As we all know, the last couple of years has shown how quickly life can turn upside down with little or no warning.

With the Black Summer of 2019-20, recent flooding and ongoing COVID-19, it’s vital we better prepare for shocks and stresses that might threaten our way of life.

Challenges include storms and weather events, bushfires, diseases and pandemics, economic challenges, affordable housing shortages and mental health. Additionally, climate change may bring even greater pressures. So, we must work with the community to build resilience and capacity to respond.

With this in mind, Council has endorsed the public exhibition of the draft Resilience Strategy which outlines ways to:

• increase community connection and cohesion to enable us to support one another in times of crisis, particularly our vulnerable
• ensure our community is aware, prepared and able to adapt to the impacts of shocks and stresses
• strengthen critical infrastructure, assets and services so they can continue to function in the face of significant disruption
• protect and enhance our natural environment
• facilitate safe and accessible public places and spaces that support our social, emotional and physical wellbeing
• create thriving, productive and safe communities through improved land use planning provisions.

It was developed following extensive community engagement, including a telephone survey, online surveys, focus groups, workshops, and youth engagement sessions.

This is what one participant had to say about resilience:

Becoming resilient is kind of like exercising; you need to build up strength gradually by conditioning your muscles.

The next step for Council is to develop a Resilience Action Plan outlining the projects and actions we will take to meet the strategy’s objectives.

To have your say on the draft Strategy visit our Your Say page.