WIMMERA councillors discussed population growth and youth issues at the state government’s inaugural Regional Futures Summit.
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Councillors from West Wimmera, Hindmarsh and Horsham Rural City municipalities attended the event in Bendigo.
West Wimmera mayor Annette Jones said the summit gave councillors a chance to hear new ideas and have an opportunity to talk to lots of people.
However, she said it appeared the speakers had a little understanding of the real issues small rural councils faced.
One speaker was the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning’s Fiona McKenzie.
”She didn't support a focus on population growth and felt councils were missing the mark if they were using population to define success or failure,” Cr Jones said.
“I understood her argument but I could not apply it to our situation in West Wimmera Shire.
“If you have a lot of people in your shire, population might not be a concern.”
Cr Jones said population size mattered, especially when it came to smaller towns. “It matters in our sporting clubs, schools and fire brigades,” she said.
“It also matters when applying for state and federal govenrment grants.
“It's a competitive environment and size and the ability to demonstrate economic benefits are significant factors in determining the success of a grant applications.”
Cr Jones said another topic for discussion was the loss of young people in rural areas. “We have identified this as a problem in our shire,” she said.
“The argument at the conference was that we should want young people to leave, absorb new skills and eventually come back.
“We should focus on giving them a great childhood so they want to come back as educated skilled people and valuable members of community, with their children.”
Cr Jones said while the summit was worthwhile going to, it highlighted council had more work to do.
“If this is the current influential thinking, we might need to make sure our perspective is added,” she said.