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NEWS FROM THE CHAMBERS
Local Government Week 2016
8 SOVP Councillors and the CEO attended the 2016 Local Government Week convention which was held
at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre. All agreed that there were some wonderful speakers and
that they learned a lot. As always, with attendance at these events, not all the learning goes on in the
conference sessions as networking opportunities with Councillors from other Shires also provides valuable
information particularly for new members of Council. Written Councillor reports on the convention are
included in the minutes of the August Council meeting which will be posted on the Shire website once
confirmed. Final keynote speaker Michael Crossland received a standing ovation for his talk resulting in
the Shire purchasing 3 copies of his Autobiography—Children Don’t Get Cancer, one for each of the
libraries in the Shire. Residents are urged to borrow the book from your local library as it is well worth the
read.
Camp Kulin Donation
Councillors were very moved by the story of Camp Kulin presented by camp manager Tanya Dupagne at
the Convention. So much so that a motion was put to the August meeting that the Shire donate $1,050
which equates to sponsoring 3 children at the camp. The donation was broken down into 2 general
sponsorships and 1 specifically for a child from Victoria Plains. Unfortunately there is a waiting list of
approximately 3 years because the camp is that popular.
National Roads and Transport Congress
Council has approved for the Works Manager and Cr’s Kelly and Smith to attend the National Road and
Transport Congress in Toowoomba Queensland in November. The congress, run by the Australian Local
Government Association is the main Federal road forum and is held in rural locations around Australia
each year.
Secondary Road Freight Routes
Council at its August meeting resolved to contribute $5,000 towards the technical assessment of roads
put forward for the secondary road freight routes. The secondary route through Victoria Plains is the
Aglime route. Once the freight route is finalised a funding application will be lodged with the Federal
Government to upgrade all roads on the route to RAV 7.
New Shire Logo
After the survey results were tallied there was a majority of residents who want the Shire logo changed but
many are unsure about the 2 suggested new logos. Council has decided that they will get a price from
Market Creations in Geraldton to look at modernising the existing logo rather than going for a complete
new look.
Goodbye from the Chief Executive Officer
Council approved a request from CEO Harry Hawkins to leave Victoria Plains on the 2
nd
September 2016
as he has been appointed to the position of CEO at the Shire of Sandstone. Harry was due to finish on the
31
st
December 2016.
Risk Management – Public Events
Did you know that
ALL
public events require Shire approval?
This is a requirement under the Health (Public Buildings) Regulations.
A public event is defined as “a gathering of people brought together for a
common purpose by some pre-arrangement – and which is
open to the public
”.
The Shire has updated the Public Event Notification Guidelines and Forms, including
risk assessment. You can download these from the Shire website or contact the
Community Development Officer, 9628 7004 (Monday – Wednesday) or via email
cdo@victoriaplains.wa.gov.au.