IN the second part of our feature looking at visions and aspirations for 2022, we hear from our respective local Victorian and New South Wales federal MPs, Anne Webster and Sussan Ley. They discuss health care, roads, infrastructure and connectivity, while local council mayors, Charlie Gillingham (Gannawarra) and Chris Bilkey (Murray River) rise to hope as communities emerge out of the pandemic.
Gannawarra Shire Council – Charlie Gillingham
HOPEFULLY 2022 will be the year that the Gannawarra will emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic stronger and more connected.
Residents have done an amazing job to support local businesses, but it is important that we keep doing this whenever possible.
By doing this, we are keeping residents employed and engaged with the community.
It is just as important to encourage more businesses to the area. Initiatives such as the VHM Mineral Sands project near Lalbert, the diversification of the agriculture sector and the future growth projected during and following the construction of KerangLink will set up the Gannawarra for our next generation of residents.
Although it is great to look forward, it is just as important to appreciate what we have now.
Residents and visitors are already benefiting from transformational works completed at Cohuna and Kerang, and 2022 will see more of these major projects started or completed. These include the second stage of the Cohuna waterfront development, the third stage of the Kerang CBD redevelopment, the Murrabit stormwater project, the Quambatook sustainable water project and the construction of The Glasshouse @ The Gannawarra, to be located at Kerang’s Sir John Gorton Library.
These projects would not be possible without the valuable support of the State and Federal governments, and council will strive in 2022 to strengthen the relationship between our other two levels of government.
Finally, the past two years has shown us is the importance to support our most vulnerable residents, specifically our younger and senior residents. If we continue to be kind to each other and help out where possible, we will continue to make the Gannawarra a great place to live.
Murray River Council Mayor – Chris Bilkey
THE summer is almost over, it’s back to school and 2022 stretches away in front of us with who knows what in store.
Two years of living with COVID make us very wary of making any predictions and plans, and those we do make have to be hedged with ifs and buts.
Nonetheless, at council, we have to make plans. The State Government demands it of us, and it makes good sense anyway. So we have long-term plans to construct from which we derive medium-term plans and short-term plans, as well as yearly budgets.
The most important of these is our Community Strategic Plan (CSP). It’s a 10-year look ahead to the key strategic directions we as a community want to pursue, and it is from this plan that all the others take their lead.
From the week beginning February 6, we will be starting our extensive face-to-face consultations with every community in our footprint and with specific business groups.
These consultations will be augmented by direct input from the community by email, through our website and any other means a resident wishes.
Our aim is to collect big, strategic ideas that will shape our long-term directions and objectives and drive our shorter-term plans and budgets.
It’s not called a Community Strategic Plan for nothing. It is driven by you, the community we serve.
And as we talk about planning, what do you think is the biggest item in our expense column of the council’s accounts? Employee salaries? Road maintenance? Water and sewer costs?
No. It’s depreciation. And it reflects the success we have had through building the council assets via grants and council investment in our roads, sporting facilities, bridges and so on.
Every time we build one of those we have to add an expense to our budget that reflects the expected maintenance cost.
It has put our budget into deficit and represents a challenge for us to manage. But looking forward, council is currently undertaking a review of the value of our assets to make sure they are properly valued (and that the depreciation figure is right), and whether the rates of depreciation are appropriate. It’s a big job, but it has to be done to get things right.
Council has to look at ways of offsetting these rising costs, and one of those ways is to generate income over and above those represented by rates, fees and charges.
One option is to capitalise on some of our land assets by developing them for residential, business or industrial use, and that will be a focus for this council in the coming year. Living with COVID is becoming easier. We hope that will continue, and that the damage it has done to individuals and businesses will continue to decline.
In the meantime, we wish you well as this year gets underway, and we continue to return to a semblance of normality.
Member for Farrer – Sussan Ley
AS we see off the challenges thrown at us in 2021, a thanks to the Gannawarra Times for allowing me the chance to wish you the best for the balance of the holiday period and year ahead.
While the Morrison Government’s focus will obviously remain on supressing the virus, the core business of government continues in delivering the support every community in Farrer relies on.
In the past three years, I have been proud to find an extra $450 million for projects and programs across the electorate, including $41 million alone in the Murray River
Council region, ranging from money for pre-schools, energy efficiency grants, bridge and road safety upgrades, though to incentives for new doctors and farm workers to make this region their home.
With travel restrictions easing in the past couple of months, it’s been great to see tourists and travellers out and about enjoying the beautiful Murray region.
And while we’re seeing a full river running this year, my ongoing focus is to ensure the rollout of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan is fairly balanced between the needs of irrigators and river communities, as well as protecting this precious local environment.
Balance is also the key in the government’s work to combat the effects of climate change without damaging our region’s economic gains, continuing to back small businesses through to the larger manufacturers who each perform such a pivotal role in keeping our region in work.
Whatever the coming months bring, stay safe — indoors, and out — and here’s to a better, brighter 2022.
Member for Mallee – Anne Webster
AMONG the return of more freedoms, Member for Mallee Anne Webster said she is looking forward to again working hard for the Mallee leading up to and hopefully after the 2022 election.
Dr Webster said she was excited for several projects that were still in the pipeline and hoped that she would be able to do more work towards her improving her five priority areas.
Dr Webster outlined health care, roads, infrastructure and connectivity, workforces, industries and small businesses, and environment and planning as five priority areas in which she would continue working to improve.
Dr Webster said she had 59 projects across the Mallee on her wishlist for the new year.
“Not everyone is going to get up, but I will continue to work and support every council, agency, community group and business.”
