Mission Statement:

To support and develop a sustainable, thriving and resilient community

through leadership and partnership.

HELD: / Tuesday 5 February 2013, 7.30pm
LOCATION: / Stanley Memorial Hall

NUMBER OF RESIDENTS: 53

Councillors / Council Officers / Community members
Cr Barb Murdoch, Mayor / CEO Brendan McGrath
Cr Peter Croucher, Deputy Mayor / GM Infrastructure Services Alan Clark
Cr Jenny O’Connor / GM Sustainable Communities Mark Florence
Cr Don Chambers / Manager Communications Roberta Baker
Cr Bernard Gaffney / Emergency Management Fire Co-ordinator John Boal
Cr James Trenery / Community Development Officer Scott Landells
Cr Roberta Horne / Guest: Tony Gooden, Regional Field Officer, Department of Education, Benalla
ITEM NO / ITEM / ACTION
1.0 / Welcome
2.0 / Apologies – nil
3.0 / Stanley Primary School – Guest Tony Gooden, Regional Field Officer, Department of Education, Benalla
Indigo Council invited Tony Gooden to attend the Council’s Community forum at Stanley and speak about the situation with the Stanley Primary School. Tony spoke about the angst and shock in the Stanley community with no enrolments at the Stanley Primary School. His attendance at the forum was a chance to provide the same message to everyone at the same time.
This is a summary of what he said and the discussion that followed:-
In a broad sense, the Department was expecting an enrolment of about 6 children at Stanley. (Acting Principal was appointed after Principal went on sick leave in November. She remains on sick leave.)
Over the holidays parents decided in the best interests of their children, and took their children to other schools. I have spoken to parents and many concerned community members. Everyone has wanted to know if this means the school is closed. What’s the future? In terms of the future we won’t run classes when there are no children. We kept the school open at the start of the year in case some children were enrolled. But this was not the case. Acting Principal is supporting kids who have gone to Beechworth Primary School and is working as an extra staff member in that school.
We have not closed the school; do not have any intention to close the school. If we close the school, the next step is who will we sell it to. Doesn’t mean that down the track the enrolment situation may change. Very difficult to get kids to come back once they have settled elsewhere. There are 20-30 school age kids in area. Department will maintain the school in anticipation of enrolments some time later. We will consult with the community and if it is determined there is a possibility of enrolments, we will keep the school open. If it is determined that we can’t sustain a school in Stanley any longer, then that course will be taken. (Mention made of six to 12 months timeframe to determine a course of action and the need to follow the Department’s policies and procedures.)
But I am not saying we will go one way or the other. Our agenda is to support parents and kids in their education. We support parents in the choices they make.
Kellie Hicks - it is very important that the Department addresses the issues of the parents. School community has made a stance about an issue they feel has not been adequately addressed. What they want is to send their kids to Stanley Primary School. There were letters to the Department that have not been responded to. I would like the Department to have a much more hands-on approach to help the school community resolve issues they feel are preventing them from enrolling kids at the school. They want something to happen now and are willing to work on it now. It is a here and now question– not a 6 months or 12 months’ time question.
Tony – the Department will attempt to do that.
Kellie – we don’t accept that the school community has the bear the brunt of the Department’s policies and procedures.
Helen Rivero- as a parent whose child could potentially start at the school next year or year after I feel the community deserves a better explanation. Understand there are confidentially issues but got to be a better way. One of the reasons we moved here is because we had a school we could walk to.
Tony – understand the frustration but it is inappropriate in a public forum to discuss why parents took the decision they did to not enrol their children.
Amber Croft –the issue needs to be addressed because it is why you don’t have the enrolments. It’s a Catch 22 situation. The Department won’t appoint another Principal if there are no children but as parents, how can we enroll our kids if we don’t know who the Principal is.
CEO Brendan McGrath suggested that with the difficulty of discussing issues in a public forum, a small group of parents meet with the Department to work on ways to resolve the issue.
Katherine Collins – my child was one of last 2 students and Tony your conversation was that you would not open the school for 1 student. You requested us to find somewhere else to go. If we had started with those 2 kids with a new Principal then we could have worked on enrolments.
Question asked what number of students would it take to reopen the school.
Tony – here’s what I think and is in our policy- if you can’t offer a well-rounded education then you need to question the viability of the school. I take on board how this is affecting you. Parents who withdrew their kids did so for good reasons. One reason to withdraw is because a peer group is not there. It’s more about what would the mix be – parents would see there was a peer group for their child to develop with.
Rosemary – I disagree with that. If there’s an age gap you have a buddy system. It then becomes a ‘family’ school. With smaller school and family atmosphere, a good principal-head teacher would be able to give those kids what they need.
Q – if every parent turned up tomorrow with kids to enroll, would the school open?
Tony – next week, not tomorrow. If we had the 11 kids we were expecting, if they came back we would have the school.
Cr Bernie Gaffney - I have been asked to move that Council organise a meeting between the Department and parents for next Wednesday 13 February at 6pm here in this hall. This is just going around in circles now.
Seconded by Greg Collins, followed by show of hands.
Tony – it would be about what strategies do we employ. No value in going back
Catherine Collins – can we discuss the issues that we have, just those families. If they are not addressed, things will stay the same.
Cr Roberta Horne – Tony, do you have the authority to make some decisions at this meeting? Do you need to bring someone else with you?
Tony – some decisions can’t be made on the spot, all I can say is we follow our processes and procedures to get the best outcome. I can’t say more than that.
Tony Gooden’s contact details: 0429 565 229;
Meeting details for further discussion of school issue:
6pm, Wednesday 13 February
Stanley Hall / CEO (EA Governance)
4.0 / 2013 Community Satisfaction Survey – Mayor, Cr Barb Murdoch
Cr Murdoch explained that the annual survey was now open, with copies in the recent Indigo Informer. She urged people to fill in the survey, as the results helped guide the work the Council does. Survey closes on 28 February.
5.0 / Community Development update – Scott Landells and Mark Florence
Scott Landells - Stanley Community Plan was developed about 3 years ago. These plans are revised and updated regularly. I will be engaging with community in various ways, ie street talk in front of post office etc, collecting ideas.
Mark Florence – rezoning issue for Stanley township. Stanley is currently a farming zone and there are limits to what can be done. Council has funded a project to explore the possibility of part of the centre of Stanley being rezoned to Township, which lets a range of activities be conducted. Difficulty Stanley has it that it is in a declared ‘potable water’ area, governed by Goulburn Murray Water, services Stanley but also Beechworth. GMW concerned about impact of development on that catchment, partly because Stanley has no sewer. State Government and GMW have brought out strict regulations for declared potable water areas. VCAT cases have tested the State Government/GMW position and VCAT is going to uphold every case in favour of Government and GMW.
We have to undertake a land assessment in relation to septic systems.
Ed Tyrie – if there are only 3 properties in Stanley township that could be developed the problem is surely not as large as it appears on the surface. Doesn’t appear to be insurmountable.
Mark Florence – my understanding is once it is declared a potable water area, the Government and GMW practice overrides. To go down rezoning path, we need to prove rezoning is not going to compromise the water catchment supply. That work has to be done. Expecting information next week to kick it off.
Comment made about need to get planning permit to build a shed. I have 4 overlays. All you are doing with this is killing any sort of development.
Mark Florence – overlays are introduced as part of the amendment process, some by State Government, and Council endorses them. We administer the scheme.
Questions asked if there were small government grants for small sewerage schemes.
Mark Florence – we have had discussions with North East Water about that. It is not high on their list. We are in contact with them about bringing Stanley closer to the top of their list.
Mark Florence – re the zoning, we know we have a bit of work to do, we will have an initial report next week and can start to build a strategy. Part of that will be to have a meeting like this, and get GMW here.
Mark Florence – re regional arts funding. The community needs to be all on one page with what you are applying for. / Scott Landells
Mark Florence
6.0 / Fire Risk – John Boal, Emergency Management Fire Co-ordinator
Presentation and discussion on what makes a resilient community when an emergency such as a bushfire occurs.
John mentioned two communities impacted by Black Saturday and how they coped afterwards. One community had internal resilience, took control of their future and rebuilt their own community. The other was a bit more fragile, with tenuous social connections and struggled to rebuild. It comes down to the social fabric of a community - if that’s there, you will have networks to rebuild your community. If communities have strong volunteerism, that’s a sign of resilience.
Think about all the associations and groups in Stanley - when you are confronted with some sort of event, it is those connections you will rely on. Don’t expect white knights on fire trucks.
Comment – we had a meeting last week, we are probably a bit ahead of you on this.
Mention made of community involvement in CFA fireguard meetings and home bushfire assessment program.
John displayed a map – site by site assessment of Beechworth and Stanley of fire risk. Spoke about the need to have reasonable expectations of the emergency services.
Comment – we are still at a point where removal of a tree more than 10m from a building is prohibited without a permit. Houses in 2009 bushfire that survived had no trees near them.
John Boal - that’s the 10/30 rule. It’s a political decision.
Cr Don Chambers – with the Indigo Shire fire plan and Roadside Management Conversation Plan, Council recognizes that there are inconsistencies between them and has asked officers to report back in 12 months.
7.0 / Heritage Awards – Cr Barb Murdoch
Cr Murdoch explained that the nominations for the shire’s annual Heritage Awards were now open and were again aligned with the National Trust Victoria.
Cr Don Chambers commented that the Keep Australia Beautiful Award (Tidy Towns) were also open.
8.0 / Capital Works – CEO
New concrete footpath on Stanley road from shop past primary school to the Recreation Reserve access road.
Expected cost $13,500. To start in March.
Comment – I am not aware of this, did we ask you to do this?
Comment – I don’t think we are ‘burning’ for a footpath.
Rob Sinclair – new topping on the road 3 years ago, but almost all washed away now. Before footpath you need to do something about the trees. Claret ashes have had it. Trees on footpath side – you will have to do something about them, they are finished.
CEO – we will have a look at that, and engineers can look at the background to the request.
Comment – drainage was the main concern. / Alan Clark
9.0 / Entry signs for Stanley - CEO
CEO – there is a modest sign at moment at entry to Stanley.
Comment – year as ago Council put signs up on amalgamation. Stanley was asked if they wanted the signs. Older members of community did not want signs changed. Lot of people didn’t like the new signs and did not want to become part of Indigo Shire Council’s corporate image.
CEO - we have had requests from the Stanley community to have upgraded signs and have been working with VicRoads on this. But is there general agreement you don’t want to upgrade the signs to bring them into line with other towns?
Ed Tyrie – the Rural Community Inc group will canvas the community on this.
Scott Landells – there is reference to signage in the feedback for the Stanley community plan. Lot of comments and ideas about branding for the town.
Lee Whamond – mentioned that 15 years ago there was a proposal for Stanley to have a safe bike track to Beechworth.
Cr Murdoch – suggested the matter be referred to the Stanley community plan. / Greg Pinkerton
10.0 / Your Say – incorporated into above items
Meeting ended at 9.30pm

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