Council Releases Council Plan for Community Exhibition
Published on 14 August 2025
Southern Grampians Shire Council is calling for feedback on the draft Council Plan 2025-2029 following last night’s ordinary Council meeting. The 2025-2029 Council Plan, which will serve as Councils key guiding document to shape priorities, services and investment across the Shire, was developed through extensive community engagement with Southern Grampians Shire residents.
Southern Grampians Shire Council Mayor Dennis Heslin Mayor said the Council plan establishes Council’s objectives for the next four years and will have a major role in guiding Council’s Budgets and other activities.
“Council has undertaken widespread engagement to refresh the Community Vision and prepare a new Council Plan,” Cr Heslin said.
“There was a fantastic response from the community. Over 600 residents came to ten township engagement sessions or visited our Hamilton CBD shopfront throughout February and March and another 90 filled in an online survey,” said Cr Heslin.
“Young people, businesses, and townships have helped to set a clear direction for the future of the region by highlighting the areas that residents see are the most important to maintaining and improving the Southern Grampians.”
For the first time, the Council Plan brings together four important frameworks, the Community Vision, the Council Plan, the Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan, and the Disability Action Plan, into one unified strategy to better achieve positive community outcomes.
The key pillars for focus include Social and Community; Business, Economy and Tourism; Community Infrastructure and Assets; Environment; and Leadership and Government. Across each of these pillars, Council has embedded strategic objectives, guided by feedback from the community, as well as indicators which will help us measure progress across the four years of the plan.
“The community have told us they’re eager to see focus on issues such as roads, staying active and connected, tourism, youth, business and population growth, as well as communication and engagement. The Community Vision has been reviewed to reflect these sentiments, while the Council Plan also includes strategies in these areas.”
Cr Heslin encouraged the community to read the plan and have their say.
“We’ve done the consultation, reviewed the input received and now we want to make sure we have heard you properly. Have we missed anything? Is there anything you feel strongly about that hasn’t been included? Let us know,” concluded Cr Heslin.
The document can be viewed and feedback provided on the Council website in the ‘engage with us’ section, at the Council customer services desk in Brown Street Hamilton, at The Hamilton Library and at the Market Place customer services desk. The document will be open for feedback until 27 August 2025.