Bass Coast Shire Council has again been selected to represent other Victorian Councils on the State Government's 2022 Mayoral Advisory Panel.
Bass Coast Mayor, Cr Michael Whelan, will be joining nine other Victorian Mayors on the Panel, which will be focused on COVID-19 recovery, gender equality and strengthening relationships with First Nations Victorians.
"This is both an honour and a critical role to help represent the needs of Bass Coast, Gippsland and other large rural Victorian councils at the state-level," Cr Whelan said.
"It's quite a recognition and acknowledgement for Bass Coast, that we continue to be selected to have a representative 'voice at the table' of State Government. This follows on from my colleague and our previous Mayor, Cr Brett Tessari, being a member of this panel in 2020," said Cr Whelan.
The selection for the Mayoral Advisory Panel comes at a time when raising local issues at higher levels of government bears greater significance.
"We've already been working hard to raise the profile of a range of local and regional advocacy items that are important to our communities. There's a real opportunity here to amplify that and ensure those community voices are heard where it matters most," concluded Cr Whelan.
The ten mayor panel will be chaired by Minister for Local Government Shaun Leane and will meet with him four times this year, to provide advice on a range of matters that impact local government.