Recovery blueprint

WestWimmera Shire Council will look at ways to recover from the COVID19 pandemic and stimulate its communities as part of a new framework.

The council has adopted a new COVID-19 Recovery Pathway that details four phases for the council to work through – survive, stimulate, recover and thrive.

Council corporate and community services director Ashley Roberts said COVID-19 restrictions had a large effect on West Wimmera communities as well as the shire’s economy.

“We are now at the stage where we need to prepare a high-level strategic pathway to provide guidance on how we recover from the pandemic,” he said.

“The plan needs to outline both short and longterm directions. While at this stage, our community is still very much in the ‘survive’ stage of the process, it is important to provide an outline for recovery to some sort of normality.”

The ‘survive’ stage involves immediate relief activities to ensure that as much of the council’s community and economy survives the initial impacts of the pandemic. This includes programs such as maintaining essential services; access to personal protective equipment; hardship and rate relief policies; and continued advocacy to state and federal governments for support.

The ‘stimulate’ stage involves short-term responses designed to ensure what has survived continues to have support.

This phase is where business confidence begins to rebuild and includes major projects such as silo art at Kaniva, Goroke and Serviceton; activation of Edenhope Community Centre and Goroke Community and Recreation Centre redevelopment project; along with tourism promotion and road renewal projects.

The ‘recover’ phase involves helping the economy reach service levels close to those before the COVID-19 pandemic. Possible programs in this phase include ongoing mental-health education and medical-support advocacy, infrastructure funding, community wellbeing programs and reactivation of volunteer activities.

The final phase will be the ‘thrive’ stage, where the council will look at long-term plans to further enhance community and economic resilience.

Possible programs in this stage include exploration of new opportunities in renewable energy, tertiary education, tourism and food production.

Mr Roberts said the recovery pathway was a ‘living’ document that would evolve over time.

“It will start off somewhat aspirational at the later stages until the recovery process evolves and we have a clearer direction. Recovery activities outlined in the document will be further developed through consultation with West Wimmera communities, residents and businesses,” he said.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has presented the council will generationally unprecedented conditions and it is important for the council to prepare a measured and considered approach to relief and recovery.”