AND 2023 DRAWS TO A CLOSE

 

One of the joys I have as Mayor is attending the school presentation assemblies.  I have been able to attend Triabunna, Orford and Bicheno but unfortunately not Swansea (due to a conflicting appointment).  All the schools have showcased the amazing work done by students supported by very talented teaching staff.  We are so lucky in our area to have small rural public schools who have the welfare and well-being of all students at heart.

We have so many talented artists and musicians in our school communities.  As someone who can't play a note or draw a straight line, I am always in awe of that talent especially when the kinder/prep students step onto the stage.   Couple this is the academic achievements of students and the future is looking very positive for our area and indeed the State.

One of the exciting aspects of life on the east coast is the number of very successful businesses we have in all areas.  Our industries shine whether on the local or world stage.  Please take the time to shop locally and support those that support us in so many ways.  Many of the businesses step up when asked for donations for community events so the least we can do is support them.  The support by businesses of the various Christmas activities across our municipal area was appreciated by all the volunteer organisers and brought so much joy to so many. 

As 2023 draws to a close, I take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support and wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Stay safe whether you are on the roads or on the water

Mayoral Moment December

 

Welcome to the last Mayoral Moment for 2023 following our Council meeting on 12^th December.

Due to the short timeframe between meetings, there were no planning matters to be considered.  Following an extensive review of the budget by staff, Councillors supported a proposed revised budget to provide certainty to some projects and infrastructure work.

At the meeting we adopted a Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy that is one of the first steps in becoming a child safe organisation in accordance with the newly introduced Tasmanian Child and Youth Safe Organisations Act 2023.  Over coming months, Council officers will be reviewing internal policies and procedures to align them with this new policy and ensuring that we embed child and youth safe practices and culture across all aspects of the organisation.  It will not be an easy task and one that will require whole of local government sector support through the Local Government Association of Tasmania, but Council is committed to continuing this journey.

Councillors and staff were very pleased to receive the Audit Panel’s report on the year.  We were delighted to note the positive comments of our Audit Panel on the journey of renewal that we have undertaken so far.

Council positively supported the notice of motion from Clr Neil Edwards to have further water quality testing done in the Coles Bay area. 

By the time you read this, the Bicheno Skate and Wheel Park will have been officially opened.  This has been a 20-year journey for the Bicheno community that started when a group of young people fronted up to a Council meeting in the Bicheno Hall and requested Council’s support for a skatepark.  It is wonderful to see it now come to fruition and something for the young, and perhaps not so young, skateboarders and wheel riders to enjoy for years to come.

2024 is shaping up to be another busy year across the local government sector and in Glamorgan Spring Bay.  All our staff are committed to doing the very best they can for our communities and as elected members the Councillors will support them in every way we can. 

On behalf of the Deputy Mayor, Councillors, General Manager and all staff, I take this opportunity to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year.  As the General Manager regularly says, it’s onwards and upwards for Glamorgan Spring Bay in 2024!

Cheryl Arnol

Mayor

Mayoral Moment November 2023

Welcome to the Mayoral Moment following the Ordinary Meeting of Council on 28th November 2023.

It was something of a record that the meeting was over in about 36 minutes.  I’ve never really known an ordinary meeting to go for so little time but as mentioned by a fellow Councillor, we didn’t have anything controversial to deal with outside of the Government’s proposed Development Assessment Panels (DAP’s).  

Council has taken the view that we may support DAP’s, but it will be reliant on the matters in our submission being addressed.    Overall, Council supports reforms that improve the operation and integrity of the planning system, but that support must be earnt through meaningful engagement with the local government sector and the community.

As always, Councillors were pleased to support community small grant applications and events support.  The Swansea Community Christmas Parade and the Pop-Up Bookstall (P.U.B.S.) in Triabunna were recipients of community small grants and the Coles Bay Triathlon received funding under the events support budget.   

Although not dealt with in this agenda, the other matter that is at the forefront of our minds is the latest report from the Future of Local Government Review Board.  The Board has made a number of recommendations for reform of local government but the one that affects Glamorgan Spring Bay the most at this point is recommendation 4.  

It is implied in Recommendation 4 that Council has had significant consultation with our neighbouring Councils and that GSBC is open to reform, but are we?    My personal view is that the reform board has taken our open-minded approach and used it against us. I stress this is my personal view and may not reflect the view of my fellow Councillors.   It is important to note that as a Council, the Mayor and General Manager had one meeting in the stage 1 days with Sorell (and Tasman) and 2 meetings with Break O’Day (BODC); one in stage 1 and one in stage 2.  Both were called by BODC and were very informal discussions.  

The current reform board has accepted that the government must fund an investigation into the potential merger with their recommendation that the government initiate a local government board to undertake the work into ‘voluntary mergers’ of all the named Councils in recommendation 4.  I am not convinced that all the Councils named in the voluntary merger recommendation (as Phase 1) will in fact agree to be included.  There is considerable discussion to be had over the next 6 or 7 weeks between all those parties to enable an informed and well-reasoned submission by the various Councils to be put to the Minister.

In my view, and I stress it is only my personal view, a much better way to reform local government would be giving the sector a Local Government Act that is fit for purpose.  The current Act is now 30 years old and does not provide a sound basis for good governance.   There are some recommendations in the report around mandating certain things for Councils.  Surely it would make sense to provide clear direction in a new Act for the future before mergers occur.   It could well be that the current 29 Councils would be ‘reformed’ by that process.  

The Tasmanian Government is inviting comment and submissions on the report until the 29th February 2024.  You will find the report at Future of Local Government Review – Tasmanian Government (futurelocal.tas.gov.au)

Until next time, stay safe.  

Cheryl Arnol

Mayor