Councillors formally adopted the Council and Wellbeing Plan 2025-2029 at the September 23 council meeting, laying out what is in store for the shire for the rest of this sitting council’s term.
The plan is built upon four key priority areas council aims to implement:
- Revitalise assets and infrastructure
- Accelerate economic development
- Invigorate public spaces
- Enhance community capacity and wellbeing
The plan commits to implementing a number of strategies and projects, including progressing the aquatic strategy, implementing shire-wide flood studies to ensure flood mitigation, investigating how council can become climate resilient, and more.
Community consultation for the plan had been held since November 2024, and included online surveys, youth discussion groups, citizen panels, engagement with registered Aboriginal parties, and engagement with health, wellbeing and diversity and inclusion reference groups.
It also lays out strategic performance indicators by which council aims to measure success, which includes delivering capital works programs, 60 per cent of planning applications decided within 60 days, increasing number of events held, and completion of a number of health and wellbeing programs.
However, the measuring of success became a flashpoint at the meeting when Cr Adrian Weston criticised what he believed to be unclear performance indicators, arguing they lacked substance.
“When I read the indicators of success or the performance indicators, some of them don’t measure anything,” he said.
“So I’m not sure how we’re able to gauge success when they don’t actually specify that they’re measuring anything.”
He also argued the plans were not ready for adoption due to a lack of clarity and transparency regarding fair treatment across different sized towns, and wanted to delay the adoption.
“I do have some … concerns about what I consider to be unequal treatment in some of the strategies of larger centres and smaller towns, and I hold that as a concern at that strategic level,” he said.
Speaking to Cr Weston’s point, Cr Paul Jarman — who moved the motion to adopt the plan — conceded it might not be “perfect” but said it was a necessary “starting point”.
“I think the opportunity to continue to tune where our community is at and report back to them where we’re kicking and where we struggle — I think that is one of the reasons why I think this council plan works,” he said.
“The goals are clear — the initiatives are clear.”
When put to the vote, the Council and Wellbeing Plan 2025-2029 was adopted 6-3, with Crs Jarman, Zoe Cook, Tony Marwood, Daniel Mackrell, Luke Sharrock and Rob Amos voting for.
Crs Weston, Jessica Mitchell and John Zobec voted against the adoption.
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