Murrindindi Shire Council announced on Friday Yea, Toolangi/Castella and Marysville as the locations where the new community planning framework ‘Towards 2030 – Planning Our Future’ will be trialled in 2019.
Murrindindi Shire Mayor Sandice McAulay said with the support of Australia’s largest general insurer IAG and its local brands CGU and WFI insurance, and input from more than 40 participants in our working groups, Council has been working on the development and rollout of this community planning framework for some time now.
“During the ‘Have Your Say’ community feedback process, we heard that communities are looking for Council to engage differently. People told us that they wanted more of a say in how things happen in their towns. That’s how the ‘Towards 2030 – Planning Our Future’ initiative began,” McAulay said.
“At the community end, ‘Towards 2030’ aims to put communities in the driver’s seat to understand their local challenges, identify priorities for the future and collaborate in the creation and delivery of solutions for their towns.
“At the Council end, ‘Towards 2030’ seeks to strengthen relationships, communication and trust between Council and communities.
“We are currently in middle of recruiting for two part-time Community Planning Officers who will work on the implementation of these 12-month trials.
“These officers will work closely with community groups to create their plans and look at ways their priorities can be achieved. The Community Planning Officers will also help Council understand community priorities and plan its resources and processes to help facilitate achieving those priorities.
“We can’t wait to roll up our sleeves and get started working with the Yea, Toolangi/Castella and Marysville communities. This new approach to community planning stands to have a wonderful and significant impact of the future of these towns,” McAulay said.
“Don’t worry if your town missed out this time, we’re hoping these trials go so well that they will be rolled out in other towns too.
“IAG have been a wonderful partner in this work, providing funding to support the development of community planning in Murrindindi Shire. Plus, they’ve just announced they will be supporting us with the implementation stage as well.
IAG Executive Manager Safer Communities Jen Cobley said they are excited to be supporting community members across Murrindindi Shire for this trial program.
“We know communities that are better connected are more resilient and better equipped to bounce back after unexpected events. This is why we’ve partnered with the Murrindindi Shire Council on the ‘Toward 2030 – Planning Our Future’ initiative.
“We’re interested to see what challenges and solutions are identified through this initiative, and look forward to seeing the community come together to drive this process,” Cobley said.
