Cr Brian Hood
It certainly has been a busy month at Council with many community events held and project milestones reached.
In brilliant news Daylesford won the Victoria tourism award in the category of towns with a population less than 5000 and will now enter the national awards. The past month saw the wonderfully renovated Central Springs Reserve officially opened while the first 32 kilometres of Creswick Mountain Bike Trails – Djuwang Baring – were opened five months early. A community event will be held in December when the remaining 28 kilometres are completed and opened. The trails are already being enjoyed in big numbers and local traders report a pleasing upturn in economic activity.
Council launched its first arts and culture strategy; celebrated a number of Tiny Towns grants for a diverse range of projects across the Shire; Trentham celebrated its first Winterfest; and Council awarded sustainability and environmental grants to community groups. Minister for Equality, Harriet Shing, and local state member, Mary-Anne Thomas, helped launch Council’s Rainbow Action Plan – an important and ambitious statement of Council’s commitment to achieving equality and ending discrimination for the LGBTIQA+ community.
Key outcomes from the 20th August July Council meeting were the adoption of Council’s second Reconciliation Action Plan; awarding a contract for lighting at Victoria Park Daylesford; noting solid progress against the Annual Plan initiatives; and changed arrangements for the two upcoming Special Meetings.
The Reconciliation Action Plan enables organisations to continuously advance their reconciliation commitments. Hepburn Shire Council’s first Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan successfully built relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and specifically with Traditional Owners of the land on which Hepburn Shire is located, the Dja Dja Wurrung peoples. That plan identified areas where Council could have the most meaningful impact on reconciliation activities and projects within the Shire. The Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan seeks to further develop relationships with members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community and Dja Dja Wurrung peoples through innovative approaches which align with the goals outlined in the Dja Dja Wurrung ‘Dhelkunya Dja’ Country Plan and the Recognition Settlement Agreement (RSA).
A $307,000 contract will upgrade sports lighting for the oval and netball courts at Victoria Park, Daylesford. The oval lighting upgrade will meet AFL local club competition and match practice standards and the netball court sports lighting upgrade will meet Netball Victoria mid-level competition standards.
In a unanimous decision councillors resolved to amend arrangements for the upcoming Special Meetings on 3rd September – proposed adoption of town structure plans and rural strategy – and 10th September – proposed adoption of a long-term financial plan. Community members will now be able to attend those meetings in-person, as well as virtually, and to table questions beforehand and to address Council at the meetings.
The Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) will conduct elections for all 79 Councils across Victoria on the 26th October 2024. Information on voting, the changed electoral structure for Hepburn Shire, candidacy and other matters is available on Council’s website here and the VEC website. Council enters the statutory caretaker period at noon on the 17th September.
Cr Brian Hood is the elected Councillor for Coliban Ward and is currently the Mayor of Hepburn Shire.
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