Mayoral Matters - October 2025

Published on 31 October 2025

The Council has recently finalised its review and evaluation of the Long-Term Financial Plan (LTFP) and will engage in community consultation over the coming month. The Asset Management Strategy has been updated to reflect the latest LTFP projections. Forecasts indicate a compounding asset renewal gap of $27.5 million over the next decade, signifying that the deterioration rate of our assets, including roads, footpaths, and buildings, significantly surpasses the available funding for maintenance and renewal. It is evident that maintaining assets to a standard our community deserves and is entitled too will require a substantial increase in funding commitments. We urge State and Federal Governments to boost funding for our Shire and similar small rural councils that manage extensive assets with a small rate base.

Events

Several successful events have been held throughout the Shire. The Patchewollock Music Festival received positive feedback from attendees, the Yarriambiack Seniors Festival Concert achieved full capacity, and the Get to Know You Event in Hopetoun was well attended, serving as an excellent opportunity to welcome new members to our community. Run the Beal also had strong attendance, even though the weather presented a number of challenges.

Advocacy

We have been busy promoting our priority projects to our State Government upper and lower house members of parliament, with an aim of highlighting our advocacy for funding. We are conscious that the State Government election will be held in 2026, and we want to see significant investment in our Shire, especially as the Australian Government has granted Major Project Status to Donald Rare Earth and Mineral Sands Project located in close proximity to Minyip.

Closing Remarks

In closing, we are pleased to welcome a Developer who is currently considering investment and residential construction within our Shire to address growing demand. We anticipate organising information sessions in the near future to keep our community informed of progress. 

Additionally, I extend congratulations to Rural Northwest Health on the completion and opening of their new worker accommodation units for staff in Hopetoun.

Cr Kylie Zanker

Mayor