MURRINDINDI SHIRE TOURISM AND EVENTS STRATEGY · 2019-05-17 · Urban Enterprise Urban Planning / Land Economics / Tourism Planning / Industry Software MURRINDINDI SHIRE TOURISM AND

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MURRINDINDI SHIRE TOURISM AND EVENTS STRATEGY DRAFT STRATEGY 2019-2024

MAY 2019 MURRINDINDI SHIRE COUNCIL

DRAFT DOCUMENT ONLY – for consultation purposes.

This document is designed to be read in line with the associated May Council Agenda Paper

Council recognises that a number of changes have occurred since the production of this document – these will be updated before the adoption of the document

Revision - 17 May 2019

Attachment 10.1Ordinary Meeting of Council22 May 2019Page 38

AUTHORS

Mike Ruzzene

Danielle Cousens

Agathy Patsouris

Urban Enterprise

Urban Planning, Land Economics, Tourism Planning & Industry Software

Level 1 302-304 Barkly Street, Brunswick VIC 3056

(03) 9482 3888


© Copyright, Urban Enterprise Pty Ltd, 2018

This work is copyright. Apart from any uses permitted under Copyright Act 1963, no part may be reproduced without written permission of Urban Enterprise Pty Ltd.

FILENAME: Murrindindi Shire Tourism and Events Strategy_DRAFT

VERSION: 1

DISCLAIMER

Neither Urban Enterprise Pty. Ltd. nor any member or employee of Urban Enterprise Pty. Ltd. takes responsibility in any way whatsoever to any person or organisation (other than that for which this report has been prepared) in respect of the information set out in this report, including any errors or omissions therein. In the course of our preparation of this report, projections have been prepared on the basis of assumptions and methodology which have been described in the report. It is possible that some of the assumptions underlying the projections may change. Nevertheless, the professional judgement of the members and employees of Urban Enterprise Pty. Ltd. have been applied in making these assumptions, such that they constitute an understandable basis for estimates and projections. Beyond this, to the extent that the assumptions do not materialise, the estimates and projections of achievable results may vary.



CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 1. INTRODUCTION 5

1.1. BACKGROUND 5 1.2. PROJECT DRIVERS 5 1.3. APPROACH 5 1.4. REPORT STRUCTURE 6 1.5. CONTEXT 6

2. STRATEGIC CONTEXT 8 2.1. KEY FINDINGS 8 2.2. TOURISM POLICY & RESEARCH 8

3. VISITOR ECONOMY PROFILE 17 3.1. INTRODUCTION 17 3.2. KEY FINDINGS 17 3.3. VISITOR DEMOGRAPHICS 22 3.4. ECONOMIC IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF VISITOR ECONOMY 31 3.5. MARKET SEGMENTATION 31 3.6. STRATEGIC CONSIDERATIONS 33

4. PRODUCT PROFILE 34 4.1. INTRODUCTION 34 4.2. PRODUCT STRENGTHS 36 4.3. NATURE-BASED 37 4.4. FOOD AND AGRIBUSINESS 38 4.5. HERITAGE, ARTS AND CULTURE 39 4.6. GOLF 40

4.7. INFRASTRUCTURE & CONNECTIVITY 40 4.8. ACCOMMODATION 41 4.9. SUB-REGIONAL PRODUCT PROFILES 43 4.10. MARYSVILLE/LAKE MOUNTAIN 46 4.11. STRATEGIC PRODUCT CONSIDERATIONS 48

5. EVENTS PROFILE 51 5.1. INTRODUCTION 51 5.2. KEY FINDINGS 51 5.3. KEY EVENTS 52 5.4. KEY EVENT FACILITIES 52 5.5. EVENT TYPES AND LOCATIONS 53 5.6. EVENT VISITATION BY MONTH 54 5.7. EVENT FUNDING 54 5.8. SWOT ANALYSIS OF EVENTS 54 5.9. STRATEGIC CONSIDERATIONS 55

6. GOVERNANCE 56 6.1. INTRODUCTION 56 6.2. KEY FINDINGS 56 6.3. OVERVIEW OF TOURISM ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 57 6.4. MURRINDINDI SHIRE TOURISM APPROACH AND RESOURCES 61 6.5. LOCAL TOURISM AND BUSINESS ASSOCIATIONS 64 6.6. REGIONAL TOURISM ORGANISATIONS/BOARDS 67 6.7. INDUSTRY SURVEY 71



6.8. ALIGNMENT WITH REGIONAL TOURISM BOARDS 72 6.9. STRATEGIC CONSIDERATIONS 76 6.10. PROPOSED GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE 77

7. MARKETING AND VISITOR INFORMATION SERVICES 78 7.1. INTRODUCTION 78 7.2. KEY FINDINGS 78 7.3. DIGITAL MEDIA AND ONLINE VISITOR SERVICES 79 7.4. PHYSICAL VISITOR INFORMATION SERVICES 83 7.5. KEY COLLATERAL 89 7.6. MARKETING ACTIVITIES 89 7.7. SOCIAL MEDIA ACTIVITIES 90 7.8. STRATEGIC CONSIDERATIONS 95 7.9. PROPOSED PRODUCT AND MARKETING HIERARCHY 96 7.10. PROPOSED VISITOR INFORMATION SERVICES STRUCTURE 97

8. STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS 98 8.1. INTRODUCTION 98 8.2. OVERARCHING STRATEGIC CONSIDERATIONS 98 8.3. VISION 99 8.4. OBJECTIVES 99 8.5. DIRECTION A: DELIVER A STREAMLINED APPROACH TO INDUSTRY GOVERNANCE 99 8.6. DIRECTION B: DELIVER STREAMLINED AND EFFECTIVE MARKETING AND VISITOR INFORMATION SERVICES 100 8.7. DIRECTION C: DEVELOPMENT OF PRODUCT STRENGTHS AND INVESTMENT IN EMERGING OPPORTUNITIES AND SUPPORTING INFRASTRUCTURE 102

8.8. DIRECTION D: DRIVE TOURISM GROWTH TO MURRINDINDI THROUGH AN ENHANCED EVENTS CALENDAR 105

FIGURES

FIGURE 1 VICTORIAN CONTEXT 6 FIGURE 2 .SA2 REGIONS OF MURRINDINDI SHIRE 7 FIGURE 3 DESTINATION REGIONS WITHIN MURRINDINDI SHIRE 7 FIGURE 4 VISITATION TO MURRINDINDI SHIRE AND SUB REGIONS/AREAS 18 FIGURE 5 MURRINDINDI SHIRE VISITATION BY MARKET AND PROPORTION

(2017/18) 19 FIGURE 6 DOMESTIC DAYTRIP VISITATION TREND 2008/09-2017/18 20 FIGURE 7 DOMESTIC OVERNIGHT VISITATION TREND 2008/09-2017/18 20 FIGURE 9 DOMESTIC DAYTRIP PURPOSE OF VISIT (%) 22 FIGURE 10 VISITOR ORIGIN WITHIN MELBOURNE, BY DESTINATION

MELBOURNE CAMPAIGN SUB-REGION (%) 22 FIGURE 11 DOMESTIC DAYTRIP VISITOR AGE PROFILE (%) 23 FIGURE 12 DAYTRIP SEASONALITY OF VISIT (%) 24 FIGURE 13 OVERNIGHT PURPOSE OF VISIT (%) 25 FIGURE 14 OVERNIGHT VISITOR ORIGIN, BY STATE (%) 25 FIGURE 15 VISITOR ORIGIN WITHIN MELBOURNE, BY DESTINATION

MELBOURNE CAMPAIGN SUB-REGION (%) 26 FIGURE 16 OVERNIGHT TRAVEL GROUP (%) 26 FIGURE 17 OVERNIGHT AGE PROFILE IN 10 YEAR GROUPS 27 FIGURE 18 OVERNIGHT ACCOMMODATION TYPE (%) 28 FIGURE 19 OVERNIGHT SEASONALITY OF VISIT (%) 29 FIGURE 20 INTERNATIONAL PURPOSE OF VISIT (%) 30 FIGURE 21 ECONOMIC IMPACT OF TOURISM IN MURRINDINDI 31 FIGURE 22 31 FIGURE 23 TARGET MARKETS 31 FIGURE 24 SUB-REGIONAL DESTINATIONS 34



FIGURE 25 TOTAL ACCOMMODATION MURRINDINDI SHIRE BY TYPE, NO. OF PROPERTIES VS. NO. ROOMS 41

FIGURE 26 INDUSTRY SURVEY ACCOMMODATION SUPPLY PERCEPTION 42 FIGURE 27 LADY TALBOT TRAILS, MARYSVILLE 46 FIGURE 28 ALEXANDRA TRUCK, UTE AND ROD SHOW 52 FIGURE 29 NUMBER OF EVENTS BY TYPE 53 FIGURE 30 NUMBER OF EVENTS BY TYPE AND LOCATION (2018) 53 FIGURE 31 PROPORTION OF EVENTS COMPARED TO VISITORS 54 FIGURE 32 FLOWERDALE ESTATE 55 FIGURE 33 MEDIAN STAFF RESOURCES FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND

TOURISM IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 63 FIGURE 34 MEDIAN BUDGET FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM IN

LOCAL GOVERNMENT 63 FIGURE 35 PROPORTION OF BUSINESSES WHICH USE SERVICES PROVIDED BY

GRVT 71 FIGURE 36 PREFERRED ALIGNMENT WITH REGIONAL TOURISM BOARD 71 FIGURE 37 Y WATER DISCOVERY CENTRE AT YEA VIC 83 FIGURE 44 INSTAGRAM ACCOUNTS 91 FIGURE 45 FACEBOOK ACCOUNTS 92 FIGURE 1 CATHEDRAL LODGE GOLF COURSE, ALEXANDRA 98 FIGURE 2 KEY DESTINATION AND PRODUCT ALIGNMENT 101

TABLES

TABLE 1 DAYTRIP ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN 23 TABLE 2 OVERNIGHT VISITOR ACTIVITIES BY PARTICIPATION (%) 27 TABLE 3 INTERNATIONAL COUNTRY OF ORIGIN (%) 30 TABLE 4 SUB-REGIONAL PRODUCT STRENGTHS COMPARISON 36 TABLE 5 AIRDNA SUMMARY, MURRINDINDI SHIRE 42 TABLE 6 YEA AND SURROUNDS ACCOMMODATION OVERVIEW 44 TABLE 7 LAKE EILDON/ALEXANDRA ACCOMMODATION OVERVIEW 45 TABLE 8 MARYSVILLE/LAKE MOUNTAIN ACCOMMODATION OVERVIEW 46

TABLE 9 NOTEWORTHY EVENT FACILITIES 52 TABLE 10 TOP 4 RESPONSES FOR EVENTS TO BE FURTHER DEVELOPED 55 TABLE 11 VISITOR ECONOMY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 58 TABLE 12 BUSINESS AND TOURISM OPERATIONAL BUDGET 2018/19 62 TABLE 13 PRODUCT ALIGNMENT – MURRINDINDI AND REGIONAL TOURISM

ORGANISATIONS/BOARDS 70 TABLE 14 REGIONAL TOURISM ORGANISATION ALIGNMENT – PROS AND CONS

74 TABLE 15 SCORE OF TWO PREFERRED OPTIONS AGAINST KEY ASSESSMENT

CRITERIA 75 TABLE 17 WALK IN VIC CAPTURE RATE 2017 / 18 86



ACRONYMS

GRV – Goulburn River Valley

LBTA – Local Business and Traders Association

LTA– Local Tourism Association

NBT – Nature-based tourism

TRA – Tourism Research Australia

VIC – Visitor Information Centre

VFR - Visiting Friends and Relatives



U R B A N E N T E R P R I S E 1 M A Y - 1 9

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Urban Enterprise was commissioned by Murrindindi Shire Council to undertake the Murrindindi Shire Tourism and Events Strategy, which aims to redefine how tourism and events are experienced within the Shire. The Strategy is required to guide the delivery of all tourism and events activities in the area, providing the opportunity for a long-term plan and vision for Murrindindi Shire which will strengthen the role of tourism in the region’s economy.

STRATEGIC CONTEXT

Destination development for Murrindindi Shire Council is supported by an extensive list of Federal, State, Regional and Local Government policy and strategy documents.

Key themes from the existing strategic policy framework include:

• Federal and state government focus on the emerging Asian visitor market;

• Federal, state and local government support to promote the value of Australia as an eco-tourism destination;

• Encouraging tourism developments adjacent to national parks; and

• Strengthening awareness of and further develop cycling tourism experiences.

Murrindindi Shire is excellently placed to meet strategic goals for the Victorian tourism industry, particularly with the enhancement of its nature-based tourism offer.

MURRINDINDI VISITOR PROFILE AND ECONOMY

Visitation to Murrindindi Shire was 823,000 visitors in 2017/18 comprised of predominately day trip visitors (73%), followed by overnight trip visitors (26%). The visitor economy contributes $94.1 million and 493 jobs to the Murrindindi economy.

Visitors Tourism Output Tourism Jobs

823,000 $94.1M 493

Visitation to Alexandra, Marysville and Eildon accounts for 61% of visitation to the Shire. This is likely due to more developed and widely recognised natural assets, tourism products and destinations in these sub-regions such as Lake Eildon, Marysville and Lake Mountain.

96% of domestic visitors originate from Victoria, with 89% of domestic visitors originating from Melbourne. 64% of these visitors are from Melbourne’s East and North regions. Therefore, there is strong opportunity to target Melbourne’s North and East regions.

The domestic target markets for Murrindindi Shire will be focused towards older couples, younger families, nature-based visitors and the Lifestyle Leader market. Although international visitation is quite low in Murrindindi (0.4%), the Asian visitor market is a key emerging market for Murrindindi.

Murrindindi Shire has very similar visitation patterns to the neighbouring Mansfield Shire, particularly in terms of purpose of visit for both day trip and overnight visitors, and in terms of visitor origin for overnight visitors.



2 M U R R I N D I N D I S H I R E T O U R I S M A N D E V E N T S S T R A T E G Y 2 0 1 9 - 2 4 M U R R I N D I N D I S H I R E C O U N C I L

PRODUCT PROFILE

Murrindindi Shire is a nature-based destination north east of Melbourne, with natural assets that provide opportunity for cycling, bushwalking, fishing, snow activities, hunting and other water-based recreation. It has emerging food and agribusiness and arts and heritage product to complement its nature-based strengths. Some of the key destinations that are key drivers of visitation to Murrindindi that can be further enhanced and marketed include:

• Lake Eildon and Lake Eildon National Park;

• Yarra Ranges National Park;

• Kinglake National Park;

• Cathedral Range State Park;

• Murrindindi Scenic Reserve;

• Rubicon Historic Area;

• Lake Mountain;

• Marysville; and

• Goulburn River and its tributaries.

Whilst Murrindindi Shire has high quality natural assets, there is a need for investment by the private sector in businesses that deliver new and improved food, beverage and accommodation product to the region. These products are critical to increasing yield and attracting high spend visitors to Murrindindi.

EVENT PROFILE

There were 27 tourism events in 2018, attracting a total of approximately 39,000 visitors. Although not tourism events, it is important to note that there are several other small-scale community events in the region, totalling 43 events and receiving about 5,500 visitors annually.

The Alexandra Truck Ute & Rod Show is Murrindindi's signature event. It is a 2-day event held in June, which currently attracts over 12,000 visitors annually. It is generally agreed upon by local tourism businesses that accommodation demand outweighs supply in the Shire during busy event periods. Other important tourism

events are Eildon Lions Market, Alexandra & District Open Gardens, Foggy Mountain Music Bluegrass Festival and Marysville Jazz and Blues Festival.

Flowerdale Estate, Holmesglen Eildon and Vibe Marysville are key event facilities that can be further promoted to increase visitation to the Shire. There are several existing community buildings that have significant potential to be expanded to hold large-scale events, such as Kinglake Ranges Rebuilding Advisory Centre (RAC) and Marysville Stadium.

There are a number of events that can be expanded to increase overnight visitation and yield, such as Marysville Jazz and Blues Weekend, Foggy Mountain Music Bluegrass Festival and Marysville Marathon. There is also opportunity to attract new events to the region that align to Murrindindi’s product strengths. In order to support existing and future events, local tourism and hospitality businesses need to trade outside normal hours during a significant event/function/conference to provide a more attractive, contemporary visitor experience

GOVERNANCE, TOURISM RESOURCES AND VISITOR SERVICING

Murrindindi Shire has a very fragmented approach to tourism governance when compared to most other Local Governments in regional Victoria. The fragmentation is present due to the existence of many local tourism and business associations across the key destinations within Murrindindi, as well as overlap in regional tourism structures. This fragmented approach means duplication of effort across a range of tourism administration, marketing, visitor services and digital content exists. This duplication of effort has resulted in mixed branding and messaging, inconsistent approach to digital media and visitor services, and poor use of limited resources available.

It is critical that tourism governance is simplified and streamlined to improve the quality and consistency of approach and to better leverage from regional tourism resources.

Murrindindi Shire is one of four Local Government members of Goulburn River Valley Tourism. Goulburn River Valley Tourism has provided leadership in the region in terms of industry development, networking and visitor services. One of the long term goals for Goulburn River Valley Tourism was to become an official Regional Tourism




Board which would have allowed it access to State Government funding. This has never come to fruition and GRVT has been hampered by a lack of funding to operate at an optimal level.

Yarra Ranges Tourism and Tourism North East promote aspects of Murrindindi Shire as part of their Regional Tourism Boards. In the case of Yarra Ranges Tourism, Marysville and Kinglake Ranges are aligned to the Yarra Valley for marketing purposes and Tourism North East promotes the Great Victorian Rail Trail and Lake Eildon under the High Country umbrella.

The following key considerations should be made when identifying a regional tourism organisation to align with:

• Value – What value can Murrindindi Shire leverage from the membership dollars: This includes consideration of available marketing opportunities, digital leadership and professionalism;

• Physical alignment – how well is the regional physically aligned? – are visitors likely to visit Murrindindi as well as other parts of the associated region – is there potential for visitor dispersal;

• Product alignment – How well is Murrindindi aligned in terms of product – does collaborative marketing make sense?

• Financial – Can Murrindindi afford the costs associated with membership.

Moving forward there are a range of options to be considered in relation to regional alignment:

1. Status Quo - Continue as a partner of Goulburn River Valley Tourism; 2. Continue as a partner of Goulburn River Valley Tourism but work more closely

with Yarra Ranges Tourism and Tourism North East in relation to product/ destinations that align;

3. Become a key partner of Tourism North East, but maintain a presence for Kinglake Ranges and Marysville through Yarra Ranges Tourism;

4. Become a key partner of Yarra Ranges Tourism; 5. Do not continue regional tourism organisation/ board membership.

The two options which present the best approach forward which should be considered by Murrindindi Shire Council include:

• Continue as a partner of Goulburn River Valley Tourism but work more closely with Yarra Ranges Tourism and Tourism North East in relation to product/ destinations that align;

• Become a partner of both Tourism North East with jurisdiction over Lake Eildon/Alexandra and Yea and Surrounds sub regions, and Yarra Ranges Tourism with jurisdiction over Marysville/Lake Mountain and Kinglake Ranges sub regions.

Section 6.8 provides an overview of pros and cons of each option.

MARKETING AND VISITOR SERVICES

Murrindindi Shire has a well-developed network of Visitor Information Centres, with four VICs including two accredited VICs in Yea and Marysville.

Marysville and Yea VICs are performing relatively well with around 30,000 visitors to the Yea VIC annually and 40,000 visitors to the Marysville VIC annually. Whilst there has been some decline of visitors to the Marysville VIC in recent years, this aligns with a general reduction of visitors using physical VICs across Victoria with digital information now a preference for most visitors.

The Eildon and Alexandra VICs have significantly lower visitation than Yea and Marysville. This is attributed to lower levels of visitation to each of these individual destinations by visitors and lack of collocated product to strengthen the appeal of the VICs. In the case of the Yea VIC, it is collocated with Y Water Discovery Centre which attracts visitors to the precinct, as does the Maryville VIC which is collated with an art gallery space.

With such low visitation to Eildon VIC, it is unsustainable to maintain a standalone VIC presence in the town. Eildon is also highly seasonal and has very low mid-week visitation. Collocation of visitor services with a retailer in town would provide an adequate approach for visitor services in Eildon.




In the case of Alexandra, collocation with a nature-based hub which includes bike hire, canoe hire and outdoor activity tour operators would strengthen the number of visitors to the VIC and provide a much-needed destination for nature-based visitors.

The marketing and digital presence aligned to each of the sub regional LTAs needs further investment. Given that Murrindindi’s destinations have strong alignment with High Country, Yarra Ranges and Goulburn River Valley, there is a need to work with these organisations to strengthen each destinations presence in the marketplace. There is a need for further investment in marketing aligned to sub regional destination brands by Murrindindi Shire in order to grow brand recognition and drive visitation.

VISION

Murrindindi will transform into one of Victoria’s leading nature-based tourism destinations which is accessible to family markets, adult couples, nature-based tourism enthusiasts and emerging international markets. Murrindindi will strengthen its complementary tourism product including food and agribusiness and new and improved accommodation to meet contemporary market expectations and needs.

KEY STRATEGIC CONSIDERATIONS AND OBJECTIVES

• Murrindindi Shire needs clear strategic direction. Murrindindi Shire needs a clear strategy with regard to marketing, brand and industry development needs, which will allow the Shire to influence what it needs from partners such as regional tourism organisations/boards;

• Limited overnight visitor growth. Murrindindi Shire needs investment in accommodation product and Murrindindi’s destinations need to develop a strong brand presence in the marketplace in order to convert day trip visitors to overnight visitors.

• Unclear and inconsistent approach to brand, marketing and digital media. Murrindindi Shire needs to invest further in marketing to grow awareness of its

high quality destinations. Furthermore investment in marketing action plans for each sub regional destination and product strengths will provide clear guidance and strategy for these key destination assets.

• Lead with areas of competitive strengths. Murrindindi Shire needs focus marketing efforts on its icons, (e.g. Lake Eildon, Lake Mountain, Great Victorian Rail Trail and Marysville), its well-known village destinations (e.g. Yea, Alexandra and Kinglake), as well as marketing its niche competitive strengths to nature-based markets (e.g. cycling, bushwalking, snow, fishing and hunting). Leveraging from Yarra Ranges Tourism and Tourism North East’s marketing efforts will be the most effective way to promote Murrindindi’s key destinations

• Fragmented governance. Greater leadership by Murrindindi Shire is needed to drive professionalism in Murrindindi Shire and provide greater consistency in approach to visitor services, marketing and digital media.

STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS

DIRECTION A Deliver a streamlined approach to tourism industry governance.

DIRECTION B Deliver streamlined and effective marketing and visitor information services.

DIRECTION C Development of product strengths and investment in emerging opportunities and supporting infrastructure.

DIRECTION D Drive tourism growth to Murrindindi through an enhanced events calendar.




1. INTRODUCTION

1.1. BACKGROUND

Urban Enterprise was commissioned by Murrindindi Shire Council to undertake the Murrindindi Shire Tourism and Events Strategy, which aims to redefine how tourism and events are experienced within the Shire.

1.2. PROJECT DRIVERS

The Murrindindi Shire Tourism and Events Strategy is required to guide the delivery of all tourism and events activities in the area, providing the opportunity for a long-term plan and vision for Murrindindi Shire which will strengthen the role of tourism in the region’s economy.

In particular, the Strategy aims to address the following objectives:

• Strengthen awareness of Murrindindi’s destinations in the market place through the continued development of contemporary tourism product and infrastructure such as quality accommodation, food and wine, recreation activities and events;

• Address seasonality issues to the Shire’s key tourism assets such as Lake Eildon, Marysville/Lake Mountain, High Country National and State Parks and the Goulburn River system;

• Review all local business and tourism associations (LBTAs); Visitor information Centres (VICs) and marketing approaches within the Shire; and

• Review the Shire’s current and potential Regional Tourism Board alignment.

1.3. APPROACH

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT AND CONSULTATION

Urban Enterprise undertook a round of consultation with key stakeholders to discuss issues and opportunities related to the project. These workshops were focused to key destinations in Murrindindi to allow focus on the diverse regional strengths within Murrindindi, including Yea, Alexandra and Marysville.

The consultation process consisted of workshops with the following consultation groups:

• Council officers and other regional stakeholders (e.g. Parks Victoria representatives);

• Councillors;

Stage 1: Project Inception and Background

Stage 2: Engagement and Consultation

Stage 3: Visitor Services Review

Stage 4: Visitor Economy and Servicing Analysis

Stage 5: Product, Experience and Events Audit




• Innovators / Business Owners Workshop (x2 sessions);

• Community members; and

• Local Business and Traders Association/VIC’s.

1.4. REPORT STRUCTURE

This report has been prepared in the following sections:

• Strategic Context;

• Visitor Economy Profile;

• Product Profile;

• Events Profile;

• Governance; and

• Marketing and Visitor Information Services.

1.5. CONTEXT

1.5.1. REGIONAL CONTEXT

Murrindindi Shire is located just north-east of Metropolitan Melbourne, with a distance of less than 100 kms to Melbourne CBD. Murrindindi Shire has a population of close to 14,000. Key industries of employment within the Shire are primary production, forestry, tourism, light manufacturing and engineering.

Despite proximity to Melbourne, population growth has been relatively slow in Murrindindi, with only 7% total growth between the years 2001-2017. Murrindindi has experienced much slower growth then neighbouring high growth municipalities Mitchell and Mansfield. This is partly due to impacts of the Black Saturday Bushfires, but also due to its geography making it difficult to access from Melbourne, compared to Mitchell Shire.

FIGURE 1 VICTORIAN CONTEXT

Source: Urban Enterprise, 2018




1.5.2. STATISTICAL CONTEXT

Murrindindi Shire consists of three Statistical Area 2 regions: Yea, Kinglake and Alexandra. For the purposes of this report, they have been identified as Yea & Surrounds, Kinglake Ranges, and Alexandra, Marysville & Eildon. Where possible, data has been provided for these areas.

FIGURE 2 .SA2 REGIONS OF MURRINDINDI SHIRE

Source: Urban Enterprise, 2018.

1.5.3. SUB-REGIONAL DESTINATIONS

In terms of tourism and event product, it is useful to assess Murrindindi’s tourism offering through each of its destinations, due to the distinct and unique offerings and geography of each. Murrindindi is not recognised as a single brand for visitors from Melbourne and regional Victoria, however its destinations including Marysville/Lake Mountain and Lake Eildon are easily recognised.

Lake Eildon/Alexandra and Marysville/Lake Mountain have been identified as primary visitor destinations for Murrindindi. Secondary Destinations have been identified as Kinglake Ranges and Yea & Surrounds.

FIGURE 3 DESTINATION REGIONS WITHIN MURRINDINDI SHIRE





2. STRATEGIC CONTEXT

2.1. KEY FINDINGS

Destination development for Murrindindi Shire Council is supported by an extensive list of Federal, State, Regional and Local Government policy and strategy documents.

Key themes from the existing strategic policy framework include:

• Federal and state government focus on the emerging Asian visitor market;

• Federal, state and local government support to promote the value of Australia as an eco-tourism destination;

• Encouraging tourism developments adjacent to national parks; and • Strengthening awareness of and further develop cycling tourism

experiences.

Murrindindi Shire is excellently placed to meet strategic goals for the Victorian tourism industry, particularly with the enhancement of its nature-based tourism offer.

2.2. TOURISM POLICY & RESEARCH

2.2.1. FEDERAL POLICY AND STRATEGY

TOURISM 2020 STRATEGY

The Tourism 2020 strategy was developed to provide long term goals for the Australian tourism industry. The six key areas of the strategy include:

• Grow demand from Asia;

• Build competitive digital capability;

• Encourage investment and implement the regulatory reform agenda;

• Ensure tourism transport environment supports growth;

• Increase supply of labour, skills and Indigenous participation; and

• Build industry resilience, productivity and quality.

NATURE RESERVES AND CONSERVATION PARKS IN AUSTRALIA INDUSTRY REPORT

The Nature Reserves and Conservation Parks in Australia Industry Report developed by IBISWorld in 2017 identified the following key points in relation to the scope and performance of the nature reserves and conservation parks industry in Australia:

• Rising international and interstate tourism has boosted demand for nature reserves and conservation parks over the past five years. The rising popularity of ecotourism has prompted state governments to renew their investment in national park facilities, and enact marketing campaigns to promote the value of Australia as an ecotourism destination;




• Across Australia, the industry has experienced a 3.0% annual growth in industry revenue between 2013-18 to $1.7 billion, with 2.2% annual growth predicted to occur between 2018-23;

• There are 3,027 reserves across the state of Victoria, comprising 3.9 million hectares of protected area, and the highest number of reserves across the country;

• 22.5% of enterprises in the industry are located in Victoria;

• Parks Victoria manages 45 national parks, 26 state parks, 13 marine national parks, 11 marine sanctuaries, 30 metropolitan parks, 60 other parks and approximately 70% of Victoria’s coastline, as well as a range of other assets; and

• In total this equates to Parks Victoria managing a total of 3.9 million hectares of reserves and parks, representing approximately 17.2% of the total Victorian land area.

2.2.2. STATE POLICY AND STRATEGY

VICTORIAN VISITOR ECONOMY STRATEGY, JULY 2016

The Victorian visitor economy has been growing strongly in comparison to NSW and Queensland since 2010. The Victorian Visitor Economy Strategy 2016 (Visitor Economy Strategy), prepared by the Victorian State Government, highlights the key to this success is the diversity of product on offer in Victoria and recognises the need to strengthen this diversity.

The Visitor Economy Strategy provides state wide direction for the growth of the tourism industry, outlining nine priority goals:

• More private sector investment;

• Build on the potential of regional and rural Victoria;

• Improve branding and marketing;

• Maximise the benefits of events;

• Improve experiences for visitors from Asia;

• Better tourism infrastructure;

• Improve access into and around Victoria;

• Skilled and capable sector; and

• More effective coordination.

The Strategy provides an ambitious goal to grow tourism expenditure across the State by 2024/2025 to $36.5 billion and a strong focus to achieve this by increasing visitor nights and encouraging international guests to explore regional Victoria.

The Strategy aims to support this growth through the following areas:

• Facilitating investment in tourism product and services;

• A focus on regional Victoria across all activities;

• Marketing activity that leverages all major visitor segments;

• A wider calendar of events that encourages visitor dispersal across Victoria;

• Visitor experiences tailored to the preferences of visitors from Asia; and

• Investing in key public infrastructure and roads.

VICTORIAN REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND SERVICES REVIEW 2015

The Victorian Regional Economic Development and Services Review was developed in 2015 by the Victoria State Government and identifies actions to better position regional Victoria for future growth and prosperity.

The review identified the following eight key shifts that will create challenges and/or opportunities for regional Victoria:

• Economic growth in Asia;

• Advances in technology;

• Increasing transport connectivity;

• Accommodation of future growth;

• Ageing population;




• Changing skill and workforce requirements;

• Addressing socio-economic disadvantage; and

• Climate change.

The review provides 60 recommendations to guide development in regional Victoria, identified recommendations of particular relevance to the future tourism growth of Murrindindi include:

• High priority - improving the productivity of the road network;

• Improving regional commuter rail passenger services;

• High priority – improving telecommunications access in regional areas;

• High priority – attracting investment into the visitor economy (in particular Action b. Encouraging tourism developments adjacent to national parks);

• Improving the experience for visitors; and

• Developing creative and cultural industries.

VICTORIA’S CYCLING TOURISM ACTION PLAN 2011- 2015

Victoria’s Cycling Tourism Action Plan (Action Plan) was developed in 2011 by Tourism Victoria to:

• Outline Victoria’s current position in relation to cycle tourism;

• Provide an overview of current visitation and segmentation; and

• Propose a number of directions and actions to increase awareness and visitation to Victoria by consumers seeking a cycle tourism experience.

The Action Plan outlines three key objectives or directions in relation to cycling tourism:

• Strengthening the supply of cycling tourism experiences;

• Building consumer demand for cycling tourism experiences; and

• Attracting and leveraging events.

VICTORIA’S TRAILS STRATEGY 2014-24

Published by the Victoria Government in July 2014, Victoria’s Trails Strategy (Trails Strategy) outlined five key strategic directions:

• Provide a strategic framework for trail investment

• Support effective planning, development and maintenance of trails

• Provide high quality information on trails

• Create better trail experiences; and

• Market trails.

Identifying that there are 2,000 plus trails across the state which attract a wide range of people and provide health, educational. cultural and environmental benefits, the Trails Strategy identified that the Victorian Government manages 85% of these trails, many of which are in protected areas, such as National Parks, State Parks, State forests and reserves

The Trails Strategy outlines a Vision “for Victoria to be recognised as a leading trail-based destination that provides a diverse range of quality trail experiences for visitors, while strengthening the State’s economy and improving the health, wellbeing and lifestyle of the community”

Importantly, the Trails Strategy also outlines that “From a local community perspective, trails are important infrastructure that support recreational and fitness activities, such as walking, cycling and running. They may also be a source of community pride and important local landmarks of cultural and heritage significance”.

A key focus of the strategy is to increase awareness of the numerous trails in Victoria, and key to the development of Murrindindi, to promote the Great Victorian Rail Trail further.




2.2.3. REGIONAL POLICY AND STRATEGY

GOULBURN RIVER VALLEY DESTINATION MANAGEMENT PLAN, 2014

The Goulburn River Valley Destination Management Plan (DMP), 2014, prepared by Urban Enterprise, on behalf of Goulburn River Valley Tourism, is the major strategic plan for tourism in the Goulburn River Valley. The DMP outlines a framework to guide the development of tourism in the region. The framework is based upon 10 strategic development themes, which are:

1. Delivering strategic development opportunities and catalyst projects; 2. Accessing and utilising the region’s water and nature-based assets; 3. Supporting and delivering new events; 4. Capitalising on the equine sector; 5. Destination position; 6. Defining new touring routes and linkages; 7. Improving the accommodation offer; 8. Place making; and 9. Improving the accessibility and transport infrastructure.

The DMP, to lead to investment and raise the profile of the Goulburn River Valley, also outlines 12 catalyst projects which include the expansion of the Great Victorian Rail trail, Lake Eildon waterfront opportunities, Toolangi canopy tour and Marysville spa and wellness projects.

GOULBURN RIVER VALLEY DESTINATION MANAGEMENT PLAN UPDATE, 2017

The Goulburn River Valley DMP Update, 2017 was undertaken by Urban Enterprise on behalf of Goulburn River Valley Tourism to identify how the region’s tourism, including products and priorities have changed since the preparation of the 2014 DMP.

The updated DMP contains 20 priority projects, of which the following are related to Murrindindi:

1. Kinglake/Toolangi Canopy Tour; 2. Wellness Resort; 3. Great Victorian Rail Trail Expansion and Product Development; 4. Lake Eildon Waterfront Development Opportunities; 5. Eildon Pondage Development Opportunities; 6. Marysville Spa and Wellness; and 7. Marysville Cycling Destination Development.

The DMP update also identifies destination development opportunities; these are Tier 2 and 3 opportunities that are secondary to the previously outlined priority projects. For each key destination cluster, the plan includes:

• A description of each product development opportunity, providing a summary of the key elements of initiative;

• The project location; and

• The alignment of projects with the identified strategic themes and the strategic rationale for recommending the project.

2.2.4. LOCAL POLICY AND STRATEGY

MURRINDINDI SHIRE COUNCIL PLAN, 2017 – 2021

The Murrindindi Shire Council Plan 2017 to 2021 outlines priorities for Council over the four years between 2017 and 2021 and identifies activities which will be undertaken. In relation to tourism, it is identified in the plan that growing tourism, visitation and events is a key aspect of improving the prosperity of the municipality. To achieve this, Council aims to work with local business and regional partners to “support a diverse visitor experience that promotes natural assets, and a vibrant range of events” (page 21).




MURRINDINDI SHIRE COUNCIL PLAN 2017 – 2021 DRAFT PRIORITY ACTION PLAN 2018 – 2019

The Priority Action Plan 2018/19 outlines the actions which will be undertaken by Council to implement the Council Plan 2017-2019 over the 2018/19 financial year. Key actions relating to tourism include:

10. “Strategy 3.1: Use a fresh approach to attract new and existing business investment: a. Action 3.1.1 Provide a seamless service for businesses and investor:

i. Key Focus Areas • Continue to deliver the Business and Tourism Innovation Grants

Program. 11. Strategy 3.2: Work with our business, regional partners and communities to

support a diverse visitor experience that promotes our natural assets, and a vibrant range of events: a. Action 3.2.1 Partner with regional and local stakeholders to enhance

the economic benefit of the tourism sector i. Key focus areas: • Review Council’s role in the function and effectiveness of local

businesses and tourism associations and Murrindindi Inc. • Work with existing tourism partners and resource future

partnership arrangements to develop the tourism sector” b. Action 3.2.2 Leverage natural assets to build on the tourism offer:

i. Key focus areas: • Showcase key natural assets to visitors and residents. Advocate

for improved infrastructure, access, funding and development to enhance the visitor experience of natural assets.

c. Action 3.2.3 Support tourism, experiences, event development and delivery: i. Key focus areas: • Develop a Tourism and Events Plan and investigate resources for

delivery;

• Advocate to maintain the Jayco Herald Sun Tour in Kinglake; • Utilise the Business and Tourism Innovation Grants Program to

attract new events and support smaller events to start and to grow visitation;

d. Action 3.2.4 Strengthen marketing and promotional activities: i. Key focus areas • Deliver the Tourism and Events Strategy and the Communications

and Marketing Strategy; • Continue established marketing channels, including Discover

Dindi, Great Victorian Rail Trail, Goulburn River Valley Tourism’s Heart of Victoria campaign”.

12. Strategy 3.3: Support and encourage local businesses to work together, thrive, grow, through networking, start-up assistance, mentoring, and access to skills: a. Action 3.3.2: Ensure businesses have access to the information and

support they need to improve their viability: i. Key focus areas: • Provide access to relevant business support services through the

Business and Tourism Innovation Grants Program.”

MURRINDINDI SHIRE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY FOR AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND TOURISM SECTORS, 2003 – 2008

The Murrindindi Shire Economic Development Strategy for Agriculture, Forestry and Tourism sectors 2003 – 2008 recognised Agriculture, Forestry and Tourism as the key industries for the municipality. In relation to tourism, the Strategy identifies 7 priority actions to support the growth of tourism in Murrindindi. These actions are:

1. Improve the tourism industry organisational framework - clarify the roles of the RTA and LTAs and strengthen the tourism industry organization membership base.




2. Affirm Council’s ongoing support for the tourism industry for the next 3 years.

3. Strengthen tourism industry networking, cooperation and communication on a number of levels including across tourism industry sectors, Local Tourism Associations, with the outdoor education, timber and agriculture industry sectors, and with other external stakeholders.

4. Develop a touring route supported by appropriate information collateral and signage. The route would encompass the whole of the Shire of Murrindindi linking the three major icons with the Shires key attractions and townships.

5. Development of infrastructure to access the natural attractions. Seek grant funding to undertake a feasibility study for the Rubicon historic area and develop the next planning stages for the Mitchell to Murrindindi Rail Trail.

6. Review tourism signage and develop an integrated tourism signage strategy.

7. Develop a consistent approach to branding and positioning for tourism incorporating the icon attributes and the townships in the Shire.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY 2011-2016

The Murrindindi Economic Development Strategy 2011 to 2016 outlines the actions which will be undertaken by Council to foster economic development within the municipality. The Strategy is based upon 7 strategies, which are outlined below:

1. Vibrant Businesses: actively support the establishment of new businesses and the sustainable growth of existing businesses as a key to the economic prosperity and vitality of the shire;

2. Industry Support: build on the strengths of existing local industry sectors and to identify and support new and emerging industries;

3. Natural and Built Environments; protect, manage and promote the natural environment and cultural heritage of the region. To support the development of infrastructure and facilities that will enhance liveability within the shire;

4. Growth, Sustainability and Innovation: facilitate and support growth in the commercial and residential rate base that is sustainable and innovative, and which is underpinned by community values;

5. Partnerships and Relationships: develop and maintain partnerships, collaboration and shared goals within and between communities, businesses, all levels of government, industry sector associations and non-government organisations;

6. People and Potential; attract and retain a broad cross section of people from a range of age groups and to maximise their potential through education, and

7. Vibrant Communities: support and encourage local, ‘place-based’ initiatives that will provide direct economic benefit to individual towns and communities.

The Strategy also identifies 6 Recommended Areas of Focus, including Tourism.

Key opportunities and recommendations identified to further the development of tourism in the region include the development of a range of products and ensure there is one coordinated voice to market the Murrindindi Shire. Potential products include the development of packages to link businesses and attractions, a link between Yea Wetlands Discovery Centres, Snobs Creek Freshwater and Toolangi Forest, new accommodation and conference centres including Lake Mountain Eco-Lodge, Marysville Conference Centre and Mt Pininger Resort. Other potential products include a list of adventure-based assets and infrastructure and increased cycling opportunities to build upon existing mountain bike infrastructure and bike events within the municipality.

EVENTS MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR MURRINDINDI SHIRE COUNCIL

The Events Management Strategy prepared by GTR Events outlines a series of actions which could be undertaken by Murrindindi Shire Council to support and attract new events to the municipality.

The Strategy outlines 5 actions to improve events within Murrindindi and are:




1. Creation of 4 major annual events: proposed events include a major cycling event to be held in summer, Eildon BBQ event in Autumn, a Christmas in July event and a Sculpture Walk to be held in Spring;

2. Market the Brand: Use year-round events to promote the region to increase tourism;

3. Leverage Stakeholders: work with stakeholders including government and non-government to develop partnerships to participate and provide input to an events strategy;

4. Impact: ensure events hosted have the desired economic and tourism impact; and

5. Business Model: ensure that Murrindindi’s event model is financially supported by Visit Victoria and that Council is a sponsor of events and supports event owners to deliver the Event Strategy including through financing event development.

MURRINDINDI SHIRE REGIONAL EVENTS STRATEGY, 2015 – 2020

The Murrindindi Shire Events Strategy 2015 to 2020 outlines the methods for Council to improve event opportunities within the municipality. The Strategy outlines an event criterion which categorises events as a tier one, tier two or tier three event:

• Tier 1: Major events that have potential to attract inter and intrastate visitors annually;

• Tier 2: Medium sized-events with capacity to attract visitors from Victoria annually;

• Tier 3: Local events of significance to the local community.

The Strategy, based upon a review of other successful events both within and outside of the region, includes recommendations to build upon regional product strengths such as Lake Eildon and waterways, culture and arts, music, cycling and automotive, through the improvement of existing or the development of new events.

Existing events identified as needing continued support include:

• Big Fish Challenge;

• Yea Arts Carnivale;

• Foggy Mountain Bluegrass Festival; and

• Truck, Ute and Rod Show.

Examples of potential new events include:

• A “House Boat Opening Weekend” to promote the opening of the houseboat season; and

• New seasonal cycling events as part of the Super Series.

The Strategy also recommends the development of a seasonal event calendar as well as a marketing strategy, to support the small but successful events in the Marysville region. Other opportunities include to improve the marketing of outdoor activity events and the development of seasonal events. This includes the development of a ‘Spring theme’ to attract visitors to the region’s food, wine and music and arts products in Spring and the development of a ‘winter sports and recreation’ event to attract a greater number of visitors to Lake Mountain in Winter.

The Strategy also identifies hosting corporate events (tier 2 and 3) as an opportunity for Murrindindi Council. To ensure the success of existing and potential new events, the Strategy outlines the need for an Event Development Framework, which involves collaboration both across shire boundaries and industry sectors.

Y WATER DISCOVER CENTRE AT YEA WETLANDS STRATEGIC PLAN 2017 – 2021

The Strategic Plan 2017 – 2021 for the Y Water Centre is the major plan to guide the future development and growth of the Y Water Discovery Centre. The multi-purpose centre provides a range of services and activities including being a accredited Visitor Information Centre, hosting learning programs relating to water and the environment, hosting a range of events such as meetings and showcasing and supporting local businesses and artisans.




The Plan outlines a series of strategic priorities for the Centre over the period between 2017 and 2021. These strategic priorities are to build upon the existing activities undertaken at the Centre and include:

1. Being an “outstanding” Visitor Information Centre; 2. Being the Yea Wetlands educational and cultural experience; 3. Governance and Partnerships; 4. Community Engagement; and 5. Facilities and Amenities.

GREAT VICTORIAN RAIL TRAIL STRATEGIC PLAN, 2013

The Strategic Plan for the Great Victorian Rail Trial (GVRT) provides a plan for the future of the trail, including the identification of actions required to establish the rail trail as an experience of national significance and the identification of operational management.

The Strategic Plan includes a Marketing Plan, which identifies the following 3 significant phases of development for the GVRT:

• 2013 – 2014 Consolidation

• 2014 – 2015 Growth

• 2015 – 2016 Aspiration

The Marketing Plan outlines 5 key actions as the foundations for sustainable growth of the GVRT. These actions underpin the development of the GVRT in each phase of the Strategic Plan.

1. Marketing

2. Management and administration

3. Product development

4. Infrastructure development

5. Industry support and development

The Operational Guide outlines the following tools as imperative to the management of the GVRT:

• Brand Style Guide: the brand manual which provides guidelines for all design work relevant to the GVRT,

• Signage Plan: the signage manual which provides all relevant signage information for the GVRT,

• Website: the website is a ‘destination site’ within Tourism North East’s (TNE) Regional Digital Platform, and High Country Reservations (HCR) is contracted to manage the operational aspects of the website,

• Toolkit 1 – Prospectus: available online and features products available for purchase by industry, which include: website listings, GVRT Guide, and Signage,

• Toolkit 2 – Activities within the GVRT Reserve: online information and enquiry package available to members of community, industry and business who want to use the GVRT Reserve for events, activities, programs or initiatives,

• Strategic Plan

GREAT VICTORIAN RAIL TRAIL SIGNAGE PLAN, 2013

The Great Victorian Rail Trial Signage Plan 2013, outlines while type and where signs should be located along the Rail Trial. Signage types in Gateway towns (off trial), Major Hubs, minor hubs, station sites (no hub) and points of interest hubs. Other signage includes entry point orientation signs at carpark trial entry points, safety and warning signs and directional signs.

The Plan outlines signs are to improve visitor/user experience, have a balance of ‘need to know’ and ‘like to know’, be location in a logical position, not create false stopping points. Oversaturation and proliferation is also identified as needing to be avoided.




ALEXANDRA, THORNTON AND EILDON TRAIL LINK FEASIBILITY STUDY, 2014

The Alexandra, Thornton and Eildon Trail Link Feasibility Study 2014 assesses the viability of a multi-use trail to link to the Great Victorian Rail Trail.

The study found that the trail would be feasibility and achieve economic outcomes as well as increasing visitor numbers to the region by approximately 6,000. The Study found that there is a market for the trail and the route of trail is viable as well as being value for money. The Study also identified other benefits of trail link as increasing the connectivity of the local community and providing new recreational opportunities as well as providing opportunity to build upon businesses already existing in the local area.

To support the trail, the Study also includes a project implementation plan and outlines the potential trail management potential funding sources.




3. VISITOR ECONOMY PROFILE

3.1. INTRODUCTION

This section provides an overview of visitation and visitor characteristics in Murrindindi Shire, compared to the GRV region and regional Victoria as appropriate.

This assessment draws on data collected by Tourism Research Australia’s National Visitor Survey (NVS) and International Visitor Survey (IVS) to analyse trend and demographic data for both domestic and international visitors to the region

3.2. KEY FINDINGS

Visitation to Murrindindi Shire was 823,000 visitors in 2017/18 comprised of predominately day trip visitors (73%), followed by overnight trip visitors (26%). The visitor economy contributes $94.1 million and 493 jobs to the Murrindindi economy.

Visitors Tourism Output Tourism Jobs

823,000 $94.1M 493

Visitation to Alexandra, Marysville and Eildon accounts for 61% of visitation to the Shire. This is likely due to more developed and widely recognised natural assets, tourism products and destinations in these sub-regions such as Lake Eildon, Marysville and Lake Mountain.

96% of domestic visitors originate from Victoria, with 89% of domestic visitors originating from Melbourne. 64% of these visitors are from Melbourne’s East and North regions. Therefore, there is strong opportunity to target Melbourne’s North and East regions.

The domestic target markets for Murrindindi Shire will be focused towards older couples, younger families, nature-based visitors and the Lifestyle Leader market. Although international visitation is quite low in Murrindindi (0.4%), the Asian visitor market is a key emerging market for Murrindindi.

Murrindindi Shire has very similar visitation patterns to the neighbouring Mansfield Shire, particularly in terms of purpose of visit for both day trip and overnight visitors, and in terms of visitor origin for overnight visitors.




3.2.1. SUB REGION VISITATION

Murrindindi Shire attracts 823,000 visitors per annum (Figure 4). Over half of those visitors are visiting Alexandra and Marysville area.

The Shire attracts 607,000 day-trippers (74%) and 212,000 overnight visitors (26%)

The reason for the high level of daytrip visitation is likely due to the combined low supply of visitor accommodation, proximity to Metropolitan Melbourne, and proximity to large regional centres in the North East of Victoria such as Shepparton and Wangaratta.

Alexandra and Marysville Area attracts the majority of daytrip (59%) and overnight (77%) visitors in the Shire. This could be due to the large number of environmental assets in the region, as well as a larger VFR market staying overnight in Alexandra due to the higher population base in Alexandra (20%).

Yea is likely to attract a higher number of visitors than captured in the official data, due to visitors passing through but not staying more than 4 hours.

Kinglake and Yea Areas have an exceptionally low proportion of overnight visitation. A key focus of the tourism strategy will be to grow overnight visitation.

FIGURE 4 VISITATION TO MURRINDINDI SHIRE AND SUB REGIONS/AREAS

Source: TRA, NVS & IVS Visitation, Financial Year 2013/14 - 2017/2018 (5 year average).

153,837 119,177

329,859

602,872

16,293 39,710

173,272

229,023

603 627

2,678

3,216

-

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

700,000

800,000

900,000

Kinglake Yea and Surrounds Alexandra, Marysville andEildon

Murrindindi Shire

Day Overnight International




3.2.2. PROPORTION OF DAY TRIPS/OVERNIGHT TRIPS

In 2017/18 Murrindindi Shire attracted an average of 823,000 visitors.

The largest proportion of visitors were visiting on a daytrip (74%), which is significantly higher than the proportion of day trip visitors to Regional Victoria (62%). This is likely to be due to the Shire’s proximity to Melbourne.

A key focus for the strategy will be converting day trips to overnight visitors.

FIGURE 5 MURRINDINDI SHIRE VISITATION BY MARKET AND PROPORTION (2017/18)

Source: TRA CDMOTA IVS & NVS, Financial Year 2017/18.

73.50%

62%

26.10%

31%

0.40%7%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Murrindindi Regional Victoria

Daytrip Overnight International




3.2.3. VISITATION TRENDS

DOMESTIC DAYTRIP VISITATION

Over the period 2008/09- 2017/18 annual domestic daytrip visitation to Murrindindi Shire grew from approximately 502,971 visitors in 2008/09 to 658,179 visitors in 2017/18. This growth was not consistent however, with the Shire experiencing a peaks and troughs in visitation. This was consistent with visitation to the GRV region, which grew from approximately 1,734,615 visitors in 2008/09 to 2,167,252 in 2017/18. Much of this growth has been generated by visitation to Shepparton.

FIGURE 6 DOMESTIC DAYTRIP VISITATION TREND 2008/09-2017/18

Source: TRA CDMOTA NVS, Financial Year 2008/09-2017/18.

DOMESTIC OVERNIGHT VISITATION

The number of domestic overnight visitors to Murrindindi Shire, in the period 2008/09- 2017/18, grew from approximately 222,577 visitors in 2008/09 to 233,587 visitors in 2017/18. This growth was inconsistent over the 10-year period, with a number of troughs occurring. The inconsistent growth was also reflected in the number of domestic overnight visitors to GRV Region, with a number of peaks and troughs also occurring in the region. Overall, overnight visitation grew from 616,347 visitors in 2008 to 930,180 visitors in 2017.

FIGURE 7 DOMESTIC OVERNIGHT VISITATION TREND 2008/09-2017/18

Source: TRA CDMOTA NVS, Financial Year 2008/09-2017/18.

Murrindindi Shire has not attracted any significant growth in overnight visitors. This is potentially due to lack of new accommodation product and limited effective marketing efforts.

502,971 658,179

1,734,615

2,167,252

-

500,000

1,000,000

1,500,000

2,000,000

2,500,000 Murrindindi (S) GRV Region

222,577 233,587

616,347

930,180

-

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

700,000

800,000

900,000

1,000,000

Murrindindi (S) GRV Region




3.2.4. SHARE OF VISITATION

Figure 8 shows the distribution of domestic overnight visitors across the GRV region, based on a TRA 5-year average of visitation from 2013/14 to 2017/18.

The data shows that Greater Shepparton attracts the highest proportion of visitation (39%), followed by Murrindindi Shire (29%), Mitchell (18%) and Strathbogie (15%).

Given Murrindindi Shire’s developing product profile in nature-based tourism, sport and recreation, and food and wine, as well as the Shire’s proximity to Melbourne, there is potential to grow Murrindindi’s share of visitation across the region. There is also strong opportunity to leverage from visitors travelling to popular neighbouring destinations such as the Yarra Valley to the east and Mount Buller to the North-East.

FIGURE 8 DOMESTIC OVERNIGHT VISITATION PROPORTION BY LGA

Source: TRA, NVS & IVS Visitation, Financial Year 2013/14 - 2017/2018.



22 M U R R I N D I N D I S H I R E T O U R I S M A N D E V E N T S S T R A T E G Y 2 0 1 9 - 2 0 2 4 M U R R I N D I N D I S H I R E C O U N C I L

3.3. VISITOR DEMOGRAPHICS

This section includes an overview of key visitor demographics for the daytrip, overnight and international visitor markets to Murrindindi Shire. These are benchmarked against visitor data for regional Victoria and surrounding LGA’s Mitchell Shire, Mansfield Shire, Strathbogie Shire, and Yarra Ranges. This includes purpose of visit; visitor origin; travel group; age; activities; accommodation and seasonality of visit.

3.3.1. DOMESTIC DAYTRIP VISITORS

PURPOSE OF VISIT

The primary purpose of visit for domestic daytrip visitors to Murrindindi Shire was for a holiday (72%), and the secondary purpose was visiting family and friends (18%). The proportion of visitation reasons to Murrindindi are almost identical to Mansfield Shire. Murrindindi Shire has much higher levels of holiday visitation and lower levels of VFR than Regional Victoria.

FIGURE 9 DOMESTIC DAYTRIP PURPOSE OF VISIT (%)

Source: TRA CDMOTA NVS, Financial Year 2016/17- 2017/18 (2 year average).

ORIGIN

All (100%) of domestic daytrip visitors to Murrindindi Shire have originated from within Victoria. Of these visitors, 85% originate from within Melbourne.

71% of visitors from within Melbourne originate from Melbourne’s North and East regions, as shown in Figure 10. This presents a significant opportunity to target marketing and promotional efforts towards these regions to increase visitation.

FIGURE 10 VISITOR ORIGIN WITHIN MELBOURNE, BY DESTINATION MELBOURNE CAMPAIGN SUB-REGION (%)


72%

33%

73%49%

68%54%

18%

49%

17%

37%23%

28%

4%9%

6% 11% 4%8%

6% 8% 4% 2% 5%10%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Murrindindi Mitchell Mansfield Strathbogie Yarra Ranges RegionalVictoria

Holiday Visiting friends and relatives Business Other reason

38%

24%

12%

16%

33%

20%

8%

20%

11%21%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%


East Inner North South East West




AGE

Murrindindi has a higher proportion of visitors aged between 25- 34 (21%) than regional Victoria (17%), however the visitor profile is generally consistent with that of Regional Victoria.

FIGURE 11 DOMESTIC DAYTRIP VISITOR AGE PROFILE (%)

Source: TRA CDMOTA NVS, Financial Year 2016/17 to 2017/18 (2 year average).

TRIP ACTIVITIES

Murrindindi Shire has a much higher proportion of visitors sightseeing/looking around (35%) and bushwalking/rainforest walks (26%) than regional Victoria (20% and 7%, respectively). There are much lower proportions of visitors in Murrindindi visiting friends and relatives (25%) compared to Regional Victoria (33%).

TABLE 1 DAYTRIP ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN

ACTIVITIES MURRINDINDI

REGIONAL VICTORIA

Eat out / dine at a restaurant and/or cafe 50% 50%

Sightseeing/looking around 35% 20%

Bushwalking / rainforest walks 26% 7%

Visit friends & relatives 25% 33%

Visit national parks / state parks 21% 7%

Pubs, clubs, discos etc 12% 7%

Picnics or BBQs 8% 4%

Other outdoor activities nfd 7% 2%

Exercise, gym or swimming 6% 3%

Fishing 6% 2%

Visit botanical or other public gardens 5% 4%

Go shopping for pleasure 5% 16%

Visit farms 4% 1%

None of these 4% 9%

Visit wineries 3% 2%

Visit history / heritage buildings, sites or monuments 3% 3%

Go to markets 3% 3%

Attend festivals / fairs or cultural events 2% 2%

Snow skiing 2% 0%

Source: TRA CDMOTA NVS, Financial Year 2016/17-2017/18 (2 year average).

Activity data confirms that Murrindindi is predominately a nature-based tourism destination, with higher than average visitors participating in bushwalking, visiting national/state parks, fishing and skiing.

12%

21%

14%

18%

14%13%

7%

13%

17%16% 16%

17%

15%

6%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

15-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 75+





SEASONALITY

Visitor daytrips to Murrindindi is variable across the year, with the greatest peaks in the months of August and December. The visitation trend is much more seasonal than regional Victoria.

FIGURE 12 DAYTRIP SEASONALITY OF VISIT (%)


0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%Murrindindi Regional Victoria




3.3.2. DOMESTIC OVERNIGHT VISITORS

PURPOSE OF VISIT

The primary purpose of overnight visits to Murrindindi Shire was for a holiday (65%), followed by visiting family and friends (22%). Figure 13 shows that there is a much lower proportion of overnight visitors travelling to Murrindindi to visit relatives or friends regional Victoria and other neighbouring LGA’s. This indicates a large proportion of visitors travelling to the region for leisure and recreation.

Similar to the purpose of visit for day-trippers, the proportion of visitation to Murrindindi is almost identical to that of Mansfield.

FIGURE 13 OVERNIGHT PURPOSE OF VISIT (%)


Murrindindi Is a true holiday and leisure destination, with the vast majority of visitors visiting for this purpose.

ORIGIN

92% of domestic overnight visitors to Murrindindi Shire originated in Victoria (Figure 14), with 5% of overnight visitors originating from New South Wales. The majority of overnight visitors to regional Victoria also originated in Victoria, (83% and 85%, respectively).

FIGURE 14 OVERNIGHT VISITOR ORIGIN, BY STATE (%)

Source: TRA CDMOTA NVS, Financial Year 2016/17- 2017/18 (2 year average).% have been rounded so may not equal 100%.

69%

18%

70%

49% 46% 52%

22%

47%

24%

41% 43% 34%

8%

29%

4% 6% 10% 11%

2%6%

2% 3% 2% 5%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%


Holiday Visiting friends and relatives Business Other reason

92%

72%

93%83%

75%85%

5%

8%

2%8%

13%7%

2%

7%

3%

4% 7% 2%

1%1% 0%13% 3% 5%5% 6%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%


Victoria New South Wales Queensland Northern Territory Other




Data taken over a 2-year average between 2016/17 and 2017/18 shows that of the 92% of Victorian visitors, 85% of Victorian visitors originate from Melbourne. Figure 15 shows that of these visitors, 40% are from Melbourne’s East and 20% are from Melbourne’s South East. This is consistent with observations made by local tourism businesses and associations, as identified through extensive community engagement.

FIGURE 15 VISITOR ORIGIN WITHIN MELBOURNE, BY DESTINATION MELBOURNE CAMPAIGN SUB-REGION (%)


TRAVEL GROUP

The primary overnight travel groups to Murrindindi Shire are friends or relatives travelling together (no children; 25%) and family group (parents and children; 24%)

The second most common travel group is adult couples, accounting for 22% of travel party types. Visitation regional Victoria (refer Figure 16).

FIGURE 16 OVERNIGHT TRAVEL GROUP (%)


40%

26%

8%

19%

18% 22%

20% 19%

14% 14%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%


East Inner North South East West

25% 24%22%

15%

8%5%

19% 19%

28%

24%

5% 4%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

Friends orrelativestravellingtogether -

without children

Family group -parents and

children

Adult couple Travelling alone Friends orrelativestravelling

together - withchildren

Other

Murrindindi (S) Regional Victoria




AGE

Murrindindi Shire has a higher proportion of visitors aged between 15-24 (19%) than regional Victoria (15%), and a higher proportion of older visitors between 55-64 (20%) compared to regional Victoria (16%).

The proportion of visitors aged between 25-54 is relatively consistent with regional Victoria.

FIGURE 17 OVERNIGHT AGE PROFILE IN 10 YEAR GROUPS


TRIP ACTIVITIES

There is a much higher proportion of visitors participating in nature-based activities in Murrindindi than regional Victoria. This includes bushwalking/ rainforest walks (Murrindindi 32%; regional Victoria 16%), visit national parks/ state parks (Murrindindi 28%; regional Victoria 15%), fishing (Murrindindi 15%; regional Victoria 6%), water activities (Murrindindi 9%; regional Victoria 4%), and other outdoor activities (Murrindindi 12%; regional Victoria 4%).

50% of overnight visitors to Murrindindi Shire eat out / dine at a restaurant and/or café, which is lower than the rest of regional Victoria (57%).

TABLE 2 OVERNIGHT VISITOR ACTIVITIES BY PARTICIPATION (%)

ACTIVITY MURRINDINDI

(S) REGIONAL VICTORIA

Eat out / dine at a restaurant and/or cafe 50% 57%

Bushwalking / rainforest walks 32% 16%

Visit friends & relatives 31% 44%

Visit national parks / state parks 28% 15%

Sightseeing/looking around 27% 27%

Pubs, clubs, discos etc. 23% 22%

Fishing 15% 6%

Picnics or BBQs 12% 6%

Other outdoor activities 12% 4%

Go shopping for pleasure 10% 16%

Water activities / sports 9% 4%

None of these 8% 7%

Exercise, gym or swimming 7% 7%

19%

16% 15%

17%

20%

8%

5%

15%17% 16%

18%16%

13%

4%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

15-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 75+





Play other sports 6% 4%

Visit history / heritage buildings, sites or monuments 6% 6%

Go on a daytrip to another place 5% 5%

Visit wineries 5% 5%

Visit botanical or other public gardens 5% 4%

Go to markets 5% 7%

Attend festivals / fairs or cultural events 4% 4%

Visit food markets (2016 onwards) 3% 2%

Cycling 3% 3%

Visit farms 2% 2%

Visit museums or art galleries 2% 5%

Golf 2% 2%

Visit industrial tourist attractions / mines / breweries (breweries excl. 2016 onwards)

2% 1%

Attend an organised sporting event 2% 3%

Snow skiing 1% 1%

Go on guided tours or excursions 1% 1%

Visit wildlife parks / zoos / aquariums 1% 1%

Other activities 1% 1%


Given the strong cycling credentials of Murrindindi, including mountain biking in Kinglake and Lake Mountain, road cycling and the Great Victorian Rail Trail, cycle visitation is low. Leveraging from High Country’s RIDE campaign could be an effective way to drive cycle visitation to the region.

ACCOMMODATION TYPE

The primary accommodation type for visitors to Murrindindi Shire is a friends or relatives property (22%). This is also the most common type of accommodation for overnight visits in the GRV region and regional Victoria (both 38%). Other common accommodation types in Murrindindi Shire were camping (national park/ crown land) (16%) and stand hotel/ motor inn (14%). A higher proportion of visitors to GRV region (18%) and regional Victoria (14%) stayed in a standard hotel/motor inn than in the Murrindindi Shire (refer Figure 18).

FIGURE 18 OVERNIGHT ACCOMMODATION TYPE (%)


4%

8%

2%

9%

11%

21%

40%

8%

4%

4%

5%

6%

16%

20%

22%

23%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45%

Other

Own property

Other Private Accommodation

Rented house/apartment/flat or unit

Caravan park or commercial camping ground

Hotel/resort/motel or motor Inn

Friends or relatives property

Caravan or camping - non commercial





SEASONALITY

Overnight visitation to Murrindindi Shire is relatively variable, with several peaks and troughs occurring throughout the year. Months experiencing the greatest visitation include January, March, June, October and December. This pattern in visitation is quite different to visitation to regional Victoria (refer Figure 19).

The significant peak in overnight visitation in January could be due to the summer holiday period, whereas the peak in visitation in June is likely due to the Alexandra Truck, Ute and Rod Show, which attracts over 12,000 visitors annually, and visitors to Lake Mountain in winter.

FIGURE 19 OVERNIGHT SEASONALITY OF VISIT (%)

Source: TRA CDMOTA NVS Calendar Year 2016/17- 2017/18 (2 year average).

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%

16%

18%





3.3.3. INTERNATIONAL VISITORS

PURPOSE OF VISIT

The primary purpose of international visits to Murrindindi is for a holiday (61%), followed by 27% of visitors to the Murrindindi Shire visiting friends and relatives. This is higher than the 54% of visitors to regional Victoria visiting for a holiday. It is important to note that there are no visitors to the shire for employment purposes, indicating a low supply of jobs.

FIGURE 20 INTERNATIONAL PURPOSE OF VISIT (%)

Source: TRA CDMOTA IVS Calendar Year 2016/17- 2017/18 (2 year average).

ORIGIN

16% of international visitors to Murrindindi Shire are from the United States of America, which is significantly higher than the proportion of visitors to regional Victoria (9%). Murrindindi has a much higher proportion of international visitors originating from Singapore and Japan (12% each) than regional Victoria (4% and 2%, respectively). This indicates that, along with higher visitor numbers from Taiwan and Hong Kong, the Asian market.is an emerging target market for Murrindindi.

TABLE 3 INTERNATIONAL COUNTRY OF ORIGIN (%)

Country Murrindindi (S) Regional Victoria

United States of America 16% 9%

New Zealand 15% 11%

Singapore 12% 4%

Japan 12% 2%

United Kingdom 10% 14%

Germany 8% 7%

Taiwan 6% 2%

Hong Kong 5% 2%

Italy 3% 2%

France 3% 3%

Malaysia 2% 4%

Canada 1% 3%

China 1% 12%

Other Countries 1% 5%

Thailand 1% 1%

Scandinavia 1% 3%

Netherlands 1% 3%

Switzerland 1% 2%

Source: TRA CDMOTA IVS Calendar Year 2016/17- 2017/18 (2 year average).

61%

27%

7%

0%5%

0%

54%

30%

6% 4% 5%2%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Holiday Visiting friendsand relatives

Business Employment Education Other reason





3.4. ECONOMIC IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF VISITOR ECONOMY

The Murrindindi Shire regional economy profile measures the economic contribution of tourism to the region both in absolute level terms and as a contribution to the regional economy.

In 2016-17, the visitor economy for Murrindindi contributed 493 jobs and generated $94.1 million in output. This represents 8% of the total economic output in Murrindindi’s economy, and 12% of total jobs in Murrindindi. Tourism is the third largest industry of employment for Murrindindi.

FIGURE 21 ECONOMIC IMPACT OF TOURISM IN MURRINDINDI

FIGURE 22

Source: REMPlan Economy Profile, Murrindindi Shire, 2016-17.

3.5. MARKET SEGMENTATION

Anecdotal evidence from businesses suggests the vast majority of visitors to the region are from Melbourne’s north and east.

Asian and Indian visitors are increasingly being drawn to destinations such as Marysville which are close in proximity to Melbourne and have high amenity country side. Many of the Asian and Indian visitors are migrants to Australia or are here for education.

Many other destinations in close proximity to Melbourne such as the Mornington Peninsula, Geelong and the Bellarine, Yarra Valley and Daylesford Macedon Ranges are key weekend playgrounds for Melbournians. Murrindindi has landscapes, nature-based assets and amenity that rivals many of these destinations. It is however largely undeveloped by comparison.

3.5.1. TARGET MARKETS

The existing primary markets within Murrindindi include nature-based tourism visitors, families and family groups, and adult couples. The emerging primary market, as defined by Visit Victoria, is the Lifestyle Leader market, who are the highest yielding visitor market and represent the largest market segment in Victoria.

The target markets are similar to the existing primary market, but there is a focus towards targeting older couples and younger families. Nature-based visitors will remain a key visitor group for Murrindindi, as Murrindindi has an abundance and variety of natural assets. The Lifestyle Leader market will be the biggest focus for Murrindindi Shire, as they will travel to Murrindindi to explore the natural assets, whilst spending money on high quality, up-market food, wine and cultural experiences.

FIGURE 23 TARGET MARKETS

$43.5M

$94.1M

493

Value Added

Output

Jobs

8%

12%

8%

Of value added in

Murrindindi ‘s economy

Of total jobs in Murrindindi

Of total economic output in Murrindindi

EXISTING PRIMARY MARKETS

EMERGING PRIMARY MARKETS

Nature-based tourism market

Family market

Adult couple market

TARGET MARKETS

Nature-based tourism market

Young Family market

Older adult couple market

Lifestyle Leaders

Lifestyle Leaders




EMERGING DOMESTIC VISITOR MARKET – LEADING LIFESTYLES

The key domestic target market for Murrindindi Shire has been identified as the ‘Lifestyle Leaders’ market, as defined and targeted by Visit Victoria. Lifestyle Leaders are based on a mindset, are found in all regions, ages and lifecycle groups and represent approximately a third of the Australian population aged 18+.

The campaign targets Victorians, with its primary focus being on Melbourne based ‘lifestyle leaders’. They represent 35% of the total Greater Melbourne population (aged 18+).

Lifestyle Leaders are educated, professional and progressive individuals who enjoy seeking out new information and being the first to try new products. They have a higher level of discretionary expenditure, so they can afford to indulge more often in travel, with a particular desire to escape city life and embrace nature/outdoors and new discoveries. Compared with the average Australian, Lifestyle Leaders:

• Take a greater number of leisure trips per year (4.2 trips compared to 3.9).

• Spend more on travelling per year ($4,058 on average compared to $3,205).

The Lifestyle Leaders market segmentation model incorporates four categories of target markets specific to the types of experiences sought within the Lifestyle Leaders market, as outlined below.

INSPIRED BY NATURE

Inspired by Nature represent approximately 14% of the total population 18+. They regularly get away for weekends and want a choice of activities that allow them to get active to varied degrees, from hiking and cycling to shopping and dining. Their genuine environmental concerns lead them towards preferring an eco-tourism experience where respect for natural surrounds is paramount.

This is the key Lifestyle Leader segment for Murrindindi Shire to target

CREATIVE OPINION LEADERS

Creative Opinion Leaders represent approximately 6% of the total population 18+. They are creative both in terms of their involvement in cultural and creative pursuits and their openness to risks, new experiences and new ideas. Their extensive social networks and extroverted nature means that once they’ve visited a destination, the latest exhibition or experience, they will generate positive word of mouth among their friends and family

FOOD AND WINE LIFESTYLERS

Food and Wine Lifestylers represent approximately 13% of the total population 18+. They are a credible authority on eating out and seek to enhance their sophisticated palate and culinary knowledge through an understanding about everything food and wine. In particular, they like to get to know the characters and stories behind the food and wine from the winemaker or chef.

ENRICHED WELLBEING

Enriched Wellbeing represent approximately 7% of the total population 18+. Enriched Wellbeing are progressive, educated and professional individuals who seek luxurious breaks to indulge personal passions within a culturally rich, natural or rejuvenating setting.

Enriched Wellbeing are financially secure, predominately female individuals who earn more and spend more on travel and luxury accommodation. They value quality over price and seek enrichment and rejuvenation through connecting with nature and focussing on their wellbeing. They appreciate quality and freshness in food and are more likely to buy organic foods, and indulge in premium restaurant experiences which offer fresh, seasonal and regional produce.

INTERNATIONAL VISITORS - EXPERIENCE SEEKERS

International experience seekers are growing in number in Australia, particularly Asian experience seekers. The Asian markets are travelling further and dispersing more across Victoria, with motivations including interaction with nature, wildlife, heritage and culture.




3.6. STRATEGIC CONSIDERATIONS

• Low midweek visitation. Visitation to Murrindindi is highly concentrated to weekends. This presents issues for business sustainability and also the ability for businesses to maintain a full time workforce.

• More than 2/3s of visitors are daytrippers. More than two thirds of visitors to Murrindindi Shire are daytrippers. Whilst proximity to Melbourne is a reason for this, there are locations such as Yea and Kinglake which have limited visitor accommodation product which impacts on their ability to attract overnight visitors.

• Stagnant visitation. Visitation over the past years has been generally stagnant. There has been some growth in day-trippers, but almost no growth in overnight visitation since before the Black Saturday bushfires. Whilst there has been a build period following Black Saturday, there has been little growth in the last four-five years.

• Target Melbourne’s North and East. There are around two million people within 1.5 hours of Murrindindi’s towns and villages. Targeted marketing and awareness campaigns into these areas should be considered a priority for Murrindindi.

• Families. Murrindindi is well suited for the family market. Development of family friendly product and focused marketing to families should be considered for the region. The waterways of the region, nature-based product and accessibility make Murrindindi an excellent fit for the family market.

• Asian and Indian Visitors. Whilst many of these visitors are not considered high yield currently, they could be a key market to focus on as these segments mature over the next 10 years.

• High end visitors. Murrindindi through Cathedral Golf Club is beginning to attract high flyers who are visiting the region. There is opportunity to promote other products and experiences to this market.

• Melbourne’s backyard. There is opportunity to position Murrindindi’s destinations as Melbourne’s backyard to grow the awareness of the region in the key Melbourne marketplace




4. PRODUCT PROFILE

4.1. INTRODUCTION

This section provides an overview of product strengths and experiences in the Murrindindi Shire Council and emerging product opportunities. This analysis is based on audits of tourism products in Murrindindi Shire and input from stakeholders and community through consultation. Key findings of a survey sent out to local businesses and tourism associations are also summarised where relevant.

SUB-REGIONAL DESTINATIONS

The product profile sub-divides the region into 4 key destination clusters. These are generally based on the differences in the product strengths and experiences on offer in key visitor nodes; and the proximity and potential synergies with surrounding tourism regions and products.

These sub-regional destination clusters are:

• Kinglake Ranges – Characterised by its proximity to both Melbourne and the Yarra Valley, and with a key product strength in natural attractions and associated experiences.

• Yea and Surrounds – Focused on north west of Murrindindi Shire, the key strengths of the sub-region include natural attractions, wineries and events.

• Lake Eildon/Alexandra – This north-east cluster has key strengths in its natural attractions, water-based activities, and adventure activities.

• Marysville/Lake Mountain – This cluster has strengths in adventure activities (including cycling), alpine activities and food and wine. The sub-region is shaped by its proximity to both the High Country and Yarra Valley regions.

FIGURE 24 SUB-REGIONAL DESTINATIONS





4.1.1. KEY FINDINGS

Murrindindi Shire is a nature-based destination north east of Melbourne, with natural assets that provide opportunity for cycling, bushwalking, fishing, snow activities, hunting and other water-based recreation. It has emerging food and agribusiness and arts and heritage product to complement its nature-based strengths. Some of the key destinations that are key drivers of visitation to Murrindindi that can be further enhanced and marketed include:

• Lake Eildon and Lake Eildon National Park;

• Yarra Ranges National Park;

• Kinglake National Park; • Cathedral Range State Park;

• Murrindindi Scenic Reserve; • Rubicon Historic Area;

• Lake Mountain; • Marysville; and

• Goulburn River and its tributaries.

Whilst Murrindindi Shire has high quality natural assets, there is a need for investment by the private sector in businesses that deliver new and improved food, beverage and accommodation product to the region. These products are critical to increasing yield and attracting high spend visitors to Murrindindi.




4.2. PRODUCT STRENGTHS

Murrindindi Shire’s key strength is nature-based tourism, including snow, cycling, walking, hunting, fishing and water-based activities. Much of the product fits within these categories, including the majority of events and festivals. The region also has secondary strengths in food agri-businesses, and heritage, arts and culture. Development of these secondary strengths can be leveraged from the well-developed food, wine and cultural scenes in the Yarra Valley to the South.

Areas for growth or emerging product include accommodation and golf.

Table 4 illustrates the relative product strengths of each sub-regional destination based on the strengths of the wider region. The product strengths are categorised as:

• Primary – is a well-established strength of the region/sub-region, with mature and recognisable assets in the identified tourism product;

• Secondary – established strengths in the region/sub-region. However, not considered to be the number one tourism product. There is scope to further develop the product to improve product, awareness and profile.

• Emerging – there is evidence of an emerging tourism product in the region/sub-region, which is either new or relatively limited in scale. There could be scope to further develop the product to diversify the product offer.

TABLE 4 SUB-REGIONAL PRODUCT STRENGTHS COMPARISON

PRODUCT KINGLAKE RANGES

YEA & SURROUNDS

LAKE EILDON/ ALEXANDRA

MARYSVILLE/ LAKE MOUNTAIN

Nature Based Tourism

Snow

Cycling

Walking

Hunting

Fishing Water-based activities Food and agribusiness

Wine - Restaurants/ Fine food

-

Farm gate

Distilleries - - -

Heritage, Arts & Culture

Golf

PRIMARY SECONDARY EMERGING OPPORTUNITY




4.3. NATURE-BASED

Murrindindi Shire has a diverse natural environment, with a number of significant national and state assets partly or wholly located within the Shire, including:

• Lake Eildon National Park and Lake Eildon – with Lake Eildon in particular a key asset for the region, drawing significant visitation across the year for camping, houseboating, fishing and other watersports and activities. Native bushland, wildlife and scenic views of Mt Buller can also be enjoyed along trails within Lake Eildon National Park.

• Yarra Ranges National Park – home to the Victoria Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans), the tallest flowering plant in the world; as well as Lake Mountain and the associated Lake Mountain Alpine Resort including numerous walking tracks and ski trails.

• Kinglake National Park –promoted as being situated conveniently close to Melbourne and offering striking views of the Melbourne skyline, it provides a number of opportunities for visitors to go camping, bushwalking and enjoy the outdoors at a number of picnic spots including Masons Falls Picnic Area. Although much of the park is still in its regeneration phase following the 2009 fires, the park’s ‘natural revival’ is in itself promoted as one of the selling points of the experience within this park. The Kinglake Ranges also have various mountain streams which are home to fishing and other water activities such as King Parrot Creek and the catchment for Yea River.

• Cathedral Range State Park - which offers activities such as rock climbing, fishing and camping, as well as a range of walking tracks of varying difficulties; and

• Murrindindi Scenic Reserve – which includes Wilhelmina Falls a popular camping and recreational area for families.

Across the sub-regions, other nature based assets and attractions include:

• Kinglake and Surrounds: Jehoshaphat Gully, Silvia Creek, King Parrot Creek, Masons Falls, Wombelano Falls, Toolangi State Forest, Wirra Willa Rainforest Walk, Canopy Tour, Mount Robertson State Forest;

• Yea and Surrounds: Y Water Discovery Centre, Tallarook State Forest, Strath Creek Falls; Black Range State Forest; and Yea Wetlands;

• Lake Eildon/Alexandra: Rubicon State Forest, Big River State Forest, Mount Torbreck, Snobs Creek Falls and Black Range State Forest; and

• Marysville/Lake Mountain: Marysville State Forest, Gallipoli Park, Steavenson Falls, The Beeches Rainforest, Keppel Falls and The Big Tree.

4.3.1. OUTDOOR ADVENTURE, SPORT AND RECREATION

This diverse natural environment supports a range of outdoor adventure, sport and recreation activities and experiences including:

• Walking – Murrindindi is home to a range of walking trails including within the National and State Parks and Forests. This includes the Marysville Trails Network, a total of 14 trails including Steavensons Falls Trail, Tree Fern Gully Trail, Michaeldene Trail, Keppel Lookout Trail, and the Lady Talbot Trails;

• Fishing – Fishing is a popular activity within the Shire, including at Lake Eildon, Buxton Trout & Salmon Farm and various other water bodies across the Shire;

• Hunting –including duck hunting at Lake Eildon and deer hunting in the Yea and surrounds sub region; and

• Equine – particularly horse-riding within the Kinglake Ranges sub region, as well as other community facilities such as Yea Racecourse.

SNOW-BASED ACTIVITIES

The annual snow season is a major asset of the Shire, with Lake Mountain Alpine Resort the closest ski resort to Melbourne, at less than 2 hours drive away. The mountain supports a range of active and passive recreational uses. This includes cross country skiing, snowboarding, snow play, tobogganing, snow shoeing and winter walks during the winter season; whilst popular activities outside of winter include mountain biking, road cycling, bushwalking and Adventure Activities Programs (including Flying Fox, Tube Run and Laser Skirmish). Lake Mountain also supports a range of events including the popular Wildflower Festival.




Mount Torbreck is located in close proximity to Eildon township. Accessibility to Mount Torbreck is restricted in winter by the inability to access the majority of the mountain in winter. Mount Torbreck presents a long-term opportunity to develop as a snow play and back country snow destination.

CYCLING

Cycling is a key growing strength of the region, with the Shire located on the doorstep of the High Country, Victoria’s premier cycling destination.

The region is home to the Great Victorian Rail Trail, which offers cycling, horse-riding and walking opportunities and stretches from Mansfield to Tallarook encompassing the townships of Alexandra and Yarck within the Lake Eildon/Alexandra sub region.

Road cycling is also popular across the Shire, with established routes including climbs in Lake Mountain and Kinglake, Skyline, and a loop circuit connecting Mount Donna Buang to Lake Mountain.

A number of mountain biking trials and parks are also located across the Shire including:

• Buxton Mountain Bike Parks in Buxton and Lake Mountain

• Lake mountain - Marysville Flow Trail

• Narbethong Downhill Trail; and

• Kinglake - Bowden Spur Downhill Trail. There is also an unofficial mountain bike course in Lake Eildon.

The natural assets of the region support a range of popular visitor attractions which draw varying levels of visitation across the year, however there is further opportunity to better develop and promote the region’s nature based outdoor recreation options such as walking tracks and camping.

1 Source: Murrindindi Food and Wine Inc, http://www.murrindindifoodandwine.org.au

4.4. FOOD AND AGRIBUSINESS

Food and agri-business is an emerging strength in Murrindindi, including emerging destination food offerings, wineries within the Upper Goulburn Wine Region and farm gate experiences supported by a diversity of local producers.

4.4.1. FARM GATE AND LOCAL PRODUCERS

Current local produce businesses and agritourism experiences across the Shire1 (ranging from wholesale to direct to the public/farmgate) include:

• Kinglake and Surrounds: Bumpstead Family Apiaries in Kinglake;

• Yea and Surrounds: Murrindindi Olive Grove in Yea; Tom’s Paddock and Wildcrust Bakery in Glenburn;

• Lake Eildon/Alexandra: Ashton Lodge Country Preserves in Eildon; Ross Park Angus in Fawcett, Paradox Olive Grove in Kanumbra, Koala Cherries & CherriShed in Yarck; Bilyara Springs Olives in Merton; Taggart’s Pork in Taggerty; and

• Marysville/Lake Mountain: Great Divide Coffee in Marysville; Black Range Garlic and Buxton Trout Farm in Buxton.

There are also a number of small scale markets held in the shire showcasing local Goulburn Valley produce, however these events predominantly attract the local community only, and need further development to achieve a greater reach.

4.4.2. RESTAURANTS/FINE FOOD

Destination restaurants or cafes that showcase regional produce and/or offer high quality dining experiences are currently limited across the region. Current key existing offerings include:

• Grant Street Grocer in Alexandra which opens daily for breakfast and lunch (as well as opening as a restaurant on Friday and Saturday nights) and also




offers a produce store heroing local produce, take home meal options, and one off events;

• The Black Spur Inn in Narbethong which offers a restaurant open for breakfast, lunch and dinner featuring regional produce and wines, as well as offering accommodation and functions; and

• Yea Peppercorn Hotel which offers a popular restaurant, lounge bar, accommodation and events.

• The Alexandra Hotel which changed ownership in 2017 and now offers seasonal menus supporting local producers for lunch and dinner, and accommodation.

• Flowerdale Estate which offers Gracies Restaurant focused around local produce, Sunday high tea, and accommodation, as well as events and conference facilities.

Other local establishments include:

• Yea and Surrounds: Mannafest Café, Marmalades Restaurant, Café & Produce Store, Yea Peppercorn Hotel, Rendezvous in Yea, Yea Country Club Hotel, Yea Chinese Restaurant, Red Plate Café, Mint and Jam, and The Provender Country Bakehouse

• Lake Eildon/Alexandra: The Alexandra Hotel & Café, The Corner Hotel, Mt Pleasant Hotel, and Rubicon Hotel in Alexandra, Rennies at Acheron, and Aqua Bar & Café at Lake Eildon and Giddy Goat Café in Yarck; and

• Marysville/Lake Mountain: Elevation 423 Bar & Café, Vibe Hotel Radius Bar and Grill, Fraga’s Café Restaurant, The Duck Inn, Marysville Country Bakery Café; Igloo Roadhouse and Bucky Bistro at Buxton Hotel in Buxton.

4.4.3. WINERIES, BREWERIES AND DISTILLERIES

Murrindindi Shire is located within the Upper Goulburn Wine Region, one of six wine regions located across the wider High Country region. Producing cool climate wines such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Merlot, wineries within the Shire include Sedona Estate, Snobs Creek Estate Wines, Mount Cathedral

Vineyards, Buxton Ridge Winery, Little River Wines, Phillip Lobley Wines, Yea Valley Vineyard, Girdwood Estate, and Santarossa Vineyards. There is also Giverny Estate in Toolangi which produces organic kiwi fruit wines and cider. Strath Creek Brewery is also in the process of being redeveloped but requires funding to complete ongoing renovations.

4.5. HERITAGE, ARTS AND CULTURE

Heritage, arts and culture is an emerging product strength in the Shire, but contemporary motivating product is currently limited.

There a number of existing community and small scale museums and historical societies across the Shire, of which the Alexandra Timber Tramway and Museum has the potential to be a significant visitor drawcard with further contemporary interpretation.

A number of iconic pubs and hotels also exist throughout the Shire, many of which have been rebuilt to reflect their former character (e.g. the Black Spur Inn in Narbethong which is now a popular food destination), with further opportunities for contemporary redevelopment and interpretation across the Shire.

The Rubicon Valley Historic Area, located just south-west of Eildon township, is Taungurung land. The Taungurung people continue to have a strong connection with the area through Camp Jungai, which is a basecamp operated by the Outdoor Education Group. There is significant opportunity to promote the indigenous and European heritage of the area through nature-based activities. The Rubicon State Forest also has a long history of timber production.

Great Victorian Rail Trail is the longest rail trail in Victoria and the longest continuous trail in Australia. It is an iconic trail, passing through Mitchell, Murrindindi and Mansfield shires and a number of natural assets such as the Goulburn River. The Great Victorian Rail Trail needs to be promoted by Murrindindi Shire, as it is a key asset for the shire and growing awareness of the




ride will increase visitation to the shire, as well as the development of further complementary tourism product

There is an emerging arts and cultural community, particularly around Marysville township, with existing assets including the MiRA (Marysville Information and Regional Artspace) Bruno Sculpture Gardens, and Little Fishes Art Studio which showcases local artists work. Gallery 34 and The Highlands Studio Gallery are also located in Yea.

Additionally, there are a number of arts and cultural events held within the Shire, including popular music events such as the Foggy Mountain Music Bluegrass Festival and Marysville Jazz and Blues Festival.

4.6. GOLF

Golf is also an emerging product strength in Murrindindi, with the recently completed and Greg Norman designed high end private course Cathedral Lodge ranked within the top 100 golf courses in the world2 and set to a backdrop of the Cathedral Ranges.

The region is also home to a number of other golf courses and clubs, including Yea Golf Club, Alexandra Golf Club, Marysville Golf Club and Eildon Golf Club.

4.7. INFRASTRUCTURE & CONNECTIVITY

Murrindindi Shire is serviced by the Goulburn Valley3, Melba and Maroondah Highways, all of which pass through the shire. They provide links to the Tullamarine Airport (approx. 1.5-hour drive) and the Hume Highway. The Hume Highway is the principal road link to Melbourne between Melbourne and Victoria’s North East region.

2 Source: https://www.top100golfcourses.com/golf-course/cathedral-lodge

Murrindindi is not serviced by any railway lines, with the closest railway stations being Seymour station to the northwest (approx. 55 mins drive) and Lilydale Station to the south (approx. 55 mins drive).

Although Murrindindi is in close proximity to Melbourne, almost all access roads to the Shire are windy forest roads, which is a deterrent to some visitor groups.

3 There are currently safety upgrades underway on the Goulburn Valley Highway from Yea-Molesworth-Cathkin, and north along the Hume Highway towards Wangaratta.




4.8. ACCOMMODATION

4.8.1. ACCOMMODATION OVERVIEW

A total of 86 properties were identified across Murrindindi Shire, providing a total of 461 rooms (Figure 25).

A further 440 sites were also available across the 8 caravan parks identified, including both powered and unpowered options.

The majority of properties (35) were self-contained properties, whilst Hotel/Motels provided the largest room capacity, with a total of 279 rooms across 17 establishments.

FIGURE 25 TOTAL ACCOMMODATION MURRINDINDI SHIRE BY TYPE, NO. OF PROPERTIES VS. NO. ROOMS


824

117

1

3538

62

3

279

12

67

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

Caravan Parks B&B/Guesthouse Farmstay Hotel/motel Lodge/backpacker Self-contained

Properties Rooms




ACCOMMODATION SUPPLY

An industry survey conducted identified that 61% of survey respondents believe there is an oversupply in Bed & Breakfast/Guesthouse type accommodation, whilst 75% of respondents believe there is an undersupply of backpacker/visitor hostels. These ideas are reflected in Figure 26 below, which shows the results of the accommodation audit.

FIGURE 26 INDUSTRY SURVEY ACCOMMODATION SUPPLY PERCEPTION

AIRBNB

129 AirBnB entire home rentals are recorded by AirDNA throughout Murrindindi Shire. The average daily rate for Murrindindi Shire is $244 with a low occupancy rate of only 41%.

The majority of entire home rentals recorded were in Marysville (18), Eildon (22), Yea (10), Kinglake (9) and Taylor Bay (14). A further 25 private room rentals were recorded by AirDNA, which were scattered around the Shire. Kinglake hosted 36% of private room rentals in the Shire (9 rooms).

The average daily rates for Alexandra ($105) and Yea ($152) were significantly lower than locations like Kinglake ($288), Marysville (313), Eildon ($320) and Taylor Bay ($415). The higher average daily rate for these locations could be due to the greater number of tourism attractions and natural assets, combined with a greater number of large family holiday rental properties.

TABLE 5 AIRDNA SUMMARY, MURRINDINDI SHIRE

ENTIRE HOUSE

PRIVATE ROOMS

AVERAGE DAILY RATE

OCCUPANCY RATE

Murrindindi 129 25 $244 41%

Source: AirDNA, 2018.

50%

39%

46%

39%

75%

32%

14%

61%

39%

57%

50%

61%

11%

64%

79%

32%

0%

4%

0%

0%

0%

4%

4%

4%

11%

0%

4%

0%

14%

0%

4%

4%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

Luxury hotel / resort (4 or 5 star)

Standard hotel / motel

Serviced apartment, self contained unit,cottage

Guest house / bed and breakfast

Backpacker / visitor hostel

Caravan park or commercial campingground

Rented house / apartment / unit / holidayflat (e.g. Stayz, Airbnb)

Free camping grounds

None- no demand Over supply Adequate supply Under supply




4.9. SUB-REGIONAL PRODUCT PROFILES

4.9.1. KINGLAKE RANGES

Characterised by its proximity to Melbourne, the Kinglake Ranges sub-region can be accessed via a number of roads exiting Melbourne including the Yea Whittlesea Road, Melba Highway, Healesville Kinglake Road and Heidelberg Kinglake Road with most routes taking just over an hour. The journey for each varies, but the common theme is rising above the Melbourne plain into a lush forested environment and is a signature experience of the region.

The trip from Melbourne via however the road infrastructure is mainly single lane and built up. The Kinglake Ranges environment is vastly different from the plains of Melbourne,

The sub region has key strengths in nature based; outdoor adventure, sport and recreation; and food and agribusiness, with key products and experiences including Kinglake National Park, equine, cycling and farmgates.

The major attraction in this sub region is the Kinglake National Park, an important Nature Based Tourism product for the wider GRV region, located within close proximity to Metropolitan Melbourne.

Leveraging from the Kinglake National Park, the Kinglake region comprises a range of outdoor adventure, sport and recreation attractions, with the region popular for both road cyclists and horse-riding.

Kinglake is an area of high-quality soils and high rainfall which supports a range of food producers and farm gate operations throughout the area.

Kinglake Ranges has only self-contained properties; with 5 properties located in the sub region, offering a total 16 rooms.

KEY GAPS AND OPPORTUNITIES

In order to drive further visitation product development that leverages from the natural environment and high-quality agricultural soils should be explored.

Emerging strengths for the Kinglake Ranges include the wider food and agribusiness sector, arts and culture, and golf

There is significant potential for the development of a nature based catalyst product or adventure activity in the Kinglake Ranges/Toolangi, such as a zip line or other major adventure based product.

Other key opportunities for this sub region include:

• Farm-gate attractions and farm-gate businesses across the Kinglake Ranges to attract day trip / passing visitation from Melbourne;

• Farm stay and B&B accommodation to link with the local produce offer and to cater for weekend short-break visitors from the Melbourne market;

• Destination food and beverage experiences (distillery, brewery);

• Development of self-contained accommodation; • Improve family friendly activities; • Further development and enhancement of cycling routes and

infrastructure; and

• Development of Wallaby Creek as a spring water destination.




4.9.2. YEA AND SURROUNDS

Yea is the main township in this subregion, and is a popular stopover on the way to the High Country, lakes and rivers and is set in a valley surrounded by steep hillsides. Nature based and food and agribusiness are the primary strengths of the sub region, with an emerging strength in heritage, arts and culture.

There are a range of existing natural assets located within the region, including the Yea River wetlands, and associated newly developed visitor experience centre Y Discovery Centre which has significant potential to draw visitors and provide a high quality visitor information experience for the wider Shire.

Yea and surrounds, whilst being a popular food stopover, has limited contemporary cafes and food venues, with one exception being Yea Peppercorn Hotel. There are a number of wineries within the area including Sedona Estate and Rocky Passes, however most wineries are currently under developed from a tourism perspective, open only by appointment and with limited complimentary food offerings.

Yea also has a self-guided heritage walk experience for visitors which outlines the town’s heritage links and includes several National Trust buildings, as well as the Hume & Hovel Cricket Ground, and two art galleries (Gallery 34, The Highlands Studio Gallery).

Overall, Yea and surrounds had a total of 15 identified accommodation establishments, offering a total of 93 rooms and 29 sites (Table 5).

TABLE 6 YEA AND SURROUNDS ACCOMMODATION OVERVIEW

ACCOMODATION TYPE PROPERTIES ROOMS SITES

Caravan Parks 1 8 29

B&B/Guesthouse 6 41

Hotel/motel 4 32

Self-contained 4 12

Total 15 93 29


PRODUCT GAPS AND OPPORTUNITIES

The product audit has identified gaps and opportunities for the sub-region, based around the experience and product offer. These include:

• A boutique retail operator in Yea, such as an arts / crafts / local produce store, could capture passing snowfields visitation and diversify the township offer;

• High quality self-contained accommodation in Yea; • Contemporary dining options in Yea to support the night time dining

offer;

• Backpacker/group accommodation to capture the itinerant worker visitation in Murrindindi Shire;

• Providing product and infrastructure to capitalise on Yea’s location as a key destination on the Great Victorian Rail Trail;

• Development of a tourist park on the Goulburn River;

• Further development of food and beverage experience; and • Wellness centre leveraging from mineral spring assets near Yea.




4.9.3. LAKE EILDON/ALEXANDRA

Featuring two strong visitor nodes, the Alexandra/ Eildon sub-region is characterised by its proximity to the High Country, with Eildon township located on the southern shores of Lake Eildon at the Goulburn River, and accessed in just over 2 hours from Melbourne via Alexandra. Alexandra, the administrative and retail hub of the Shire, is located on the Maroondah Highway and can be accessed from Melbourne via Yea or via the Black Spur.

The region has a strong nature-based tourism product, leveraging from Lake Eildon as its premier regional asset, with other significant assets and attractions including the Lake Eildon National Park, the Great Victorian Rail Trail, Cathedral Range State Park, Murrindindi Scenic Reserve and the currently underutilised Mount Torbreck.

Trout fishing is a key recreational experience in the sub-region, with the Goulburn River and Eildon Pondage described as two of the best locations in Victoria to go trout fishing.

Food and agribusiness, heritage, arts and culture, and golf also present significant opportunities for growth and are emerging strengths of the sub region, led by:

• Existing wineries, and the Alexandra Hotel and Grant St Grocer in Alexandra showcasing a range of local produce;

• The Timber Tramway and Museum and opportunities to experience historic architecture, such as the National Trust-classified post office, national bank and law courts in Alexandra; and

• High end private golf facility Cathedral Lodge near Alexandra. A total of 27 accommodation establishments are located within the sub region, offering a total of 220 rooms and 263 camping sites, with the majority of rooms (152) within hotel/motel establishments.

TABLE 7 LAKE EILDON/ALEXANDRA ACCOMMODATION OVERVIEW

ACCOMMODATION TYPE PROPERTIES ROOMS SITES

Caravan Parks 6 38 263

B&B/Guesthouse 5 10

Farmstay 1 3

Hotel/motel 8 152

Self-contained 7 17

Total 27 220 263


Improvement of Lake Eildon waterfront amenities and services and the accessibility of infrastructure and commercial operations on Lake Eildon is a significant opportunity for the region. This should include:

• Establishment of a restaurant or café on the Lake Eildon waterfront; • Providing or improving access to swimming and boat ramps; • Offering hire services for water based activities such as kayaks and

canoes (potential for nature-based tourism hub at Alexandra VIC);

• Mount Torbreck also presents significant opportunity for snow play with access improvements;

• Enhancement of Rubicon Valley Historic Area; • Formalisation of mountain bike tracks and promotion as a road-based

and gravel cycling destination;

• Eildon pondage commercial enhancement; and • Lake Eildon resort accommodation.




4.10. MARYSVILLE/LAKE MOUNTAIN

4.10.1. PRODUCT PROFILE

Marysville is a well-established tourism destination at the foot of Lake Mountain, previously well-known for its picturesque setting and quaint cottage type architecture. Following the bushfires, the township has been rebuilt and is now emerging as a hub for a contemporary experience set in nature.

The key product in Marysville is centred around nature-based experiences, including iconic walks and waterfalls such as Michaeldene Track, Lady Talbot Trails and Steavenson Falls. Natural assets include the Yarra Ranges National Park, Marysville State Forest, Lake Mountain, Steavenson Falls, The Beeches Rainforest, Keppel Falls, Murrindindi Scenic Reserve, Gallipoli Park, and The Big Tree.

FIGURE 27 LADY TALBOT TRAILS, MARYSVILLE

Source: Marysville Tourism, 2018.

Walking and cycling are a key tourism offering in Marysville and Lake Mountain. Marysville provides access to the Marysville Trails; which constitute 14 trails in and around Marysville that take in numerous natural features and iconic waterfalls, such as Steavenson Falls. Key cycling trails include Buxton Mountain Bike Parks in Buxton and Lake Mountain, Marysville Flow Trail and Narbethong Downhill Trail. This region is also a popular fishing destination.

Marysville has key experiences relating to its proximity to Lake Mountain alpine resort, including skiing, tobogganing and other snow-based activities. In the green season, Lake Mountain is also a popular destination for mountain biking. Lake Mountain also hosts one leg of the 7 Peaks Ascent Challenge, which is a 22km ride from Marysville to the top of Lake Mountain.

The region is also emerging as an arts and cultural destination. The Little Fishes Art Studio showcase, Bruno’s Art and Sculpture Gallery, and the recently opened MiRA (Marysville information and regional Artspace) provide a setting for visitors to experience local artwork.

Food and agri-business offer is also an emerging strength, with key products including Great Divide Coffee in Marysville; Black Range Garlic and Buxton Trout Farm in Buxton.

There are 34 properties, 247 rooms and 148 powered and unpowered camping sites in the region. Accommodation types are dominated by self-contained and B&B guesthouse

TABLE 8 MARYSVILLE/LAKE MOUNTAIN ACCOMMODATION OVERVIEW

ACCOMMODATION TYPE PROPERTIES ROOMS SITES

Caravan Parks 2 148

B&B/Guesthouse 13 46

Hotel/motel 5 149

Lodge/backpacker 1 12

Self-contained 13 40

Total 34 247





Although Marysville/Lake Mountain is predominately a nature-based destination with a number of significant natural assets and associated activities, these need further development and promotion to develop into iconic attractions for the region.

Emerging strengths for Marysville include arts and culture and the wider food and agribusiness sector. These should be developed alongside nature-based activities to provide a contemporary complementary experience.

There is significant opportunity for the region to develop as a wellness destination, leveraging from the natural environment. Opportunities for product development include:

• Eco-lodge accommodation at Lake Mountain to diversify the product offer and attract year round visitation;

• Farm stay and retreat style B&B accommodation to link with the development of wellness product;

• Expansion of local produce offers such as farm gate attractions;

• Festivals and events centred around holistic health and wellness;

• Improvement of food and beverage offer in Marysville; and • Promotion and enhancement of the sub-region as a cycle tourism

destination.




4.11. STRATEGIC PRODUCT CONSIDERATIONS

4.11.1. NATURE-BASED CONSIDERATIONS

PRODUCT GAPS AND BARRIERS

• Visitor Yield. A vast majority of visitors to Murrindindi are coming to experience nature, be it walking, cycling, fishing, hunting or boating. Much of this activity is low yield and does not encourage expenditure. Growing overnight visitation is essential to extending yield in the region, as well as the development of complementary tourism products.

• Nature based infrastructure and assets. The assets and infrastructure in parks and reserves require improvement to meet visitor need. This includes improvements to tracks and trails, visitor signage, interpretation and water access.

• Lack of touring and hiring services. Murrindindi has a number of significant nature-based tourism destinations which lack the recreational facilities (e.g. canoe hire, fishing classes, tours) to support increased visitation and expenditure within the shire. The locations, such as Lake Eildon, the Goulburn River, Kinglake and Lake Mountain,

• Promotion of walking and cycling routes. Murrindindi has a number of walking and cycling touring routes, however they are inadequately promoted and require further activation with complementary tourism product along the routes.

OPPORTUNITIES

• Hidden gem- Mount Torbreck. Mount Torbreck is located only 43 kilometres from Alexandra and 19 kilometres to Eildon. It is more than 100 metres higher in altitude than Lake Mountain and presents an opportunity for snow play during the winter months and walking and cycling during the summer months.

• Promote and develop NBT Icons. Need to provide a focus on product development, activation and experience on iconic product. This includes:

• Kinglake National Park;

• Lake Mountain;

• Lake Eildon;

• Rubicon;

• Goulburn River and Tributaries;

• Great Victorian Rail Trail. Mansfield -Tallarook Rail Trail

• Tallarook State Forest

• Awareness/ promotion of wildlife. Murrindindi Shire has an abundance of wildlife, however this not promoted. There is opportunity to develop wildlife locations where visitors can come to see the abundance of wildlife on offer.

• Promotion of touring loops and drives. Murrindindi is excellently placed to promote touring loops and drives. This can be targeted to 4WDs driving back country, heritage car clubs and motorcycle touring. Definition of touring loops into Murrindindi should be promoted by the Shire.

• Activation and marketing of Great Victorian Rail Trail. The Great Victorian Rail Trail is underutilised and there are very few businesses that leverage from this. A specific activation plan for the rail trail should be considered. This needs to look at ways to market and package the rail trail with operators.

• Cycle tourism. Murrindindi is developing a reputation as a cycling destination. This includes a mix of product for all cycling typologies including recreational riding, mountain biking and road cycling. Further enhancement of promotion of cycle tourism should be a focus for the strategy with consideration of:

• Great Victorian Rail Trail;

• Mountain biking at Lake Mountain/Marysville/Buxton and Eildon, Narbethong and Kinglake;

• Gravel riding through the mountainous terrain around the Cathedrals, Rubicon and Eildon areas; and




• Road cycling around Kinglake, Eildon/Skyline, Ruffy and the Strathbogies and Marysville/Lake Mountain.

• Green season at Lake Mountain. There is a need to continue to develop green season development at Lake Mountain. This will support visitation to Marysville.

• Nature based tour and hire hub. Opportunity to establish a nature based hub in Alexandra to support nature based tourism across the region. This will support a vast range of activities that are available in proximity to Alexandra and strengthens Alexandra as a hub for outdoor recreation.

• Strengthen the Alexandra VIC. Marysville VIC is associated with arts, Yea VIC is associated with the Wetlands. There is opportunity for Alexandra VIC to be developed as a Nature Based Hub with hire and tours. This provides a complimentary offer for the VIC and strengthen its visitation and attraction.

• Branding as a fly-fishing destination. Murrindindi is one of the best fly-fishing destinations in Australia. With most of the streams less than 1.5 hours from Melbourne, there is great opportunity to grow fly fishing in the region.

• Promotion and enhancement of the sub-region as a cycle tourism destination.

4.11.2. HERITAGE, ARTS AND CULTURE

OPPORTUNITIES

• Promote local Indigenous and native Australian plants.

• Enhancement of Rubicon Valley Historic Area. • Festivals and events centred around holistic health and wellness.

4.11.3. FOOD AND AGRI-BUSINESS

PRODUCT GAPS AND BARRIERS

High quality food and wine dining experiences. Murrindindi Shire lacks the high-quality, modern dining experiences desired by emerging high-flyer visitor markets, including golfing visitors and houseboat visitors.

• Labour. There is difficulty experienced by many businesses in attracting and retaining labour. Specific issues include:

• Low resident population;

• Lack of permanent or long-term rental accommodation;

• Difficulty sourcing labour in hospitality including chefs; and

• Labour needs are seasonal.

OPPORTUNITIES

• Servicing of remote visitors. There are many visitors to Murrindindi Shire who are staying in locations where there is limited access to food, beverage and shopping. This includes visitors camping in the various parks and reserves and those on houseboats in Lake Eildon. There is opportunity for private businesses to service these markets by bringing food and groceries to them. An opportunity should be explored for an operator service this market.

• High quality food and wine dining experiences. Murrindindi Shire has the opportunity to develop high-quality, modern dining experiences, which will increase visitor expenditure in the region and provide incentive for high-flyer markets to extend their trip to stay overnight

• Expansion of local produce offers such as farm gate attractions.

• Improvement of food and Beverage offer in Marysville.




4.11.4. ACCOMMODATION

OPPORTUNITIES

• Self-contained accommodation/B&B and/or group accommodation units catering for the Nature Based Tourism experience.

• Luxury accommodation for lifestyle leader market, including the emerging golf market

• Investment in nature-based accommodation and glamping

• High quality resort style accommodation in Eildon to improve and diversity the offer.

• Farm stay and retreat style B&B accommodation to link with the development of wellness product;

• Eco-lodge accommodation at Lake Mountain to diversify the product offer and attract year round visitation;

• Lake Eildon resort accommodation.

• Farm stay and B&B accommodation to link with the local produce offer in Marysville and to cater for weekend short-break visitors from the Melbourne market.

• Development of self-contained accommodation in Kinglake.

• High quality self-contained accommodation in Yea.

• Development of a tourist park on the Goulburn River.




5. EVENTS PROFILE

5.1. INTRODUCTION

The events profile has drawn on an audit compiling existing data collected by Murrindindi Shire and supported by desktop research. This includes an analysis of the number of events per sub-region; event attendance; event type; event seasonality; and management and funding.

A summary of key tourism events within Murrindindi are provided below: Only larger-scale tourism events have been included in this analysis, as they have the ability to attract the greatest visitor numbers, increase visitor expenditure and raise the shire’s tourism profile.

Although not included in this analysis. it is important to note that there are a number of other small-scale community events in the region, totalling 43 events and receiving about 5,500 visitors annually.

5.1.1. EVENT TYPOLOGIES

Murrindindi Shire has a diverse portfolio of tourism events, which have been categorised into the following for analysis purposes:

• Music and Arts – including art exhibitions, theatrical productions, music festivals and concerts, and cultural festivals;

• Family – including events targeting families (such as the Yea Show);

• Lifestyle – including large scale festivals based on location (e.g Alexandra Truck, Ute and Rod Show);

• Food & Wine – including food festivals and wine shows;

• Adventure and Outdoor Sports – including various participatory sports, recreation activities, events and fundraisers; and

• Sporting Expo/Show – including various spectator sporting events and regionally significant horse racing events.

5.2. KEY FINDINGS

There were 27 tourism events in 2018, attracting a total of approximately 39,000 visitors. Although not tourism events, it is important to note that there are several other small-scale community events in the region, totalling 43 events and receiving about 5,500 visitors annually.

The Alexandra Truck Ute & Rod Show is Murrindindi's signature event. It is a 2-day event held in June, which currently attracts over 12,000 visitors annually. It is generally agreed upon by local tourism businesses that accommodation demand outweighs supply in the Shire during busy event periods. Other important tourism events are Eildon Lions Market, Alexandra & District Open Gardens, Foggy Mountain Music Bluegrass Festival and Marysville Jazz and Blues Festival.

Flowerdale Estate, Holmesglen Eildon and Vibe Marysville are key event facilities that can be further promoted to increase visitation to the shire. There are several existing community buildings that have significant potential to be expanded to hold large-scale events, such as Kinglake Ranges Rebuilding Advisory Centre (RAC) and Marysville Stadium.

There are a number of events that can be expanded to increase overnight visitation and yield, such as Marysville Jazz and Blues Weekend, Foggy Mountain Music Bluegrass Festival and Marysville Marathon. There is also opportunity to attract new events to the region that align to Murrindindi’s product strengths. In order to support existing and future events, local tourism and hospitality businesses need to trade outside normal hours during a significant event/function/conference to provide a more attractive, contemporary visitor experience




5.3. KEY EVENTS

The events within Murrindindi Shire that attracted the greatest visitor numbers in 2018 are:

• Alexandra Truck, Ute and Rod Show, which received approximately 12,000 visitors;

• Eildons Lions Easter Market, which received approximately 5000 visitors;

• Giro Della Donna, which received approximately 2000 visitors. (partly in the shire); and

• Foggy Mountain Music Bluegrass Festival, which received approximately 1500 visitors.

FIGURE 28 ALEXANDRA TRUCK, UTE AND ROD SHOW

Source: Alexandra Truck, Ute and Rod show, 2018.

5.4. KEY EVENT FACILITIES

The following key event facilities have been identified through local industry consultation (workshop engagement and survey responses) and supported by desktop research. There are approximately 30 small-scale community event spaces, including shire halls, community centres and local club halls.

TABLE 9 NOTEWORTHY EVENT FACILITIES

FACILITY Conference capacity (cocktail)

Total Capacity (incl. other function spaces e.g. wedding)

Combined Accommodation Facility

Number of rooms

Holmesglen Eildon

650 850 Hotel 50

Vibe Marysville

430 430 Hotel 101

Flowerdale Estate

210 410 B&B/cottages 32

Potential outdoor event locations include Eildon Pondage, Lions Park Rotunda and Gallipoli Park Precinct.

A potential future event facility is the Kinglake Ranges Rebuilding Advisory Centre (RAC) Building. The RAC Building was originally used as an advisory centre for town reconstruction after the bushfires, however, is currently unused and has high quality facilities such as a community kitchen complex. This has been identified by Murrindindi Shire Council and members of Murrindindi tourism industry as a facility with considerable opportunity for hosting large-scale events, if repurposed.

Another significant indoor event venue is the Marysville Stadium, a multi-sport indoor sports stadium with facilities for Basketball, Netball, Volleyball and Badminton and many other sports. The Stadium is part of the Gallipoli Park Precinct; therefore, this facility provides significant opportunity for hosting both indoor and outdoor events.




Murrindindi Shire Council received a planning application in late 2018 for the development of 85 National Park Road, Pheasant Creek into a multipurpose centre. This proposal also includes a conference space, accommodation facilities, a restaurant and an artists’ retreat.

5.5. EVENT TYPES AND LOCATIONS

The main event types in Murrindindi Shire are Lifestyle events (e.g. Truck, Ute and Rod show and Alexandra Open Gardens), and Adventure and Outdoor Sports events (e.g. Marysville Marathon Festival).

FIGURE 29 NUMBER OF EVENTS BY TYPE


Lake Eildon/Alexandra and Marysville/Lake Mountain have the largest number of events with the shire. The main event types for Lake Eildon/Alexandra are lifestyle events whereas the main event types for Marysville/Lake Mountain are within the adventure and outdoor sport category. Key opportunities are in nature-based events, including cycling, mountain biking, and fishing, as well as in food, wine and agri-business events.

FIGURE 30 NUMBER OF EVENTS BY TYPE AND LOCATION (2018)


Music and Arts, 3

Family, 2

Lifestyle, 7

Food & Wine, 2

Adventure and Outdoor

Sports, 9

Sporting Expo/Show,

4

1 1

0 0 0 0

2

1 1 1 1 1

2

7

0 0

6

0

2

1

9

1

0 0

1

6

1

9

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Music andArts

Family Lifestyle Food & Wine Adventureand Outdoor

Sports

SportingExpo/Show

Total Events

Kinglake Ranges Yea and Surrounds

Lake Eildon/Alexandra Marysville/Lake Mountain




5.6. EVENT VISITATION BY MONTH

Figure 31 shows the proportion of events in comparison to the proportion of visitors. This highlights that within Murrindindi Shire, there are often a significant number of tourism events, without the necessary supporting visitation numbers.

Overall, there is significant potential to expand the events calendar, focusing on January, February, April, May July and August.

FIGURE 31 PROPORTION OF EVENTS COMPARED TO VISITORS


5.7. EVENT FUNDING

Event funding has been classified as self-funded (through private sponsorship, membership etc.), Council funded (i.e. Murrindindi Shire Council) and State Government funded. There are 26 self-funded events within Murrindindi Shire, as well as 2 State Government funded events and 1 Council funded event.

Foggy Mountain Music Bluegrass Festival is a partly state government funded and self-funded event. Marysville Jazz and Blues Weekend is partially self-funded, and received funding from Victorian State Government and Murrindindi Shire Council. Further State Government and/or Council funding would assist in the expansion and development of some of these smaller-scale events into more regionally and state significant events.

5.8. SWOT ANALYSIS OF EVENTS

7%

4%

15%

4%

7%

4%

0% 0%

7%

30%

19%

4%3%

1%

22%

1% 1%

35%

0% 0%

8%

14%12%

3%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40% No. of Events No. of Visitors

STRENGTHS

Alexandra Truck, Ute and Rod Show receives 12,000+ visitors annually

WEAKNESSES

Large number of small-scale events not generating much yield or attracting many

visitors

Lack of complementary tourism product to support events

OPPORTUNITIES

Develop existing music festivals

Develop complementary tourism product (e.g. dining, accommodation) to support

events

Nature-based tourism events

Food and beverage events

THREATS

Lack of activities for event visitors within the shire

Small-scale of most tourism events poses a threat to long-term sustainability

SWOTAnalysis





EVENT DEVELOPMENT

Survey results of key Murrindindi industry members show a common vision for the Marysville Jazz and Blues Weekend and the Foggy Mountain Bluegrass Festival becoming signature events for Murrindindi Shire, along with Marysville Marathon.

Table 9 shows that in the opinion of key tourism industry business owners, Outdoors and Nature-based, cycling, water sports and major events would provide the greatest benefit to tourism in Murrindindi Shire, if further developed.

TABLE 10 TOP 4 RESPONSES FOR EVENTS TO BE FURTHER DEVELOPED

MOST BENEFICIAL EVENT TYPES TO BE FURTHER DEVELOPED % OF

RESPONSES

Outdoors and Nature-based (e.g. hiking, bird watching, fishing etc) 65%

Cycling (mountain biking, road cycling, rail trails etc) 63%

Water sports (water skiing, boating, kayaking etc) 55%

Major Events (e.g. festivals, conferencing, major sports events etc) 50%


LOCAL BUSINESS SUPPORT

Local businesses are not providing the necessary support to facilitate the growth of events. If local hospitality businesses opened their doors outside of normal hours during a significant event, this would help to elevate the visitor experience. In turn, this would increase visitation to the shire through promotion of the event from people who enjoyed the event and the complementary tourism offerings within the town.

CONCENTRATION AND CONSOLIDATION OF EVENTS

Consolidation of some smaller events, and concentration of resources to support the further expansion of some larger events.

NEW EVENTS

Establishment of the following potential new events with support from council:

• Lake Eildon Fishing event in off season;

• Attraction of multi-sport events and triathlons;

• Attraction of a mountain bike event in Marysville/Lake Mountain;

• Attraction of car club events in Yea and Alexandra;

• Hunting and Fishing and camping exhibition in Alexandra;

• Major food event in Marysville and Yea, focused on Goulburn Valley produce; and

• Major music event.

FIGURE 32 FLOWERDALE ESTATE

Source: Flowerdale Estate, 2018.




6. GOVERNANCE This section will be updated to recognise the recent decision of Council to not renew the MOU with GRVT. This was partly based upon the feedback from the consultations for the development of this document.

6.1. INTRODUCTION

This section provides an assessment of tourism governance in Murrindindi Shire. It includes consideration of regional tourism structures, local tourism associations and resources with Murrindindi Shire dedicated to tourism and events.

This section provides an analysis of the current approach to tourism and draws on data and information provided by stakeholders. It also draws on consultation undertaken with stakeholders.

6.2. KEY FINDINGS

Murrindindi Shire has a very fragmented approach to tourism governance when compared to most other Local Governments in regional Victoria. The fragmentation is present due to the existence of many local tourism and business associations across the key destinations within Murrindindi, as well as overlap in regional tourism structures. This fragmented approach means duplication of effort across a range of tourism administration, marketing, visitor services and digital content exists. This duplication of effort has resulted in mixed branding and messaging, inconsistent approach to digital media and visitor services, and poor use of limited resources available.

It is critical that tourism governance is simplified and streamlined to improve the quality and consistency of approach and to better leverage from regional tourism resources.

Murrindindi Shire is one of four Local Government members of Goulburn River Valley Tourism. Goulburn River Valley Tourism has provided leadership in the region in terms of industry development, networking and visitor services. One of the long term goals for Goulburn River Valley Tourism was to become an official Regional Tourism Board which would have allowed it access to State Government funding. This has never come to fruition and GRVT has been hampered by a lack of funding to operate at an optimal level.

Yarra Ranges Tourism and Tourism North East promote aspects of Murrindindi Shire as part of their Regional Tourism Boards. In the case of Yarra Ranges Tourism, Marysville and Kinglake Ranges are aligned to the Yarra Valley for marketing purposes and Tourism North East promotes the Great Victorian Rail Trail and Lake Eildon under the High Country umbrella.






Moving forward there are a range of options to be considered in relation to regional alignment:

1. Status Quo - Continue as a partner of Goulburn River Valley Tourism;




2. Continue as a partner of Goulburn River Valley Tourism but work more closely with Yarra Ranges Tourism and Tourism North East in relation to product/ destinations that align;


4. Become a key partner of Yarra Ranges Tourism;

5. Do not continue regional tourism organisation/ board membership.

The two options which present the best approach forward which should be considered by Murrindindi Shire Council include:


• Become a partner of both Tourism North East with jurisdiction over Lake Eildon/Alexandra and Yea and Surrounds sub regions, and Yarra Ranges Tourism with jurisdiction over Marysville/Lake Mountain and Kinglake Ranges sub regions.

Section 6.8 provides an overview of pros and cons of each option.

6.3. OVERVIEW OF TOURISM ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The following table provides an outline of current tourism structures responsible for delivering tourism in relation to Murrindindi Shire.

This highlights that the current structure for tourism governance in Murrindindi is complicated due to the number of local and regional tourism organisations in this space.




TABLE 11 VISITOR ECONOMY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

KEY STAKEHOLDERS

MARKET RESEARCH

CAPITAL INVESTMENT IN TOURISM PRODUCT AND INFRASTRUCTURE

FUNDING MARKETING INTRASTATE

MARKETING INTERSTATE

MARKETING OVERSEAS

PHYSICAL VISITOR INFORMATION SERVICES/ DIGITAL PRESENCE

DIGITAL VISITOR INFORMATION SERVICES

TOURISM PRODUCT AND VISITOR EXPERIENCE

OVERVIEW

National Level Organisation

Tourism Australia

This organisation does not normally deal directly with local government, however, is a valuable source for market research including NVS/IVS.

Trade and Investment Commission

This organisation is responsible for funding programs for public and private tourism infrastructure. It is important for Murrindindi Shire to track potential funding pools for projects.

State Level Organisation

Regional Development Victoria

Continue to work with RDV to access potential funding opportunities. This strategy will be an important reference for strategic alignment with state government.

DELWP DELWP manages a number of public forest reserves that include important nature-based tourism products.

Parks Victoria

Parks Victoria manages a number of key state parks and reserves and a strong relationship is important for development and promotion of nature-based tourism.

Visit Victoria

Visit Victoria is a key partner in promotion and strategic planning for the tourism sector. Council should maintain a strong relationship to ensure alignment with Visit Victoria marketing initiatives.




KEY STAKEHOLDERS

MARKET RESEARCH




MARKETING OVERSEAS




OVERVIEW

Regional Level Organisation

Goulburn River Valley Tourism

Murrindindi is a local Government member of Goulburn River Valley Tourism. Goulburn River Valley Tourism is a Regional Tourism Organisation that is funded by Local Government and industry to deliver industry development, marketing and provides tourism leadership.

Yarra Ranges Tourism

Yarra Ranges Tourism is a State Government recognised and funded Regional Tourism Board. Geographically Marysville, Lake Mountain and Kinglake are included in their jurisdiction for marketing.

Tourism North East

Tourism North East is a State Government recognised and funded Regional Tourism Board. Whilst it technically does not include Murrindindi localities alignment of some Murrindindi product with Tourism North East is strong. This includes Lake Eildon, Great Victorian Rail Trail and Alexandra. These areas are promoted through Victoria’s High Country brand.

Local Level Organisation

Murrindindi Shire

Murrindindi Shire provides a range of tourism services including overseeing aspects of visitor information services, digital media and communication, emergency management, marketing, industry development and investment.

Murrindindi Inc

Murrindindi Inc. is the peak tourism body for the Shire, with a committee membership intended to provide a united voice for the Shire’s tourism industry.




KEY STAKEHOLDERS

MARKET RESEARCH




MARKETING OVERSEAS




OVERVIEW

Marysville Triangle Business & Tourism Inc.

Marysville Triangle Business & Tourism (MTBT) Inc. is the local business and tourism association for the Marysville Triangle region. It is a membership organisation representing business from Marysville and provides marketing and visitor information services.

Alexandra and District Tourism and Traders Association

Alexandra Tourism and Traders is a membership based organisation which provides services to the local business community. They have a strong focus on events development.

Eildon Action Eildon Action is a small organisation with limited capability. It is however responsible for operating the Eildon VIC.

Kinglake Ranges Business Network

This is primarily a business development and advocacy organisation with limited tourism function.

Lake Eildon Houseboat Association

Primary an advocacy group

Murrindindi Food & Wine Inc

Murrindindi Inc has a focus on business development and networking.




6.4. MURRINDINDI SHIRE TOURISM APPROACH AND RESOURCES

This section will be updated to recognise the recent decision of Council to not renew the MOU with GRVT. This was partly based upon the feedback from the consultations for the development of this document.

6.4.1. KEY FOCUS

Murrindindi Shire provides a range of tourism services including tourism events funding and support, industry networking, visitor information services

6.4.2. RESOURCES

Murrindindi Shire’s tourism unit is combined with business/economic development. The table below provides an overview of the operational budget for business and tourism for 2017/18.

The tourism component of the budget is estimated to be around $465,000. This includes budget for:

• Wages for tourism and events coordinator ($286K);

• Tourism events support ($90k);

• Regional tourism board contribution ($40k);

• Tourism marketing ($30k);

• Visitor information services ($19k).




TABLE 12 BUSINESS AND TOURISM OPERATIONAL BUDGET 2018/19

PROGRAM EXPENDITURE ITEMS TOTAL INCOME COST TO COUNCIL

Business Support Operations

Includes wages and oncosts for temporary Manager/Coordinator transition New T + E Coordinator

210,000 210,000

Doing Business Better

Business awards & Business networking events Business workshops Prospectus implementation Events support Activities

2,411 1,118 3,639 58,769 6,300

72,237 Grant 49680 0

Investment/New Resident Attraction New resident/investment attraction REMPLAN

2,400 9,950

12,350 12,350

Business Development Program Economic Development Projects (previously seed funding) Business Grants Program

33,000 280,000

313,000 313,000

Small Business Support Business training 1,000 1,000 1,000

Tourism Events Support Major events council contribution Project officer Events Promotion and support

22,641 8,153 60,000

90,794 90,794

Tourism Industry Development Regional Board Contribution 40,000 40,000

Tourism Marketing GRVT and local marketing 30,900 30,900

Tourism Operations Wages and oncosts for 1 x tourism officer 86,408 86,408

Tourism Visitor Information Services

Visitor services (accreditation, vollie training) Alexandra Support Eildon Support Kinglake Support Marysville Support Yea Support (wages and oncosts)

4,840 4,394 1,166 212 2,608 106,351

119,571 119,571

Total 976,260 49680 904,023




6.4.3. BENCHMARKING RESOURCES

Urban Enterprise, in conjunction with Economic Development Australia, undertook a benchmarking study of Local Economic Development resources across Australia. The figures following show the median number of economic development staff and median budget allocated to Local Government Tourism and Economic Development.

The data shows that when Murrindindi is compared with other regional Local Governments, it has lower levels of tourism and economic development staff - 3.2 FTE compared to 6.3 FTE which is the average for Regional Local Governments, however the operational budget is a similar level.

The large difference in staff resources dedicated to tourism and economic development compared to the median for regional councils is likely to be linked to the substantial business grants program of $280,000.

The business grants program for Murrindindi is far greater than other municipalities of a similar size.

The costs for operating Visitor Information Services is very low when benchmarked against other LGAs with similar level of on-ground VICs.

FIGURE 33 MEDIAN STAFF RESOURCES FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT

FIGURE 34 MEDIAN BUDGET FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT

1.92.5

3.42.9

4.1

6.4

4.4

2.0

6.3

Tourism Staff Economic Development Staff Total

Metropolitan Local Government Interface Local Government Regional Local Government

$200,000

$627,054

$774,765

$291,500

$668,654

$789,654

$432,316 $442,500

$931,404

Tourism Budget Economic Development Budget Total Budget

Metropolitan Local Government Interface Local Government Regional Local Government




6.5. LOCAL TOURISM AND BUSINESS ASSOCIATIONS

6.5.1. MURRINDINDI INC

Murrindindi Inc is a collaboration of Murrindindi Shire Business and Tourism Associations and Chambers of Commerce. Incorporated in February 2014, Murrindindi Inc is the coalition of Alexandra Traders and Tourism Association, Marysville Triangle Business and Tourism, Alexandra Events Corporation Ltd, Kinglake Ranges Business Network, Murrindindi Food and Wine and Y Water Discovery Centre.

Murrindindi Inc. exists to provide innovative, inclusive support to local business and tourism associations and to facilitate successful strategic planning and marketing, skills training and workforce development, delivery of local business resources and strong, sustainable economic growth for the businesses and communities of the Murrindindi Shire.

6.5.2. MARYSVILLE TRIANGLE BUSINESS AND TOURISM INC

OVERVIEW AND FOCUS

Marysville Triangle Business & Tourism (MTBT) Inc. is the local business and tourism association for the Marysville Triangle region. The association was formed in 2014 when an amalgamation took place between the Marysville & District Chamber of Commerce (MDCOC) and Mystic Mountains Tourism (MMT).

The purpose of the entity is to provide a united front to drive and support all businesses in the region, to have one voice, facilitating economic and strategic growth for the region while ensuring an exceptional experience for all visitors.

MTBT has 5 priority areas of focus:

• Governance and Strategic Planning;

• Business Planning and Finance;

• Visitor Services;

• Marketing; and

• Membership and Networking.

MEMBERSHIP

Three membership options exist:

• Community - $30

• Affiliate - $100

• Business - $150

• Tourism Marketing Package - $200

It should be important to note that only members of Marysville Tourism Association are represented by the Visitor Information Centre.

There are 74 members as part of Maysville Triangle Business and Tourism Inc.

6.5.3. EILDON ACTION

Eildon Action is a small local business and community group that undertakes a range of community and business activities.

These include:

• Providing visitor information services;

• Undertaking community and business events; and

• Local promotion.




6.5.4. ALEXANDRA TOURISM AND TRADERS

OVERVIEW

Alexandra Tourism and Traders is a membership based organisation which provides services to the local business community. The focus for the Alexandra Tourism and Traders is:

• Providing networking opportunities

• Providing support:

• Receive business advice;

• Social interaction;

• Build strong friendships;

• Events:

• Networking events;

• Business expo’s;

• Social days/family days;

• Information events;

• Promoting business & brand exposure:

• Via ADTTA Website;

• Via ATTA Newsletter (in the works);

• Via ADTTA Social Media;

• Face to face networking.

MEMBERSHIP

Alexandra Tourism and Traders has around 30 members.

6.5.5. KINGLAKE RANGES BUSINESS NETWORK

On behalf of its members Kinglake Ranges Business Network are committed to providing the following activities:

• Networking and Communication;

• Professional Development;

• Advocacy;

• Regional Promotion; and

• Local Marketing.

MEMBERSHIP

There are an estimated 35 members of Kinglake Ranges Business Network. The majority of these businesses are not tourism related.

6.5.6. LAKE EILDON HOUSEBOAT ASSOCIATION

OVERVIEW

The purposes of the LEHIA are to:

• To establish a peak body organisation for Lake Eildon businesses, tradespeople and industry stakeholders involved in houseboat construction, maintenance, transport, hire, sales and marketing;

• To investigate and recommend member benefits and accreditation standards for houseboat construction, maintenance and sales;

• To facilitate dialogue and collaboration between land and water managers, relevant government agencies, tourism and industry stakeholders; and

• To promote the sustainable development of Lake Eildon and the houseboat industry.




MEMBERSHIP

There are around 30 members of the Lake Eildon Houseboat Association including houseboat operators and businesses which service the sector.

6.5.7. MURRINDINDI FOOD AND WINE INC

OVERVIEW

The Murrindindi Food Wine and Culture Group was formed in 2000.

Services offered include:

• The ability to connect with a network of likeminded industries,

• Advice for new operators by experienced operators; and

• Networking.

MEMBERSHIP

There are around 20 members of the Murrindindi Food and Wine Inc.




6.6. REGIONAL TOURISM ORGANISATIONS/BOARDS

6.6.1. GOULBURN RIVER VALLEY TOURISM

OVERVIEW

Goulburn River Valley Tourism is a regional tourism organisation that has four Local Government member Councils including Murrindindi, Mitchell, Shepparton and Strathbogie. The organisation is funded through the four Councils, industry membership and other collaborative marketing efforts.

Goulburn River Valley Tourism provides services across the following themes:

• Marketing;

• Industry development;

• Engagement; and

• Advocacy. These are further explored below.

MARKETING

Key focus for marketing includes:

• To market the region under our agreed consumer brand the 'Heart of Victoria';

• Regional Guide (formerly known as the 'Holiday Planner');

• Participation at consumer trade events;

• Touring maps;

• Marketing campaigns;

• Consumer newsletters; and

• Social media channels and leveraging PR opportunities and alike.

DEVELOPMENT

In relation to industry development GRVT has provided the following:

• Develop the region including industry, product, skills and investment opportunities are all part of this role;

• Destination Management Plan; and

• Workshops, keeping industry up to date with trends & issues and assisting with growing and maturing product development are just some of the ways that we go about it.

ENGAGEMENT

In relation to engagement, GRVT undertake the following:

• Supporting local tourism and business associations;

• Regular industry newsletters;

• Key networking events such as the annual 'Heart of Victoria' tourism dinner;

• Hosting workshops on topics of relevance; and

• Being available for questions or queries by email or on the end of the phone.

ADVOCACY

Ensuring that the Goulburn River Valley region is engaged in the broader tourism agenda, and encouraging key stakeholders to do likewise, is a key part of our role. That is why we are an active member of the Victoria Tourism Industry Council (VTIC), a member of the Australian Regional Tourism Network (ARTN) and Cultural Tourism Victoria for example.

RESOURCES

Goulburn River Valley Tourism has a limited budget generated through Local Government and Industry. It has 1.5 FTE staff.




6.6.2. TOURISM NORTH EAST

OVERVIEW

Tourism North East (TNE) is a Regional Tourism Board which represents six Local Governments within Victoria’s High Country. The six Local Governments include Mansfield, Benalla, Wangaratta, Indigo, Alpine and Towong. It also represents the three Regional Tourism Boards of Mt Buller, Falls Creek and Mt Hotham.

Tourism North East has several responsibilities:

• Regional marketing – developing regional campaigns that look to drive awareness, dispersal and yield opportunities for the region.

• Product development – identifying gaps in the regional tourism offering and working with local government and industry partners to fill them, particularly in areas where the High Country can achieve differentiated product strengths.

• Industry development – working with tourism operators to enhance their offering and ensure long term sustainability, delivering a high-quality and consistent regional tourism product.

• Facilitating tourism investment – identifying infrastructure and investment opportunities and/or partnerships among private and public entities.

• Research – collaborating with local government and industry partners to determine common research requirements that can generate insights used for strategic planning for the region.

• Advocacy – uniting advocacy efforts across a variety of areas including funding support and legislative and policy issues.

• Strategic planning - leading strategic planning for the region as well as providing consultation for State and Federal tourism plans and programs.

RESOURCES

Tourism North East is one of the best resourced Regional Tourism Boards in Victoria. It has 12 FTE staff and includes professionals across a range of areas including:

• Marketing;

• Digital;

• Public relations;

• Industry development– food, wine and craft beer;

• Industry development – general; and

• Industry and product development – cycle, snow and nature.

To be a Local Government partner of Tourism North East, the cost is $36k, with additional costs to buy into specific activities.

6.6.3. YARRA RANGES TOURISM

OVERVIEW

Yarra Ranges Tourism is the Official Regional Tourism organisation for Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges.

Established in 2006 as one of eleven Victorian Regional Tourism organisations, it is governed by a voluntary Board and operate as a not-for-profit company to market the region to grow the visitor economy.

Yarra Ranges Tourism has three key strategic funding partners:

• Yarra Ranges Council;

• Visit Victoria; and

• Tourism Industry Partners.

Key areas of focus for Yarra Ranges Tourism include:

• Advocating for investment in utility infrastructure, public tourism infrastructure and private sector tourism;




• Industry engagement;

• Visitor servicing;

• Product development;

• Marketing; and

• Digital capability.

RESOURCES

Yarra Ranges Tourism has 4FTE staff, with specialisations:

• Partnerships and sales;

• Media and communications; and

• Marketing.




6.6.4. PRODUCT ALIGNMENT WITH MURRINDINDI

The following table provides an overview of product alignment of Murrindindi with surrounding regional tourism organisations. The table shows that Murrindindi has the strongest product alignment with High Country. This is particularly prevalent in nature-based tourism, with a number of niche areas such as snow, cycling, hunting and fishing which are strengths across both Murrindindi and High Country.

The key iconic tourism assets of Murrindindi include the Great Victorian Rail Trail, Lake Eildon and Marysville/Lake Mountain. These assets all align well with the High Country’s strengths.

Yarra Valley also has synergies in nature-based tourism assets, however the remainder of Goulburn River Valley Tourism has limited nature-based assets by comparison to Murrindindi and the geography is predominantly contributed of the Goulburn River floodplains.

TABLE 13 PRODUCT ALIGNMENT – MURRINDINDI AND REGIONAL TOURISM ORGANISATIONS/BOARDS

PRODUCT MURRINDINDI GRV (WITHOUT MURRINDINDI)

NORTH EAST YARRA RANGES

Nature Based Tourism PRIMARY SECONDARY PRIMARY PRIMARY

Snow SECONDARY NONE PRIMARY SECONDARY

Cycling PRIMARY SECONDARY PRIMARY PRIMARY

Walking PRIMARY EMERGING PRIMARY PRIMARY

Hunting PRIMARY LIMITED PRIMARY SECONDARY

Fishing PRIMARY PRIMARY PRIMARY SECONDARY

Food and agribusiness SECONDARY SECONDARY PRIMARY PRIMARY

Wine SECONDARY SECONDARY PRIMARY PRIMARY

Restaurants/Fine Food LIMITED SECONDARY SECONDARY PRIMARY

Farm gate SECONDARY SECONDARY SECONDARY PRIMARY

Beer and Cider LIMITED LIMITED PRIMARY PRIMARY

Distilleries SECONDARY LIMITED SECONDARY PRIMARY

Heritage, arts and Culture EMERGING SECONDARY PRIMARY PRIMARY

Golf EMERGING SECONDARY NONE NONE




6.7. INDUSTRY SURVEY

OVERVIEW

A survey of tourism operators was conducted as part of the tourism strategy. The survey included questions relating to regional tourism organisation/board alignment. The responses to these questions are included below. 51 businesses responded to the survey.

UTILISE SERVICES OF GRVT?

Of the businesses that responded to the survey only 14% utilised services offered by Goulburn River Valley Tourism. This highlights that many businesses in Murrindindi are either not aware of the GRVT services offered, do not utilise services offered by regional tourism organisations or align with other regional tourism organisations.

FIGURE 35 PROPORTION OF BUSINESSES WHICH USE SERVICES PROVIDED BY GRVT

ALIGNMENT WITH REGIONAL TOURISM BOARDS

Businesses were asked what their preferred alignment with Regional Tourism Organisations is.

FIGURE 36 PREFERRED ALIGNMENT WITH REGIONAL TOURISM BOARD

The responses above highlight the level of fragmentation of Murrindindi’s tourism businesses and destinations when it comes to alignment with regional tourism boards/ organisations. The results show that alignment with a regional tourism board/ organisation is dependent on the location of the business. It is interesting to note that more businesses responded to ‘other’ (33%) rather than to nominate one single regional tourism organisation.

Responses to other include:

• “To cover the Shire fully it needs to align with all three. But as far as Marysville is concerned, GRV and High Country is a waste of time for us in the lower have of the Shire”;

14.81%

85.19%

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

80.00%

90.00%

Yes No

25.93% 25.93%

14.81%

33.33%

Goulburn RiverValley

Yarra Valley &Dandenong

Ranges

High Country Other (pleasespecify)

0.00%

5.00%

10.00%

15.00%

20.00%

25.00%

30.00%

35.00%




• “All of the above”;

• “Different regions in the Shire align with different Tourism Organisations. For us in Kinglake, we align best with Yarra Valley”

• “None”

• “Should not be aligns with just one”

• “Lake Eildon independently run”

• “We need to friends with all three, as our shire is aligned geographically with all three.”

• “Murrindindi should be a destination of its own, it has snow areas, bushwalking, mountain biking water sports at Eildon fabulous farm land which could provide excellent local produce. How wonderful would it to be to be a destination of our own.”

6.8. ALIGNMENT WITH REGIONAL TOURISM BOARDS

Murrindindi is in an unusual position in Victoria when it comes to alignment with Regional Tourism Boards and organisations, with three regional tourism organisations having alignment with Murrindindi Shire. Murrindindi for 10 years has been part of Goulburn River Valley Tourism which has shown leadership in product and industry development over that time. The organisation however has long had the goal of becoming an official funded Regional Tourism Board, however this has never occurred. This means that funding for Goulburn River Valley Tourism is much lower than other regional tourism organisations such as Tourism North East and Yarra Valley Tourism.

This has left Goulburn River Valley Tourism with limited resources.






Moving forward there are a range of options to be considered in relation to regional tourism organisation alignment:

1. Status quo - Continue as a partner of Goulburn River Valley Tourism; 2. Continue as a partner of Goulburn River Valley Tourism but work more

closely with Yarra Ranges Tourism and Tourism North East in relation to product/ destinations that align;


4. Become a key partner of Yarra Ranges Tourism; 5. Do not continue regional tourism organisation/ board membership.

These options are discussed below.

STATUS QUO - CONTINUE AS A PARTNER OF GOULBURN RIVER VALLEY TOURISM

Under the current governance structure Murrindindi Shire has had little visitation growth over the past 10 years. When benchmarked against other destinations which similar proximity to Melbourne Murrindindi has underperformed. One of the key issues for Murrindindi is the lack of consistent and clear brand and marketing effort. This is unlikely to improve with the low resources of GRVT and the Heart of Victoria brand.




CONTINUE AS A PARTNER OF GOULBURN RIVER VALLEY TOURISM BUT WORK MORE CLOSELY WITH YARRA RANGES TOURISM AND TOURISM NORTH EAST

The key product strengths and primary destinations of Murrindindi Shire have strong alignment with both Yarra Ranges Tourism and the Tourism North East. Working with GRVT alone will not allow Murrindindi Shire to leverage from the marketing activities delivered by Tourism North East and Yarra Ranges Tourism.

Feedback from the Murrindindi tourism industry supports the need to work with all three tourism organisations in order to receive maximum results for Murrindindi Shire.

BECOME A KEY PARTNER OF TOURISM NORTH EAST, BUT MAINTAIN A PRESENCE FOR KINGLAKE RANGES AND MARYSVILLE THROUGH YARRA RANGES TOURISM

The nature-based strengths of Murrindindi Shire are well aligned with High Country and there is opportunity to leverage from Tourism North East’s professionalism, resources and large marketing budget. This could greatly strengthen Murrindindi’s presence in the market place.

BECOME A KEY PARTNER OF YARRA RANGES TOURISM

The alignment with Yarra Ranges Tourism is strong for Marysville and Kinglake Ranges, however the remainder of the Shire has little association from a product and geography perspective with Yarra Ranges Tourism.

DO NOT CONTINUE REGIONAL TOURISM ORGANISATION/ BOARD MEMBERSHIP

The saving to Murrindindi Shire of $40,000 by not being part of a regional tourism organisation is not extensive, compared to the overall tourism budget. There is a need to maintain alignment with Visit Victoria through regional tourism organisations/boards to ensure Murrindindi Shire is well placed in terms of advocacy and attraction of Government funding.

CONCLUSION

The two options which present the best approach forward include:


• Become a partner of both Tourism North East with jurisdiction over Lake Eildon/Alexandra and Yea and Surrounds and Yarra Ranges Tourism with jurisdiction over Marysville/Lake Mountain and Kinglake Ranges.

There are benefits in working with all three regional tourism organisations, however of most importance is that Murrindindi Shire establish clear arrangements with its own local tourism and business associations.

Below is an outline of the pros and cons for each of the two options for consideration by Murrindindi Shire Council.

Assessment of the options shows that working with both Yarra Ranges Tourism and Tourism North East will provide the greatest opportunity to grow awareness of the tourism assets of Murrindindi leveraging from the high number of visitors already visiting the Yarra Ranges and the significant marketing spend and professional staff of both organisations.

Partnering with Yarra Ranges and Tourism North East will require greater financial commitment from Murrindindi Shire Council in terms of membership to the organisations and buy in the marketing programs. Murrindindi needs to consider whether it can commit financially to partnerships with these organisations compared to the lower commitment with Goulburn River Valley Tourism.




TABLE 14 REGIONAL TOURISM ORGANISATION ALIGNMENT – PROS AND CONS

CONTINUE AS A PARTNER OF GOULBURN RIVER VALLEY TOURISM BECOME A PARTNER OF TOURISM NORTH EAST AND YARRA RANGES TOURISM

Pros

• Strong support by segments of the businesses community for GRVT;

• Leadership in industry development;

• Leadership in visitor information services;

• Newly developed digital platform;

• Support by Regional Development Victoria;

• Destination Management Plan in place;

• Product alignment including Goulburn River, Yea and the Strathbogies, food and wine tourism.

Pros

Tourism North East

• Well-resourced with 12 professional staff;

• Large marketing budget;

• $1.2 million this FY for Ride High Country;

• $800k for other initiatives;

• State Government funding agreed to 2020;

• Leadership in industry development aligned to product strengths – nature based tourism, alpine, cycle and food and wine tourism;

• Product alignment including cycle tourism, Great Victoria Rail Trail, Lake Mountain and Lake Eildon, Upper Goulburn Wine Region;

• Digital platform which can be transferred to Murrindindi’s destinations;

• Specific Nature based and food and wine industry development professionals;

• Potential to work closer with Mansfield Shire on joint initiatives. Yarra Ranges Tourism • Strong alignment with Marysville and Kinglake Ranges

• 20+ businesses in Marysville and Kinglake already work directly with Yarra Ranges Tourism

• Opportunity to leverage from 3 million+ visitors to Yarra Ranges

• Clear marketing strategy and brand proposition that aligns with Kinglake Ranges and Marysville

• Cycle tourism product compatibility/ linkage with Warburton area

• Nillumbik is a key partner of Yarra Ranges tourism and has a close connection with Kinglake including cycle tourism and Kinglake National Park.

• State Government funding agreed to 2020;

• Already in the jurisdiction of Yarra Ranges Tourism.

Cons

• Limited resources – 1.5 EFT;

• Reliant on Local Government funding;

Cons

• Physical separation between Murrindindi and Tourism North East headquarters in Beechworth, however plans are underway for a Mansfield office;




• Funding sources are limited and no long term agreements in place except for Greater Shepparton;

• Heart of Victoria branding has limited awareness in the marketplace;

• Murrindindi tourism and product environment differs from the other LGAs in GRVT region;

• Agreements for funding to Regional Tourism Boards made and no additional funding from State Government was provided to GRVT.

• Marysville and Kinglake Ranges have a stronger product alignment with Yarra Ranges

• Marysville and Kinglake Ranges have a stronger product alignment with Yarra Ranges and hence some industry will be concerned about alignment with Tourism North East, visa versa for Yarra Ranges in relation to Lake Eildon operators.

• Potentially larger buy in to be a partner of both Yarra Ranges and Tourism North East, than Goulburn River Valley Tourism.

TABLE 15 SCORE OF TWO PREFERRED OPTIONS AGAINST KEY ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

OPTION 1: CONTINUE AS A PARTNER OF GOULBURN RIVER VALLEY TOURISM

OPTION 2: BECOME A PARTNER OF TOURISM NORTH EAST AND YARRA RANGES TOURISM

Value – What value can Murrindindi Shire leverage from the membership dollars: This includes consideration of available marketing opportunities, digital leadership and professionalism;

2 10

Physical alignment – how well is the regional physically aligned? – are visitors likely to visit Murrindindi as well as other parts of the associated region – is there potential for visitor dispersal;

4 8

Product alignment – How well is Murrindindi aligned in terms of product – does collaborative marketing make sense?

2 10

Financial – Can Murrindindi afford the costs associated with membership. 10 2

Total Out of 40 16 30-





• Historic resources of Murrindindi Council for tourism. The resources available to develop and promote tourism in Murrindindi historically have been much lower than similar municipalities. As an example, Indigo Shire has a tourism budget exceeding $1.5 million. The limited resources available to tourism within Murrindindi means that Council has not been able to achieve affective marketing and awareness of the region’s destinations.

• Reliance on Local Tourism Associations. Murrindindi Shire has many Local Tourism and Business Associations that have been long established. This has resulted in a lack of cohesion across the municipality and an inconsistent approach to digital media, marketing and awareness programs. Many of these LTA’s have their own membership base, however resources are limited. There are very few Local Governments in Victoria that rely as greatly on the commitment of Local Tourism Associations to operate visitor information centres, provide networking and marketing initiatives.

• Murrindindi wide approach to tourism. Discussions with the Local Tourism Associations highlight a greater willingness to work collaboratively. Delivery of visitor services, online presence, social media and information centres at a Murrindindi wide level will better utilise the resources available. Visitor information if delivered at a Murrindindi wide level will promote greater dispersal. An example of this is a Murrindindi wide map that encourages visitors to tour and travel the municipality.

• One brand. It remains difficult to deliver one brand in the marketplace for Murrindindi as the Council name of Murrindindi has limited awareness in Melbourne and is also the name of a location within the Shire. This is one area that needs further thought and consideration in the strategy.

• Community run events. Many of the events operated in the Shire are reliant on local communities. The long-term viability of some of these events is in question due to volunteer burn out. There is a need to for Council to provide more support to events that drive visitation and yield in Murrindindi.

• Resources of Goulburn River Valley Tourism. Murrindindi has long been associated with Goulburn River Valley Tourism, however Goulburn River Valley Tourism has very limited resources in terms of staff and marketing budget. This has impacted on the ability to grow awareness of Murrindindi’s destinations in the marketplace.

• Opportunity to leverage from the Yarra Valley Region. Yarra Ranges Shire attracts almost 3 million visitors per annum. The Yarra Ranges has one of the highest levels of visitation of any Council in the State. The opportunity to capture this market is substantial, particularly for Marysville, Buxton and Kinglake which are on the doorstep of the Yarra Valley. Further alignment and targeted marketing directed to Yarra Valley visitors provides an opportunity to grow visitation.

• Costs to work with Yarra Ranges Tourism. The cost for membership and also buy into marketing and collateral for Yarra Ranges Tourism is prohibitive for many operators. As Yarra Ranges has much larger tourism operators the pricing reflects this.

• Working with Mansfield and the High Country. Whilst Murrindindi is located in close proximity to the Melbourne and the Yarra Valley it has a stronger product alignment with the High Country. The mountain, streams and Lake Eildon product has much in common with Mansfield and the visitor profile is also similar to Mansfield. Murrindindi should consider how to collaborate with Mansfield and the High Country with regards to the Great Victorian Rail Trail and Lake Eildon which is shared by both Shires.

• Tourism North East resources. Tourism North East has one of the largest pool of resources and historically is one of the highest performing Regional Tourism Boards in Victoria. Tourism North East provides an opportunity for Murrindindi to leverage from its excellence in tourism marketing, online content and industry specialisations in cycling, nature and food and wine tourism.

• Budget allocated to business grants. There is a substantial level of Murrindindi Shire’s budget allocated to tourism and business grants compared to similar regional Councils. This impacts on the staff resources




that can be allocated to provide industry development and marketing support.

6.10. PROPOSED GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE

Based on the analysis of resources, regional tourism organisations and local tourism organisations, the following structure is proposed:

6. Streamline the number and scope of local tourism associations in relation to the four sub regions of Murrindindi. This will build on existing structures.

• Marysville Triangle – Branded as Marysville/Lake Mountain

• Alexandra /Lake Eildon – Branded as Lake Eildon /Alexandra and Surrounds

• Yea Tourism and Business (incorporating the Y Centre) – Branded as Yea and Surrounds

• Kinglake Ranges Tourism – Branded as Kinglake Ranges 7. Maintain membership with GRVT and establish a closer relationship with

Tourism North East and Yarra Ranges Tourism to support marketing and industry development activities for destinations aligned with those areas. This may be through an MOU or other agreement to allow flexibility to buy into programs such as Ride High Country.

8. Establish a larger marketing and events budget within Murrindindi Shire that is made accessible to businesses and the local tourism associations to support marketing and events activities for each destination. This will support Council to provide a 1:1 funding support for businesses and LTAs that wish to buy into Yarra Ranges, Tourism North East or GRVT marketing activities.

9. Review Councils tourism and economic development budget with consideration of the following:

• Expand Yea VIC coordinator role to be Visitor Services Coordinator across the Shire.

• Seek to move some funding from business grant programs to grow marketing and events budget.

10. Tourism and events coordinator to include LTA development and liaison as a key area of focus.

11. Close Murrindindi Inc.




7. MARKETING AND VISITOR INFORMATION SERVICES

7.1. INTRODUCTION

This section of the report provides an overview of marketing activities undertaken to promote the Murrindindi region and visitor services by local tourism associations including:

• GRVT;

• Yarra Ranges Tourism Association;

• Alexandra Traders and Tourism Association;

• Marysville Triangle Business and Tourism Inc; and

• Lake Eildon Tourism.

The review of marketing activities and visitor information services undertaken includes:

• Identification of Murrindindi’s digital presence, including websites and social media platforms;

• Identification of marketing activities undertaken by Murrindindi Shire;

• The current Visitor Information Centre network in Murrindindi; and

• The current performance of the Visitor Information Centres in Murrindindi.

7.2. KEY FINDINGS

Murrindindi Shire has a well-developed network of Visitor Information Centres, with four VICs including two accredited VICs in Yea and Marysville.

Marysville and Yea VICs are performing relative well with around 30,000 visitors to the Yea VIC annually and 40,000 visitors to the Marysville VIC annually. Whilst there has been some decline of visitors to the Marysville VIC in recent years, this aligns with a general reduction of visitors using physical VICs across Victoria with digital information now a preference for most visitors.

The Eildon and Alexandra VICs have significantly lower visitation than Yea and Marysville. This is attributed to lower levels of visitation to each of these individual destinations by visitors and lack of collocated product to strengthen the appeal of the VICs. In the case of the Yea VIC it is collocated with Y Water Discovery Centre which attracts visitors to the precinct, as does the Maryville VIC which is collated with an art gallery space.

With such low visitation to Eildon VIC, it is unsustainable to maintain a standalone VIC presence in the town. Eildon is also highly seasonal and has very low mid-week visitation. Collocation of visitor services with a retailer in town would provide an adequate approach for visitor services in Eildon.

In the case of Alexandra, collocation with a nature-based hub which includes bike hire, canoe hire and outdoor activity tour operators would strengthen the number of visitors to the VIC and provide a much-needed destination for nature-based visitors.

The marketing and digital presence aligned to each of the sub regional LTAs needs further investment. Given that Murrindindi’s destinations have strong alignment with High Country, Yarra Ranges and Goulburn River Valley, there is a need to work with these organisations to strengthen each destinations presence in the marketplace. There is a need for further investment in marketing aligned to sub regional destination brands by Murrindindi Shire in order to grow brand recognition and drive visitation.




7.3. DIGITAL MEDIA AND ONLINE VISITOR SERVICES

Regional branding and marketing for destinations within Murrindindi is delivered by a number organisations which have their own digital platforms. Below are examples of some of the visitor websites of key organisations.

The websites that utilise contemporary smart phone/I pad friendly design include:

• Heart of Victoria;

• Melbourne’s Yarra Valley;

• Visit Yea; and

• Great Victorian Rail Trail.

A number of the LTA websites utilise aging platforms and the quality of the content is variable across them.

In order to create a consistent approach to digital visitor information services it is recommended that the LTA websites be developed using one digital platform. Similar to the approach used by Tourism North East, whereby all destinations share one platform.

It is critical that consistency is achieved across the LTA digital platforms. These should become the key place for accessing information. They should be motivational and informative, and they should encourage dispersal across Murrindindi.




Heart of Victoria

Website Address: https://heartofvictoria.com.au/

Organisation: GRVT

Designed By: Best. Advocates of New

Accommodation Booking: No

Mobile Friendly: Yes

Website Design and Quality: High contemporary website design

Searchability: Excellent

Strengths: User ability and layout, search feature, product filtering tools.

Weaknesses: Irregular and out of date blog posts

Find Yourself Melbourne’s Yarra Valley

Website Address: https://visityarravalley.com.au/

Organisation: Yarra Ranges Tourism

Designed By: Weave Web Communications

Accommodation Booking: Yes




Strengths: User ability and layout, use of images and page translation feature

Weaknesses: Interactive map – it is not easy for visitors to the site to utilize the tool.




Visit Yea

Website Address: https://www.visityea.com.au/

Organisation: Yea Visitor Information Centre

Designed By: SheCommerce



Website Design and Quality: Good contemporary website design

Searchability: Good

Strengths: User ability.

Weaknesses: Weather feature in Fahrenheit and product listings not categorized on home page.

Alexandra Tourism

Website Address: http://www.alexandratourism.com

Organisation: Alexandra Traders and Tourism Association

Designed By: Regional Business Toolkit



Website Design and Quality: Moderate website design and quality


Strengths: Product filtering tool.

Weaknesses: Content is outdated and select features unable to be used.




Marysville Real. Close.

Website Address: http://www.marysvilletourism.com/

Organisation: Marysville Triangle Business and Tourism Inc

Designed By:





Strengths: User ability and layout, use of images and the homepage.

Weaknesses: Newsletter signup difficult to use.

Lake Eildon

Website Address: https://www.lakeeildon.com/

Organisation: Lake Eildon Tourism

Designed By: Turbo 260





Strengths: User ability and layout, use of images, virtual sky tour and live feed tools, product interactive maps and search feature.

Weaknesses: The discussion tool is not correctly linked to the Lake Eildon Facebook feed.




7.4. PHYSICAL VISITOR INFORMATION SERVICES

OVERVIEW OF NETWORK

There are currently 4 centres providing visitor information services within the Murrindindi region; Marysville Visitor Information Centre, Yea Visitor Information Centre, Alexandra Visitor Information Centre and Eildon Visitor Information Centre.

Two of these centres (Yea and Marysville) are accredited level 1 VICs and utilise paid staff to operate.

Marysville VIC is a recently constructed building following the Black Saturday bushfires and is collocated with an art gallery which assists in driving visitation to the VIC. The Y Water Discovery Centre in Yea is a newly constructed VIC, collocated with the Yea Wetlands and environmental experience.

The Eildon Visitor Information Centre is not accredited and has aging infrastructure. The quality of the building and presentation of information is not at the standard of other VICs in the region and it is reported that opening hours advertised are not being met. The Centre is delivered by volunteer staff with very little assistance by Murrindindi Shire.

The Alexandra VIC is operated by the local business and tourism group. The VIC receives minimal resources from Murrindindi Shire, however it is well located in the context of Alexandra and the building is in generally good condition. The presentation of visitor information services within the building is not to the standard of Yea and Marysville which have greater resources behind them.

There is opportunity to explore a the role of the Alexandra VIC as a nature based hub, strengthening the role of Alexandra at the heart of a nature based region. This could explore the provision of bike hire, canoe /kayak hire and access to nature based tour guides. A partnership with the Outdoor Education Group could be explored.

FIGURE 37 Y WATER DISCOVERY CENTRE AT YEA VIC




TABLE 16 VISITOR INFORMATION CENTRE NETWORK

VIC OPERATED BY

WEBSITE OPENING HOURS

ACCREDITATION PHONE/EMAIL COMPLEMENTARY ATTRACTION

BUILDING QUALITY

Marysville Lake Mountain VIC

Marysville Tourism

www.marysvilletourism.com 10am – 4pm Daily

Level 1 Yes MiRA (Art gallery/Art space)

New

Yea VIC

Y Water Discovery Centre

www.yea.com.au 9am-5pm Daily

Level 1 Yes Y Water Discovery Centre

New

Alexandra VIC

Alexandra Traders and Tourism Association

www.alexandratourism.com 9am-5pm Daily

No Yes Rotary Park Aging

Eildon VIC

Lake Eildon Tourism

www.lakeeildon.com 10am-2pm, Daily

No Yes No complementary attraction.

Aging




VISITOR INFORMATION CENTRE PERFORMANCE

VISITATION

Marysville VIC has had the highest number of walk in visitors over the past 5 financial years, attracting an average of 40,880 visitors per year, followed by Yea (21,532 visitors) as shown in Figure 38 It is noted that the Marysville VIC has experienced a decline in the number of walk-in visitors in recent years. This is in line with declines across walk in visitor to VICs in Victoria as use of digital information increases.

FIGURE 38 WALK IN VISITATION TREND

Source: Murrindindi Shire Council, 2018.

Figure 39 identifies the walk-in seasonality of visitors to each VIC in 2017 / 18, with the highest number of walk-ins across the four VICs occurring in July (7,924), January (7,595) and April (7,485). It is noted no data was available for the number of walk-in visitors to the Marysville VIC in February.

FIGURE 39 WALK IN SEASONALITY 2017 / 18


Figure 40 below identifies the phone enquiry trends of each VIC over the past 5 years. Marysville has the greatest number of phone enquires, receiving on average 659 calls per year, followed by Alexandra (328 per year). It is noted no phone enquiry data is available for Yea.

35774

5773

29626

28820

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18

Marysville Alexandra Yea Eildon 0500

100015002000250030003500400045005000

Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun

Marysville Alexandra Yea Eildon




FIGURE 40 PHONE ENQUIRIES TRENDS


Table 16 below identifies the visitor capture rate of Murrindindi VICs in 2017 / 18 was 8.3%.

TABLE 17 WALK IN VIC CAPTURE RATE 2017 / 18

WALK IN VISITORS TO VICS

NUMBER OF VISITORS VISITOR CAPTURE OF VICS (%)

74055 895,787 8.3%


7.4.1. RESOURCES

OPERATING BUDGET

The total Council expenditure for VICs within Murrindindi was $119,749 in 2017 / 18, which includes:

• $4,750 for visitor services (accreditation and volunteer training);

• $4,324 for Alexandra Support;

• $1,144 for Eildon support:

• $3,538 for Marysville support; and

• $105,876 for Yea support (wages and on costs).

BENCHMARKING OF RESOURCES

Murrindindi Shire currently contributes $119,749 (2017 / 18) to delivering visitor information services throughout the Council region. The expenditure dedicated to the operation of the VIC network is below the average for VICs, receiving between 35,000 and 75,000 enquires ($181,080). The benchmarking data shows that Council expenditure is lower for other similar sized VICs operated by Local Government as identified in Figure 41.

Utilising the Local Tourism and Business Associations to operate visitor information services greatly reduced the costs associated with visitor services for Murrindindi Shire.

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18

Marysville Alexandra Eildon




FIGURE 41 VISITOR INFORMATION CENTRE EXPENDITURE BY SIZE

Source: Murrindindi Shire Council, 2018 and Vic Futures Report.

Only one VIC within Murrindindi utilises Council Staff resources, with Council providing support to the Yea VIC in the form of one full time staff member. The benchmarking data shows that this is less than the number of staff resources allocated for other similar sized VICs operated by Local Government, as identified in Figure 42.

FIGURE 42 STAFF RESOURCES

Source: Murrindindi Shire Council, 2018 and Vic Futures Report.

$303,396

$269,922

$119,749

$181,080

$170,321

$134,418

$211,827

$- $50,000 $100,000 $150,000 $200,000 $250,000 $300,000 $350,000

Group 5 - > 125,001

Group 4 - 75,001 - 125,000

Murrindindi - 74,055

Group 3 - 35,001 - 75,000

Group 2 - 15,001 - 35,000

Group 1 - <15,000

Average

2.9 1.9 1.00 1.1 1.1 0.8

3.9

2.22.3 1.7 1.4

3.1

3.33.3

2.42.4

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

Group 5 - >125,001

Group 4 -75,001 -125,000

Murrindindi -74,055

Group 3 -35,001 -75,000

Group 2 -15,001 -35,000

Group 1 -<15,000

Full Time Part Time Casual




Figure 43 shows that the cost to deliver visitor services to walk in visitors to the Murrindindi VICs is an average of $3.35, below the average for those of a similar size ($3.61).

FIGURE 43 COST OF VIC DELIVERY PER ENQUIRY 2017 / 18

Source: Murrindindi Council, 2018 and Vic Futures Report.

$3.10 $3.33 $3.35 $3.61

$8.18 $9.17

$- $1.00 $2.00 $3.00 $4.00 $5.00 $6.00 $7.00 $8.00 $9.00

$10.00

Group 5 - >125,001

Group 4 -75,001 -125,000

Murrindindi Group 3 -35,001 -75,000

Group 2 -15,001 -30,000

Group 1 -<15,000

Average Cost of VIC per Enquiry




7.5. KEY COLLATERAL

In conjunction with the digital presence and VIC network, a number of collateral documents are published for visitors to Murrindindi.

Calendar of Events DL brochure

Discover The Heart of Victoria A4 brochure/book (30 per box)

Ride Dindi DL brochure

Great Victorian Rail Trail Pocket guide brochure (240 per box)

Great Victorian Rail Trail DL brochure

Discover Murrindindi A3 tear off map (50 per pad)

7.6. MARKETING ACTIVITIES

Murrindindi Shire undertakes a number of activities to market the region as a tourism destination. Activities undertaken in 2017 / 18 include:

TABLE 18 MURRINDINDI SHIRE MARKETING ACTIVITIES

TYPE OF MARKETING ACTIVITIES

Collateral

• Updating and printing A3 Discover Murrindindi tear off maps;

• Calendar of Events brochure published in October and April;

• Provide collateral to event organisers.

Traditional Media

• TV shows including Eat Play & Stay (Foxtel), Merv Hughes Fishing (Free-to-air),

• Newspaper articles including ‘6 Reasons to Visit (The Age);

Online Media • Building an online presence through the Discover

Dindi website and corresponding social media pages / accounts (Facebook and Instagram);

Other

• Updating of photo library (2,000 new images) and providing of content to websites as needed;

• Update and install new tourism information boards

• Application to VicParks for Marysville in the ‘Community Welcomes RV Program’.

• Jayco Herald Sun Tour, 2018 – provided Discover Dindi postcards, stickers and brochures.

Murrindindi also undertook a number of partnership marketing activities, including with GRVT and Tourism North East. An overview of these activities undertaken are outlined below.




TABLE 19 PARTNERSHIP MARKETING ACTIVITIES

TYPE OF MARKETING ACTIVITIES

Collateral

• Update and print Great Victorian Rail Trail brochures and pocket guides - GRVT

• Provided content and advice for new A3 Kinglake Ranges tear off map – For Kinglake Ranges Business Network

• Full page pull out in Melbourne Official Visitors Guide on Discover the Heart of Victoria (Autumn 2018) - GRVT

Traditional Media

• TV Commercials - GRVT;

• Adverts in 2017 / 18 Experience Culture Guide – Melbourne -GRVT;

• Feature in Herald Sun

Online Media • Online publication of One Hour Out publication - GRVT

Other

• Attendance at Seymour Alternative Farming Expo -GRVT;

• North by North East additions to image library (80 additional images

• Increase to content and image on Heart of Victoria Website - GRVT

• 2018 Good Food & Wine Show - GRVT;

• GVRT Billboard feature in partnership with Tourism North East for the Ride High campaign;

7.7. SOCIAL MEDIA ACTIVITIES

Other digital media utilised to market the Murrindindi region is through social media platforms including Instagram and Facebook.

INSTAGRAM

Current active Instagram pages marketing the Murrindindi region are outlined below. The accounts which the greatest number of followers is the Visit Yarra Valley, with 11,400 followers, followed by Visit Heart of Victoria with 2,881 followers.

Of the four accounts identified below, 3 utilised hashtags to promote user engagement, with Visit Yarra Valley utilising 3 hashtags which combined, have in total over 1 million posts. The Lake Eildon account does not utilise hashtags.

FACEBOOK

Current active Facebook pages marketing the Murrindindi region are outlined below. The accounts which the greatest user likes and followers are the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges (55,861 likes and 55,088 followers) and Discover Dindi (11,016 likes and 11,120 followers).




FIGURE 44 INSTAGRAM ACCOUNTS

ACCOUNT ENGAGEMENT ACCOUNT ENGAGEMENT

Visit Heart of Vic

361 Posts 2,881 Followers 4,391 Following Hashtags: #visitheartofvic (3,139 posts)

Discover Dindi

292 Posts 1,491 Followers 1,353 Following Hashtags: #discoverdindi (2,039 posts)

Visit Yarra Valley

716 Posts 11,400 Followers 666 Following Hashtags: #yarravalley (410,513 posts) #findyourself (666,735 posts) #wandervictoria (239,970 posts)

Lake Eildon

235 posts 811 Followers 267 Following




FIGURE 45 FACEBOOK ACCOUNTS

ACCOUNT ENGAGEMENT ACCOUNT ENGAGEMENT

Heart of Victoria

607 likes 616 followers

Discover Dindi

11,016 likes 11,120 followers

Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges


Lake Eildon





7.7.1. SOCIAL MEDIA ACTIVITY PERFORMANCE

INSTAGRAM

Figure 46 identifies the number of followers and the reach of the Discover Dindi Instagram page. It is identified that the number of followers and the reach of the page has been steadily increasing, with 8,500 people reached in July 2018 compared to 2,800 in January.

FIGURE 46 DISCOVER DINDI INSTAGRAM PAGE FANS AND REACH

Source: Forest Media, Instagram Reports January to July (excluding March) 2018.

Figure 47 and Figure 48 provide a comparison of the performance of Discover Dindi. Visit Yarra Valley and See High Country Instagram pages. It is identified that Discover Dindi has an average of 85 new followers per month which is lower than the average new followers of the Visit Yarra Valley (263) and See High Country (418). However, Discover Dindi has a greater average monthly engagement rate (23%) than the competing regions.

FIGURE 47 COMPARISON OF COMPETING REGIONS FACEBOOK REACH


FIGURE 48 INSTAGRAM ENGAGEMENT RATE


264 350 508 568 628 709 807

2,8003,700

4,700

6,1007,000

9,1008,500

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

Jan Feb March April May June July

Number of Followers Reach

418

85

263

13 24 100

100

200

300

400

500

See High Country Discover Dindi Visit Yarra Valley

New Followers New Posts

4%

23%

1%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

See High Country Discover Dindi Visit Yarra Valley

Engagement Rate




FACEBOOK

Figure 49 identifies the number of fans and the reach of the Discover Dindi Facebook page, which was launched in January 2018.

It is identified that the number of fans and the reach of the page has been steadily increasing, with 240,500 people reached in July 2018.

FIGURE 49 DISCOVER DINDI FACEBOOK PAGE FANS AND REACH

Source: Forest Media, Facebook Reports January to July (excluding March) 2018.

Figure 50 and Figure 51 provide a comparison of the performance of Discover Dindi and See High Country Facebook pages. It is identified that See High Country has a significant following, with 1,852 followers in comparison with the 772 followers of Discover Dindi. However Discover Dindi has a greater average fan engagement rate of 92% compared with See High Country’s 16%.

FIGURE 50 COMPARISON OF COMPETING REGION FACEBOOK REACH


FIGURE 51 ENGAGEMENT RATE


1,612 3,319 4,834 5,717 6,164 7,312

75,400106,200

153,100180,700

132,900

240,500

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

Jan Feb April May June July

Number of Fans Reach

1852

772

24 260

500

1000

1500

2000

See High Country Discover Dindi

New Followers New Posts

16%

92%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

See High Country Discover Dindi

Fan Engagement Rate





• Low cost of operating VICs. Murrindindi Shire relies on the support of Local Tourism Associations to operate VICs within Murrindindi. The Council only spends $119,000 across the four VICs which is one of the lowest expenses for visitor information centre delivery in Victoria. Murrindindi does not have the financial capacity to operate all of the Visitor Information Centres without the support of the Local Tourism Associations.

• Lack of consistency across visitor information services. There is a lack of consistency across visitor information service delivery in Murrindindi Shire due to the reliance on Local Tourism and Business associations. This is in relation to the websites, social media and physical information centres.

• Need for more guidance and support by Murrindindi Shire. In order to improve consistency and quality of visitor information services in Murrindindi Shire, there is a need for Murrindindi Shire to provide better coordination of physical visitor information services and digital platforms.

• Low performance of Eildon VIC. The Eildon VIC is aging and is not operating to the level of other VICs in the Murrinidndi. This is the result of lack of volunteers, limited financial resources and lack of consistent visitor numbers to Eildon township.

• Low demand for Eildon and Alexandra VICs. The number of visitors to both the Eildon and Alexandra is exceptionally low. Eildon attracted only 2800 and Alexandra attracted 5700 walk in visitors. This is not considered a sustainable level of visitation to VICs, given the level of volunteer support, management and building maintenance required to deliver a high-quality visitor experience.

• Nature based hub at Alexandra VIC. Alexandra acts as a hub for the vast number of nature-based visitors to Lake Eildon, Eildon National Park, the Goulburn River and tributaries and Rubicon Historic area. There is opportunity for Alexandra VIC to become a nature-based hub where visitors can access bike hire, kayak and canoe hire and organise tours.

• LTA based marketing plans. The Local Tourism Associations undertake various levels of marketing, however these are not generally supported by

rigorous marketing plans and do not leverage enough from regional tourism structures. Urban Enterprise recommends that Murrindindi Shire undertake a marketing plan for each of the four sub regional LTA structures proposed in this plan. This includes:

• Marysville/Lake Mountain

• Lake Eildon/Alexandra sub region

• Yea and surrounds;

• Kinglake Ranges.




7.9. PROPOSED PRODUCT AND MARKETING HIERARCHY

TOURISM NORTH EAST YARRA RANGES TOURISM

Lake Eildon/Alexandra Sub Region Lake Eildon Goulburn River Rubicon Historic Area Lake Eildon National Park Alexandra Road and Gravel Cycling Events

Marysville/Lake Mountain Sub Region Road Cycling and Mountain Biking Weekend escapes Arts Walking Mountain Streams Lake Mountain Cathedral Ranges Events

Kinglake Ranges Sub Region Kinglake National Park Cycling Emerging Farm Gate Adventure Tourism Walks

Yea and Surrounds Sub Region Y Water Centre Goulburn River Events

GRVT

ICONIC PRODUCT BRANDS

Great Victorian Rail Trail GRVT

Lake Mountain Lake Eildon

Marysville




7.10. PROPOSED VISITOR INFORMATION SERVICES STRUCTURE

Having reviewed the provision of visitor information services for Murrindindi Shire Council, Urban Enterprise recommends the following structure for visitor information services delivery.

REGION WEB PRESENCE PHYSICAL VIC PRESENCE KEY PRODUCT BRANDS ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

Murrindindi Shire

Provision of new platform to support LTAs Continue to Discover Dini, however key focus will be sub regional destinations

Transportable temporary VIC (e.g.: St Kilda Kombi). To be used at key events.

Great Victorian Rail Trail Lake Eildon Marysville Lake Mountain

Need for coordinator to oversee all visitor services Potential need for another 0.5 EFT to allow coordinator to move across VICs

Marysville/Lake Mountain Marysville /Lake Mountain destination website

Marysville VIC – Art gallery focus Lake Mountain, Marysville Cathedral Ranges, Narbethong, Buxton

Continue alignment with Yarra Ranges

Lake Eildon/Alexandra Lake Eildon/Alexandra website (partner with Mansfield)

Alexandra NBT Hub VIC Collocation of visitor information with retail shopfront

Lake Eildon Taggerty Rubicon Historic Area Lake Eildon National Park Goulburn River and Tributaries

Create a sub-regional LTA, and align visitor services to this including new destination website and closure of Eildon VIC.

Yea and Surrounds Yea and Surrounds website Y Water Discovery Centre Goulburn River Farm gate and wine Tallarook and the Strathbogies

Develop a business plan to grow use of the Y Water Discovery Centre

Kinglake Ranges Kinglake Ranges website Include visitor information hub in Kinglake Pub or other retail outlet

Kinglake National Park Have some physical information presence in Kinglake – e.g.: swap card rack and brochures




8. STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS

8.1. INTRODUCTION

This section of the report summarises the key strategic considerations based on the product strengths, issues and opportunities identified throughout the report. It then provides the priority directions and their associated objectives from which the action plan is developed.

FIGURE 1 CATHEDRAL LODGE GOLF COURSE, ALEXANDRA

Source: Greg Norman Golf Course Design, 2018.

8.2. OVERARCHING STRATEGIC CONSIDERATIONS

• Murrindindi Shire needs clear strategic direction. There is a need for Murrindindi to have clear direction for tourism and get its ‘own house in order’ as a priority over alignment with Regional Tourism Boards. Murrindindi Shire has not had a very clear strategy with regard to marketing, brand and industry development needs, nor has it historically had the resources to deliver effective tourism development support. If Murrindindi has clear strategic direction, then it can influence what it needs from partners such as regional tourism organisations/boards.

• Limited overnight visitor growth. Murrindindi Shire has attracted limited growth in overnight visitors, whilst many other destinations with similar proximity to Melbourne have attracted significant growth in overnight visitors. There has been very little investment in accommodation product in Murrindindi which has limited growth in visitor capacity and furthermore Murrindindi’s destinations have lacked a strong brand presence in the marketplace.

• Unclear and inconsistent approach to brand, marketing and digital media. One of the major issues with promotion of Murrindindi is the lack of resources dedicated to marketing Murrindindi’s destinations which have potential to be elevated as iconic to Victoria. Investment in marketing action plans for each sub regional destination and product strengths is needed.

• Lead with areas of competitive strengths. Murrindindi needs to have a clear brand proposition in the marketplace. This means a marketing focus on its icons including Lake Eildon, Lake Mountain, Great Victorian Rail Trail and Marysville as well as well-known villages destinations such as Yea, Alexandra and Kinglake Ranges. Furthermore, a focus on promoting the niche competitive strengths to nature-based markets including: cycling, bushwalking, snow, fishing and hunting.

• Fragmented governance. Murrindindi Shire has a fragmented Governance structure with many LTAs and RTB/Os operating within the region. This has resulted in inconsistent approaches to visitor services, marketing and digital media. Greater leadership by Murrindindi Shire is needed to drive professionalism in Murrindindi Shire.




8.3. VISION

Murrindindi will transform into one of Victoria’s leading nature-based tourism destinations which is accessible to family markets, adult couples, nature-based tourism enthusiasts and emerging international markets. Murrindindi will strengthen its complementary tourism product including food and agribusiness and new and improved accommodation to meet contemporary market expectations and needs.

8.4. OBJECTIVES

• Deliver a streamlined approach to marketing and digital media;

• Murrindindi Shire to align with tourism organisations that can add value to tourism delivery;

• Grow overnight visitation;

• Reduce seasonality;

• Encourage visitor dispersal;

• Attract investment in private sector tourism product including food and agribusiness and visitor accommodation; and

• Attract funding for enhancement of public nature based assets to improve access, amenity and visitor experience.

8.5. DIRECTION A: DELIVER A STREAMLINED APPROACH TO INDUSTRY GOVERNANCE

A strong and cohesive industry is critical for the creation of a visitor friendly destination. Collaboration amongst industry improves the opportunity for businesses to refer and market complementary products and experiences, which can lead to improved visitor yield.

There is a need to continue with industry networking, training and information distribution amongst the tourism industry to create a connected visitor economy.

Furthermore, there are collaborative marketing opportunities that can be explored. Strong relationships with industry partners including Visit Victoria, regional tourism boards and local industry associations will assist in effective communication and marketing of the region’s strengths and creation of clear messaging.

STRATEGY 1 Improve and streamline local tourism structures.

ACTION 1.1 Streamline the number and scope of local tourism associations to the four sub regions of Murrindindi:

Marysville Triangle – Branded as Marysville/Lake Mountain;

Alexandra /Lake Eildon – Branded as Lake Eildon /Alexandra and Surrounds;

Yea Tourism and Business (incorporating the Y Centre) – Branded as Yea and Surrounds; and

Kinglake Ranges Tourism – Branded as Kinglake Ranges.

STRATEGY 2 Improve alignment with regional tourism structures to deliver streamlined tourism governance.

ACTION 2.1 Murrindindi Shire Council to decide which option it will pursue from the following recommendations:




Continue as a partner of Goulburn River Valley Tourism but work more closely with Yarra Ranges Tourism and Tourism North East in relation to product/ destinations that align; or

Become a partner of both Tourism North East with jurisdiction over Lake Eildon/Alexandra and Yea and Surrounds and Yarra Ranges Tourism with jurisdiction over Marysville/Lake Mountain and Kinglake Ranges.

STRATEGY 3 Tailor Councils tourism and economic development budget to better meet the needs of the tourism industry.

ACTION 3.1 Establish a larger marketing and events budget within Murrindindi Shire that is made accessible to businesses and the local tourism associations to support marketing and events activities for each destination. This will allow Council to provide funding support for businesses and LTAs that wish to buy into Yarra Ranges, Tourism North East or GRVT marketing activities.

ACTION 3.2 Review Council’s tourism and economic development budget with consideration of the following:

Expand Yea VIC coordinator role to be Visitor Services Coordinator across the Shire;

Seek to move some funding from business grant programs to grow marketing and events budget; and

Tourism and events coordinator to include LTA development and liaison as a key area of focus.

STRATEGY 4 Advocate on behalf of the visitor economy and promote industry collaboration.

ACTION 4.1 Undertake an annual Murrindindi tourism and events summit. The first summit will be utilised to present the Tourism and

Events Strategy and outline a path forward to improve brand and destination recognition.

8.6. DIRECTION B: DELIVER STREAMLINED AND EFFECTIVE MARKETING AND VISITOR INFORMATION SERVICES

Analysis of the product and experience offer of Murrindindi Shire highlights that the overarching competitive advantage of the region is in ‘nature based tourism’.

Nature based tourism is the key motivator to visit the region for most visitors and there are a number of assets including Lake Mountain, Lake Eildon, National and State Parks and alpine river systems that are unique to Murrindindi in the context of Victoria.

In addition to destination marketing activities, the key brand attributes need to be reinforced in the delivery of visitor information services. This will assist in growing visitor dispersal and yield.

Murrindindi should consider leading with well-known brands already existent in the market place, including:

• Marysville/Lake Mountain;

• Lake Eildon/Alexandra and surrounds;

• Kinglake Ranges;

• Yea and surrounds; and

• Great Victorian Rail Trail.

Marketing of Murrindindi’s destinations and product strengths should leverage from effort and resources already being dedicated by Yarra Ranges Tourism for Marysville/Lake Mountain and Kinglake Ranges, whilst Lake Eildon/Alexandra and Surrounds, Yea and Surrounds, Great Victoria Rail Trail, cycle and walk tourism can be promoted through the large marketing dollars being spent by Tourism North East.

Murrindindi Shire has a number of Visitor Information Centres that are operated cost effectively through the assistance of local tourism and business




associations. It is not possible for Murrindindi Shire to fund the operation of all of these, therefore for their survival it is critical to maintain the support of local tourism and business groups.

FIGURE 2 KEY DESTINATION AND PRODUCT ALIGNMENT

Tourism North East

Lake Eildon/

Alexandra Yea and Surrounds

Great Victorian Rail Trail

Marysville/

Lake Mountain Goulburn

River Goulburn River Valley Tourism

Yarra Ranges Tourism

Kinglake Ranges

Marysville/ Lake Mountain

STRATEGY 5 Build awareness of Murrindindi’s leading destinations and competitive strengths. These include:

Marysville/Lake Mountain; Lake Eildon/Alexandra and surrounds; Kinglake Ranges; Yea and surrounds; Great Victorian Rail Trail; and NBT: Snow, Cycle, Walk, Fishing Tourism.

ACTION 5.1 Develop destination marketing action plans in conjunction with regional and local stakeholders for Lake Eildon/Alexandra, Yea and Surrounds, Great Victorian Rail

Trail, Kinglake Ranges, Marysville/Lake Mountain and the Goulburn River. This should consider the following:

One official destination website for each product region;

Social media plan for each destination; and Marketing program and buy in opportunities to be

developed with RTBs/Os.

ACTION 5.2 Establish clear terms for LTAs and businesses to access expanded marketing dollars. This should include alignment with LTA marketing action plans.

ACTION 5.3 Work with Tourism North East to adapt Ride High Country program to Murrindindi’s cycle product strength.

STRATEGY 6 Deliver visitor information services for Murrindindi at all stages of the visitor journey to inspire and connect visitors to experiences.

ACTION 6.1 Establish coordinated and contemporary destination websites for each of the four LTA regions. These will be used as the official websites for each subregion and be linked to relevant Regional Tourism Websites for Yarra Ranges, Tourism North East.

ACTION 6.2 Establish a clear guide for content management for LTA websites.

ACTION 6.3 Visitor services coordinator to oversee development of collateral across each of the LTAs to ensure quality and consistency exists. This may consider:

One Murrindindi wide visitor guide with four regional sections;

A Murrindindi wide touring map; and LTA map guides.




ACTION 6.4 Consider conversion of the Alexandra VIC to become a nature based tourism hub/collocated with visitor information services. This includes exploring the potential to host nature based tourism operators from the precinct and also provide hire and sales of outdoor recreation equipment, including:

Canoes and kayaks; Bikes; and Camping equipment.

This would complement the themed Y Centre and Marysville Information and Regional Arts Space.

ACTION 6.5 Establish a touring VIC which can be used during peak periods at events and at Eildon township to replace the Eildon VIC.

8.7. DIRECTION C: DEVELOPMENT OF PRODUCT STRENGTHS AND INVESTMENT IN EMERGING OPPORTUNITIES AND SUPPORTING INFRASTRUCTURE

The Murrindindi Shire has product strengths in nature-based tourism. This is overwhelmingly the main driver of visitation to Murrindindi Shire. The emergence of food and agribusiness is one area which will positively influence growth in visitor yield and attraction of target visitor markets. The key strategic tourism product development opportunities that are considered include:

• Audits, investment and promotion of cycle tourism assets;

• Audits, investment and promotion of short and long walks;

• Improvements to physical infrastructure within parks assets;

• Nature based tourism, services and activities;

• Investment in a range of accommodation; and

• Investment in food, wine and agri tourism experiences.

Enhancement of products and experiences is the responsibility of both public and private sectors.

Priority projects identified in the Goulburn River Valley Tourism Destination Management Plan, include:

• Canopy Tour, Kinglake/Toolangi;

• Wellness Resort, Yea & Surrounds;

• Great Victorian Rail Trail Expansion, and Accommodation and Product Development, GRV Region;

• Lake Eildon Waterfront Development Opportunities, Eildon;

• Eildon Pondage Development Opportunities, Eildon;

• Spa & Wellness Resort, Marysville; and

• Cycling Destination Development, Marysville.

STRATEGY 7 Enhance the quality of nature based experiences with a focus on competitive advantages of Murrindindi in cycling, walking, fishing, hunting, boating and outdoor education.

ACTION 7.1 Develop an inventory of key cycling product that can be promoted through Tourism North East. This should consider the following:

Road cycling loops; Gravel cycling loops; Great Victoria Rail Trail; and Mountain biking at Lake Mountain, Narbethong,

Kinglake and Buxton.

ACTION 7.2 Undertake a business activation plan for Great Victorian Rail Trail.

ACTION 7.3 Deliver an extension to the Great Victorian Rail Trail linking Alexandra and Eildon.

ACTION 7.4 Prepare an audit of the top 20 walks in Murrindindi which can be enhanced and promoted through Tourism North East and




Yarra Ranges Tourism, where alignment occurs. Identify infrastructure requirements to enhance trails where needed.

ACTION 7.5 Undertake a strategic tourism masterplan for Rubicon Historic Area to enhance the infrastructure, activities and commercial potential of the area.

ACTION 7.6 Undertake discussions with State Government in relation to improved access and infrastructure at Mount Torbreck. Promote and develop quality food, wine and ferments experiences.

STRATEGY 8 Promote investment in visitor accommodation within Murrindindi Shire.

ACTION 8.1 Prepare an investment business case for the accommodation sector that highlights investment opportunities and demand drivers for each destination. Key opportunities identified include:

Self-contained accommodation/B&B and/or group accommodation units catering for the Nature Based Tourism experience;

Luxury accommodation for lifestyle leader market, including the emerging golf market;

Investment in nature-based accommodation and glamping;

High quality resort style accommodation in Eildon to improve and diversity the offer;

Farm stay and retreat style B&B accommodation to link with the development of wellness product;

Eco-lodge accommodation at Lake Mountain to diversify the product offer and attract year round visitation;

Lake Eildon resort accommodation;

Farm stay and B&B accommodation to link with the local produce offer in Marysville and to cater for weekend short-break visitors from the Melbourne market;

High quality self-contained accommodation in Yea; Development of self-contained accommodation in

Kinglake; and Development of a tourist park on the Goulburn River.

ACTION 8.2 Develop an investment attraction plan for accommodation investment in the region.

STRATEGY 9 Continue to improve access and amenity of water based products.

ACTION 9.1 Support the Lake Eildon Economic Study and Visitor Investment Plan.

ACTION 9.2 Enhance Eildon and Lake Eildon including:

Lake Eildon Waterfront Development Opportunities, Eildon; and

Eildon Pondage Development Opportunities, Eildon.

STRATEGY 10 Encourage and support investment in food, beverage and agribusiness tourism.

ACTION 10.1 Develop an investment strategy for identified food and agribusiness opportunities and promote these with potential operators.

ACTION 10.2 Establish a brand presence for Upper Goulburn Wine Region that lifts the profile of Upper Goulburn wine.

ACTION 10.3 Ensure adequate supply chains are put in place to allow local cafes and restaurants to promote locale produce.




ACTION 10.4 Promote the agribusiness strengths of Murrindindi as some of the highest quality in Australia, in particular investigate regional food brands for trout, beef and other locally produced goods.

STRATEGY 11 Promote touring through Murrindindi.

ACTION 11.1 Establish a Murrindindi touring route that has route options linking various product with the Yarra Valley and High Country.

ACTION 11.2 Develop an iconic international touring itinerary taking in Yarra Valley, Black Spur, Lake Eildon, Yea and Kinglake.




8.8. DIRECTION D: DRIVE TOURISM GROWTH TO MURRINDINDI THROUGH AN ENHANCED EVENTS CALENDAR

Murrindindi Shire is home to a number of signature events that drive visitation to the region. These include events such as the Alexandra Truck , Ute and Rod show, Marysville Jazz and Blues Weekend and Foggy Mountain Music Bluegrass Festival.

The development of events that drive visitation and yield to Murrurundi Shire should be a future focus. The enhancement of the events calendar should consider events that meet the following criteria:

• Attract 500 or more visitors during off peak periods;

• Align to product strengths of Murrindindi;

• Are multi day to encourage overnight visitation.

Funding should be considered for events that meet the above criteria and a target should be set for event attraction and visitor attraction to these events.

There is opportunity to leverage from the knowledge of organisations such as Alexandra Tourism and Traders and Marysville Triangle which have a long history of operating events.

STRATEGY 12 Deliver an enhanced event calendar which significantly grows visitation to Murrindindi Shire.

ACTION 12.1 Council to undertake an action plan for Marysville and Kinglake community centres including opportunities for corporate, social, arts and culture, and recreation events.

ACTION 12.2 Review grant funding provided to events to ensure that Murrindindi Shire is supporting events which:

Attract overnight visitors; Attract visitors during the off peak; and Align to the Murrindindi Shire brand.

ACTION 12.3 Support and promote business event facilities in Murrindindi as a way to grow mid week visitation. Develop a strong relationship with Business Events Victoria to deliver greater awareness of business event destinations.

ACTION 12.4 Promote opportunities for establishment of new events that align to the Murrindindi Shire’s strengths. In particular:

Nature based and adventure events; Food and wine events; Car club events; Hunting and fishing events and exhibitions; Cycle events; and Music events.



Urban Enterprise

389 St Georges Road,

Fitzroy North, Vic, 3068

(03) 9482 3888




S5. Instrument of Delegation to Chief Executive Officer[628721: 11987779_1]

S5. Instrument of Delegation to Chief Executive Officer

Murrindindi Shire Council

Instrument of Delegation

to

The Chief Executive Officer


Attachment 11.1aOrdinary Meeting of Council22 May 2019Page 150

S5. Instrument of Delegation to Chief Executive Officer


In exercise of the power conferred by section 98(1) of the Local Government Act 1989 (the Act) andall other powers enabling it, the Murrindindi Shire Council (Council) delegates to the member ofCouncil staff holding, acting in or performing the position of Chief Executive Officer, the powers, dutiesand functions set out in the Schedule to this Instrument of Delegation,

AND declares that

1. this Instrument of Delegation is authorised by a Resolution of Council passed on 24 October2018

2. the delegation

2.1 comes into force immediately the common seal of Council is affixed to this Instrument ofDelegation;

2.2 is subject to any conditions and limitations set out in the Schedule;

2.3 must be exercised in accordance with any guidelines or policies which Council from time totime adopts; and

2.4 remains in force until Council resolves to vary or revoke it.

3. The member of Council staff occupying the position or title of or acting in the position ofChief Executive Officer may delegate to a member of Council staff any of the powers (otherthan the power of delegation conferred by section 98(3) of the Act or any other powers notcapable of sub-delegation) which this Instrument of Delegation delegates to him or her.

DATED this day of 2019

THE COMMON SEAL OF THE MURRINDINDI )SHIRE COUNCIL was hereunto affixed in the )presence of: )

Mayor .................................................

Councillor .................................................



S5. Instrument of Delegation to Chief Executive Officerpage 2

SCHEDULE

The power to

1. determine any issue;

2. take any action; or

3. do any act or thing

arising out of or connected with any duty imposed, or function or power conferred on Council by orunder any Act.

Conditions and Limitations

The delegate must not determine the issue, take the action or do the act or thing

4. if the issue, action, act or thing is an issue, action, act or thing which involves

4.1 awarding a contract exceeding the value of $150,000 for operating and $200,000 for capital.

4.2 making a local law under Part 5 of the Act;

4.3 approval of the Council Plan under s.125 of the Act;

4.4 adoption of the Strategic Resource Plan under s.126 of the Act;

4.5 preparation or adoption of the Budget or a Revised Budget under Part 6 of the Act;

4.6 adoption of the Auditor's report, Annual Financial Statements, Standard Statements andPerformance Statement under Part 6 of the Act;

4.7 determining pursuant to s.37 of the Act that an extraordinary vacancy on Council not befilled;

4.8 exempting a member of a special committee who is not a Councillor from submitting a returnunder s.81 of the Act;

4.9 appointment of councillor or community delegates or representatives to externalorganisations; or

4.10 the return of the general valuation and any supplementary valuations;

5. if the issue, action, act or thing is an issue, action, act or thing which is required by law to bedone by Council resolution;

6. if the issue, action, act or thing is an issue, action, act or thing which Council has previouslydesignated as an issue, action, act or thing which must be the subject of a Resolution ofCouncil;



S5. Instrument of Delegation to Chief Executive Officerpage 3

7. if the determining of the issue, taking of the action or doing of the act or thing would or wouldbe likely to involve a decision which is inconsistent with a

7.1 policy; or

7.2 strategy

adopted by Council; or

8. if the determining of the issue, the taking of the action or the doing of the act or thing cannotbe the subject of a lawful delegation, whether on account of section 98(1)(a)-(f) (inclusive) ofthe Act or otherwise; or

9. the determining of the issue, the taking of the action or the doing of the act or thing is alreadythe subject of an exclusive delegation to another member of Council staff.



S6. Instrument of Delegation – Members of Staff 2015 May 2013 Update

S6. Instrument of Delegation ─ Members of Staff



to

Members of Council Staff

Ordinary Meeting of Council22 May 2019Page 154

S6. Instrument of Delegation – Members of Staff

Instrument of DelegationIn exercise of the power conferred by section 98(1) of the Local Government Act 1989 and the otherlegislation referred to in the attached Schedule, the Council:

1. delegates each duty and/or function and/or power described in column 1 of the Schedule(and summarised in column 2 of the Schedule) to the member of Council staff holding, actingin or performing the duties of the office or position described opposite each such duty and/orfunction and/or power in column 3 of the Schedule;

2. record that references in the Schedule are as follows:

“CAM” means Coordinator Assets Management

“CEH” means Coordinator Environmental Health

“CES” means Coordinator Environmental Services

“CCC” means Coordinator Corporate Compliance

“CCM” means Complex Case Manager

“CRPM” means Coordinator Roads and Park Maintenance

“CP, CCM” means Coordinator Planning

“DA&D” means Director Assets & Development

“DCE” means Director Community Engagement

“DC&SS” means Director Corporate & Shared Services

“DE” means Development Engineer

“EHO” means Environmental Health Officer

“MBUS” means Manager Business Services

“MCA” means Manager Community Assets

“MDS” means Manager Development Services

“MG&R” means Manager Governance & Risk

“POS” means Senior Planning Officer

“SPO” means Statutory Planning Officer

“YCTS” means Yea Cemetery Trust Secretary



3. declares that:

3.1 this Instrument of Delegation is authorised by resolution of Council passed on 24 May 2019the delegation:

3.1.1 comes into force immediately the common seal of Council is affixed to thisInstrument of Delegation;

3.1.2 remains in force until varied or revoked;

3.1.3 is subject to any conditions and limitations set out in sub-paragraph 3.3, and theSchedule; and

3.1.4 must be exercised in accordance with any guidelines or policies which Council fromtime to time adopts; and

3.2 the delegate must not determine the issue, take the action or do the act or thing:

3.2.1 if the issue, action, act or thing is an issue, action or thing which Council haspreviously designated as an issue, action, act or thing which must be the subject ofa Resolution of Council; or

3.2.2 if the determining of the issue, taking of the action or doing of the act or thing wouldor would be likely to involve a decision which is inconsistent with a

(a) policy; or

(b) strategy

adopted by Council; or

3.2.3 if the determining of the issue, the taking of the action or the doing of the act orthing cannot be the subject of a lawful delegation, whether on account of section98(1)(a)-(f) (inclusive) of the Act or otherwise; or

3.2.4 the determining of the issue, the taking of the action or the doing of the act or thingis already the subject of an exclusive delegation to another member of Councilstaff.



Chief Executive Officer .................................................

Councillor .................................................



SCHEDULE



INDEX

CEMETERIES AND CREMATORIA ACT 2003 ......................................................................................1

DOMESTIC ANIMALS ACT 1994......................................................................................................... 11

ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION ACT 1970.......................................................................................... 12

FOOD ACT 1984................................................................................................................................... 12

HERITAGE ACT 1995........................................................................................................................... 17

PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT ACT 1987...................................................................................... 17

RAIL SAFETY (LOCAL OPERATIONS) ACT 2006............................................................................ 51

RESIDENTIAL TENANCIES ACT 1997 ............................................................................................... 53

ROAD MANAGEMENT ACT 2004 ....................................................................................................... 54

PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT REGULATIONS 2015 ................................................................... 69

PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT (FEES) REGULATIONS 2016 ...................................................... 70

RESIDENTIAL TENANCIES (CARAVAN PARKS AND MOVABLE DWELLINGS REGISTRATIONAND STANDARDS) REGULATIONS 2010......................................................................................... 71

ROAD MANAGEMENT (GENERAL) REGULATIONS 2016 ............................................................... 74

ROAD MANAGEMENT (WORKS AND INFRASTRUCTURE) REGULATIONS 2015........................ 75


S6. Instrument of Delegation – Members of Staffpage 1

CEMETERIES AND CREMATORIA ACT 2003[##The provisions of this Act apply to Councils appointed as a cemetery trust under section 5 of this Act, and also apply to Councils appointed to manage apublic cemetery under section 8(1)(a)(ii) as though it were a cemetery trust (see section 53)

Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 Column 4

PROVISION THING DELEGATED DELEGATE CONDITIONS & LIMITATIONS

s.8(1)(a)(ii) power to manage one or more public cemeteries DC&SS

s.12(1)function to properly and efficiently manage and maintain eachpublic cemetery for which responsible and carry out any otherfunction conferred under this Act

DC&SSwhere Council is a Class B cemetery trust

s.12(2) duty to have regard to the matters set out in paragraphs (a)-(c)in exercising its functions DC&SS

where Council is a Class B cemetery trust

s.13 duty to do anything necessary or convenient to enable it to carryout its functions DC&SS

s.14 power to manage multiple public cemeteries as if they are onecemetery DC&SS

s.15(1) and(2) power to delegate powers or functions other than those listed DC&SS

s.15(4) duty to keep records of delegations DC&SS

s.17(1) power to employ any persons necessary DC&SS

s.17(2) power to engage any professional, technical or other assistanceconsidered necessary DC&SS

s. 17(3) power to determine the terms and conditions of employment orengagement DC&SS

subject to any guidelines or directions of theSecretary

s.18(3) duty to comply with a direction from the Secretary DC&SS






s.19 power to carry out or permit the carrying out of works DC&SS

s.20(1) duty to set aside areas for the interment of human remains DC&SS

s.20(2) power to set aside areas for the purposes of managing a publiccemetery DC&SS

s.20(3) power to set aside areas for those things in paragraphs (a) – (e) DC&SS

s.24(2) power to apply to the Secretary for approval to alter the existingdistribution of land DC&SS

s.36 power to grant licences to enter and use part of the land orbuilding in a public cemetery in accordance with this section DC&SS

subject to the approval of the Minister

s.37 power to grant leases over land in a public cemetery inaccordance with this section DC&SS

subject to the Minister approving the purpose

s.40 duty to notify Secretary of fees and charges fixed under section39 DC&SS

s.47power to pay a contribution toward the cost of the constructionand maintenance of any private street adjoining or abutting acemetery

DC&SS

provided the street was constructed pursuant to theLocal Government Act 1989






s.57(1) duty to submit a report to the Secretary every financial year inrespect of powers and functions under the Act DC&SS

applies only to municipal Councils, not cemeterytrusts

report must contain the particulars listed in s.57(2)

s.59 duty to keep records for each public cemetery DC&SS, YCTS

s.60(1) duty to make information in records available to the public forhistorical or research purposes DC&SS, YCTS

s.60(2) power to charge fees for providing information DC&SS

s.64(4) duty to comply with a direction from the Secretary under section64(3) DC&SS

s.64B(d) power to permit interments at a reopened cemetery DC&SS

s.66(1) power to apply to the Minister for approval to convert thecemetery, or part of it, to a historic cemetery park DC&SS

the application must include the requirements listedin s.66(2)(a)–(d)

s.69 duty to take reasonable steps to notify of conversion to historiccemetery park DC&SS

s.70(1) duty to prepare plan of existing places of interment and make arecord of any inscriptions on memorials which are to be removed DC&SS

s.70(2) duty to make plans of existing place of interment available to thepublic DC&SS






s.71(1) power to remove any memorials or other structures in an area towhich an approval to convert applies DC&SS

s.71(2) power to dispose of any memorial or other structure removed DC&SS

s.72(2) duty to comply with request received under section 72 DC&SS

s.73(1) power to grant a right of interment DC&SS, YCTS

s.73(2) power to impose conditions on the right of interment DC&SS

s.75 power to grant the rights of interment set out in subsections (a)and (b) DC&SS, YCTS

s.76(3) duty to allocate a piece of interment if an unallocated right isgranted DC&SS, YCTS

s.77(4)power to authorise and impose terms and conditions on theremoval of cremated human remains or body parts from theplace of interment on application

DC&SS, YCTS

s.80(1) function of receiving notification and payment of transfer of rightof interment DC&SS, YCTS

s.80(2) function of recording transfer of right of interment DC&SS, YCTS

s.82(2) duty to pay refund on the surrender of an unexercised right ofinterment DC&SS

s.83(2) duty to pay refund on the surrender of an unexercised right ofinterment (sole holder) DC&SS






s.83(3) power to remove any memorial and grant another right ofinterment for a surrendered right of interment DC&SS

s.84(1) function of receiving notice of surrendering an entitlement to aright of interment DC&SS

s.85(1) duty to notify holder of 25 year right of interment of expiration atleast 12 months before expiry DC&SS

the notice must be in writing and contain therequirements listed in s.85(2)

s.85(2)(b) duty to notify holder of 25 year right of interment of expiration ofright at least 12 months before expiry

DC&SS does not apply where right of internment relates toremains of a deceased veteran.

85(2)(c) power to leave interred cremated remains undistributed inperpetuity and convert right of interment to perpetual right ofinternment or;

remove interred remains and re-inter at another location withincemetery grounds and remove any memorial at that place andre-establish at new or equivalent location.

DC&SS may only be exercised where right of intermentrelates to cremated human remains of a deceasedidentified veteran, if right of internment is notextended or converted to a perpetual right ofinterment






s.86power to remove and dispose of cremated human remains andremove any memorial if no action taken by right holder withintime specified

DC&SS

s.86(2) power to leave interred cremated human remains undisturbed orconvert the right of internment to a perpetual right of interment DC&SS

s.86(3)(a)power to leave interred cremated human remains undisturbed inperpetuity and convert the right of interment to a perpetual rightof interment

DC&SS

s.86(3)(b) power to remove interred cremated human remains and takefurther action in accordance with s.86(3)(b) DC&SS

s.86(4) power to take action under s.86(4) relating to removing and re-interring cremated human remains DC&SS

s.86(5) duty to provide notification before taking action under s.86(4) DC&SS

s 86A duty to maintain place of interment and any memorial at place ofinterment, if action taken under s.86(3) DC&SS

s.87(3) duty, if requested, to extend the right for a further 25 years orconvert the right to a perpetual right of interment DC&SS

s.88 function to receive applications to carry out a lift and re-positionprocedure at a place of interment DC&SS






s.91(1) power to cancel a right of interment in accordance with thissection DC&SS

s.91(3) duty to publish notice of intention to cancel right of interment DC&SS

s.92power to pay refund or grant a right of interment in respect ofanother place of interment to the previous holder of thecancelled right of interment

DC&SS

s.98(1) function of receiving application to establish or alter a memorialor a place of interment DC&SS

s.99 power to approve or refuse an application made under section98, or to cancel an approval DC&SS

s.99(4)duty to make a decision on an application under section 98within 45 days after receipt of the application or within 45 days ofreceiving further information where requested

DC&SS

s.100(1) power to require a person to remove memorials or places ofinterment DC&SS

s.100(2) power to remove and dispose a memorial or place of intermentor remedy a person's failure to comply with section 100(1) DC&SS

s.100(3) power to recover costs of taking action under section 100(2) DC&SS

s.101 function of receiving applications to establish or alter a buildingfor ceremonies in the cemetery DC&SS






s.102(1) power to approve or refuse an application under section 101, ifsatisfied of the matters in (b) and (c) DC&SS

s.102(2) &(3)

power to set terms and conditions in respect of, or to cancel, anapproval granted under section 102(1) DC&SS

s.103(1) power to require a person to remove a building for ceremonies DC&SS

s.103(2) power to remove and dispose of a building for ceremonies orremedy the failure to comply with section 103(1) DC&SS

s.103(3) power to recover costs of taking action under section 103(2) DC&SS

s.106(1)power to require the holder of the right of interment of therequirement to make the memorial or place of interment safeand proper or carry out specified repairs

DC&SS

s.106(2) power to require the holder of the right of interment to provide foran examination DC&SS

s.106(3) power to open and examine the place of interment if section106(2) not complied with DC&SS

s.106(4)power to repair or – with the approval of the Secretary - takedown, remove and dispose any memorial or place of interment ifnotice under section 106(1) is not complied with

DC&SS

s.107(1) power to require person responsible to make the building forceremonies safe and proper or carry out specified repairs DC&SS






s.107(2)power to repair or take down, remove and dispose any buildingfor ceremonies if notice under section 107(1) is not compliedwith

DC&SS

s.108 power to recover costs and expenses DC&SS

s.109(1)(a) power to open, examine and repair a place of interment DC&SS

where the holder of right of interment or responsibleperson cannot be found

s.109(1)(b) power to repaid a memorial or, with the Secretary's consent,take down, remove and dispose of a memorial DC&SS

where the holder of right of interment or responsibleperson cannot be found

s.109(2)power to repair the building for ceremonies or, with the consentof the Secretary, take down, remove and dispose of a buildingfor ceremonies

DC&SSwhere the holder of right of interment or responsibleperson cannot be found

s. 110A

power to use cemetery trust funds or other funds for thepurposes of establishing, maintaining, repairing or restoring anymemorial or place of interment of any deceased identifiedveteran

DC&SS

s.110(1)power to maintain, repair or restore a memorial or place ofinterment from other funds if unable to find right of intermentholder. with consent of the Secretary

DC&SS






s.110(2)power to maintain, repair or restore any building for ceremoniesfrom other funds if unable to find responsible person and withconsent of the Secretary

DC&SS

s.111 power to enter into agreement with a holder of the right ofinterment to maintain a memorial or place of interment DC&SS

s.112 power to sell and supply memorials DC&SS

s.116(4) duty to notify the Secretary of an interment authorisation granted DC&SS

s.116(5) power to require an applicant to produce evidence of the right ofinterment holder's consent to application DC&SS

s.118 power to grant an interment authorisation if satisfied that therequirements of Division 2 of Part 8 have been met DC&SS

s.119 power to set terms and conditions for interment authorisations DC&SS

s.131 function of receiving an application for cremation authorisation DC&SS

s.133(1) duty not to grant a cremation authorisation unless satisfied thatrequirements of section 133 have been complied with DC&SS

Subject to subsection (2)

s.145 duty to comply with an order made by the Magistrates' Court or acoroner DC&SS

s.146 power to dispose of bodily remains by a method other thaninterment or cremation DC&SS

subject to the approval of the Secretary






s.147 power to apply to the Secretary for approval to dispose of bodilyremains by a method other than interment or cremation DC&SS

s.149 duty to cease using method of disposal if approval revoked bythe Secretary DC&SS

s.150 &152(1)

power to authorise the interment or cremation of body parts if therequirements of Division 1 of Part 11 are met DC&SS

s.151 function of receiving applications to inter or cremate body parts DC&SS

s.152(2) power to impose terms and conditions on authorisation grantedunder section 150. DC&SS

Schedule 1

clause 8(3)

power to permit members to participate in a particular meetingby telephone, closed-circuit television or any other means ofcommunication

DC&SS

Schedule 1

clause 8(8)power to regulate own proceedings DC&SS

subject to clause 8

DOMESTIC ANIMALS ACT 1994


PROVISION THING DELEGATED DELEGATE CONDITIONS AND LIMITATIONS

s.41A(1) power to declare a dog to be a menacing dog DA&D, MDS



ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION ACT 1970



s.53M(3) power to require further information DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO

s.53M(4) duty to advise applicant that application is not to be dealt with DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO

s.53M(5) duty to approve plans, issue permit or refuse permit DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO

refusal must be ratified by Council or it is of noeffect

s.53M(6) power to refuse to issue septic tank permit DA&D, MDSrefusal must be ratified by Council or it is of noeffect

s.53M(7) duty to refuse to issue a permit in circumstances in (a)-(c) DA&D, MDSrefusal must be ratified by Council or it is of noeffect

FOOD ACT 1984



s.19(2)(a) power to direct by written order that the food premises be putinto a clean and sanitary condition EHO If section 19(1) applies

s.19(2)(b)power to direct by written order that specified steps be takento ensure that food prepared, sold or handled is safe andsuitable

EHO If section 19(1) applies



FOOD ACT 1984



s.19(3) power to direct by written order that the food premises not bekept or used for the sale, or handling for sale, of any food, orfor the preparation of any food, or for any other specifiedpurpose, or for the use of any specified equipment or aspecified process


Only in relation to temporary food premises ormobile food premises

s.19(4)(a)

power to direct that an order made under section 19(3)(a) or(b), (i) be affixed to a conspicuous part of the premises, and(ii) inform the public by notice in a published newspaper orotherwise


s.19(6)(a) duty to revoke any order under section 19 if satisfied that anorder has been complied with

DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO

If section 19(1) applies

s.19(6)(b) duty to give written notice of revocation under section 19(6)(a)if satisfied that an order has been complied with

DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO

If section 19(1) applies

s.19AA(2) power to direct, by written order, that a person must take anyof the actions described in (a)-(c). EHO where Council is the registration authority

s.19AA(4)(c)power to direct, in an order made under s.19AA(2) or asubsequent written order, that a person must ensure that anyfood or class of food is not removed from the premises

EHO

Note: the power to direct the matters unders.19AA(4)(a) and (b) not capable of delegation andso such directions must be made by a Councilresolution

s.19AA(7)duty to revoke order issued under s.19AA and give writtennotice of revocation, if satisfied that that order has beencomplied with

DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO

where Council is the registration authority

s.19CB(4)(b) power to request copy of records EHO where Council is the registration authority

s.19E(1)(d) power to request a copy of the food safety program EHO where Council is the registration authority



FOOD ACT 1984



s.19GBpower to request proprietor to provide written details of thename, qualification or experience of the current food safetysupervisor

EHO where Council is the registration authority

s.19M(4)(a)& (5)

power to conduct a food safety audit and take actions wheredeficiencies are identified EHO where Council is the registration authority

s.19NA(1) power to request food safety audit reports EHO where Council is the registration authority

s.19U(3) power to waive and vary the costs of a food safety audit ifthere are special circumstances EHO

s.19UA power to charge fees for conducting a food safetyassessment or inspection EHO

except for an assessment required by a declarationunder section 19C or an inspection under sections38B(1)(c) or 39.

s.19W power to direct a proprietor of a food premises to comply withany requirement under Part IIIB EHO where Council is the registration authority

s.19W(3)(a) power to direct a proprietor of a food premises to have staff atthe premises undertake training or instruction EHO where Council is the registration authority

s.19W(3)(b)power to direct a proprietor of a food premises to have detailsof any staff training incorporated into the minimum recordsrequired to be kept or food safety program of the premises


--- power to register, renew or transfer registration EHOwhere Council is the registration authority

refusal to grant/renew/transfer registration must beratified by Council or the CEO (see section 58A(2))



FOOD ACT 1984



s.38AA(5)power to (a) request further information; or (b) advise theproprietor that the premises must be registered if thepremises are not exempt


s.38AB(4) power to fix a fee for the receipt of a notification under section38AA in accordance with a declaration under subsection (1) EHO where Council is the registration authority

s.38A(4) power to request a copy of a completed food safety programtemplate EHO where Council is the registration authority

s.38B(1)(a) duty to assess the application and determine which class offood premises under section 19C the food premises belongs EHO where Council is the registration authority

s.38B(1)(b) duty to ensure proprietor has complied with requirements ofsection 38A EHO where Council is the registration authority

s.38B(1)(c) duty to inspect premises EHO where Council is the registration authority

s.38B(2) duty to be satisfied of the matters in section 38B(2)(a)-(b) EHO where Council is the registration authority

s.38D(1)duty to ensure compliance with the applicable provisions ofsection 38C and inspect the premises if required by section39


s.38D(2) duty to be satisfied of the matters in section 38D(2)(a)-(d) EHO where Council is the registration authority

s.38D(3) power to request copies of any audit reports EHO where Council is the registration authority

s.38E(2) power to register the food premises on a conditional basis EHO

where Council is the registration authority;

not exceeding the prescribed time limit definedunder subsection (5).



FOOD ACT 1984



s.38E(4) duty to register the food premises when conditions aresatisfied EHO where Council is the registration authority

s.38F(3)(b) power to require proprietor to comply with requirements ofthis Act EHO where Council is the registration authority

s.39A power to register, renew or transfer food premises despiteminor defects EHO

where Council is the registration authority

only if satisfied of matters in subsections (2)(a)-(c)

s.40(2)power to incorporate the certificate of registration in onedocument with any certificate of registration under Part 6 ofthe Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008

EHO

s.40C(2) power to grant or renew the registration of food premises for aperiod of less than 1 year EHO where Council is the registration authority

s.40D(1) power to suspend or revoke the registration of food premises EHO where Council is the registration authority

s.43F(6)duty to be satisfied that registration requirements underDivision 3 have been met prior to registering, transferring orrenewing registration of a component of a food business


s.43F(7)power to register the components of the food business thatmeet requirements in Division 3 and power to refuse toregister the components that do not meet the requirements


s.46(5)

power to institute proceedings against another person wherethe offence was due to an act or default by that other personand where the first person charged could successfully defenda prosecution, without proceedings first being institutedagainst the person first charged




HERITAGE ACT 1995



s.116 power to sub-delegate Executive Director's functions, dutiesor powers

DA&D, MDS

must first obtain Executive Director's written consent

Council can only sub-delegate if the instrument ofdelegation from the Executive Director authorises sub-delegation

LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT 1989



s.181H power to enter into an environmental upgrade agreement onbehalf of Council and declare and levy an environmentalupgrade charge

CEO1

PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT ACT 1987



s.4B power to prepare an amendment to the Victorian PlanningProvisions DA&D, MDS if authorised by the Minister

1 The only member of staff who can be a delegate in Column 3 is the CEO. If a CEO wishes to sub-delegate these powers, he or she must use the S13 InstrumentDelegation of CEO powers, duties and functions to Members of Council Staff.






s.4G function of receiving prescribed documents and a copy of theVictorian Planning Provisions from the Minister

DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS

s.4H duty to make amendment to Victorian Planning Provisionsavailable


s.4I duty to keep Victorian Planning Provisions and otherdocuments available

DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS, SPO

s.8A(2) power to prepare amendment to the planning scheme wherethe Minister has given consent under s.8A DA&D, MDS

s. 8A(3) power to apply to Minister to prepare an amendment to theplanning scheme DA&D, MDS

s.8A(5) function of receiving notice of the Minister's decision DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

s.8A(7)power to prepare the amendment specified in the applicationwithout the Minister's authorisation if no response receivedafter 10 business days

DA&D

s.8B(2)power to apply to the Minister for authorisation to prepare anamendment to the planning scheme of an adjoining municipaldistrict

DA&D, MDS

s.12(3)power to carry out studies and do things to ensure proper useof land and consult with other persons to ensure co-ordination of planning scheme with these persons

DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM






s 12A(1)

duty to prepare a municipal strategic statement (includingpower to prepare a municipal strategic statement undersection 19 of the Planning and Environment (PlanningSchemes) Act 1996)

DA&D, MDS

s.12B(1) duty to review planning scheme DA&D, MDS

s.12B(2) duty to review planning scheme at direction of Minister DA&D, MDS

s.12B(5) duty to report findings of review of planning scheme toMinister without delay

DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

s.14 duties of a Responsible Authority as set out in subsections(a) to (d)


s.17(1) duty of giving copy amendment to the planning scheme DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

s.17(2) duty of giving copy s.173 agreement DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

s.17(3) duty of giving copy amendment, explanatory report andrelevant documents to the Minister within 10 business days

DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

s.18 duty to make amendment etc. available DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

s.19power to give notice, to decide not to give notice, to publishnotice of amendment to a planning scheme and to exerciseany other power under section 19 to a planning scheme

DA&D, MDS






s.19 function of receiving notice of preparation of an amendmentto a planning scheme


where Council is not the planning authority and theamendment affects land within Council's municipaldistrict; or

where the amendment will amend the planningscheme to designate Council as an acquiring authority.

s.20(1) power to apply to Minister for exemption from therequirements of section 19 DA&D, MDS

s.21(2) duty to make submissions available DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

s.21A(4) duty to publish notice in accordance with section DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS

s.22 duty to consider all submissions DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS

except submissions which request a change to theitems in s.22(5)(a) and (b)

s.23(1)(b) duty to refer submissions which request a change to theamendment to a panel


s.23(2) power to refer to a panel submissions which do not require achange to the amendment


s.24 function to represent Council and present a submission at apanel hearing (including a hearing referred to in section 96D)


s.26(1) power to make report available for inspection DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS

s.26(2) duty to keep report of panel available for inspection DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

s.27(2) power to apply for exemption if panel's report not received DA&D, MDS






s.28 duty to notify the Minister if abandoning an amendment DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

Note: the power to make a decision to abandon anamendment cannot be delegated

s.30(4)(a) duty to say if amendment has lapsed DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

s.30(4)(b) duty to provide information in writing upon request DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

s.32(2) duty to give more notice if required DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

s.33(1) duty to give more notice of changes to an amendment DA&D, MDS,CP,CCM

s.36(2) duty to give notice of approval of amendment DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS

s.38(5) duty to give notice of revocation of an amendment DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS

s.39 function of being a party to a proceeding commenced undersection 39 and duty to comply with determination by VCAT

DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

s.40(1) function of lodging copy of approved amendment DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS

s.41 duty to make approved amendment available DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS,

s.42 duty to make copy of planning scheme available DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS, SPO






s.46AAA duty to prepare an amendment to a planning scheme thatrelates to Yarra River land that is not inconsistent withanything in a Yarra Strategic Plan which is expressed to bebinding on the responsible public entity

DA&D where Council is a responsible public entity and is aplanning authority

note: this provision is not yet in force, and willcommence on the day on which the initial YarraStrategic Plan comes into operation. It will affect alimited number of Councils

s.46AS(ac)power to request the Victorian Planning Authority to provideadvice on any matter relating to land in Victoria or anobjective of planning in Victoria

DA&D, MDS

s.46AW function of being consulted by the Minister DA&D, MDS where Council is a responsible public entity

s.46AX function of receiving a draft Statement of Planning Policy andwritten direction in relation to the endorsement of the draftStatement of Planning Policy

power to endorse the draft Statement of Planning Policy

DA&D, MDS

where Council is a responsible public entity

s.46AZC(2) duty not to prepare an amendment to a declared areaplanning scheme that is inconsistent with a Statement ofPlanning Policy for the declared area that is expressed to bebinding on the responsible public entity

DA&D, MDS


s.46AZK duty not to act inconsistently with any provision of theStatement of Planning Policy that is expressed to be bindingon the public entity when performing a function or duty orexercising a power in relation to the declared area

DA&D, MDS


s.46GI(2)(b)(i)

power to agree to a lower rate of standard levy for a class ofdevelopment of a particular type of land than the ratespecified in a Minister's direction DA&D, MDS

where Council is the planning authority, the municipalCouncil of the municipal district in which the land islocated and/or the development agency






s.46GJ(1) function of receiving written directions from the Minister inrelation to the preparation and content of infrastructurecontributions plans

DA&D, MDS

s.46GK duty to comply with a Minister’s direction that applies toCouncil as the planning authority DA&D, MDS

s.46GN(1) duty to arrange for estimates of values of inner publicpurpose land DA&D, MDS

s.46GO(1) duty to give notice to owners of certain inner public purposeland DA&D, MDS

s.46GP function of receiving a notice under s.46GODA&D, MDS

where Council is the collecting agency

s.46GQ function of receiving a submission from an affected ownerwho objects to the estimated value per hectare (or otherappropriate unit of measurement) of the inner public purposeland

DA&D, MDS

s.46GR(1) duty to consider every submission that is made by the closingdate for submissions included in the notice under s.46GO DA&D, MDS

s.46GR(2) power to consider a late submission

duty to consider a late submission if directed to do so by theMinister

DA&D, MDS

s.46GS(1) power to accept or reject the estimate of the value of theinner public purpose land in a submission made unders.46GQ

DA&D, MDS






s.46GS(2) duty, if Council rejects the estimate of the value of the innerpublic purpose land in the submission, to refer the matter tothe valuer-general, and notify the affected owner of therejection and that the matter has been referred to the valuer-general

DA&D, MDS

s.46GT(2) duty to pay half of the fee fixed by the valuer-general forarranging and attending the conference DA&D, MDS

s.46GT(4) function of receiving, from the valuer-general, writtenconfirmation of the agreement between the planningauthority's valuer and the affected owner's valuer as to theestimated value of the inner public purpose land

DA&D, MDS

s.46GT(6) function of receiving, from the valuer-general, written noticeof a determination under s.46GT(5) DA&D, MDS

s.46GU duty not to adopt an amendment under s.29 to aninfrastructure contributions plan that specifies a land creditamount or a land equalisation amount that relates to a parcelof land in the ICP, CCM plan area of the plan unless thecriteria in s.46GU(1)(a) and (b) are met

DA&D, MDS

s.46GV(3) function of receiving the monetary component and any landequalisation amount of the infrastructure contribution

power to specify the manner in which the payment is to bemade

DA&D, MDS


s.46GV(3)(b) power to enter into an agreement with the applicantDA&D, MDS







s.46GV(4)(a) function of receiving the inner public purpose land inaccordance with s.46GV(5) and (6) DA&D, MDS

where Council is the development agency

s.46GV(4)(b) function of receiving the inner public purpose land inaccordance with s.46GV(5) and (6) DA&D, MDS


s.46GV(7) duty to impose the requirements set out in s.46GV(3) and (4)as conditions on the permit applied for by the applicant todevelop the land in the ICP, CCM plan area

DA&D, MDS

s.46GV(9) power to require the payment of a monetary component orthe provision of the land component of an infrastructurecontribution to be secured to Council’s satisfaction

DA&D, MDSwhere Council is the collecting agency

s.46GX(1) power to accept works, services or facilities in part or fullsatisfaction of the monetary component of an infrastructurecontribution payable

DA&D, MDSwhere Council is the collecting agency

s.46GX(2) duty, before accepting the provision of works, services orfacilities by an applicant under s.46GX(1), to obtain theagreement of the development agency or agencies specifiedin the approved infrastructure contributions plan

DA&D, MDS


s.46GY(1) duty to keep proper and separate accounts and recordsDA&D, MDS


s.46GY(2) duty to keep the accounts and records in accordance with theLocal Government Act 1989 DA&D, MDS where Council is the collecting agency






s.46GZ(2)(a) duty to forward any part of the monetary component that isimposed for plan preparation costs to the planning authoritythat incurred those costs DA&D, MDS

where Council is the collecting agency under anapproved infrastructure contributions plan

this duty does not apply where Council is that planningauthority

s.46GZ(2)(a) function of receiving the monetary component

DA&D, MDS

where the Council is the planning authority

this duty does not apply where Council is also thecollecting agency

s.46GZ(2)(b) duty to forward any part of the monetary component that isimposed for the provision of works, services or facilities to thedevelopment agency that is specified in the plan asresponsible for those works, services or facilities DA&D, MDS


this provision does not apply where Council is also therelevant development agency

s.46GZ(2)(b) function of receiving the monetary component

DA&D, MDS

where Council is the development agency under anapproved infrastructure contributions plan

this provision does not apply where Council is also thecollecting agency

s.46GZ(4) duty to use any land equalisation amounts to pay land creditamounts under s.46GZ(7), except any part of those amountsthat are to be forwarded to a development agency unders.46GZ(5)

DA&D, MDS







s.46GZ(5) duty to forward any part of a land equalisation amountrequired for the acquisition of outer public purpose land by adevelopment agency specified in the approved infrastructurecontributions plan to that development agency DA&D, MDS


this provision does not apply where Council is also therelevant development agency

s.46GZ(5) function of receiving any part of a land equalisation amountrequired for the acquisition of outer public purpose land

DA&D, MDS

where Council is the development agency specified inthe approved infrastructure contributions plan

this provision does not apply where Council is also thecollecting agency

s.46GZ(7) duty to pay to each person who must provide aninfrastructure contribution under the approved infrastructurecontributions plan any land credit amount to which the personis entitled under s.46GW

DA&D, MDS


s.46GZ(9) duty to transfer the estate in fee simple in the land to thedevelopment agency specified in the approved infrastructurecontributions plan as responsible for the use anddevelopment of that land

DA&D, MDS

if any inner public purpose land is vested in Councilunder the Subdivision Act 1988 or acquired by Councilbefore the time it is required to be provided to Councilunder s.46GV(4)


this duty does not apply where Council is also thedevelopment agency






s.46GZ(9) function of receiving the fee simple in the land

DA&D, MDS



s.46GZA(1) duty to keep proper and separate accounts and recordsDA&D, MDS

where Council is a development agency under anapproved infrastructure contributions plan

s.46GZA(2) duty to keep the accounts and records in accordance with theLocal Government Act 1989 DA&D, MDS


s.46GZB(3) duty to follow the steps set out in s.46GZB(3)(a) – (c)DA&D, MDS


s.46GZB(4) duty, in accordance with requirements of the VPA, to reporton the use of the infrastructure contribution in thedevelopment agency's annual report and provide reports onthe use of the infrastructure contribution to the VPA DA&D, MDS

if the VPA is the collecting agency under an approvedinfrastructure contributions plan


s.46GZD(2) duty, within 6 months after the date on which the approvedinfrastructure contributions plan expires, to follow the stepsset out in s.46GZD(2)(a) and (b)

DA&D, MDSwhere Council is the development agency under anapproved infrastructure contributions plan






s.46GZD(3) duty to follow the steps set out in s.46GZD(3)(a) and (b)DA&D, MDS


s.46GZD(5) duty to make payments under s.46GZD(3) in accordance withss.46GZD(5)(a) and 46GZD(5)(b) DA&D, MDS where Council is the collecting agency under an

approved infrastructure contributions plan

s.46GZE(2) duty to forward the land equalisation amount back to thecollecting agency within 6 months after the expiry date if anypart of a land equalisation amount paid or forwarded to adevelopment agency for acquiring outer public purpose landhas not been expended by the development agency toacquire that land at the date on which the approvedinfrastructure contributions plan expires

DA&D, MDS



s.46GZE(2) function of receiving the unexpended land equalisationamount

DA&D, MDS


this duty does not apply where Council is also thedevelopment agency

s.46GZE(3) duty, within 12 months after the date on which the approvedinfrastructure contributions plan expires, to follow the stepsset out in s.46GZE(3)(a) and (b)

DA&D, MDSwhere Council is the collecting agency under anapproved infrastructure contributions plan

s.46GZF(2) duty, within 12 months after the date on which the approvedinfrastructure contributions plan expires, to use the publicpurpose land for a public purpose approved by the Minister orsell the public purpose land

DA&D, MDS


s.46GZF(3) duty, if land is sold under s.46GZF(2)(b), to follow the stepsin s.46GZF(3)(a) and (b) DA&D, MDS







s.46GZF(3) s.46GZF(3)(a) function of receiving proceeds of sale

DA&D, MDS

where Council is the collection agency under anapproved infrastructure contributions plan

this provision does not apply where Council is also thedevelopment agency

s.46GZF(4) duty to divide the proceeds of the public purpose land amongthe current owners of each parcel of land in the ICP, CCMplan area and pay each current owner a portion of theproceeds in accordance with s.46GZF(5)

DA&D, MDS


s.46GZF(6) duty to make the payments under s.46GZF(4) in accordancewith s.46GZF(6)(a) and (b) DA&D, MDS where Council is the collecting agency under an

approved infrastructure contributions plan

s.46GZH power to recover the monetary component, or any landequalisation amount of the land component, payable underPart 3AB as a debt in any court of competent jurisdiction

DA&D, MDSwhere Council is the collecting agency under anapproved infrastructure contributions plan

s.46GZI duty to prepare and give a report to the Minister at the timesrequired by the Minister DA&D, MDS where Council is a collecting agency or development

agency

s.46GZK power to deal with public purpose land which has vested in,been acquired by, or transferred to, Council DA&D, MDS where Council is a collecting agency or development

agency

s.46LB(3) duty to publish, on Council’s Internet site, the payabledwelling amount for a financial year on or before 1 July ofeach financial year for which the amount is adjusted unders.46LB (2)

DA&D, MDS

s.46N(1) duty to include condition in permit regarding payment ofdevelopment infrastructure levy

DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM






s.46N(2)(c) function of determining time and manner for receipt ofdevelopment contributions levy

DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

s.46N(2)(d) power to enter into an agreement with the applicant regardingpayment of development infrastructure levy

DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

s.46O(1)(a)& (2)(a)

power to ensure that community infrastructure levy is paid, oragreement is in place, prior to issuing building permit

DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

s.46O(1)(d)& (2)(d)

power to enter into agreement with the applicant regardingpayment of community infrastructure levy

DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

s.46P(1) power to require payment of amount of levy under section46N or section 46O to be satisfactorily secured

DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

s.46P(2) power to accept provision of land, works, services or facilitiesin part or full payment of levy payable DA&D, MDS,

s.46Q(1) duty to keep proper accounts of levies paid DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

s.46Q(1A)

duty to forward to development agency part of levy imposedfor carrying out works, services, or facilities on behalf ofdevelopment agency or plan preparation costs incurred by adevelopment agency

DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

s.46Q(2)duty to apply levy only for a purpose relating to the provisionof plan preparation costs or the works, services and facilitiesin respect of which the levy was paid etc.

DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

s.46Q(3) power to refund any amount of levy paid if it is satisfied thedevelopment is not to proceed

DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

only applies when levy is paid to Council as a'development agency'






s.46Q(4)(c)

duty to pay amount to current owners of land in the area if anamount of levy has been paid to a municipal Council as adevelopment agency for plan preparation costs incurred bythe Council or for the provision by the Council of works,services or facilities in an area under s.46Q(4)(a)

DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

must be done within six months of the end of theperiod required by the development contributions planand with the consent of, and in the manner approvedby, the Minister

s.46Q(4)(d) duty to submit to the Minister an amendment to the approveddevelopment contributions plan DA&D, MDS must be done in accordance with Part 3

s46Q(4)(e) duty to expend that amount on other works etc. DA&D, MDS with the consent of, and in the manner approved by,the Minister

s.46QC power to recover any amount of levy payable under Part 3B DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

s.46QD duty to prepare report and give a report to the Minister DA&D, MDSwhere Council is a collecting agency or developmentagency

s.46V(3)duty to make a copy of the approved strategy plan (being theMelbourne Airport Environs Strategy Plan) and anydocuments lodged with it available

DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

s.46Y duty to carry out works in conformity with the approvedstrategy plan

DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

s.47 power to decide that an application for a planning permitdoes not comply with that Act







s.49(1) duty to keep a register of all applications for permits anddeterminations relating to permits


s.49(2) duty to make register available for inspection DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS

s.50(4) duty to amend application DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS, SPO

s.50(5) power to refuse to amend application DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

s.50(6) duty to make note of amendment to application in register DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS, SPO

s.50A(1) power to make amendment to application DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS, SPO

s.50A(3) power to require applicant to notify owner and make adeclaration that notice has been given


s.50A(4) duty to note amendment to application in register DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS, SPO

s.51 duty to make copy of application available for inspection DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS, SPO

s.52(1)(b) duty to give notice of the application to other municipalCouncils where appropriate


s.52(1)(c) duty to give notice of the application to all persons requiredby the planning scheme

DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS,SPO

s.52(1)(ca)duty to give notice of the application to owners and occupiersof land benefited by a registered restrictive covenant if mayresult in breach of covenant







s.52(1)(cb)duty to give notice of the application to owners and occupiersof land benefited by a registered restrictive covenant ifapplication is to remove or vary the covenant


s.52(1)(d) duty to give notice of the application to other persons whomay be detrimentally effected


s.52(1AA) duty to give notice of an application to remove or vary aregistered restrictive covenant


s.52(3) power to give any further notice of an application whereappropriate


s.53(1) power to require the applicant to give notice under section52(1) to persons specified by it


s.53(1A) power to require the applicant to give the notice undersection 52(1AA)


s.54(1) power to require the applicant to provide more information DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS, SPO

s.54(1A) duty to give notice in writing of information required undersection 54(1)


s.54(1B) duty to specify the lapse date for an application DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS, SPO

s.54A(3) power to decide to extend time or refuse to extend time togive required information

DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

s.54A(4) duty to give written notice of decision to extend or refuse toextend time und section 54A(3)

DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM






s.55(1)duty to give copy application, together with the prescribedinformation, to every referral authority specified in theplanning scheme


s.57(2A) power to reject objections considered made primarily forcommercial advantage for the objector DA&D, MDS

s.57(3) function of receiving name and address of persons to whomnotice of decision is to go


s.57(5) duty to make available for inspection copy of all objections DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS, SPO

s.57A(4) duty to amend application in accordance with applicant'srequest, subject to section 57A(5)

DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

s.57A(5) power to refuse to amend application DA&D, MDS After advertising

s.57A(6) duty to note amendments to application in register DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS, SPO

s.57B(1) duty to determine whether and to whom notice should begiven


s.57B(2) duty to consider certain matters in determining whethernotice should be given


s.57C(1) duty to give copy of amended application to referral authority DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS, SPO

s.58 duty to consider every application for a permit DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS, SPO






s.58A power to request advice from the Planning ApplicationCommittee DA&D, MDS

s.60 duty to consider certain matters DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS, SPO

s60(1A) power to consider certain matters before deciding onapplication

DA&D, MDS,CP, CCM,POS, SPO

s.60(1B) duty to consider number of objectors in considering whetheruse or development may have significant social effect


s.61(1)power to determine permit application, either to decide togrant a permit, to decide to grant a permit with conditions orto refuse a permit application


the permit must not be inconsistent with a culturalheritage management plan under the AboriginalHeritage Act 2006

The power to refuse a permit application or todetermine an application for which objections havebeen lodged (and not withdrawn) is not delegated

s.61(2) duty to decide to refuse to grant a permit if a relevantdetermining referral authority objects to grant of permit

DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

s.61(3)(a) duty not to decide to grant a permit to use coastal Crown landwithout Minister’s consent


s.61(3)(b) duty to refuse to grant the permit without the Minister'sconsent

DA&D, MDS,CP, CCM,POS

s.61(4) duty to refuse to grant the permit if grant would authorise abreach of a registered restrictive covenant

DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM






s.62(1) duty to include certain conditions in deciding to grant a permit DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

s.62(2) power to include other conditions DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS, SPO

s.62(4) duty to ensure conditions are consistent with paragraphs(a),(b) and (c)


s.62(5)(a)power to include a permit condition to implement anapproved development contributions plan or an approvedinfrastructure contributions plan

DA&D, MDS,CP, CCM,POS, SPO

s.62(5)(b)power to include a permit condition that specified works beprovided on or to the land or paid for in accordance withsection 173 agreement


s.62(5)(c) power to include a permit condition that specified works beprovided or paid for by the applicant


s.62(6)(a)duty not to include a permit condition requiring a person topay an amount for or provide works except in accordancewith ss.46N(1), 46GV(7) or 62(5)


s.62(6)(b)

duty not to include a permit condition requiring a person topay an amount for or provide works except a condition that aplanning scheme requires to be included as referred to insection 62(1)(a)


s.63 duty to issue the permit where made a decision in favour ofthe application (if no one has objected)


s.64(1) duty to give notice of decision to grant a permit to applicantand objectors


this provision applies also to a decision to grant anamendment to a permit - see section 75






s.64(3) duty not to issue a permit until after the specified period DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS, SPO


s.64(5) duty to give each objector a copy of an exempt decision DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS, SPO


s.64A

duty not to issue permit until the end of a period when anapplication for review may be lodged with VCAT or untilVCAT has determined the application, if a relevantrecommending referral authority has objected to the grant ofa permit


this provision applies also to a decision to grant anamendment to a permit - see section 75A

s.65(1) duty to give notice of refusal to grant permit to applicant andperson who objected under section 57


s.66(1) duty to give notice under section 64 or section 65 and copypermit to relevant determining referral authorities


s.66(2) duty to give a recommending referral authority notice of itsdecision to grant a permit


if the recommending referral authority objected to thegrant of the permit or the responsible authority decidednot to include a condition on the permit recommendedby the recommending referral authority

s.66(4) duty to give a recommending referral authority notice of itsdecision to refuse a permit


if the recommending referral authority objected to thegrant of the permit or the recommending referralauthority recommended that a permit condition beincluded on the permit






s.66(6)duty to give a recommending referral authority a copy of anypermit which Council decides to grant and a copy of anynotice given under section 64 or 65


if the recommending referral authority did not object tothe grant of the permit or the recommending referralauthority did not recommend a condition be includedon the permit

s.69(1) function of receiving application for extension of time ofpermit


s.69(1A) function of receiving application for extension of time tocomplete development


s.69(2) power to extend time (or to refuse to extend time) DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

s.70 duty to make copy permit available for inspection DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS

s.71(1) power to correct certain mistakes DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS

s.71(2) duty to note corrections in register DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS

s.73 power to decide to grant amendment subject to conditions DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS

s.74 duty to issue amended permit to applicant if no objectors DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS, SPO

s.76 duty to give applicant and objectors notice of decision torefuse to grant amendment to permit







s.76A(1) duty to give relevant determining referral authorities copy ofamended permit and copy of notice


s.76A(2) duty to give a recommending referral authority notice of itsdecision to grant an amendment to a permit


if the recommending referral authority objected to theamendment of the permit or the responsible authoritydecided not to include a condition on the amendedpermit recommended by the recommending referralauthority

s.76A(4) duty to give a recommending referral authority notice of itsdecision to refuse a permit


if the recommending referral authority objected to theamendment of the permit or the recommending referralauthority recommended that a permit condition beincluded on the amended permit

s.76A(6)duty to give a recommending referral authority a copy of anyamended permit which Council decides to grant and a copyof any notice given under section 64 or 76


if the recommending referral authority did not object tothe amendment of the permit or the recommendingreferral authority did not recommend a condition beincluded on the amended permit

s.76D duty to comply with direction of Minister to issue amendedpermit


s.83 function of being respondent to an appeal DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS

s.83B duty to give or publish notice of application for review DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS

s.84(1) power to decide on an application at any time after an appealis lodged against failure to grant a permit DA&D, MDS

s.84(2) duty not to issue a permit or notice of decision or refusal afteran application is made for review of a failure to grant a permit







s.84(3)duty to tell principal registrar if decide to grant a permit afteran application is made for review of its failure to grant apermit


s.84(6) duty to issue permit on receipt of advice within 3 workingdays


s.84AB power to agree to confining a review by the Tribunal DA&D, MDS

s.86 duty to issue a permit at order of Tribunal within 3 workingdays


s.87(3) power to apply to VCAT for the cancellation or amendment ofa permit DA&D, MDS

s.90(1) function of being heard at hearing of request for cancellationor amendment of a permit


s.91(2) duty to comply with the directions of VCAT DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS, SPO

s.91(2A) duty to issue amended permit to owner if Tribunal so directs DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS, SPO

s.92 duty to give notice of cancellation/amendment of permit byVCAT to persons entitled to be heard under section 90


s.93(2) duty to give notice of VCAT order to stop development DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS, SPO

s.95(3) function of referring certain applications to the Minister DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

s.95(4) duty to comply with an order or direction DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS, SPO






s.96(1) duty to obtain a permit from the Minister to use and developits land

DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

s.96(2) function of giving consent to other persons to apply to theMinister for a permit to use and develop Council land

DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

s.96A(2) power to agree to consider an application for permitconcurrently with preparation of proposed amendment DA&D, MDS

s.96C power to give notice, to decide not to give notice, to publishnotice and to exercise any other power under section 96C


s.96F duty to consider the panel's report under section 96E DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS

s.96G(1)

power to determine to recommend that a permit be grantedor to refuse to recommend that a permit be granted andpower to notify applicant of the determination (includingpower to give notice under section 23 of the Planning andEnvironment (Planning Schemes) Act 1996)

DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

s.96H(3) power to give notice in compliance with Minister's direction DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS

s.96J power to issue permit as directed by the Minister DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS

s.96K duty to comply with direction of the Minister to give notice ofrefusal


s. 96Z duty to keep levy certificates given to it under ss. 47 or 96Afor no less than 5 years from receipt of the certificate


s.97C power to request Minister to decide the application DA&D, MDS






s.97D(1) duty to comply with directions of Minister to supply anydocument or assistance relating to application


s.97G(3) function of receiving from Minister copy of notice of refusal togrant permit or copy of any permit granted by the Minister


s.97G(6) duty to make a copy of permits issued under section 97Favailable for inspection


s.97L duty to include Ministerial decisions in a register kept undersection 49


s.97MH duty to provide information or assistance to the PlanningApplication Committee

DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

s.97MI duty to contribute to the costs of the Planning ApplicationCommittee or subcommittee DA&D, MDS

s.97O duty to consider application and issue or refuse to issuecertificate of compliance

DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

s.97P(3)duty to comply with directions of VCAT following anapplication for review of a failure or refusal to issue acertificate


s.97Q(2) function of being heard by VCAT at hearing of request foramendment or cancellation of certificate


s.97Q(4) duty to comply with directions of VCAT DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS

s.97R duty to keep register of all applications for certificate ofcompliance and related decisions







s.98(1)&(2) function of receiving claim for compensation in certaincircumstances DA&D, MDS

s.98(4) duty to inform any person of the name of the person fromwhom compensation can be claimed DA&D, MDS

s.101 function of receiving claim for expenses in conjunction withclaim DA&D, MDS

s.103 power to reject a claim for compensation in certaincircumstances DA&D, MDS

s.107(1) function of receiving claim for compensation DA&D, MDS

s.107(3) power to agree to extend time for making claim DA&D, MDS

s.114(1) power to apply to the VCAT for an enforcement order DA&D, MDS

s.117(1)(a) function of making a submission to the VCAT whereobjections are received DA&D, MDS

s.120(1) power to apply for an interim enforcement order wheresection 114 application has been made

DA&D, MDS

s.123(1) power to carry out work required by enforcement order andrecover costs DA&D, MDS

s.123(2) power to sell buildings, materials, etc salvaged in carrying outwork under section 123(1) DA&D, MDS except Crown Land

s.129 function of recovering penalties DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM






s.130(5) power to allow person served with an infringement noticefurther time

DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

s.149A(1) power to refer a matter to the VCAT for determination DA&D, MDS

s.149A(1A) power to apply to VCAT for the determination of a matterrelating to the interpretation of a s.173 agreement DA&D, MDS

s.156

duty to pay fees and allowances (including a payment to theCrown under subsection (2A)), and payment orreimbursement for reasonable costs and expenses incurredby the panel in carrying out its functions unless the Ministerdirects otherwise under subsection (2B)power to ask forcontribution under subsection (3) and power to abandonamendment or part of it under subsection (4)

DA&D, MDS where Council is the relevant planning authority

s.171(2)(f) power to carry out studies and commission reports DA&D, MDS

s.171(2)(g) power to grant and reserve easements DA&D, MDS

s.172C power to compulsorily acquire any outer public purpose landthat is specified in the approved infrastructure contributionsplan

DA&D, MDSwhere Council is a development agency specified in anapproved infrastructure contributions plan

s.172D(1) power to compulsorily acquire any inner public purpose landthat is specified in the plan before the time that the land isrequired to be provided to Council under s.46GV(4)

DA&D, MDSwhere Council is a collecting agency specified in anapproved infrastructure contributions plan

s.172D(2) power to compulsorily acquire any inner public purpose land,the use and development of which is to be the responsibilityof Council under the plan, before the time that the land isrequired to be provided under s.46GV(4)

DA&D, MDS

where Council is the development agency specified inan approved infrastructure contributions plan






s.173(1) power to enter into agreement covering matters set out insection 174 DA&D

s.173(1A)power to enter into an agreement with an owner of land forthe development or provision of land in relation to affordablehousing

DA&D where Council is the relevant responsible authority

---

power to decide whether something is to the satisfaction ofCouncil, where an agreement made under section 173 of thePlanning and Environment Act 1987 requires something to beto the satisfaction of Council or Responsible Authority

DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

---

power to give consent on behalf of Council, where anagreement made under section 173 of the Planning andEnvironment Act 1987 requires that something may not bedone without the consent of Council or Responsible Authority

DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

s.177(2)power to end a section 173 agreement with the agreement ofall those bound by any covenant in the agreement orotherwise in accordance with Division 2 of Part 9

DA&D

s.178power to amend a s.173 agreement with the agreement of allthose bound by any covenant in the agreement or otherwisein accordance with Division 2 of Part 9

DA&D

s.178A(1) function of receiving application to amend or end anagreement


s.178A(3) function of notifying the owner as to whether it agrees inprinciple to the proposal under s.178A(1)


s.178A(4) function of notifying the applicant and the owner as towhether it agrees in principle to the proposal







s.178A(5) power to propose to amend or end an agreement DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS

s.178B(1) duty to consider certain matters when considering proposal toamend an agreement


s.178B(2) duty to consider certain matters when considering proposal toend an agreement


s.178C(2)duty to give notice of the proposal to all parties to theagreement and other persons who may be detrimentallyaffected by decision to amend or end


s.178C(4) function of determining how to give notice under s.178C(2) DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS

s.178E(1) duty not to make decision until after 14 days after notice hasbeen given


s.178E(2)(a) power to amend or end the agreement in accordance with theproposal DA&D, MDS

If no objections are made under s.178DMust consider matters in s.178B

s.178E(2)(b) power to amend or end the agreement in a manner that is notsubstantively different from the proposal DA&D, MDS


s.178E(2)(c) power to refuse to amend or end the agreement DA&D, MDS


s.178E(3)(a) power to amend or end the agreement in accordance with theproposal DA&D, MDS

After considering objections, submissions and mattersin s.178B






s.178E(3)(b) power to amend or end the agreement in a manner that is notsubstantively different from the proposal DA&D, MDS


s.178E(3)(c) power to amend or end the agreement in a manner that issubstantively different from the proposal DA&D, MDS


s.178E(3)(d) power to refuse to amend or end the agreement DA&D, MDS


s.178F(1) duty to give notice of its decision under s.178E(3)(a) or (b) DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS

s.178F(2) duty to give notice of its decision under s.178E(2)(c) or (3)(d) DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS

s.178F(4)

duty not to proceed to amend or end an agreement unders.178E until at least 21 days after notice has been given oruntil an application for review to the Tribunal has beendetermined or withdrawn


s.178G duty to sign amended agreement and give copy to each otherparty to the agreement DA&D, MDS

s.178Hpower to require a person who applies to amend or end anagreement to pay the costs of giving notices and preparingthe amended agreement

DA&D, MDS

s.178I(3) duty to notify, in writing, each party to the agreement of theending of the agreement relating to Crown land


s.179(2) duty to make available for inspection copy agreement DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS






s.181 dutyto apply to the Registrar of Titles to record the agreementand to deliver a memorial to Registrar-General


s.181(1A)(a) power to apply to the Registrar of Titles to record theagreement


s.181(1A)(b) duty to apply to the Registrar of Titles, without delay, torecord the agreement


s.182 power to enforce an agreement DA&D, MDS

s.183 duty to tell Registrar of Titles of ending/amendment ofagreement


s.184F(1)power to decide to amend or end an agreement at any timeafter an application for review of the failure of Council tomake a decision

DA&D, MDS

s.184F(2)duty not to amend or end the agreement or give notice of thedecision after an application is made to VCAT for review of afailure to amend or end an agreement


s.184F(3)

duty to inform the principal registrar if the responsibleauthority decides to amend or end an agreement after anapplication is made for the review of its failure to end oramend the agreement


s.184F(5)function of receiving advice from the principal registrar thatthe agreement may be amended or ended in accordance withCouncil's decision


s.184G(2) duty to comply with a direction of the Tribunal DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS






s.184G(3) duty to give notice as directed by the Tribunal DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS

s.198(1) function to receive application for planning certificate DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS

s.199(1) duty to give planning certificate to applicant DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM, POS

s.201(1) function of receiving application for declaration of underlyingzoning

DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

s.201(3) duty to make declaration DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

-power to decide, in relation to any planning scheme orpermit, that a specified thing has or has not been done to thesatisfaction of Council

DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

power, in relation to any planning scheme or permit, toconsent or refuse to consent to any matter which requires theconsent or approval of Council


power to approve any plan or any amendment to a plan orother document in accordance with a provision of a planningscheme or condition in a permit


DA&D, MCA, CAM Development Plan to be considered byCouncil

- power to give written authorisation in accordance with aprovision of a planning scheme DA&D, MDS, CP,

CCM, POS

s.201UAB(1)function of providing the Victorian Planning Authority withinformation relating to any land within municipal district DA&D, MDS, CP,

CCM






s.201UAB(2)duty to provide the Victorian Planning Authority withinformation requested under subsection (1) as soon aspossible

DA&D, MDS, CP,CCM

RAIL SAFETY (LOCAL OPERATIONS) ACT 2006



s.33 duty to comply with a direction of the Safety Director underthis section DA&D, MCA, CAM where Council is a utility under section 3

s.33A duty to comply with a direction of the Safety Director to giveeffect to arrangements under this section DA&D, MCA, CAM

duty of Council as a road authority under the RoadManagement Act 2004

s.34duty to comply with a direction of the Safety Director to alter,demolish or take away works carried out contrary to adirection under section 33(1)

DA&D, MCA, CAM where Council is a utility under section 3

s.34C(2) function of entering into safety interface agreements with railinfrastructure manager DA&D, MCA where Council is the relevant road authority

s.34D(1)function of working in conjunction with rail infrastructuremanager in determining whether risks to safety need to bemanaged

DA&D, MCA, CAM where Council is the relevant road authority

s.34D(2) function of receiving written notice of opinion DA&D, MCA, CAM where Council is the relevant road authority

s.34D(4) function of entering into safety interface agreement withinfrastructure manager DA&D, MCA where Council is the relevant road authority



RAIL SAFETY (LOCAL OPERATIONS) ACT 2006



s.34E(1)(a) duty to identify and assess risks to safety DA&D, MCA, CAM where Council is the relevant road authority

s.34E(1)(b)duty to determine measures to manage any risks identifiedand assessed having regard to items set out in section34E(2)(a)-(c)


s.34E(3) duty to seek to enter into a safety interface agreement withrail infrastructure manager DA&D, MCA where Council is the relevant road authority

s.34F(1)(a) duty to identify and assess risks to safety, if written notice hasbeen received under section 34D(2)(a) DA&D, MCA, CAM where Council is the relevant road authority

s.34F(1)(b)duty to determine measures to manage any risks identifiedand assessed, if written notice has been received undersection 34D(2)(a)


s.34F(2) duty to seek to enter into a safety interface agreement withrail infrastructure manager DA&D, MCA where Council is the relevant road authority

s.34Hpower to identify and assess risks to safety as required undersections 34B, 34C, 34D, 34E or 34F in accordance withsubsections (a)-(c)


s.34I function of entering into safety interface agreements DA&D, MCA where Council is the relevant road authority

s.34J(2) function of receiving notice from Safety Director DA&D, MCA, CAM where Council is the relevant road authority

s.34J(7) duty to comply with a direction of the Safety Director givenunder section 34J(5) DA&D, MCA, CAM where Council is the relevant road authority

s.34K(2) duty to maintain a register of items set out in subsections (a)-(b) DA&D, MCA, CAM where Council is the relevant road authority



RESIDENTIAL TENANCIES ACT 1997



s.142D function of receiving notice regarding an unregisteredrooming house

DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO

s.142G(1) duty to enter required information in Rooming House Registerfor each rooming house in municipal district

DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO

s. 142G(2) power to enter certain information in the Rooming HouseRegister

DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO

s.142I(2) power to amend or revoke an entry in the Rooming HouseRegister if necessary to maintain the accuracy of the entry

DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO

s.252 power to give tenant a notice to vacate rented premises ifsubsection (1) applies

DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO

where Council is the landlord

s.262(1) power to give tenant a notice to vacate rented premises DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO

where Council is the landlord

s.262(3) power to publish its criteria for eligibility for the provision ofhousing by Council

DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO

s.518Fpower to issue notice to caravan park regarding emergencymanagement plan if determined that the plan does not complywith the requirements

DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO

s.522(1) power to give a compliance notice to a person DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO

s.525(2) power to authorise an officer to exercise powers in section526 (either generally or in a particular case)

DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO

s.525(4) duty to issue identity card to authorised officers DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO



RESIDENTIAL TENANCIES ACT 1997



s.526(5) duty to keep record of entry by authorised officer undersection 526

DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO

s.526A(3) function of receiving report of inspection DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO

s.527 power to authorise a person to institute proceedings (eithergenerally or in a particular case)

DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO

ROAD MANAGEMENT ACT 2004



s.11(1) power to declare a road by publishing a notice in theGovernment Gazette DA&D, MCA

obtain consent in circumstances specified in section11(2)

s.11(8) power to name a road or change the name of a road bypublishing notice in Government Gazette

DA&D, DCE,DC&SS, MCA, MDS,CP, CCM

s.11(9)(b) duty to advise Registrar DA&D, MCA, MDS,CP, CCM, CAM

s.11(10) duty to inform Secretary to Department Environment, Land,Water and Planning of declaration etc.

DA&D, MCA, MDS,CAM, CP, CCM

clause subject to section 11(10A)

s.11(10A) duty to inform Secretary to Department Environment, Land,Water and Planning or nominated person


where Council is the coordinating road authority






s.12(2) power to discontinue road or part of a road DA&D, MCA, MDS were Council is the coordinating road authority

s.12(4) power to publish, and provide copy, notice of proposeddiscontinuance


power of coordinating road authority where it is thediscontinuing body

unless subsection (11) applies

s.12(5) duty to consider written submissions received within 28 daysof notice DA&D, MCA, MDS

duty of coordinating road authority where it is thediscontinuing body


s.12(6) function of hearing a person in support of their writtensubmission


function of coordinating road authority where it is thediscontinuing body


s.12(7) duty to fix day, time and place of meeting under subsection(6) and to give notice

DA&D, DC&SS,MCA, MDS,CAM, CP, CCM



s.12(10) duty to notify of decision madeDA&D, MCA,MDS, CAM, CP,CCM


does not apply where an exemption is specified bythe regulations or given by the Minister

s.13(1) power to fix a boundary of a road by publishing notice inGovernment Gazette DA&D, MDS, MCA

power of coordinating road authority and obtainconsent under section 13(3) and section 13(4) asappropriate

s.14(4) function of receiving notice from VicRoads DA&D, MCA, CAM

s.14(7) power to appeal against decision of VicRoads DA&D






s.15(1)

power to enter into arrangement with another road authority,utility or a provider of public transport to transfer a roadmanagement function of the road authority to the other roadauthority, utility or provider of public transport

DA&D

s.15(1A) power to enter into arrangement with a utility to transfer aroad management function of the utility to the road authority DA&D

s.15(2) duty to include details of arrangement in public roads register DA&D, MCA, CAM

s.16(7) power to enter into an arrangement under section 15 DA&D, MCA

s.16(8) duty to enter details of determination in public roads register DA&D, MCA, CAM

s.17(2) duty to register public road in public roads register DA&D, MCA, CAM where Council is the coordinating road authority

s.17(3) power to decide that a road is reasonably required for generalpublic use DA&D, MCA, CAM where Council is the coordinating road authority

s.17(3) duty to register a road reasonably required for general publicuse in public roads register DA&D, MCA, CAM where Council is the coordinating road authority

s.17(4) power to decide that a road is no longer reasonably requiredfor general public use DA&D, MCA, CAM where Council is the coordinating road authority

s.17(4) duty to remove road no longer reasonably required forgeneral public use from public roads register DA&D, MCA, CAM where Council is the coordinating road authority

s.18(1) power to designate ancillary area DA&D, MCA, CAMwhere Council is the coordinating road authority, andobtain consent in circumstances specified in section18(2)

s.18(3) duty to record designation in public roads register DA&D, MCA, CAM where Council is the coordinating road authority






s.19(1) duty to keep register of public roads in respect of which it isthe coordinating road authority DA&D, MCA, CAM

s.19(4) duty to specify details of discontinuance in public roadsregister DA&D, MCA, CAM

s.19(5) duty to ensure public roads register is available for publicinspection DA&D, MCA, CAM

s.21 function of replying to request for information or advice DA&D, MCA,CAM

obtain consent in circumstances specified in section11(2)

s.22(2) function of commenting on proposed direction DA&D, MCA

s.22(4) duty to publish a copy or summary of any direction madeunder section 22 by the Minister in its annual report.

DA&D, DC&SS,MCA

s.22(5) duty to give effect to a direction under this section. DA&D, MCA, CAM

s.40(1) duty to inspect, maintain and repair a public road. DA&D, MCA, CAM,CRPM

s.40(5) power to inspect, maintain and repair a road which is not apublic road DA&D, MCA, CAM

s.41(1) power to determine the standard of construction, inspection,maintenance and repair DA&D, MCA, CAM

s.42(1) power to declare a public road as a controlled access road DA&D

power of coordinating road authority and Schedule 2also applies






s.42(2) power to amend or revoke declaration by notice published inGovernment Gazette DA&D

power of coordinating road authority and Schedule 2also applies

s.42A(3) duty to consult with VicRoads before road is specified DA&D, MCA, CAMwhere Council is the coordinating road authority

if road is a municipal road or part thereof

s.42A(4) power to approve Minister's decision to specify a road as aspecified freight road DA&D, MCA


if road is a municipal road or part thereof and whereroad is to be specified a freight road

s.48EAduty to notify the owner or occupier of land and provider ofpublic transport on which rail infrastructure or rolling stock islocated (and any relevant provider of public transport)

DA&D, MCA, CAMwhere Council is the responsible road authority,infrastructure manager or works manager

s.48M(3) function of consulting with the relevant authority for purposesof developing guidelines under section 48M DA&D, MCA, CAM

s.49 power to develop and publish a road management plan DA&D, MCA

s.51 power to determine standards by incorporating the standardsin a road management plan DA&D, MCA

s.53(2) power to cause notice to be published in Government Gazetteof amendment etc of document in road management plan DA&D, MCA, CAM

s.54(2) duty to give notice of proposal to make a road managementplan DA&D, MCA, CAM

s.54(5) duty to conduct a review of road management plan atprescribed intervals DA&D, MCA






s.54(6) power to amend road management plan DA&D, MCA

s.54(7) duty to incorporate the amendments into the roadmanagement plan DA&D, MCA, CAM

s.55(1) duty to cause notice of road management plan to bepublished in Government Gazette and newspaper DA&D, MCA, CAM

s.63(1) power to consent to conduct of works on road DA&D, MCA, CAM,DE


s.63(2)(e) power to conduct or to authorise the conduct of works in, on,under or over a road in an emergency DA&D, MCA, CAM, where Council is the infrastructure manager

s.64(1) duty to comply with clause 13 of Schedule 7 DA&D, MCAwhere Council is the infrastructure manager or worksmanager

s.66(1) power to consent to structure etc DA&D, MCA, CAM where Council is the coordinating road authority

s.67(2) function of receiving the name & address of the personresponsible for distributing the sign or bill DA&D, MCA, CAM where Council is the coordinating road authority

s.67(3) power to request information DA&D, MCA, CAM where Council is the coordinating road authority

s.68(2) power to request information DA&D, MCA, CAM where Council is the coordinating road authority

s.71(3) power to appoint an authorised officer DA&D

s.72 duty to issue an identity card to each authorised officer DA&D, DC&SS,MG&R, CCC

s.85 function of receiving report from authorised officer DA&D, MCA






s.86 duty to keep register re section 85 matters DA&D, MCA, CAM

s.87(1) function of receiving complaints DA&D, MCA, CAM

s.87(2) duty to investigate complaint and provide report DA&D, MCA, CAM

s.112(2) power to recover damages in court DA&D

s.116 power to cause or carry out inspection DA&D, MCA,CAM, CRPM

s.119(2) function of consulting with VicRoads DA&D, MCA, CAM

s.120(1) power to exercise road management functions on an arterialroad (with the consent of VicRoads) DA&D, MCA

s.120(2)duty to seek consent of VicRoads to exercise roadmanagement functions before exercising power in section120(1)

DA&D, MCA

s.121(1) power to enter into an agreement in respect of works DA&D, MCA

s.122(1) power to charge and recover fees DA&D, MCA

s.123(1) power to charge for any service DA&D, MCA

Schedule 2Clause 2(1)

power to make a decision in respect of controlled accessroads DA&D, MCA

Schedule 2Clause 3(1) duty to make policy about controlled access roads DA&D, MCA







power to amend, revoke or substitute policy about controlledaccess roads DA&D, MCA

Schedule 2Clause 4 function of receiving details of proposal from VicRoads DA&D, MCA, CAM

Schedule 2Clause 5 duty to publish notice of declaration DA&D, MCA, CAM

Schedule 7,Clause 7(1)

duty to give notice to relevant coordinating road authority ofproposed installation of non-road infrastructure or relatedworks on a road reserve

DA&D, MCA,CAM

where Council is the infrastructure manager or worksmanager


duty to give notice to any other infrastructure manager orworks manager responsible for any non-road infrastructure inthe area, that could be affected by any proposed installationof infrastructure or related works on a road or road reserve ofany road

DA&D, MCA,CAM



duty to comply with request for information from acoordinating road authority, an infrastructure manager or aworks manager responsible for existing or proposedinfrastructure in relation to the location of any non-roadinfrastructure and technical advice or assistance in conduct ofworks

DA&D, MCAwhere Council is the infrastructure manager or worksmanager responsible for non-road infrastructure


duty to give information to another infrastructure manager orworks manager where becomes aware any infrastructure orworks are not in the location shown on records, appear to bein an unsafe condition or appear to need maintenance

DA&D, MCA,CAM








where Schedule 7 Clause 10(1) applies, duty to, wherepossible, conduct appropriate consultation with persons likelyto be significantly affected

DA&D, MCA,CAM



power to direct infrastructure manager or works manager toconduct reinstatement works DA&D, MCA, CAM where Council is the coordinating road authority


power to take measures to ensure reinstatement works arecompleted DA&D, MCA, CAM where Council is the coordinating road authority


duty to ensure that works are conducted by an appropriatelyqualified person DA&D, MCA, CAM where Council is the coordinating road authority

Schedule 7Clause 12(5) power to recover costs DA&D, MCA where Council is the coordinating road authority


duty to notify relevant coordinating road authority within 7days that works have been completed, subject to Schedule 7,Clause 13(2)

DA&D, MCA, CAM where Council is the works manager

Schedule 7Clause 13(2) power to vary notice period DA&D, MCA where Council is the coordinating road authority


duty to ensure works manager has complied with obligation togive notice under Schedule 7, Clause 13(1) DA&D, MCA, CAM where Council is the infrastructure manager

Schedule 7Clause 16(1) power to consent to proposed works DA&D, MCA, where Council is the coordinating road authority

Schedule 7Clause 16(4) duty to consult DA&D, MCA, CAM

where Council is the coordinating road authority,responsible authority or infrastructure manager






Schedule 7Clause 16(5) power to consent to proposed works DA&D, MCA where Council is the coordinating road authority

Schedule 7Clause 16(6) power to set reasonable conditions on consent DA&D, MCA where Council is the coordinating road authority

Schedule 7Clause 16(8) power to include consents and conditions DA&D, MCA where Council is the coordinating road authority


power to refuse to give consent and duty to give reasons forrefusal DA&D, MCA where Council is the coordinating road authority

Schedule 7Clause 18(1) power to enter into an agreement DA&D, MCA where Council is the coordinating road authority

Schedule 7Clause 19(1) power to give notice requiring rectification of works DA&D, MCA, CAM where Council is the coordinating road authority

Schedule 7Clause 19(2)& (3)

power to conduct the rectification works or engage a personto conduct the rectification works and power to recover costsincurred

DA&D, MCA where Council is the coordinating road authority


power to require removal, relocation, replacement or upgradeof existing non-road infrastructure DA&D, MCA, CAM where Council is the coordinating road authority

Schedule 7AClause 2

power to cause street lights to be installed on roadsDA&D, MCA, CAM

power of responsible road authority where it is thecoordinating road authority or responsible roadauthority in respect of the road

Schedule 7AClause3(1)(d)

duty to pay installation and operation costs of street lighting -where road is not an arterial road DA&D, MCA where Council is the responsible road authority






Schedule 7AClause3(1)(e)

duty to pay installation and operation costs of street lighting –where road is a service road on an arterial road and adjacentareas

DA&D, MCA where Council is the responsible road authority

Schedule 7AClause(3)(1)(f),

duty to pay installation and percentage of operation costs ofstreet lighting – for arterial roads in accordance with clauses3(2) and 4

DA&D, MCA

duty of Council as responsible road authority thatinstalled the light (re: installation costs) and whereCouncil is relevant municipal Council (re: operatingcosts)



CEMETERIES AND CREMATORIA REGULATIONS 2015[##These provisions apply to Councils appointed as a cemetery trust under section 5 of the Cemeteries and Crematoria Act 2003, and also apply toCouncils appointed to manage a public cemetery under section 8(1)(a)(ii) as though it were a cemetery trust (see section 53)



r.24 duty to ensure that cemetery complies with depth of burialrequirements DC&SS

r.25 duty to ensure that the cemetery complies with therequirements for interment in concrete-lined graves DC&SS

r.27 power to inspect any coffin, container or other receptacle ifsatisfied of the matters in paragraphs (a) and (b) DC&SS

r.28(1) power to remove any fittings on any coffin, container or otherreceptacle if the fittings may impede the cremation processor damage the cremator

DC&SS

r.28(2) duty to ensure any fittings removed of are disposed in anappropriate manner DC&SS

r.29 power to dispose of any metal substance or non-humansubstance recovered from a cremator DC&SS

r.30(2) power to release cremated human remains to certainpersons DC&SS

subject to any order of a court

r.31(1) duty to make cremated human remains available forcollection within 2 working days after the cremation DC&SS




r.31(2) duty to hold cremated human remains for at least 12months from the date of cremation DC&SS

r.31(3) power to dispose of cremated human remains if no persongives a direction within 12 months of the date of cremation DC&SS

r.31(4) duty to take reasonable steps notify relevant people ofintention to dispose of remains at expiry of 12 month period DC&SS

r.32 duty to ensure a mausoleum is constructed inaccordance with paragraphs (a)-(d) DC&SS

r.33(1) duty to ensure that remains are interred in a coffin, containeror receptacle in accordance with paragraphs (a)-(c) DC&SS

r.33(2) duty to ensure that remains are interred in accordance withparagraphs (a)-(b) DC&SS

r.34 duty to ensure that a crypt space in a mausolea issealed in accordance with paragraphs (a)-(b) DC&SS

r.36 duty to provide statement that alternative vendors orsupplier of monuments exist DC&SS

r. 40 power to approve a person to play sport within a publiccemetery DC&SS

r. 41(1) power to approve fishing and bathing within a publiccemetery DC&SS




r. 42(1) power to approve hunting within a public cemetery DC&SS

r. 43 power to approve camping within a public cemetery DC&SS

r. 45(1) power to approve the removal of plants within a publiccemetery DC&SS

r.46 power to approve certain activities under theRegulations if satisfied of regulation (1)(a)-(c) DC&SS

r. 47(3) power to approve the use of fire in a public cemetery DC&SS

r.48(2) power to approve a person to drive, ride or use avehicle on any surface other than a road, track orparking area

DC&SS

Note: Schedule 2 contains Model Rules – only applicable if the cemetery trust has not made its own cemetery trust rules

Schedule 2,clause4

power to approve the carrying out of an activity referred to inrules 8, 16, 17 and 18 of Schedule 2 DC&SS

see note above regarding model rules

Schedule 2,clause5(1)

duty to display the hours during which pedestrianaccess is available to the cemetery DC&SS



duty to notify the Secretary of, (a) the hours during whichpedestrian access is available to the cemetery; and (b) anychanges to those hours

DC&SS






power to give directions regarding the manner in which afuneral is to be conducted DC&SS



power to give directions regarding the dressing ofplaces of interment and memorials DC&SS


Schedule 2,clause8

power to approve certain mementos on a memorialDC&SS



power to remove objects from a memorial or place ofinterment DC&SS



duty to ensure objects removed under sub rule (1) aredisposed of in an appropriate manner DC&SS


Schedule 2,clause12

power to inspect any work being carried out onmemorials, places of interment and buildings forceremonies

DC&SS


Schedule 2,clause14

power to approve an animal to enter into or remain in acemetery DC&SS



power to approve construction and building within acemetery DC&SS






power to approve action to disturb or demolish property of thecemetery trust DC&SS



power to approve digging or planting within a cemeteryDC&SS


PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT REGULATIONS 2015



r. 6 function of receiving notice, under section 19(1)(c) of the Act,from a planning authority of its preparation of an amendmentto a planning scheme

DA&D, MDS where Council is not the planning authority and theamendment affects land within its municipal district;or

where the amendment will amend the planningscheme to designate Council as an acquiringauthority.

r.21 power of responsible authority to require a permit applicant toverify information (by statutory declaration or other writtenconfirmation satisfactory to the responsible authority) in anapplication for a permit or to amend a permit or anyinformation provided under section 54 of the Act

DA&D, MDS

r.25(a) duty to make copy of matter considered under section60(1A)(g) available for inspection free of charge


where Council is the responsible authority



PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT REGULATIONS 2015



r.25(b)) function of receiving a copy of any document consideredunder section 60(1A)(g) by the responsible authority and dutyto make the document available for inspection free of charge


where Council is not the responsible authority but therelevant land is within Council's municipal district

r.42 function of receiving notice under section 96C(1)(c) of the Actfrom a planning authority of its preparation of a combinedapplication for an amendment to a planning scheme andnotice of a permit application

DA&D, MDS where Council is not the planning authority and theamendment affects land within Council's municipaldistrict; or

where the amendment will amend the planningscheme to designate Council as an acquiringauthority.

PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT (FEES) REGULATIONS 2016



r.19 power to waive or rebate a fee relating to an amendment of aplanning scheme

DA&D, MDS

r.20 power to waive or rebate a fee other than a fee relating to anamendment to a planning scheme

DA&D

r.21 duty to record matters taken into account and which formedthe basis of a decision to waive or rebate a fee under r.19 or20

DA&D, MDS



RESIDENTIAL TENANCIES (CARAVAN PARKS AND MOVABLE DWELLINGS REGISTRATION AND STANDARDS) REGULATIONS 2010



r.7 function of entering into a written agreement with a caravanpark owner

DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO

r.11 function of receiving application for registration DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO

r.13(1) duty to grant the registration if satisfied that the caravan parkcomplies with these regulations

DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO

r.13(2) duty to renew the registration if satisfied that the caravan parkcomplies with these regulations

DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO

r.13(2) power to refuse to renew the registration if not satisfied thatthe caravan park complies with these regulations

DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO

r.13(4) & (5) duty to issue certificate of registration DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO

r.15(1) function of receiving notice of transfer of ownership DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO

r.15(3) power to determine where notice of transfer is displayed DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO

r.16(1) duty to transfer registration to new caravan park owner DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO

r.16(2) duty to issue a certificate of transfer of registration DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO

r.17(1) power to determine the fee to accompany applications forregistration or applications for renewal of registration

DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO

r.18 duty to keep register of caravan parks DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO






r.19(4) power to determine where the emergency contact person'sdetails are displayed

DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO

r.19(6) power to determine where certain information is displayed DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO

r.22A(1) duty to notify a caravan park owner of the relevant emergencyservices agencies for the caravan park, on the request of thecaravan park owner

DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO

r.22A(2) duty to consult with relevant emergency services agencies DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO

r.23 power to determine places in which caravan park owner mustdisplay a copy of emergency procedures

DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO

r.24 power to determine places in which caravan park owner mustdisplay copy of public emergency warnings

DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO

r.25(3) duty to consult with relevant floodplain management authority DA&D, MDS, MCA

r.26 duty to have regard to any report of the relevant fire authority DA&D, MDS, MCA

r.28(c) power to approve system for the collection, removal anddisposal of sewage and waste water from a movable dwelling

DA&D, MDS, MCA

r.39 function of receiving notice of proposed installation ofunregistrable movable dwelling or rigid annexe

DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO

r.39(b) power to require notice of proposal to install unregistrablemovable dwelling or rigid annexe

DA&D, MDS, MCA

r.40(4) function of receiving installation certificate DA&D, MDS, CEH,






EHO

r.42 power to approve use of a non-habitable structure as adwelling or part of a dwelling

DA&D, MDS

Schedule 3clause 4(3)

power to approve the removal of wheels and axles fromunregistrable movable dwelling

DA&D, MDS, CEH,EHO



ROAD MANAGEMENT (GENERAL) REGULATIONS 2016



r.8(1) duty to conduct reviews of road management plan DA&D, MCA

r. .9(2) duty to produce written report of review of road managementplan and make report available DA&D, MCA, CAM

r.9(3) Duty to give notice where road management review iscompleted and no amendments will be made (or noamendments for which notice is required)

DA&D, MCA, CAM where Council is the coordinating road authority

r.10duty to give notice of amendment which relates to standard ofconstruction, inspection, maintenance or repair under section41 of the Act

DA&D, MCA, CAM

r.13(1) Duty to publish notice of amendments to road managementplan

DA&D, MCA, CAM where Council is the coordinating road authority

r.13(3) duty to record on road management plan the substance anddate of effect of amendment DA&D, MCA, CAM

r.16(3) power to issue permit DA&D, MCA where Council is the coordinating road authority

r.18(1) power to give written consent re damage to road DA&D, MCA where Council is the coordinating road authority

r.23(2) power to make submission to Tribunal DA&D, MCA where Council is the coordinating road authority

r.23(4) power to charge a fee for application under section 66(1)Road Management Act

DA&D, MCA, MDS where Council is the coordinating road authority

r.25(1) power to remove objects, refuse, rubbish or other materialdeposited or left on road

DA&D, MCA, CAMCRPM

where Council is the responsible road authority



ROAD MANAGEMENT (GENERAL) REGULATIONS 2016



r.25(2) power to sell or dispose of things removed from road or partof road (after first complying with regulation 25(3) DA&D

where Council is the responsible road authority

r. 25(5) power to recover in the Magistrates' Court, expenses fromperson responsible

DA&D, DC&SS,MCA

ROAD MANAGEMENT (WORKS AND INFRASTRUCTURE) REGULATIONS 2015



r.15power to exempt a person from requirement under clause13(1) of Schedule 7 of the Act to give notice as to thecompletion of those works

DA&D, MCA, MDS where Council is the coordinating road authority andwhere consent given under section 63(1) of the Act

r.22(2) power to waive whole or part of fee in certain circumstances DA&D, MCA, MDS where Council is the coordinating road authority


S11A. Instrument of Appointment and Authorisation (Planning and Environment Act 1987)

S11A. Instrument of Appointment and Authorisation (Planning andEnvironment Act 1987)


Instrument of Appointment and Authorisation

(Planning and Environment Act 1987 only)


Attachment 11.1cOrdinary Meeting of Council22 May 2019Page 234

S11A. Instrument of Appointment and Authorisation (Planning and Environment Act 1987)

page 1

Instrument of Appointment and Authorisation(Planning and Environment Act 1987)

In this instrument "officer" means -

“CCS” means Coordinator Community Safety – Chris Price

“CCM” means Complex Case Manager – Karen Girvan

“CSO” means Community Safety Officer – Casey Southurst, Josephine Noble, Nick Strongman

“CP” means Coordinator Planning – Darren Jackson

“DA&D” means Director Assets & Development – Stuart McConnell

“EO” means Environment Officer – Sue McNair, Amanda Priest

“MDS” means Manager Development Services – Darren Jackson

“POS” means Senior Planning Officer – Melissa Crane

“PO” means Planning Officer – Nicole Grey

“PTO” means Planning Technical Officer – Nicole Maguire

“SPO” means Statutory Planning Officer – Clara Gartland

By this instrument of appointment and authorisation Murrindindi Shire Council -

1. under section 147(4) of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 - appoints the officers to beauthorised officers for the purposes of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 and the regulationsmade under that Act; and

[DA&D, MDS, CCM, CCS, CP, CSO, EO, PO, POS, PTO, SPO]

2. under section 232 of the Local Government Act 1989 authorises the officers generally to instituteproceedings for offences against the Acts and regulations described in this instrument.

[DA&D, MDS, CCM, CP, POS]It is declared that this instrument -

(a) comes into force immediately upon its execution;(b) remains in force until varied or revoked.

This instrument is authorised by a resolution of the Murrindindi Shire Councilon



Chief Executive Officer .................................................

Councillor .................................................


Attachment 11.1cOrdinary Meeting of Council22 May 2019Page 235

MINUTES

of the

AUDIT AND RISK ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING

THURSDAY 9 MAY 2019

at

Murrindindi Shire Council Council Chamber

Perkins Street Alexandra

1.00 pm


Audit and Risk Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes - 1 - 9 May 2019

INDEX

1. PRESENT/APOLOGIES ................................................................................................. 2

2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST ................................................................................... 2

3. CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES ..................................................................................... 2

4. REVIEW ANY BUSINESS ARISING FROM PREVIOUS MINUTES ............................... 2

5. RISK MANAGEMENT .................................................................................................... 2

5.1 Chief Executive Officer's Questionnaire .......................................................................... 3

5.2 Chief Executive Officer’s Update ..................................................................................... 3

5.3 Review Risk Register ...................................................................................................... 3

5.4 Reports and Publications of Interest to Local Council's ................................................... 3

5.5 Review Investment and Borrowing Policies ..................................................................... 3

6. AUDITS - INTERNAL ..................................................................................................... 5

6.1 Review Internal Audit Reports and Management Responses .......................................... 5

6.2 Follow Up Significant Issues Raised by Internal Audit ..................................................... 5

6.3 Review Implementation of Previous Audit Actions ........................................................... 5

6.4 Review Scopes of Audits by HLB Mann Judd.................................................................. 6

6.5 Committee Meet with Internal Auditors ............................................................................ 6

7. AUDITS - EXTERNAL .................................................................................................... 7

7.1 Review Auditors Proposed Scope and Approach ............................................................ 7

8. FINANCIAL REPORT ..................................................................................................... 7

8.1 Review Significant Accounting and Reporting Issues ...................................................... 7

8.1.1 Publication of Councillor Expenses ................................................................................. 7

8.2 Review Quarterly Financial Statements........................................................................... 9

9. MANAGEMENT REPORTING ...................................................................................... 13

9.1 Review Draft of Annual Budget ..................................................................................... 13

9.2 Local Government Performance Reporting Framework ................................................. 15

10. GENERAL BUSINESS AND FUTURE PLANNING ...................................................... 16

10.1 Rates Debtor Management ........................................................................................... 16

10.2 Election of Chair of Audit and Risk Advisory Committee ............................................... 18

11. OTHER REPORTS ....................................................................................................... 18

12. NEXT MEETING ........................................................................................................... 19



1. PRESENT/APOLOGIES

Present:

• Michele Sheward (Chair)

• Ian McKaskill

• Claude Baxter

• Cr Sandice McAulay (Mayor)

• Cr Leigh Dunscombe (via telephone)

• Cr Margaret Rae In attendance:

• Craig Lloyd, Chief Executive Officer

• Michael Chesworth, Director Corporate and Shared Services

• Tara Carter, Manager Governance and Risk

• Graham Haylock, Manager Business Services

• Mark Holloway, Partner, HLB Mann Judd

• Kathie Teasdale, RSD Audit

2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Nil

3. CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES

3.1 Minutes of the Audit and Risk Advisory Committee Meeting held on 14 March

2019. Officer Recommendation That the Minutes of the Audit and Risk Advisory Committee Meeting held on 14 March 2019 be confirmed. RESOLUTION: C Baxter / I McKaskill That the Minutes of the Audit and Risk Advisory Committee Meeting held on 14 March 2019 be confirmed.

CARRIED

4. REVIEW ANY BUSINESS ARISING FROM PREVIOUS MINUTES

Nil to report.

5. RISK MANAGEMENT



5.1 CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER'S QUESTIONNAIRE

Attachment(s): Chief Executive's Questionnaire to Directors - 2019-04 Apr - CEO (refer

Attachment 5.1) The Chief Executive Officer presented this at the meeting. Noted. The Committee requested for the annual and quarterly actions to be more clearly separated.

5.2 CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER’S UPDATE

The Chief Executive Officer provided a verbal update on the following matters:

• Business Continuity Plan (update by Director Corporate and Shared Services)

• Hume Region Transformation Program

• Goulburn River Valley Tourism Board Noted.

5.3 REVIEW RISK REGISTER

A status report on the review of the Strategic Risk Register was tabled at the meeting and presented by the Director Corporate and Shared Services. Noted. The Committee requested that the high operational risks be reported to the Committee in addition to the strategic risks.

5.4 REPORTS AND PUBLICATIONS OF INTEREST TO LOCAL COUNCIL'S

HLB Mann Judd provided a verbal update. Noted.

5.5 REVIEW INVESTMENT AND BORROWING POLICIES

Attachment(s): Borrowings Policy (refer Attachment 5.5) Purpose The purpose of this report is to update the Audit and Risk Advisory Committee on the proposed changes to be made to the Borrowings Policy (Policy), to ensure that Council’s borrowings are well managed, and in accordance with its legislative responsibilities. Officer Recommendation That the Audit and Risk Advisory Committee notes the proposed revisions to the revised Borrowings Policy which is to be submitted for adoption at the Ordinary Council Meeting on 26 June 2019.



Background Following a request from Council’s Audit Advisory Committee in 2014 a specific Policy was developed for Council approval to ensure that Council’s borrowings are appropriately managed. The Policy was last updated in 2017 and is now due for review. Discussion Although there is not a statutory requirement for Council to have a Borrowings Policy, it is recognised as best practice to maintain a Borrowings Policy should the need arise where Council does need to access funds via debt. The following are the notable changes from the previous version of the Policy:

• Purpose - section updated:

o now includes reference to the Local Government Act

• Scope - has been simplified:

o applies to Council and Council employees who make decisions regarding borrowings

• Policy - section updated:

o added objectives sub-section

o added legislative framework sub-section

o added borrowings ratios and limits sub-section:

� added target ratio for borrowings

o added borrowing decisions sub-section. This Policy will provide Council officers with better direction regarding Council’s requirements for borrowings as well as provide a greater level of oversight should Council procure any debt. Relevant Legislation The Local Government Act 1989 (the Act) provides Councils the power to borrow. Section 144(1) of the Act states: ‘Subject to the principles of sound financial management, a Council may borrow money to enable the Council to perform the functions and exercise the power conferred on the Council under this Act or any other Act’. Sections 145 to 150 of the Act further specify the circumstances in which the power to borrow may be exercised, securities to be used for Local Government borrowings, and how the borrowings should be disclosed. Financial Implications and Risk Council’s borrowing strategy had historically acknowledged that a prudent level of debt will not exceed $500,000 in new borrowings per annum. The draft budget for 2019/20 proposes that for the second year in a row, Council will not be borrowing any further funds due to its strong financial position and considerable cash holdings. This will result in Council’s overall debt level being extinguished during the life of the current Strategic Resource Plan. Conflict of Interest There were no declared conflicts of the interest by Council officers in the preparation of this report.



Community and Stakeholder Consultation This Policy was developed in consultation with Council’s Audit and Risk Advisory Committee, to ensure that this Policy provided clear direction to Council officers regarding borrowing obligations and responsibilities, and to ensure compliance with Council’s legislative obligations. RESOLUTION: I McKaskill / C Baxter That the Audit and Risk Advisory Committee notes the proposed revisions to the revised Borrowings Policy tabled at the meeting which is to be submitted for adoption at the Ordinary Council Meeting on 26 June 2019.

CARRIED

6. AUDITS - INTERNAL

6.1 REVIEW INTERNAL AUDIT REPORTS AND MANAGEMENT RESPONSES

Attachment(s): Internal Audit - Review of Risk Management Framework (incl. risk awareness

survey) - Final Report (refer Attachment 6.1) This report was presented by HLB Mann Judd. Noted. The Committee requested that progress against the action plan be reported to the Committee regularly.

6.2 FOLLOW UP SIGNIFICANT ISSUES RAISED BY INTERNAL AUDIT

Nil to report.

6.3 REVIEW IMPLEMENTATION OF PREVIOUS AUDIT ACTIONS

Attachment(s): Internal Audit Recommendations - Status of Actions April 2019 (refer

Attachment 6.3) Currently a total of 13 internal audit recommendations have not been completed by the due dates as signed off by the internal auditor. Of these eight are of either medium or high priority. They refer to two internal audits:

Fraud Management (2016)

• lack of a formal fraud incident form and register for incidents and updating of the Fraud Policy to include this information (Medium)

These all exist in draft form along with the fraud management framework and are awaiting the Manager Governance and Risk and Director Corporate and Shared Services to finalise. The delay reflects the backlog of work required following the restructure and are now scheduled to be completed by 30 September 2019.



Local Law Enforcement (2018)

• development of an overarching framework for fraud and corruption specific to local law enforcement (High)

• conduct fraud risk assessment and awareness training for Council officers (High)

Completion of both actions above are contingent on finalisation of the Fraud Policy (refer Fraud Management Audit) and the need to follow corporate fraud management arrangements. They are now scheduled to be completed by September 2019.

• implement improvements to local law permit authorisation and issuance (Medium)

Work is in progress, however its completion will be contingent on another project to review Council’s Community Local Law and therefore cannot be finalised until December 2019.

• revise and update the local law permit application form (Medium)

This is partially completed and will now be finalised in June 2019.

• improve processes associated with voided infringements (Medium)

Policy has been updated and instructions issued to Council officers, but final documentation of procedures yet to be finalised. Anticipated to be completed by June 2019.

• lack of formally documented guidance materials (Medium)

• outdated Standard Operating Procedures (Medium)

Both of the actions above are in progress, however they cannot be completed until the Community Local Law is reviewed and updated. Rescheduled to be completed by December 2019.

Noted.

6.4 REVIEW SCOPES OF AUDITS BY HLB MANN JUDD

Attachment(s): Internal Audit - Review of Human Resource Management (incl. workforce

planning) - Draft IA Plan (refer Attachment 6.4) This report was presented by HLB Mann Judd. Noted.

6.5 COMMITTEE MEET WITH INTERNAL AUDITORS

Opportunity for a closed discussion with the Committee and the internal auditor, Mark Holloway, without Council officers present to raise any relevant questions or matters.



7. AUDITS - EXTERNAL

7.1 REVIEW AUDITORS PROPOSED SCOPE AND APPROACH

Attachments(s): VAGO – Audit Strategy Memorandum for the financial year ending 30 June

2019 (refer Attachment 7.1a) RSD Template - Council Infrastructure Revaluation (refer Attachment 7.1b)

The audit strategy from the Victorian Auditor General’s Office and RSD Audit will be presented by the Manager Business Services and is attached for review by the Committee. Also attached for discussion is RSD Audit’s Infrastructure Revaluation Template which will be used as part of the 2018/19 Annual Report process. Noted.

8. FINANCIAL REPORT

8.1 REVIEW SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING AND REPORTING ISSUES

8.1.1 PUBLICATION OF COUNCILLOR EXPENSES Purpose The purpose of this agenda item is to update the Audit and Risk Advisory Committee regarding Council’s failure to record Councillor Expenses in Council’s annual reports for the last three years and the consequent recommendation from the Victorian Local Government Inspectorate (the Inspectorate) to rectify. Officer Recommendation That the Publication of Councillor Expenses report be noted. Background Under the Local Government (Planning and Reporting) Regulations 2014 there is the requirement for councils to publish the annual Councillor Expenses as part of Council’s Annual Report. The Inspectorate as part of their forward planning activity conducts research in relation to a range of topics that may be subject of future formal review and recently identified that Council had not been including the annual Councillor Expenses as part of its Annual Report. Council has been including councillor expenses in its Quarterly Finance Reports to Council and this was acknowledged by the Inspectorate. Discussion The Inspectorate contacted Council’s Director of Corporate and Shared Services and outlined the requirements under the regulations and identified that we had not met our obligations. The Inspectorate acknowledged that it was not possible to go back and alter previous Annual Reports and recommended that we publish the expenses on our website for the past three financial years to ensure sufficient transparency. The regulations require all Councillor related expenses and reimbursements be collected and published for a variety of categories. These also need to be assigned to each Councillor, not just



a general figure. These categories are not defined by the regulations; however, Council has attributed the following definitions to the categories:

Travel expenses – includes any taxi fares, public transport costs, remote travel allowance and reimbursement for kilometres travelled in their private vehicles associated with Council related travel.

Childcare expenses – includes any childcare costs associated with enabling Councillors to undertake their Councillor role.

Information and Communication expenses – includes capital costs, monthly fees and usage costs associated with Councillor mobile phones and information technology equipment or software. This does not include any personal use; this is reimbursed by Councillors.

Conference and Training expenses – includes any registration fees, travel, accommodation and incidental costs associated with attendance or participation in conferences or professional development programs related to Councillors performing their Councillor role.

Other expenses – includes any subscriptions, uniform, name badges, business cards and other incidental expenditure related to Councillors performing their Councillor role.

Car expenses – the Mayor is provided with a Council fleet vehicle. This outlines the expenditure related to this vehicle. This vehicle is made available to all of the Councillors if they require. Council officers have been presenting quarterly Councillor expense reports to Council for acknowledgement as part of the Quarterly Financial Reports. This was a commitment which came out of the Councillor Expenses and Reimbursement Policy. Officers however had failed to report this annually, or meet the categorisation requirements. When revisiting the data in an effort to adhere with the requirements it was apparent that we had not collected the data in a way that could be reported in line with the regulations. Therefore, the Inspectorate was in agreement that it was sufficient to publish the expenses by category as a total figure and not allocated to each Councillor. Council was however able to achieve the reporting requirements for the 2017/18 financial year. These expenses now appear on Council’s website https://www.murrindindi.vic.gov.au/Your-Council/Publications/Councillor-Expenses . The third quarter financial report presented to Council at its April Ordinary Meeting reflected the required reporting framework and the Annual Report will include the Annual Councillor Expenses. Processes will need to be reviewed and altered to ensure that data is collated in a way which will make the reporting less time intensive. These processes will be implemented in the new financial year. Council Plan/Strategies/Policies This matter supports the Council Plan 2017-2021 Our Promise strategic objective to ‘maintain

Council’s financial sustainability through sound financial and asset management’. Relevant Legislation The Local Government (Planning and Reporting) Regulations 2014 set the requirements for reporting annually which included the requirement to disclose the annual Councillor Expenses. Financial Implications and Risk Failure to meet the requirements of the Local Government (Planning and Reporting) Regulations 2014 has resulted in an enquiry being made by the Victorian Local Government Inspectorate. Council has now adhered to a sufficient level of transparency as required by the Inspectorate and will ensure compliance going forward.



Conflict of Interest There are no declared conflicts of interest in relation to this report. Community and Stakeholder Consultation There was no consultation required in the drafting of this report. RESOLUTION: C Baxter / I McKaskill That the Publication of Councillor Expenses report be noted.

CARRIED

8.2 REVIEW QUARTERLY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Attachment(s): 3rd Qtr Financial Report (refer Attachment 8.2) Purpose The report provides the quarterly financial report for the period ending 31 March 2019. Officer Recommendation That the Audit and Risk Advisory Committee notes this report. Background The Quarterly Financial Report for the period ended 31 March 2019, was presented to Council, in accordance with the Local Government Act 1989 at the Council meeting held 24 April 2019. The report includes the following statements:

• Comprehensive Income Statement

• Balance Sheet

• Statement of Cash Flow

• Statement of Capital Works

• Reconciliation of Non-Discretionary Cash & Reserves. Discussion The statements for the third quarter to 31 March 2019 are included in Attachment 8.2. Income Statement (Statement A) The Income Statement for the period 1 July 2018 to 31 March 2019 (also within the attached report) is presented below (next page):



The $12.49 million operating result for the March 2019 quarter is $1.34 million or 12% favourable to the year to date budget. The forecast position for the financial year has improved by $2.47 million moving from a predicted deficit of $233,376 to a surplus of $2.24 million. This is predominately due to the Federal Government announcement that 50% of the 2019/20 Financial Assistance Grant will be paid in June 2019. The major forecast adjustments for the quarter include:

Line Item Adjustment Main Contributing Factors Grants - Operating

$2,551,350 Operating grants received for the following: • 50% of 2019/20 Financial Assistance Grant to be paid in

advance ($2.37 million) • Moving Murrindindi Community Cars ($156,100) • Walk to School program ($15,000) • This Girl Can ($12,000)

Original

Budget

December

Revised

Budget

Annual

Revised

Budget

Forecast

Adjustment YTD Budgets YTD Actual

2018/19 2018/19 2018/19 2018/19 31/03/2019 31/03/2019

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ %

Revenue

Rates & Charges 20,525,445 20,612,589 20,612,589 - 20,600,761 20,544,769 (55,992) 0%

Special Charge 87,000 87,000 87,000 - - - -

Statutory fees and fines 888,678 1,049,980 1,049,980 - 836,914 776,720 (60,194) -7%

User fees 2,345,277 2,791,655 2,791,655 - 2,270,118 2,222,347 (47,771) -2%

Grants - Operating 7,346,704 5,790,501 8,341,851 2,551,350 4,576,374 4,562,050 (14,324) 0%

Grants -Capital 1,414,759 2,304,960 2,304,960 - 1,373,959 1,868,701 494,742 36%

Contributions - Cash 54,275 352,416 352,416 - 342,118 315,140 (26,978) -8%

Contributions - Non Cash 400,000 805,000 805,000 - - - -

Reimbursements 382,114 475,425 488,425 13,000 262,735 250,200 (12,535) -5%

Other revenue 1,181,015 1,238,489 1,238,489 - 759,297 724,231 (35,066) -5%

Total Revenue 34,625,267 35,508,015 38,072,365 2,564,350 31,022,276 31,264,157 241,881 1%

Expenses

Employee Benefits 14,799,536 14,785,437 14,812,255 26,818 11,237,431 10,804,242 433,189 4%

Materials and Services 9,798,106 11,545,557 11,609,839 64,282 8,552,652 7,906,761 645,891 8%

Depreciation and amortisation 9,602,649 9,183,849 9,183,849 - 1,000 922 78 8%

Bad and Doubtful Debts - 65,278 65,278 - 65,278 - 65,278

Other Expense 313,338 330,065 330,065 - 237,632 253,461 (15,829) -7%

Finance Costs (Interest) 55,050 55,050 55,050 - 20,520 20,546 (26) 0%

Total Expenses 34,568,679 35,965,236 36,056,336 91,100 20,114,513 18,985,932 1,128,581 6%

Net gain(loss) on disposal of property,

infrastructure, plant and equipment (55,054) 223,845 223,845 - 245,892 213,976 (31,916) -13%

Surplus (deficit) for the period 1,534 (233,376) 2,239,874 2,473,250 11,153,655 12,492,201 1,338,546 12%

Income StatementFor the period ended 31 March 2019

Budget/

Actual

Variance

(unfav)



The major year to date variances for the quarter include:

Line Item Variance Main Contributing Factors Grants - Capital $494,752 Favourable variance due to Capital grants received for the

following projects: • Fixing Country Roads ($227,205) • Roads to Recovery program ($270,740)

Employee Benefits

$433,189 Favourable variance mainly due to lower than budgeted payments to staff as a result of vacancies and the timing of appointments.

Materials & Services

$645,891 Favourable variance due to lower than anticipated year to date expenditure on:

• Utilities ($46,295) • Contractors ($124,656) • Legal expenses ($101,021) • Insurance ($5,278) • Materials ($67,918) • Contributions ($194,300) • Consultants ($106,424)

Balance Sheet (Statement B) The Balance Sheet – Statement B as at 31 March 2019 shows a Cash and Cash Equivalents favourable variance of $1,091,233. The overall revised budget position shows the projected level of cash as at 30 June 2019 of $31.3 million which is $3.2 million above the original budget for 2018/19 of $28.1 million. This is predominately due to the Federal Government announcement that 50% of the 2019/20 Financial Assistance Grant will be paid in June 2019. Cash Flow Statement (Statement C) This statement provides a more holistic picture and reports the important information on Council’s cash inflows and outflows. Net cash flow from operating activities in the Cash Flow Statement (a cash view of the operating statement) shows a favourable year to date budget variance of $871,942 and a favourable forecast adjustment of $2.47 million driven by the 50% prepayment of the 2019/20 Financial Assistance Grant. Non-Discretionary Cash and Council Reserves (Statement E) Included as part of this report is an additional reconciliation flowing from the cash flow statement of Council’s Non-Discretionary Cash Flow requirements. This reconciliation lists all Council reserves together with funds held as Deposits or Trust which are required to be refunded, and an allowance for the provision of employee entitlements. This latter provision being a nominal amount of 25% of Council’s Annual Leave Liability and 25% of the current Long Service Leave Liability. This is then offset against the level of projected cash at year end. Councillor Expenses (GST Exclusive): The Local Government (Planning and Reporting) Regulations 2014 Part 4 - Annual Report, Division 1 requires Council to report annually regarding Councillor expenses under prescribed categories. As agreed in the Councillor Reimbursement Policy that was adopted by Council at its February 2017 Ordinary Meeting, Council reports quarterly on the Councillor related expenses. The following table details Councillor expenses for the third quarter period ending 31 March 2019.



Councillor Expenses for 3 months ended 31 March 2019:

Allowances

Travel Expenses

Childcare Expenses

Information & Communications Expenses

Conference & Training Expenses

Other Expenses

Cr Ashe $5,649.12 $- $- $203.64 $426.86 $-

Cr Bisset $5,649.12 $567.97 $- $1,532.00 $426.86 $-

Cr Bowles $5,716.10 $- $- $203.64 $426.86 $-

Cr Dunscombe $5,649.12 $1,987.64 $- $1,482.00 $426.86 $56.82

Cr Lording $5,649.12 $1,945.22 $- $1,532.00 $426.86 $-

Cr McAulay $16,876.95 $- $- $1,531.33 $7,635.86 $478.75

Cr Rae $5,649.12 $- $- $1,532.00 $426.86 $-

It should be noted that accommodation and travel costs include the reimbursement of the claims which a Councillor may choose to submit for travelling to Council meetings, briefings and other functions which they attend in their capacity as a Councillor. Where a Councillor’s residence is greater than 50 kilometres from the location of a Council meeting they may also claim the statutory remote area allowance. It should also be noted that Councillors can elect for part of their allowance to be deducted for superannuation purposes. Council Plan/Strategies/Policies This report, in relation to the Annual Budget and quarterly financial reporting, is consistent with the Council Plan 2017-2021 Our Promise strategy ‘to maintain Council’s financial sustainability through sound financial and asset management practices’. Relevant Legalisation The Local Government Act 1989 (the Act) requires, under Section 126, that a Council must prepare a Strategic Resource Plan for a period of four years. The Act also sets out in Section 127 that the Council must prepare a budget for each financial year. Then, in Section 138, the Act requires that quarterly financial reports must be presented to Council. Financial Implications and Risk The financial governance of a council is an important role for Councillors. The risk of poor financial management can have a significant impact upon the governance of the Council. The financial implications flowing from this quarterly financial review are outlined in this report. Conflict of Interest There are no declared conflicts of interest by Council officers in the preparation of this report. Community and Stakeholder Consultation There was no community consultation required for the preparation of this quarterly budget report. RESOLUTION: Cr M Rae / C Baxter That the Audit and Risk Advisory Committee notes this report.

CARRIED



9. MANAGEMENT REPORTING

9.1 REVIEW DRAFT OF ANNUAL BUDGET

Attachment(s): 2019/20 Draft Annual Budget (refer Attachment 9.1a) Strategic Resource Plan (2019/20 Review) (refer Attachment 9.1b) Purpose The purpose of this report is to present the draft 2019/20 Annual Budget (draft Budget) and draft Strategic Resource Plan (2019/20 Review) (SRP) to the Audit and Risk Advisory Committee which have been placed on public exhibition in accordance with the Local Government Act 1989 (the Act). Officer Recommendation That the Audit and Risk Advisory Committee note this report. Background The preparation of the financial budget is part of a cyclical process that begins with the development of the Council Plan, the four-year blueprint for Council activities. Council developed the Council Plan 2017-2021 following consultation with the community. Council has also developed the Strategic Resource Plan (SRP), which ensures resource allocation is able to service Council’s long term activities and initiatives. The SRP and its underpinning strategies inform the budget development process. The annual budget is a one-year financial plan that considers Council Plan activities, current influences and any new initiatives. The draft Budget attached to this report outlines the financial implications of the strategic objectives and initiatives planned by Council, focusing on the coming financial year. The draft Budget balances the need to deliver infrastructure and services while also providing the best possible value for residents and recognising the need for careful ongoing financial management. Discussion The draft Budget details the resource requirements and project priorities that are in accordance with the key strategic objectives that have been set in the Council Plan 2017-2021. The draft Budget has been prepared on the principles of responsible financial management to achieve an operating result that ensures and maintains long term financial sustainability. Whilst always difficult to raise revenue, especially in times of economic uncertainty, the rate increase proposed is in line with the rate cap set by the State Government and provides for a continued mix of responsible operating and capital budget expenditures. The draft Budget has been developed based on the following principles:

• to increase average rates by 2.5%. This is in line with the average rate increase allowable under the State Government’s Fair Go Rates System for 2019/20

• to deliver a modest budget surplus – i.e. a budget where forecast revenue exceeds forecast expenditure

• to take on no new debt – this will reduce existing debt levels to under $480,000 by 30 June 2020 and represents the lowest level of absolute debt Council has held in more than a decade



• to limit increases to fees and charges (where possible and under Council’s control), to no more than 2%.

The draft Budget identifies that Council will spend $43.86 million to deliver services and improve infrastructure. This includes a $8.19 million Capital Works Program. Council’s cash flows will remain very strong with a projected cash increase of $2 million over the year. Highlights of the Capital Works Program include:

• $2.68 million allocated to sealed and unsealed roads, traffic treatments and kerb and channel works

• $2.60 million for works to further develop landfill sites

• $200,000 allocated to bridge and culvert renewal

• $105,000 on drainage works

• $328,000 on pathway improvements, including $57,500 towards improvements to disability access in urban areas of Yea

• $358,000 allocated for recreational facilities, including $216,000 allocated for female friendly change facilities at the Yea Recreation Reserve and $22,000 for perimeter fencing at the Kinglake Memorial Reserve

• $323,000 for works on Council owned buildings and facilities including $70,000 to upgrade the kitchen and restore external columns at the Alexandra Shire Hall, $128,000 for works at the Yea Saleyards and $50,000 for improved floor covering for a range of public toilets

• $30,000 to develop a concept design for the Kinglake West-Pheasant Creek streetscape

• $30,000 for RV Friendly Town preliminary works (including signage and line marking for long vehicles).

Other initiatives funded in the draft Budget include:

• $230,000 to continue the Grants and Contributions Program

• $247,000 of external grant funding to advance local community planning trials across the Shire

• $250,000 to implement strategies that have been developed to better plan for service delivery and improve outcomes for the community. These strategies include:

o Tourism and Events Strategy

o Communications Strategy

o Recreation and Open Space Strategy

• $105,000 for environmental initiatives including continuing the roadside weed and pest control program, significant revegetation works, and an environmental forum to further engage the community in solutions to the environmental issues.

• $95,000 to continue the ‘Customer First’ project. In April 2019, Council made the decision to transition out of being a direct provider of State and Federal government funded aged and disability services. It is anticipated that this transition to other provider/s will occur during 2019/20 financial year, however the precise timing is subject to State and Federal Government considerations. Therefore, the draft Budget maintains an annual



funding allocation for these services in the budget, recognising that any savings realised during the year will support transition arrangements. Council Plan/Strategies/Policies The draft Budget and SRP are consistent with the Council Plan 2017-2021 Our Promise strategy to ‘maintain Council’s financial sustainability through sound financial and asset management’. Relevant Legislation Council is required under the Act, to prepare and adopt an annual budget. The structure and contents of the draft Budget and SRP are legislated under Section 126 and 127 of the Act. Financial Implications and Risk The proposed 2019/20 Budget is fiscally responsible in its scope of discretionary spending. The draft Budget details how Council can manage its requirement to keep average rate increases within the rate cap of 2.5% legislated by the State Government for 2019/20, whilst providing a responsible and viable financial plan for the ensuing year. Conflict of Interest There are no declared interests by Council officers in the preparation of this report. Community and Stakeholder Consultation In accordance with the requirement of the Act, Council is required to give public notice that it intends to adopt the Budget. The draft Budget must be made available for inspection at its offices and on its website for a period of at least 28 days, and submissions invited from members of the public. The draft Budget was formally advertised in a range of publications from 1 May 2019, with written submissions called for by 12 pm on 31 May 2019. RESOLUTION: C Baxter / Cr M Rae That the Audit and Risk Advisory Committee note this report.

CARRIED

9.2 LOCAL GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE REPORTING FRAMEWORK

Nil to report. However, it is proposed to have a discussion on what information the Committee would like to see reported under this standing agenda item in future meetings. The Committee suggested a report be presented annually to the Committee after the publication of annual results, which should would focus on:

• Steps taken to ensure website content is accurate

• Steps taken to ensure compliance with the Framework

• Discussion on any anomalies against the results fort other councils.



10. GENERAL BUSINESS AND FUTURE PLANNING

10.1 RATES DEBTOR MANAGEMENT

Purpose The purpose of this report is to update the Audit and Risk Advisory Committee (Committee) on the status and trend of rate collections and to inform the Committee of a new customer service approach that was used this year to assist with the collection of outstanding rates. Officer Recommendations That the Audit and Risk Advisory Committee note this report. Background At the Audit Advisory Committee meeting held on 25 May 2018, a report advising the Committee on Council’s current rating practices and position was presented. The Committee requested that this report become an annual report to the Committee, including trends over time on what is recovered. Discussion The following table shows the three-year trend on Council’s outstanding rates balance. The current year-to-date balance (as at 30 April 2019) is also included for reference (note that the final installment for the year is due 31 May 2019 – current final instalment balance is $2.01 million).

2015/16 2016/17 2017/18

2018/19 as at 30/4/19

Total outstanding rates balance $1,902,284 $2,212,043 $3,470,649 $5,732,371

Total rates levied & arrears $22,400,290 $23,565,507 $24,592,808 $26,094,032

Outstanding as % 8.5% 9.4% 14.1% 22.0%

As can be seen, the outstanding balance has been steadily increasing over this period. The table below breaks down the balances between the rates levied in that year and the arrears brought forward. Outstanding legal costs and interest are also listed separately.

2015/16 2016/17 2017/18

2018/19 as at 30/4/19

Current rates outstanding balance $1,209,593 $1,341,393 $2,628,408 $4,393,229

Total rates levied $20,848,127 $21,663,223 $22,380,764 $22,623,383

Outstanding as % 5.8% 6.2% 11.7% 19.4%

Arrears outstanding $594,818 $766,089 $730,200 $1,251,649

Total arrears 30 June $1,552,163 $1,902,284 $2,212,043 $3,470,649

Outstanding as % 38.3% 40.3% 33.0% 36.1%

Legal & Interest balance $97,873 $104,561 $112,042 $87,493

Total outstanding rates balance $1,902,284 $2,212,043 $3,470,649 $5,732,371



A contributing factor to the 2017/18 balance being comparatively high was resourcing issues in the rates team. As a consequence of these issues, final notices were not sent out and subsequently, no new accounts were referred to Council’s debt collecting agency, Midstate Credit Collect (MCC). Therefore, the balance brought forward (arrears) on the new rates notices issued for 2018/19 served as a proxy reminder notice for those who had an outstanding balance. In order to address the issue of the escalating outstanding balances, Council recently engaged MCC to run a customer service focused phone campaign. The tone of the call was a friendly reminder that the customer had an outstanding balance and that payment was now due (assessments on installments were excluded from the campaign). Where full payment could not be made, arrangements were also offered. As a result of this campaign, 18% of the outstanding balance of the 1,233 assessments sent to MCC was collected:

Outstanding balance of 1,233 assessments sent to MCC $3,307,366.55

Balance of these accounts as at 30 April 2019 $2,719,470.23

Total amount collected as at 30 April 2019 $587,896.32

Of the 1,233 assessments sent to MCC, 420 or 34% have made a payment (either in full or part) towards their outstanding balance. It worked out that for every $1 that was spent on the campaign, the return was $95.36. This has exceeded Council officer expectations. Final notices are now being prepared for those still yet to pay. Following these notices, assessments that still have outstanding balances will be forwarded to MCC to commence the formal debt collection process. Council officers are activity monitoring the outstanding rates balances, and although it is expected that the rates balance at the end of the financial year is likely to be similar to 2017/18 balance, it is anticipated that moving forward, the upwards trend will be reversed. Relevant Legislations The Local Government Act 1989 (the Act) sets out the statutory requirements that Council must comply with when undertaking its rating and valuation processes. The Act sets out the objectives for Local Government. Part 8 – Rates and Charges on Rateable Land, specifies the legislative guidelines. Financial Implications and Risk As rates and associated interest and legal costs are a charge on the properties, there is minimal risk for loss of revenue, providing the equity (Capital Improved Value) is adequate to cover the outstanding amount of rates. Conflict of Interest There are no declared interests by Council officers in the preparation of this report. RESOLUTION: I McKaskill / C Baxter That the Audit and Risk Advisory Committee note this report.

CARRIED



10.2 ELECTION OF CHAIR OF AUDIT AND RISK ADVISORY COMMITTEE

As per Section 2g of the Audit and Risk Advisory Committee Charter, ‘the term of the Chairperson is to be 12 months, with a maximum of three (3) consecutive years with a break of at least one (1) year if three consecutive terms have been served. The term of the Chairperson is to commence in the first quarter of each financial year’. The Committee Charter specifies, ‘the Chairperson shall be appointed from the external members of the Committee by the Committee subject to Council’s approval’ per Section 2g. It is noted that Michele Sheward has completed three consecutive years as Chair of the Committee and is ineligible to stand at this election. It is therefore appropriate to now call for nominations for the Chair of the Committee for the 2019/20 financial year. It is noted that until such time as the election result is approved by Council at its next Ordinary Council Meeting, the Chair elected will be in an Acting capacity only. Officer Recommendation That it be recommended to Council at the June Ordinary Council Meeting that (name) be endorsed as the Chairperson of the Audit and Risk Advisory Committee. MOTION: M Sheward / I McKaskill That Claude Baxter be nominated for the position of Chairperson of the Audit and Risk Advisory Committee. Claude Baxter accepted the nomination. MOTION: Cr M Rae / Cr L Dunscombe That Ian McKaskill be nominated for the position of Chairperson of the Audit and Risk Advisory Committee. Ian McKaskill declined the nomination MOTION: M Sheward / I McKaskill That it be recommended to Council at the June Ordinary Council Meeting that Claude Baxter be endorsed as the Chairperson of the Audit and Risk Advisory Committee.

CARRIED

Michele Sheward thanked the Committee for the opportunity to be Chair for the past 3 years and outlined that she had benefited greatly from the experience. Ian McKaskill thanked Michele Sheward for her efforts and noted that the Committee has also progressed under her leadership.

11. OTHER REPORTS

Nil



12. NEXT MEETING

Thursday 12 September 2019 3 pm at Murrindindi Shire Council - Council Chamber, Perkins Street Alexandra There being no further items of business, the Chairperson declared the meeting closed at 3:44 pm. CONFIRMED THIS __________________________________________________ CHAIRPERSON __________________________________________________


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