Manjimup hosts 12 shire councils for quarterly regional local government meeting

Fire safety, regional workforces and tourism were some of the big-ticket items discussed by South West local governments last week. The Shire of Manjimup hosted the most recent WALGA South West Zone meeting on Friday morning, which included the cities of Bunbury and Busselton as well as the shires of Collie, Capel and Augusta-Margaret River. The three-hour meeting consisted of presentations and discussions about current issues from the most recent quarter including fire safety, regional workforce and employment and tourism. Manjimup shire president Donelle Buegge said the meeting encouraged efficiency amongst the the individual councils, allowing them to be briefed on topics as a whole. “We all come together to get briefings from different departments and catch up on what everyone else is doing,” she said. “There was the South West Development Commission, Regional Development Australia, DFES and other government departments. “It also means that we can brainstorm what the common challenges we’re all facing and how we can advocate as a larger group, and give ourselves a bigger voice, to the government. “We’re coming into election, so this meeting was a big one on how we can advocate to better all of us as a region.” Cr Buegge said fire preparedness was a priority with the bushfire season approaching. “We’re looking at quite a volatile fire season because of the browning of the forest and the low soil moisture, so we’re a bit concerned about where it’s heading this year,” she said.