ENDORSING a digital future for the Moyne Shire in collaboration with two neighbouring shires was discussed at the March council meeting on Tuesday at Mortlake.
Acknowledging in the agenda that the strategy was inspired by the Southern Grampians Shire, management consulting company Delos Delta was engaged to drive the consultation with Moyne, Warrnambool and Corangamite local government areas.
The Great South Coast Regional Digital Strategy (GSCRDS) was claimed to be a project that “aims to coordinate digital technologies to better serve, respond and interact with residents, businesses, and visitors” and is fully funded by the State Government.
The vision of the three councils was to create “a region that embraces digital transformation, innovation, and smart technology solutions to improve liveability, sustainability, collaboration, and economic opportunities”.
The agenda for the meeting laid out more detail.
“By coordinating on a single Strategy, the three partnering Councils can pool resources, develop shared actions based off individual and collective goals; and act decisively in a way that is greater for the broader community than the sum of their respective parts,” the agenda said.
“All three councils aspire to create a digital region that is inclusive, sustainable, accessible, future-proofed, people-focused, safe and secure, transparent and collaborative.”
During the meeting, Moyne Shire Economic Development & Customer Experience manager, Darby Lee, was asked about how this would apply to individual projects and he said it was still early in the process - “the strategy outlines some aspirations and some concepts, but nothing concrete”.
“But with that in mind, with the consultation through Moyne we did highlight agriculture as one of our top two priorities,” he said.
“Part of that is to also improve connectivity and accessibility in some of our regional areas, because we think there's great potential in agriculture to adopt new technology.”
Delos Delta’s website said it has been “working with governments and private partners across Australia, Asia Pacific, Middle East, North Africa and beyond” and has “deep smart city expertise”, including:
Port Fairy Playground Strategy update
FOLLOWING community feedback and advice from an expert consultant, two additional sites have been included for consideration as part of the Port Fairy Playground Strategy.
Martins Point Reserve and Railway Place are now also being considered as potential locations for a new “district level” playground and for a new skate park for Port Fairy.
Whilst the State Government’s Marine and Costal Act sets design and development conditions and requirements for further development at Martins Point, it will still be considered as a location option.
Work on the strategy is progressing well and is expected to be completed in July/August.
The strategy will identify gaps in play and active recreation experiences across Port Fairy and inform the location, design and investment needed to develop the new play space and skate park facilities that Council and the community want to see happen.
The previously selected site at George Dodds Reserve for the skate park was seen as problematic due to the nearby Latham Snipe nesting area.
Construction would have required exemption under the Federal Environment Act, a complex and lengthy process and there was a risk that approval may not have been provided.
The $400,000 for the skate park is reserved in Council’s budget and the consultants have been provided with the previously developed skate park design concepts.
Council said they understand the frustration in the community and is committed to the delivery of a skate park in the near future.
Council will provide further updates as the strategy progresses - including opportunities for community comment and input.
