Many of Surf Coast Shire’s Community Asset Committees are performing well, however some are not meeting the necessary requirements according to an annual report.
Council unanimously adopted the 2023-24 Community Asset Committee annual report during its Tuesday, December 10, meeting.
Deputy mayor Libby Stapleton said the committees played an “integral role” in maintaining and promoting the community’s use of facilities across the shire.
“These committees cover the full breadth of the Shire, and they manage facilities that are much needed and highly valued by communities across the Surf Coast,” she said.
“The annual report shows there is room for improvement for some of our community asset committees to meet the administrative requirements that are expected of them.”
Four committees failed to hold five meetings per year, three did not have their annual general meetings and financial statements audited on time, one asset register was not received on time, and not all volunteer members completed a Working with Children Check.
Councillor Paul Barker said committee members were the shire’s “unsung heroes” and should be able to focus on their community projects “without bureaucratic baggage”.
“Volunteers on the community asset committees are at it again running our cherished facilities. Let’s not take their hard work for granted though,” he said.
“If these bureaucratic hurdles remain in place, I can guarantee you that we will not have enough volunteers into the future and… I would love for us and the state government to trim the red tape.”
