After comprehensive community consultation, Baw Baw Shire Council endorsed the 2023 Advocacy Priorities at its meeting on Wednesday 26 April.
The draft priorities were placed on exhibition from Monday 9 January through Sunday 26 February 2023. Consultation was conducted via online surveys using Council's' Have Your Say' platform, through direct outreach to community organisations and in person at local pop-up events.
Council received 125 survey responses as well as written submissions from:
- The Baw Baw Ratepayers Association
- Bike and Walk Warragul
- Rokeby Hall and Reserve Committee of Management
- Trafalgar & District Probus Club
- Walhalla Goldfields Railway
- West Gippsland Healthcare Group, and
- The Baw Baw Shire Council Early Years Advisory Committee.
A broad cross section of Baw Baw residents completed the survey with 70% of participants supporting the priorities as they appeared in the draft.
The results showed a high level of community desire for Council to further advocate for environmental sustainability projects, economic development, improving planning outcomes in the built environment and increasing active transport options.
In response to community and officer feedback, Council has amended the 2023 Advocacy Priorities to include Early Years Infrastructure Investment as an additional Tier One priority. The addition reflects the need for resources to address the extra pressure added by the three-year-old kinder reforms, recently mandated by the State Government.
The 2023 Priorities were further updated to include:
- a new Tier Two priority reflecting Council's role in promoting and facilitating local business growth and workforce development
- a commitment to advocating for fairer government contributions toward the planning and construction of sports pavilions and playing surfaces
- a commitment to advocating for active transport opportunities that align to Council's Paths and Trails Strategy
You can view Baw Baw Shire Council's 2023 Advocacy Priorities by visiting www.bawbawshire.vic.gov.au/advocacy
Quotes attributable to Mayor Cr Annemarie McCabe
"Advocating for projects and services that support a healthy, sustainable and thriving community now and into the future is crucial.
Much rigour has gone into developing our advocacy priorities, we've defined the most pressing infrastructure and service gaps affecting Baw Baw Shire.
With these priorities set, we have a clear community-mandated framework to plan and deliver targeted advocacy to State and Federal Government, to strengthen strategic regional partnerships and to achieve the best outcomes for our community".
