Author: Erin Greaves

An Annual General Meeting of Electors is scheduled to be held on Monday, 6 February 2023 in the Council Chambers, 21 Victoria Street, Mingenew, commencing at 5:00pm.

 

The purpose of the meeting and order of business for matters to be discussed at the meeting are firstly, the contents of the 2021/22 Annual Report and then any other general business.

 

The Agenda is available at https://mingenew.wa.gov.au/council-agendas/annual-meeting-of-electors-agenda-and-annual-report-2021-22-06-02-2023/

 

Should you have any questions or would like a copy of the Agenda and/or Annual Report available at the meeting please email governance@mingenew.wa.gov.au or call (08)9928 1102.

At its Ordinary Council meeting on 14 December 2022, Council endorsed a Report, the Local Heritage Survey and Heritage List, prepared by Heritage Consultant. Laura Gray that identifies and prioritizes places of local heritage significance within the Shire of Mingenew. A copy of the endorsed documents are provided below:

• Local Heritage Survey 2022 Report
• Appendix 1 – Local Heritage Survey
• Appendix 2 – Heritage List
• Appendix 3 – Heritage Council Guidelines for Local Heritage Surveys 2022
• Appendix 4 – Criteria for Assessment of Local Places and Areas
• Appendix 5 – Burra Charter (for places of Cultural Significance)

Council also resolved to give notice of the proposed Local Planning Policy: Heritage and submissions are invited to be made in writing by 9am, Monday, 30 January 2023. A copy of the proposed Local Planning Policy can be downloaded by clicking here. The Policy’s purpose is to guide the assessment of development proposals which affect heritage protected places (those identified as category 1 or 2 sites in the Local Heritage Survey). The objectives of the policy are:

• To conserve and protect places of cultural heritage significance that are identified on the Heritage List.
• To ensure that developments do not adversely impact the significance of heritage places on the Heritage List.
• To ensure that heritage significance is given due weight in local planning decision making.
• To provide certainty to landowners and community about the planning processes for identification and protection of places identified in the Heritage List.

To understand which properties may be affected by the Policy, please refer to the Heritage List above.

Submissions may be made:

• by email to governance@mingenew.wa.gov.au
• by post to PO Box 120, Mingenew WA 6522
• in person to the Shire Administration at 21 Victoria Street, Mingenew

Further enquiries can be made to Erin Greaves, Governance & Community Manager at governance@mingenew.wa.gov.au or call 9928 1102.

A Special Meeting of Council is to be held at 5:00pm on Friday, 9 December 2022 in the Council Chambers in accordance with Regulation 12(3) of the Local Government (Administration) Regulations 1996.

 

The purpose of this meeting will be to consider two applications from CBH seeking approval for the temporary use of Lot 4 Eleanor Street, Mingenew (Shire-owned) and Lot 202 Mingenew-Morawa Road, Mingenew (CBH-owned) for additional grain storage.

 

Agendas and Minutes of the meeting will be available from the Shire’s website at https://mingenew.wa.gov.au/council-agendas/.

 

Matt Fanning
Chief Executive Officer

BUSH FIRES REGULATIONS 1954 – Regulation 38A – notice to ban the use of engines, vehicles, plant or machinery likely to cause a bush fire during the restricted and prohibited burning times.

I, Murray Thomas an authorised Bush Fire Control Officer of the Shire of Mingenew hereby declare a ban on the use or operation of engines, vehicles, plant or machinery for Wednesday 7 December 2022 between the hours of 9am and 11am for the whole of, Shire of Mingenew.

This Ban will be reviewed at 11am 7 December 2022 at which time further advice will be issued.

 

ACTIVITIES NOT PERMITTED DURING THE PERIOD OF THE BAN

• Harvesting operations are not permitted.
• Any off-road activity is banned, regardless of whether it is for agricultural purposes or work being conducted by business, industry and public authorities.
• Off-road includes areas such as paddocks, bushland, uncleared land and land with stubble or long grass.
• Off-road activity includes the use of anything activated by an internal combustion engine used off-road e.g. motor bikes, quad bikes, excavators, chain saws, ride on lawn mowers and generators.

ACTIVITIES PERMITTED DURING THE PERIOD OF THE BAN
1. Use or operation of any vehicle on “gazetted roads”, lanes, driveways, yards or other areas that provide access to, or a parking facility at, any residential, farming or business premises, if the area has been sufficiently cleared of inflammable material to prevent the escape of fire.

2. Use or operation of a vehicle for the prevention of an immediate and serious risk to the health or safety of a person or livestock, and only if all reasonable precautions have been taken to prevent the activity from creating a bush fire danger.

3. Off-road activity for urgent work carried out by an essential service can continue, but only when the prescribed conditions in Division 9 of the Bush Fires Regulations 1954 are complied with. Urgent works, in relation to the provision of an essential service, means repairs or maintenance necessary for the continued provision, or restoration, of the service. Essential services: water supply, sewerage or drainage services; electricity or gas services; telecommunications services; public transport services and rubbish collection or disposal services.

Murray Thomas
Chief Bush Fire Control Officer
0428 281 157

CBH has made application to Council for the temporary use of vacant land on Eleanor Street between the old Railway Station and Mingenew Tyre Service.

The purpose for this use will be similar to previous occasions, for the temporary storage of lupins and would require CBH to, as a minimum, manage the site in the following way:

• the area be sealed with a dust suppressant , similar to what has been used at the Mingenew temporary bulkheads
• the site use would be non-exclusive still allowing for truck parking in the southern area of the site.
• the site would be out loaded as soon as possible after harvest.

Council is seeking feedback from the community regarding any concerns they have on the proposal.

Any comments can be made by emailing enquiries@mingenew.wa.gov.au or by contacting the Shire on 9928 1102 by 3:00pm, 9 December 2022.

This matter is to be considered by Council at its Ordinary Council Meeting scheduled for 14 December 2022. Members of the public are welcome to attend.

Please note that there will be no changes to residential and commercial rubbish collection services over the Christmas and New Year period (240L bins).

To ensure your bin is collected have your bin out on the verge by 6 am on collection day.

The Shire of Mingenew has received from Energy Resources seeking to establish temporary workers accommodation camps upon the following locations in association with their Exploration Drilling Program within Petroleum Licence EP368 managed separately under the Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Resources Act 1967:

• main camp – Lot 435 Mooriary Road;
• drill camp – Lot 433 Mooriary Road; &
• drill camp – Lot 5 Strawberry North East Road.

The main camp is proposed to accommodate an average of 52 personnel to support the drilling operations, with a maximum of 72 personnel at full camp occupancy to support other well operations in the area.

 

The drill sites would have drilling activities conducted continuously on a 24-hour basis with 2 crews working on 12-hour shifts requiring drill camps to be located alongside the drill sites.

 

‘Workforce Accommodation’ is listed as a land use that must be advertised for comment in the ‘Rural’ zone and the Shire is inviting comment upon this application.

 

A copy of the received application that provides further background can be viewed by clicking on the links below:

• main camp application information
• drill camp application information

 

Should you wish to make comment upon this application the submission form can be accessed at the below link:

Development Application Submission Form

 

Submissions must be received prior to 4:00pm Monday 10 October 2022 and can be forwarded to the Shire office by mail to PO Box 120 Mingenew WA 6522, by fax on 9928 1128 or emailed to enquiries@mingenew.wa.gov.au or hand delivered to the Shire Office.

 

The application and received submissions will then be presented to the meeting of Council that will be held on 19 October 2022 at the Council Chambers, 21 Victoria Street, Mingenew commencing at 5:00pm and is open to the public should you wish to attend.

 

Should you have any queries please contact this office on 9928 1102.

The Shire of Mingenew is partnering with Storytowns on creating podcasts for our shire. We are looking to connect with locals who have a wealth of knowledge about our shire and have stories about our history and community that the Storytowns team would be interested in!

“What is a podacast?” you might say! A podcast is an audio programme, just like talk radio, but you subscribe to it on your smartphone and listen to it whenever you like. Essentially, a podcast is a series of spoken word, audio episodes, all focused on a particular topic or theme. You can subscribe to the show with an app on your phone and listen to episodes whenever you like.

Storytowns showcases regional and rural towns, the folk that live there and local hidden gems, via location-based podcasts https://storytowns.com.au/.

Unlike other podcasts, the Storytowns app includes the ability to use the geo-location function and digital map, which allows stories to play automatically as visitors approach a podcast site/town.

Think of it as fun, contemporary tourist radio. The 7 minute audio guides are designed to encourage visitors to stop, immerse and interact with the location and environment.

The podcasts would be similar to many other podcast audio guides that Storytowns are making around Australia. Here is an example; the Killarney podcast. Told by Shane Howard (from the band Goanna) we learn in this podcast about the Irish heritage and how it became one of the largest Irish settlements outside of Melbourne. We hear how the town of Koroit is named after an Indigenous name for ‘fire’ and about the legend of the Mahogany Shipwreck, a ship that supposedly sank off the Victorian coast 200 years before the arrival of Captain Cook. Click Here to listen to the “Country to Coast” podcasts.

Storytowns are currently in the planning and research stage, and looking for people to share local knowledge and stories. They have created a survey to help people start to share the local stories and people, before one of our Journalists come out on site to conduct the interviews.

Storytowns really need your help to nail down a few strong stories and places for travellers to visit. If you can fill out this survey for the team, that would be a great help to promote your town – for the Survey Link CLICK HERE.

Feel Free to pass on details to anyone you know who may be interested.

Message from the Shire President

New Elected Member – Cr Alex Pearse

As no nominations were received at both the October 2021 Ordinary Local Government Election and a subsequent Extraordinary Election for an Elected Member vacancy on the Shire, Council has appointed Alex Pearse, upon his acceptance, to this position. This appointment was undertaken in accordance with the procedural requirements of the Local Government Act and associated Regulations. Council welcomes Cr Alex Pearse to the team.

 

Community Scorecard (Survey)

Council was presented with the outcomes of a recent community survey (MARKYT Scorecard) undertaken by Catalyse, an independent consult. The results of the survey were informative and thought provoking, with a strong emphasis on the need for the Shire to improve its communication with its constituents. The Shire will be looking at ways to improve communications with one suggestion being a monthly newsletter drop to constituents.

 

2022/2023 Budget Adopted

Council recently adopted the 2022/2023 Budget with following key points:

• Increase in general rates of 6%, resulting in a reduction in the rate in the dollar for UV rates of 11.93% and an increase in the rate in the dollar of GRV rates of 3.46%
• Increase in GRV minimum rates of 4.95% and in UV minimum rates of 5.03%
• Fees & Charges increased by 5% in line with Rates increase (rounded to nearest $5)
• Only one loan with WATC remaining, being for the new grader, final payment in September 2026. The Shire low loan portfolio is a result of prudent financial management in the past. This position allows the Shire to now look at undertaking future projects prioritised by the community.

Council extends its appreciation for the efforts of Jeremy Clapham and staff for producing a very detailed Draft Budget for Council to consider.

 

Appointment of Chief Executive Officer

Council has formally endorsed the appointment of Matt Fanning to the position of Chief Executive Officer with for Shire of Mingenew.

Matt is anticipated to commence in the position in mid-October 2022, with Maurice Battilana acting in the Chief Executive Officer role until then.

 

– Cr Gary Cosgrove, Shire President

 

CEO Updates

Shire Projects and Development Update

Council and staff continue to work on many major projects including (yet not limited to) the following:

• Mingenew Tennis Club – Clubhouse Repair/Replacement Concept Plans
• Housing requirements in Mingenew Townsite – Concept Plans
• Daycare Centre Upgrades Concept Plans
• Recreation Centre Upgrade Concept Plans
• Future of the Mingenew Town Hall
• Mingenew Airstrip Upgrades
• Yandanooka North-East Rd – Upgrades & Junction Realignment
• Skate Park and Cecil Newton Park – concept for completion of BMX track, turf, shade, and gardens

 

Local Operational Recovery Plan

Following Tropical Cyclone Seroja in April 2021, the Shire has actively been advocating for support and resources to stimulate community recovery and resilience. To assist with this effort, we have been working on the development of a Recovery Plan that identifies the damages and impacts faced by the community in order to determine what needs to be achieved and what operational strategies are required to achieve them.

 

A community workshop was held in April 2022 at which key recovery stakeholders and community members established the groundwork for the development of the Plan. The Draft Plan was subsequently reviewed by the Local Recovery Coordination Group (LRCG) and recommended through the Local Emergency Management Committee (LEMC) for adoption by Council.

 

The Plan sets a number of recovery objectives, including:

 

• Building Resilience
• Supporting volunteers and community groups
• Mental health and wellbeing
• Support for vulnerable community members
• Economic infrastructure and planning
• Attraction and retention strategy
• Recovery of biodiversity
• Access and enjoyment of natural spaces
• Management of pests, hazards, and diseases
• Rebuild support
• Recreation facilities
• Utilities
• Insurance advocacy

 

A copy of the Shire of Mingenew Local Operational Recovery Plan is available at https://mingenew.wa.gov.au/public-documents/local-operational-recovery-plan/.

 

The Plan was jointly funded through the Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.

 

Shire of Mingenew 10 Year Shared Pathways Plan

Council has formally adopted a 10 Year Shared Pathways Plan that:

• identifies and reviews the existing pathway network within the townsite boundaries
• identifies key facilities, locations, and areas within the Mingenew townsite that warrant pathway connectivity
• identifies any gaps in the existing pathway network with respect to providing connectivity to key families, locations, and areas within the townsite
• provides high-level details on a possible implementation strategy for the pathway network upgrade.

 

We recognise that the community would like to see improvements in this area and establishing this Plan places us in a good position to receive funding for pathway infrastructure projects.

 

The adopted Plan can be found at https://mingenew.wa.gov.au/public-documents/

 

Council meeting dates for 2022

Council Meetings are held at 5pm on the third Wednesday of every second month and below is a list of remaining dates for 2022:

 

Council Meeting Dates 2022

January 2022 – Nil

16 February 2022

March 2022 – Nil

20 April 2022

May 2022 – Nil

15 June 2022

July 2022 – Nil

17 August 2022

September 2022 – Nil

19 October 2022

November 2022 – Nil

14 December 2022

 

 

Council Meetings provide up to 2 minutes for Public Question Time, and members of the public are welcome to attend and participate. If you have always wondered how this process works, check out our Council Agendas, which include a preamble on Public Question Time and protocols for the meeting (page 3 of each Agenda) – https://mingenew.wa.gov.au/council-agendas/

 

Council also holds an open session during its Concept Forums, between 5-5:30pm which members of the public are also encouraged to attend. Whilst this is a less formal setting for discussion than Council meetings, it also means that Council do not make decisions at this meeting

 

A Special Meeting of Council is to be held at 4:00 pm on Monday, 20 July 2022 in the Council Chambers in accordance with Regulation 12(3) of the Local Government (Administration) Regulations 1996.

 

The purpose of this meeting will be to:

• Considerations of Tenders
• Elected Member Appointment
• Adopting the 2022/23 Budget.

 

Agendas and minutes of the meeting will be available from the Shire’s website www.mingenew.wa.gov.au.

 

Maurice Battilana

Acting Chief Executive Officer

The Shire of Mingenew is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Matt Fanning to the role of Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

 

At a Special Meeting of Council held on Tuesday, 5 July 2022, Council received and endorsed the recommendations of the CEO Recruitment Panel to appoint Mr Fanning.

 

Matt has over 30 years local government experience, working in regional Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia. Matt has had extensive experience in the delivery of major projects including mining, water, sewer, waste, transport infrastructure and emergency response management and has qualifications in Engineering, Accounting and Leadership.

 

Matt has coordinated many natural disaster events including the Major Gulf Flood event which involved the largest food resupply operation in QLD and was responsible for the infrastructure recovery efforts in Cardwell, QLD following Cyclone Yasi.

 

Matt has worked for 13 Local Government Authorities and both the NSW and QLD Departments of Main Roads. In addition Matt is a past board member of the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia (IPWEA) for 6 years in NSW and 4 years in QLD.

 

Matt will be accompanied by his wife Grace and three young boys George, Zanda and new arrival Jace. Matt and his family are looking forward to meeting members of the Shire of Mingenew community and settling in later in the year.

 

On behalf of Council, staff and the community, I wish to extend a very warm welcome to Matt to the organisation and his family to our community.

 

Matt is expected to commence in the role in October 2022. In the meantime, Maurice Battilana will continue to serve as Acting CEO.

 

 

Gary Cosgrove

Shire President