Local communities in the far west of NSW remain "voiceless" on issues such as the health of the Darling River, with the state's biggest shire council stuck in administration until 2020.

Central Darling's shire council was taken over by the state government in 2014 in what has been dubbed by academics "Australia's first example of local government financial failure".

Good times: waters flooding back into Lake Menindee after record winter rains in western NSW. Credit:Nick Moir

The 1800-odd residents of the giant shire, which covers 53,500 square kilometres, or about 80 per cent of the size of Tasmania, won't get to vote for local representatives until after the next state election.

Darriea Turley, mayor of neighbouring Broken Hill, said residents were being left "in the dark" on matters such as the lack of flows in the lower Darling River.