Loo with a View

 

I wasn't really expecting to do another post so soon but a few people have asked about the Loo with a View Survey so here goes!

Concern has been expressed by Councillors that the survey probably wasn't indicative of the sentiment of the Swansea area.  It is recognised that we have an aging demographic in the Swansea area and the Facebook forum may not be the best way to run a survey.  

 How do we get the message out about surveys and other communications in the changing world of print media.  As a society, we do seem to be gravitating towards electronic means of communication in all forums but is it fair?   To answer my own question, probably not!  We seem to assume that everyone has an email address but that really isn't the case either in some areas.  It is evident that there is a shift away from electronic transactions of various sorts with all the hacking and scams going on so it is a real dilemma. 

At the last Council meeting, it was decided that the General Manager should bring a report to the January meeting with a suggestion for the siting/use of the Loo with a View building that was constructed some time ago. We do have to get the best outcome for the use of the building.  Do you have a preference but didn't participate in the survey for whatever reason? If you have an email address, drop Councillors a line - council@freycinet.tas.gov.au before the 10th January.  We'd love to hear from you.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

 

I can't believe that it has been 5 weeks since the declaration of election of Councillors and my last blog!  It seems that 2022 has managed to rocket by in the blink of an eye.  

The new Council has been very busy with an induction day that presented as much as possible about the legislation, acting as a planning authority, Code of Conduct and the myriad of other things that form the steep learning curve of being elected to Council.  Despite being on Council for 20+ years, I found the induction very valuable with the changes that included the Statewide Planning Scheme and some changes to the Local Government Act.  

There's more change on the way and community members are encouraged to check out the State Government's website - https://engage.futurelocal.tas.gov.au/   There's a couple of options papers out right now that may prove interesting to ratepayers.  The review is due for completion in June 2023 and whilst it is not really using the A word (amalgamation), it is talking about boundary adjustments and making Councils more sustainable.  I confess to not having read all the documentation as yet.  It will probably form some not so light reading over the Christmas break.

Council supports our local schools with a citizenship award that is known as the Mayoral Medal.  It is always a pleasure to attend a school and see the wonderful work that the dedicated teachers do for the younger members of our community.  Triabunna District School has had enormous success this past year with academic achievements across National and State education testing programs.

What are you doing for Christmas and New Year?  I hope you get to spend it with those you love this year free from the dreaded Covid.  Whatever you do, stay safe in whatever activity you undertake.  

Christmas is a very special time for families and friends from all walks of life.  Whatever your faith may be, enjoy this Festive Season.  We can only hope that 2023 gives all of us a break from Covid or poor weather.                          

                                 

                    MERRY CHRISTMAS and SAFE AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL