Goal - Gannawarra Shire Council
Goal - Gannawarra Shire Council
Goal - Gannawarra Shire Council
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22<br />
feedback from customer service staff<br />
in real time or have their requests for<br />
action input into <strong>Council</strong>’s action<br />
system immediately. Feedback has<br />
been positive.<br />
<strong>Council</strong> is also committed to the<br />
introduction of social media as a<br />
communications tool. Social media<br />
has been included in <strong>Council</strong>’s<br />
Communication Strategy 2011 – 2014<br />
and is scheduled to be introduced<br />
within the new financial year.<br />
The community is encouraged to<br />
attend <strong>Council</strong> meetings which are<br />
normally held at the <strong>Council</strong><br />
Chambers in Kerang but are also held<br />
at different locations in the <strong>Shire</strong> at<br />
intervals throughout the year. Each<br />
<strong>Council</strong> meeting has a Public Question<br />
Time where members of the public<br />
can ask up to three questions each of<br />
their <strong>Council</strong>lors, in accordance with<br />
<strong>Council</strong>’s agreed protocol.<br />
The community is also encouraged to<br />
engage with <strong>Council</strong> by attending one<br />
of the 10 Community Planning<br />
Groups in the <strong>Shire</strong>. These Groups<br />
meet monthly and with the assistance<br />
of a <strong>Council</strong> facilitator actively<br />
establish the planning priorities of<br />
their respective communities. <strong>Council</strong><br />
then provides assistance for these<br />
groups to undertake their priority<br />
projects and seed funding to enable<br />
greater funding from other sources to<br />
see the projects through to fruition.<br />
<strong>Council</strong> information is also distributed<br />
to planning groups as another means<br />
of informing and engaging the<br />
<strong>Gannawarra</strong> Community.<br />
GANNAWARRA SHIRE ANNUAL REPORT 2011<br />
A feedback form has also been<br />
included with copies of the 2011<br />
Annual Report and is available online<br />
at www.gannawarra.vic.gov.au to<br />
enable community input on any<br />
aspect of the presentation or content<br />
of this report. This information will be<br />
used for the development of the 2012<br />
<strong>Gannawarra</strong> <strong>Shire</strong> <strong>Council</strong> Annual<br />
Report.<br />
CONFLICT OF INTEREST<br />
<strong>Council</strong>lors and senior staff are<br />
required to declare any conflict of<br />
interest in any matter, and the nature<br />
of that interest, before a matter is<br />
discussed in a <strong>Council</strong> or Committee<br />
meeting.<br />
All <strong>Council</strong>lors and senior staff are<br />
required to complete a Form 26<br />
Register of Interest Primary Return<br />
when elected or appointed, in<br />
accordance with the Local<br />
Government Act 1989. The Pecuniary<br />
Interest Register is available for<br />
inspection at the Kerang Office of<br />
<strong>Council</strong>.<br />
COUNCIL AUDIT COMMITTEE<br />
The role of <strong>Council</strong>’s Audit Committee<br />
is to independently monitor, review<br />
and advise the <strong>Council</strong> on matters of<br />
accountability and internal control<br />
affecting the operations of the<br />
<strong>Council</strong>. The Committee exists to<br />
assist the <strong>Council</strong> in discharging its<br />
responsibilities for financial reporting,<br />
maintaining a reliable system of<br />
internal controls and fostering the<br />
<strong>Council</strong>’s ethical environment.<br />
The Committee makes<br />
recommendations on the<br />
appointment of an internal auditor<br />
and on the adoption of the Annual<br />
Financial and Standard Statements as<br />
well as provides advice to <strong>Council</strong> and<br />
senior management.<br />
The 2010/2011 Audit Committees<br />
were:<br />
External members:<br />
Mr John Campbell (Chair), Mr Ian<br />
Taylor and Ms Kate Scarce<br />
<strong>Council</strong> members:<br />
Cr Lui Basile and Cr Gannon<br />
(from December 2010)<br />
Cr Max Fehring (to December 2010)<br />
Internal Audit Firm:<br />
Richmond, Sinnott Delahunty<br />
The Internal Audit Committee met<br />
three times during the 2010-2011<br />
financial year as the December<br />
meeting was cancelled as a result of<br />
flooding.<br />
External audit of <strong>Council</strong>’s Financial<br />
and Standard Statements is conducted<br />
by MDHC Audit Assurance Pty Ltd.