to major events.

Contact us 

We welcome feedback, inquiries and submissions from cross-border communities.

  • Email us direct at: enquiries@cbc.nsw.gov.au
  • Write to us at: 1 Monaro Street, Queanbeyan NSW 2620
  • Call us on: (02) 6022 0699
  • You can also follow us on LinkedIn and subscribe to our quarterly newsletter.

Legal issues

If you have a legal issue, the NSW Government provides a free government phone service for legal information, referrals, and in some cases, advice for people who have a legal problem in NSW. For more information, go to the LawAccess NSW website or phone LawAccess NSW on 1300 888 529.

More about our cross-border work

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