MESSAGE FROM THE SHIRE PRESIDENT

Welcome to the Shire of Busselton’s first electronic newsletter, designed to provide information to community members and other stakeholders. As an individual, group or organisation associated in some way with the Shire of Busselton this newsletter has been forwarded to you. If you do not wish to receive this newsletter please click here to unsubscribe and you will be removed from our mailing list.

It is the Shire’s aim to communicate with its stakeholders through a variety of methods and we would be interested to hear whether you find this format and information useful. We would also like your comments on what other types of information you would like to see included. Please email your feedback to mycomments@busselton.wa.gov.au.

Kevin Douglas
Shire President

HEADLINES

• Airport
• Community Directory
• Community Survey
• NEW Strategic Plan
• 4th Rates Installment Due-Payment Options
• New Waste Collection Services
• Rural Numbering
• Port Geographe
• Holy Mile (Locke Estate)
• Busselton Jetty Repairs
• Council's pledge to victims of Cyclone Larry

RECENT COUNCIL MEETING OUTCOMES

The agendas and minutes of Council’s meetings are available on the Shire’s website.

NEED A HAND DIRECTORY

The directory has been compiled to help promote organisations and services that are available and accessible to seniors and people with disabilities who are located within the Shire of Busselton. It has been developed as a user-friendly resource for community and human resource workers, carers, volunteers, families, individuals and the general community.

This Directory has over 200 individual entries providing a wide range of community services from support groups to health services to telephone and online assistance. The majority of these services are highly accessible to people living within the local area. Copies are available for $2.00 from the following locations :

• Customer Service Centre at the Shire of Busselton
• Naturaliste Community Centre
• Busselton Senior Citizens Centre
• Wesley Do Care (Kent Street Uniting Church)
• Busselton Volunteers Centre

An electronic copy of the directory is also available on the Shire's Website.

AIRPORT

The Shire of Busselton has joined with a number of other agencies to form an Airport Working Group. The Group has identified a number of key focus areas to attract more flights into the Busselton Airport. One of these focus areas is the ‘fly in, fly out’ workforce. The Shire is keen to determine who from the local community currently flies to somewhere in the state and assess demand to see if they would be interested in either flying directly to their employment town or take a connecting flight to Perth.

To register your interest Click Here.

COMMUNITY DIRECTORY

The Shire of Busselton’s 2006 / 2007 Community Directory is currently being finalised for distribution in July 2006. As with the current Directory it will also be available to view on the Shire’s website.

Every effort is made to ensure the information contained in the Directory is correct at the time of publication however should you find an error please email your comments to mycomments@busselton.wa.gov.au.

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COMMUNITY SURVEY

Results of a wide-ranging community survey released in February played a critical role in determining the direction of the Shire of Busselton’s five year strategic plan.

Shire President, Cr Kevin Douglas said that the community survey had been an invaluable exercise because it was injecting ratepayers’ thoughts and concerns directly into the strategic planning process.

“It means that the goals and activities we set for the next five years are linked to the concerns and perceptions we are hearing from our community. As a result, the strategic plan we follow until 2011 will be a much better reflection of what the community says is important because we have hard evidence on which to base our decision-making.”

The full version of the Community Survey is available on the Shire’s Website or a summary document can be obtained by emailing your request to mycomments@busselton.wa.gov.au

Key results of the community survey included:

• Environmental sustainability is the broad area of greatest overall importance to residents.
• The most important facilities and services provided to residents are bush fire control, beach and foreshore management, mosquito control, public bins and parking in Busselton and Dunsborough.
• The service provision that residents are most satisfied with includes the local libraries, the recycling collection, parks and gardens and sporting ovals.
• The services or facilities that residents are least satisfied with are the main jetty at Busselton, the standard of roads in the Shire, Leavers Week, environmental pollution control and mosquito control.
• Residents support of the commercial development of the main foreshore area in Busselton.

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STRATEGIC PLAN

The Shire's new Strategic Plan was presented to a broad cross-section of the community on 27th April, 2006 by the Shire President and CEO. The Plan, covering the period 2006-2011, is now available on the Shire's website. Click here to view the new Strategic Plan. It is intended to provide the community with a clear direction and basis for the Shire's activities over the next five years and will be reviewed annually prior to the preparation of the annual corporate (operational) plan. Provision for community input will be incorporated as part of the strategic plan review process.

4TH RATES INSTALLMENT DUE—PAYMENT OPTIONS

The 4th Rates installment is due on 18th May, click here to access payment options.

NEW WASTE COLLECTION SERVICES

In response to ratepayers requests the Busselton Shire Council has approved the introduction of two new waste collection services scheduled to commence 1 July, 2006.

The areas to receive the new service include Rendezvous Road (from the corner of Kaloorup Road to Belltonia Way) and Wildwood Road between Caves Road and Commonage Road, including all properties bordering the area of Quindalup.

RURAL NUMBERING

With the rollout of the first phase almost complete feedback from residents who have received their new rural number has generally been very positive. Many rural and semi-rural landowners have now joined other landowners right across the nation as part of the Federal Government's push to bring uniformity to rural numbering.

The Shire will commence the rollout of the second phase in September 2006. Properties affected by stage two are Meelup Heights, Commonage area, Dumbarton, Wonnerup (special rural areas), and Jarrahwood. If you would like more information about the new rural numbering system please contact the Shire’s Geographical Systems Officer on 9781 0463.

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PORT GEOGRAPHE COASTAL WORKS

The Port Geographe coastal works have now recommenced. Should you have any concerns please direct your enquiries to Steve O'Brien who is acting on behalf of the developer.

Mr O’Brien’s contact details are: Phone 9754 4409 or 0412 439 436 or Email: portgeo@compwest.net.au.

HOLY MILE (LOCKE ESTATE)

The Shire will soon be calling for expressions of interest to conduct a community consultation process on behalf of the Shire and the Department of Planning and Infrastructure (DPI) regarding the future use of Locke Estate (the State Government is the owner of the subject land). The consultation will cover a broad range of issues and will involve the Shire, DPI, current lessees, other government departments, and the community generally. The actual consultation process is expected to start in the next couple of months. Advertisements will be placed in the ‘Council for the Community’ page of the local paper along with further information on the Shire’s website prior to the process commencing.

BUSSELTON JETTY REPAIRS TARGETED FOR 2007

The Busselton Shire Council and the State Government are working to enable rectification works on the historic Busselton Jetty to begin in early 2007. A newly formed working group consisting of members from the Busselton Shire, Department for Planning and Infrastructure, South West Development Commission, Tourism WA and Landcorp are being asked to present a recommendation to Council and State Cabinet by November 2006. This group will help drive the process which will look at sites on the Busselton foreshore that could be used to finance the jetty rebuild.

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Shire President, Kevin Douglas said that while residents indicated their support of some form of commercial development of the main foreshore area in a recent community survey the people of Busselton will still have the opportunity to have their say, we cannot go ahead with a project this size without hearing from residents.

RELIEF FUND FOR VICTIMS OF CYCLONE LARRY

The Busselton Shire Council has joined the Sea Change Council Group and other local authorities in making a donation to the relief fund for the victims of Cyclone Larry. An amount of $3,000 has been deposited in a Commonwealth Bank of Australia bank account set up specifically for that purpose. The community are also invited to contribute to the fund - please contact the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

TECHNICAL NEWS

New Building Act for Western Australia. The Department of Housing and Works has extended the public consultation period for the development of new building legislation for WA to 30th June, 2006. Visit: www.dhw.wa.gov.au/buildingactwa to view updated information.

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