derwent valley council annual report 2018/2019 · opportunity for the community to reflect upon the...

Derwent Valley Council

Annual Report 2018/2019

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Derwent Valley Council - Annual Report 2018/2019

Contact Information

Council Administration Office Circle Street New Norfolk, TAS 7140

Office Hours 8:15am – 5:00pm, Mon - Fri

Postal Address PO Box 595 New Norfolk, TAS 7140

Phone number (03) 6261 8500

Email [email protected]

Website www.derwentvalley.tas.gov.au

Facebook Derwent Valley Council

After Hours Emergency Number (03) 6261 8500

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................................... 5

MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR .................................................................................................................................. 7

MESSAGE FROM THE GENERAL MANAGER .............................................................................................................. 9

COUNCIL IN FOCUS .................................................................................................................................................10

OUR VALLEY ................................................................................................................................................................. 11

COUNCIL PROFILE ...................................................................................................................................................13

MAYOR AND COUNCILLORS ............................................................................................................................................. 13

RECORD OF COUNCIL MEETING ATTENDANCE ...................................................................................................................... 17

COUNCILLOR ALLOWANCES AND EXPENSES STATEMENT ........................................................................................................ 18

COUNCIL VALUES ........................................................................................................................................................... 19

COUNCIL ORGANISATIONAL CHART ................................................................................................................................... 20

COMMITTEES OF COUNCIL ............................................................................................................................................... 21

FINANCIALS ............................................................................................................................................................23

SOURCES OF INCOME ..................................................................................................................................................... 23

SOURCES OF EXPENDITURE .............................................................................................................................................. 24

SENIOR EMPLOYEE TOTAL REMUNERATION STATEMENT ........................................................................................................ 25

GRANT ASSISTANCE AND BENEFITS.................................................................................................................................... 25

COMMUNITY GRANTS PROGRAM ...................................................................................................................................... 26

CONTRACTS FOR SUPPLY OF GOODS AND SERVICES .............................................................................................................. 27

AUDIT PANEL ................................................................................................................................................................ 29

OUR VALLEY 2030 STRATEGIC PLAN .......................................................................................................................34

STRATEGIC ACTION 1 – A REGIONALLY DIVERSE, COMPETITIVE AND INNOVATIVE VALLEY THAT IS ATTRACTIVE TO ALL. ........................ 34

STRATEGIC ACTION 2 – A WELL-PLANNED AND SUPPORTED INFRASTRUCTURE TO MEET THE GROWING DEMANDS OF THE REGION. ....... 36

STRATEGIC ACTION 3 – WE PRESERVE, PROTECT AND PROMOTE OUR LIVED, BUILT AND NATURAL ENVIRONMENT FOR THE NEXT

GENERATION. ................................................................................................................................................................ 38

STRATEGIC ACTION 4 – SERVICES ARE INTEGRATED TO MAXIMISE OPPORTUNITIES AND PARTICIPATION ........................................... 39

STRATEGIC ACTION 5 – THE VALLEY HAS A RANGE OF ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE PHYSICAL OR MENTAL WELLBEING .............................. 41

STRATEGIC ACTION 6 – THE VALLEY HAS HIGHLY LIVEABLE AND ENGAGED COMMUNITIES, SUPPORTED BY ACCESS TO ITS NEEDS. .......... 43

STRATEGIC ACTION 7 – THE DERWENT VALLEY BRAND SHAPES OUR STORY AND REPUTATION ....................................................... 45

STRATEGIC ACTION 8 – THE PLAN IS IMPLEMENTED THROUGH EFFECTIVE AND TRANSPARENT GOVERNANCE AND PARTNERSHIPS. ........ 46

2018/2019 HIGHLIGHTS ..........................................................................................................................................48

COMMUNITY STRATEGIC PLAN, OUR VALLEY 2030 .............................................................................................................. 48

EXTREME WEATHER EVENT ............................................................................................................................................. 49

CAPITAL WORKS ............................................................................................................................................................ 51

CORPORATE & COMMUNITY SERVICES ............................................................................................................................... 55

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ........................................................................................................................................... 55

INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES ............................................................................................................................................. 62

DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES .................................................................................................................. 64

ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT ................................................................................................................ 67

STATUTORY OBLIGATIONS .....................................................................................................................................69

PUBLIC INTEREST DISCLOSURE STATEMENT ......................................................................................................................... 69

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RIGHT TO INFORMATION ................................................................................................................................................. 69

COMPLAINTS ................................................................................................................................................................ 70

CODE OF CONDUCT ........................................................................................................................................................ 70

ENTERPRISE POWERS STATEMENT ..................................................................................................................................... 70

DONATED LAND STATEMENT ........................................................................................................................................... 70

PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT ............................................................................................................................................ 70

APPENDIX – FINANCIAL REPORT 2018/2019

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Introduction The Local Government Act 1993 requires every Council in Tasmania to produce an Annual Report. This

gives an opportunity for the Council to inform the community of achievements and challenges in the last

year, and review areas to be improved upon. This includes the annual corporate planning and reporting

cycle of the Derwent Valley Council each year. This report covers the period of the 2018/2019 financial

year.

The Council is required under Section 72 of the Local Government Act 1993 to prepare a report that

contains:

(1) A council must prepare an annual report containing all of the following:

(a) a summary of the annual plan for the preceding financial year;

(ab) a statement of its goals and objectives in relation to public health for the preceding financial

year;

(b) a statement of the council's activities and its performance in respect of goals and objectives

set for the preceding financial year;

(ba) a statement of the number of code of conduct complaints that were received and the number

that were upheld either wholly or in part during the preceding financial year;

(bb) the total costs met by the council during the preceding financial year in respect of all code of

conduct complaints dealt with under Division 3A of Part 3 during the preceding financial year;

(c) the financial statements for the preceding financial year;

(caa) a statement of the operating, capital and competitive neutrality costs in respect of each

significant business activity undertaken by the council during the preceding financial year

together with a statement of the revenue associated with that activity;

(ca) a statement of the activities and performance of the council in relation to any activity

undertaken pursuant to section 21 as compared with its objectives for the preceding financial

year;

(cb) a statement of the total allowances and expenses paid to the mayor, deputy mayor and

councillors;

(cc) a statement detailing the attendance of each councillor at meetings of the council or any

council committee during the preceding financial year;

(cd) a statement in accordance with subsection (4) relating to the total annual remuneration paid

to employees of the council who are key management personnel, within the meaning of the

Compiled Accounting Standard AASB 124, as amended or substituted from time to time, issued by

the Australian Accounting Standards Board under the Australian Securities and Investments

Commission Act 2001 of the Commonwealth;

(d) a copy of the audit opinion for the preceding financial year;

(da) a statement specifying details of any land donated by the council under section 177 ,

including the name of the recipient, the reasons for the donation and the value of the land;

(e) any other prescribed matter.

This report contains a series of chapters, each devoted to a function of Council, and an explanation of how

these functions interact within the Derwent Valley Council structure.

https://www.legislation.tas.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-1993-095#HP3@HD3A@EN

https://www.legislation.tas.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-1993-095#HP3@EN

https://www.legislation.tas.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-1993-095#GS21@EN

https://www.legislation.tas.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-1993-095#GS72@Gs4@EN

https://www.legislation.tas.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-9999-999

https://www.legislation.tas.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-9999-999

https://www.legislation.tas.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-1993-095#GS177@EN

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The report also contains audited standard, financial, and performance statements. This shows how monies

raised via rates, charges, fees and grants received have been expended.

Each year the Council, in consultation with the community, prepares an Annual Budget within the context

of the actions identified in the Strategic Plan – Our Valley 2030. The Strategic Plan and Budget are used to

inform the decisions and actions of Council for the coming year.

Derwent Valley Council values the input of the community. Members of the community are invited to make

submissions on the Annual Report for discussion at Council’s Annual General Meeting, which will be held

at 5:30pm on Thursday 12 December 2019.

Tynwald Park Footbridge

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Message from the Mayor

Having been voted in as Mayor at the 2018

October election it is my pleasure to present the

Derwent Valley Council’s Annual Report for

2018/2019. This report provides insight into the

Council’s achievements for the year ending 30

June 2019, as well as outlining future plans and

information on the Council’s current financial

position.

2018/2019 was another busy year for Council,

with our region continuing to experience growth

with an increase in the value of permits to

$19,816,727 issued by the Council. This ongoing

growth highlights the need to continue to invest

in our infrastructure.

The October 2018 Local Government elections

saw three newly elected Councillors as well as the

re-election of five existing Councillors. I would

like to take his opportunity to thank the late Barry

Lathey and James Graham for their contribution

to the Council.

In June 2019, Anne Salt resigned as a Councillor,

triggering a countback and Natasha Woods was

elected to fill her vacancy. Additionally Councillor

Rachel Power resigned in October, returning

Frank Pearce to serve until the 2022 ordinary

election.

I would like to acknowledge Martyn Evans for his

significant contribution to the municipality over

his nine years as Mayor and look forward to

continuing to work with him as a Councillor.

In January we were saddened by the loss of Barry

Lathey, a long standing member of Council in his

capacity as Deputy Mayor and a Councillor. Barry

served this community as an elected

representative for almost 20 years. He was an

advocate for this community, his passion and

dedication to the special committees that he

represented, as well as this Council as a whole has

been outstanding. As an elected group we thank

Barry and his family for the years of service and

wonderful memories.

In October 2018,Council endorsed its Community

Strategic Plan - Our Valley 2030. The

development of this plan included consultation

with the community through workshops,

listening posts, community meetings, forums and

written submissions. The plan provides strategic

direction and guidance for the Council in the

allocation of its resources and priorities for the

next 12 years. It works in conjunction with the

Council Annual Plan, Long Term Financial Plan,

Asset Management Plan and a range of other

strategies and programs.

Our ongoing tourism and economic growth

continues to provide opportunity to showcase

what our region has to offer.

Council commenced work on our Branding

Strategy and Open Space Strategy post the

adoption of our Strategic Plan. As key action

items in our Strategic Plan, the branding strategy

will promote awareness of our region as well as

ultimately defining a consistent approach to the

marketing of our region.

This year we have continued on the journey to

activate the Council owned portion of the Willow

Court Precinct. While at times controversial, I

believe the activation of the site will provide

positive economic benefits for our region.

Complimentary to the Agrarian Kitchen, the

proposed New Norfolk Distillery will be

Tasmania’s first bespoke rum distillery in over

150 years.

Council’s lobbying of the State Government was

fruitful with the $2.5 Million contribution to the

upgrade of Glenora Road. While this will not

achieve a major upgrade of the entire road, it will

ensure that the key areas identified are

rehabilitated for our residents and tourists.

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This year Council embarked on our largest capital

works program. The $5 Million worth of projects

included the replacement of $2.3 Million worth of

bridge, road, stormwater and playground

infrastructure lost or damaged in the extreme

weather event in May 2018; infrastructure

upgrades; a playground upgrade at Maydena; the

fenced dog exercise area; the feasibility study

into the Derwent Valley Railway as well as works

with the Derwent Catchment Project on our NRM

programs.

Roads to Recovery funding assisted the Council in

the delivery of upgrades to Blair and Grey Street.

This funding assisted the Council to deliver on

infrastructure renewals identified from our Asset

Management Plan.

Community celebrations and events supported

by the Council this year included the Derwent

Valley Autumn Festival, Youth Week, Australia

Day Colour Run, Carols by Candlelight, Relay for

Life and the Christmas Parade. These events

bring our people together and provide an

opportunity for our Council to give back to the

community.

In closing, I would like to acknowledge the work

of our staff, volunteers and contractors.

Ben Shaw

Mayor

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Message from the General Manager

Each year I reflect on the year that was when

preparing my message for the Annual Report.

This provides an opportunity to celebrate our

successes and note our opportunities for

improvement.

The following pages attempt to summarise the

achievements of Council for the 2018/2019 year:

a year of significant progress towards a goal of

continuous improvement.

The October 2018 election cycle provided an

opportunity for the community to reflect upon

the work of the Council over the previous four

year period. The electors spoke resulting in an

equal blend of existing and new Councillors

elected to be trustees of the communities’ assets

and oversee future directions. The past period

saw the introduction of a Strategic Plan, further

increased Asset Management Planning, together

with the implementation of good governance

practices that provide solid foundations

necessary for a contemporary local government

to succeed.

This year’s focus has been the successful

development of the Councils Strategic Plan ‘Our

Valley 2030’. This comprehensive process

allowed for any member of the community to

provide valuable input into the direction of the

Council for the next 12 years. The community

consultation and engagement undertaken as part

of this project was I understand the most

significant the Council has broadly fostered in

many years. Receiving Council endorsement in

October 2018, the challenge now is to

meaningfully address the delivery of the Strategic

Actions outlined.

I also choose to note the replacement of Council

infrastructure lost in the extreme weather event

provided an additional challenge this year. The

replacement of bridges, road segments,

playground equipment and the footbridge at

Tynwald Park at a cost of $2.3M was achieved in

addition to a steady increase in the

annual Capital Works program. The

improvements to the Esplanade area in New

Norfolk also continued to progress, the

popularity most evident on any warm sunny day.

The relocation of the New Norfolk Rowing Club

shortly will further enhance the activation and

vibrancy of the locale.

In closing, I thank the Councillors and staff that

have allowed the organisation to continue to

progress. It is only with combined efforts that the

essence of local government, being the closest

and most responsive to the people, can be

realised and the community hence be best served

Greg Winton

General Manager

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Council in Focus Working together, the Derwent Valley will become known for the beauty of its preserved natural

environment and the produce and lifestyle it provides for a prosperous and proud community. The Valley

will be inviting for visitors, investors and families alike, while remaining very much local as growth is

balanced against preserving what is special about what we have already. We celebrate our history and our

successes as we unite to deliver a sustainable future for the next generation.

Natural. Inviting. Local.

Natural

By 2030, we have retained our sense of space and the peace that comes with that. While close to Hobart, we will never cease to be amazed at how that sense of space makes us feel like we are “a world away”.

The Valley will continue to be known for its stunning landscape. But, we won’t rest on that achievement; collaborations will have furthered real improvements in the “health” of the environment. As leaders in environmental management, water quality of the Derwent will be good and weeds will be much less of a problem.

Our community understands that our natural environment is an important part of our identity as is our link to our past. But it is also our future as we and others value our preserved natural history and beauty.

Inviting We are seen as a very inviting place to work, live and visit due to our unique blend of friendliness, space, natural beauty and vibrancy.

Farming, tourism and sustainable industry remain as large employers of local people.

New businesses – and subsequently contributing residents - are being attracted particularly to New Norfolk, which will grow.

Businesses will be attracted to the collective “sense of purpose” that existing and diverse businesses have created as they too, have a real desire to contribute to the future of the community. This collective way of thinking and doing will lead to new ideas and create opportunities for the next generation.

Local The people of the Valley value what we have here – the sense of community.

With steady growth in New Norfolk and ongoing improvements to the look and feel of the central business district, the town is vibrant. This attracts locals and visitors alike.

The smaller towns of Westerway, Glenora, Bushy Park, Molesworth, Lachlan and Maydena are lively centres contributing to the lifestyle and services in the valley. Our community spirit is still strong and our towns feel peaceful. In these communities, access to transport is easy, with good links to Hobart and beyond.

Across the valley educational facilities and after hours medical services are readily available as well as shops and entertainment. Improvements sought by the community are now visible and seen with much pleasure and pride

We understand that our

history is something that we

should own. We should be

proud of who we are – put

simply, a community that

cares.

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Our Valley

4,103 km2

MUNICIPAL AREA

Area of world heritage area 2,789 sq km

Total area of Public Reserves 3,266 sq km

333 km TOTAL LENGTH OF COUNCIL

MAINTAINED ROADS Sealed roads 97 km

Unsealed roads 236 km

10,290 TOTAL POPULATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY1

5,069 RATEABLE PROPERTIES

25.2% HOUSEHOLDS WITHOUT

INTERNET CONNECTION

$13.9M COUNCIL ANNUAL OPERATING

BUDGET INCOME

$346M

GROSS REGIONAL PRODUCT2

2,881

JOBS IN THE VALLEY3 431

LOCAL BUSINESSES

NB: Gross Regional Product (as of 30 June, 2018). GRP is the amount of the nation’s wealth, which is generated by businesses, organisations and

individuals working in the Derwent Valley.

1 https://profile.id.com.au/derwent-valley 2 https://economy.id.com.au/derwent-valley/population 3 https://economy.id.com.au/derwent-valley

https://profile.id.com.au/derwent-valley

https://economy.id.com.au/derwent-valley

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Did you know…? This year

2018/2019

Last year

2017/2018

Building Permits issued* 58 70

Development Applications 189 181

Planning Permits issued 118 123

(*Building Act 2016 - effective 1 January 2017)

Below is the breakdown in planning permits issued for the 2018/2019 financial year.

2018/2019 2018/2019 2017/2018 2017/2018

Category Amount Value Amount Value

Residential 81 $14,330,977 76 $6,526,302

Commercial 13 $5,047,750 21 $4,052,000

Industrial & Utilities 2 $20,000 2 $4,179,174

Tourism 6 $285,000 5 $0.00

Subdivision 8 $0.00 5 $0.00

Other 8 $133,000 14 $1,137,200

Total 118 $19,816,727 123 $15,894,676

The below provides a graphical representation of the permits that have been issued for the 2018/2019

financial year in comparison to the previous four financial years.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Residential Commercial Industrial &Utilities

Tourism Subdivision Other

2014/2015 2015/2016 2016/2017 2017/2018 2018/2019

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Council Profile

The Derwent Valley Council is established under the provisions of the Local Government Act 1993. Council

is made up of eight Councillors who each serve a four year term, with elections held on an ‘all in all out’

basis. The term for elected Mayor and Deputy Mayor is also four years.

Mayor and Councillors

For the period July 2018 - October 2018, the elected members were:

Mayor Martyn Evans

Deputy Mayor Ben Shaw

Councillor Paul Belcher (resigned 27 July 2018)

Councillor James Graham

Councillor Barry Lathey

Councillor Frank Pearce

Councillor Anne Salt

Councillor Julie Triffett

Local Government elections were held in October 2018, with the following elected to office:

Mayor Ben Shaw

Deputy Mayor Jessica Cosgrove

Councillor Paul Belcher

Councillor Luke Browning

Councillor Martyn Evans

Councillor Rachel Power (resigned 1 October 2019)

Councillor Anne Salt (resigned 21 June 2019)

Councillor Julie Triffett

Councillor Natasha Woods (elected following the resignation of Councillor Salt)

Councillor Frank Pearce (elected following the resignation of Councillor Power)

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Mayor

Ben Shaw

Deputy Mayor

Jessica Cosgrove

Councillor

Luke Browning

Councillor

Martyn Evans

Councillor

Anne Salt

(Resigned from Council

21 June 2019)

Councillor

Julie Triffett

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Councillor

Natasha Woods

Councillor

Frank Pearce

Note – Councillor Paul Belcher and Councillor Rachel Power were unavailable for individual photos.

Back Row – Councillor Rachel Power, Councillor Martyn Evans, Councillor Luke Browning, Councillor Paul Belcher,

Front Row - Councillor Julie Triffett, Mayor Ben Shaw, Deputy Mayor Jessica Cosgrove. Absent – Councillor Anne Salt

Councillor Barry Lathey

We were saddened during the year when we lost one of our long-term

Councillors Barry Lathey. Barry served as a Derwent Valley Councillor for

19 years. At the 2011 Local Government election, Barry was elected to

serve as Deputy Mayor.

Barry was a member of the New Norfolk urban volunteer brigade. In

1994 was named Citizen of the Year. His work and passion for the

community was valued. Barry sat as a member a number of Council

special committees including; Access Advisory, Boyer Oval Management

Committee, Derwent Valley Youth Future Action Team, Esplanade

Special Committee, Friends of Frascati, Willow Court and Barracks

Working Group, Willow Court Conservation Special Committee and

William Hazelwood Reserve.

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Decision making Structures of Council

The Council makes decisions based on a majority

decision by the Councillors present at monthly

meetings. Council meetings are held on the third

Thursday of the each month.

Council meetings are open to the public (except

where an item is considered to be of a

confidential nature in accordance with the Local

Government (Meeting Procedures) Regulations

2015). Meeting schedules are available on

Councils’ website and at the Council

Administration Office.

Agendas and attachments are available from

Council Administration Office on the Friday prior

to meetings or on Council’s website

www.derwentvalley.tas.gov.au.

Council’s website also contains confirmed

minutes and audio recordings from previous

Council Meetings

This year the Council hosted Community forums

prior to Council meetings at Maydena, Lachlan

and Bushy Park.

Councillors cannot make decisions individually. It

is the role of Councillors to provide strategic

leadership for the community and set the policy

direction for the Council. Council makes

decisions about the budget and determines

planning applications under state legislation.

Councillors are also required to effectively

represent and act in the best interests of their

community. Councillors also facilitate

communication between Council and members

of the community.

Council recognises that its community will only

continue to support its policies and actions if they

are transparent and accountable.

Council is further supported by an Audit Panel.

The Audit Panel is an independent advisory

Committee to the Council, established in

compliance with Part 8 of Division 4 of the Local

Government Act 1993 and the Local Government

(Audit Panels) Order 2014. The Audit Panel’s

objective is to review the Council’s performance

under section 85A of the Act and report to the

Council its conclusions and recommendations.

Members of the community have the opportunity

to influence Council decision making through

avenues such as community consultation and

engagement, tabling of petitions and public

question time at Council meetings.

Operational decisions are made by the General

Manager and Council Officers through delegated

authority under Section 22 of the Local

Government Act 1993. Delegations allow for

timely and efficient decision making at an

operational level. Council puts in place controls

such as policies, procedures, supervision and

audits to ensure authority is exercised

appropriately.

http://www.derwentvalley.tas.gov.au/

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Councillor Meeting Attendance

There were a total of 28 Council Meetings. Included in this total are three meetings held away from New

Norfolk (Bushy Park, Maydena and Lachlan) these meetings included a community forum.

Meeting No. of

Meetings

Open

Session

Items

Closed

Session

Items

Total

Items

% Items dealt

with in Closed

Session

Council 24 168 47 215 28%

Special Meetings 3 4 0 4

Annual General Meeting 1 2 0 2

Total 28 174 47 221

Record of Council Meeting attendance

The below table provides the attendance of Councillors at the Council meetings and Audit Panel meetings

for the 2018/2019 financial year. Where a Councillor was not in attendance at a particular meeting, a leave

of absence for a specific purpose may have been granted by Council pursuant to Section 39 of the Local

Government (Meeting Procedures) Regulations 2015.

Councillor Ordinary

Meeting

Closed

Meeting

Special

Ordinary

Special

Closed

AGM Audit

Panel

Total

Martyn Evans* 10 11 3 0 0

24

Ben Shaw* 11 11 2 0 1

25

Paul Belcher* 5 3 2 0 1

11

James Graham 4 4 1 0 1 2 12

Barry Lathey 4 4 1 0 0

9

Frank Pearce 3 3 1 0 0

7

Anne Salt* 11 10 3 0 1 1 26

Julie Triffett* 12 12 3 0 1 2 30

Jessica Cosgrove* 7 7 2 0 1

17

Luke Browning* 7 7 2 0 1 2 19

Rachel Power* 7 7 2 0 1

17

Councillor Belcher was granted a Leave of absence from 21 February 2019 – 30 June 2019.

*Elected 2 November 2018

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Councillor Allowances and Expenses Statement

Statement of Allowances and expenses paid to elected members Section 72 (1)(cb) of the Local Government

Act 1993:-

• Total allowances paid to the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Councillors:

• Total expenses paid to all Councillors:

Allowances, telephone and travel paid to elected members for 2018/2019 were as follows:-

Councillor Allowance Telephone Travel

Ben Shaw* $ 37,580.96 $ 261.15 $2,390.28

Jessica Cosgrove* $ 16,506.64 - -

Martyn Evans* $ 22,850.68 $ 750.00 $1,703.65

Julie Triffett* $ 12,553.00 - -

Anne Salt* $ 12,553.00 - -

Paul Belcher* $ 9,463.78 - -

Rachel Power* $ 8,434.00 - -

Luke Browning* $ 8,434.00 - $ 481.60

Barry Lathey $ 4,119.00 - -

James Graham $ 4,119.00 - -

Frank Pearce $ 4,119.00 - -

Total $ 140,733.06 $1,011.15 $4,575.53

*Elected 2 November 2018

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Council Values

We recognise that the best way to deliver service as a Council is through valuing our people and

intentionally developing a positive workplace culture. Accordingly our staff is the driving force for

excellence and assisting the organisation to achieve its strategic goals.

Our values have been created collaboratively with Staff and Councillors, they are what is most important

to us and are the common touchstones for those that represent Derwent Valley Council.

Quality Service: We work to serve our community, to make a difference in what we do

every day.

Collaboration: We listen to and respect each other, we are supportive and work co-

operatively and inclusively to achieve great results.

Growth: We grow and succeed through learning. We foster an environment that

values the individual contribution of our people by providing them with

opportunities to develop and grow their skills and knowledge to reach

their potential.

Integrity: We strive to be valued and trusted by our community by being accountable

and objective in our role as a local government.

Wellbeing: We demonstrate duty of care for ourselves, our team mates and our

community in all that we do. We value the health and wellbeing of our

staff and community.

Arthur Square

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Council Organisational Chart

Council’s Workforce Profile for 2018/2019 is as follows:

Full-Time Part-Time Casual Total

Indoor (Admin Office) 15 9 5 29

Outdoor (Operations) 20 1 21

Children’s Services 12 8 20

Total 35 22 13 70

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Committees of Council

The Local Government Act 1993, provides Council with the authority to create Committees made up of only

Councillors or Special Committees made up of Councillors and members of the community. At Derwent

Valley Council Special Committees are mainly comprised of members of the community with an interest in

the objectives of that committee.

Derwent Valley Council has standard ‘Terms of Reference for Special Committees’ of the Council. Copies

of these can be provided to the public on request.

From time to time Council may also create working groups. These groups are generally run less formally

than Special Committees and are usually created for a specific project.

The below table provides an overview of the Councils Special Committees and the minutes received by the

Council for the 2018/2019 Financial Year. A list of the Councillor Representative on each of the Special

Committees is available via Councils website.

Special Committee

Purpose Minutes Noted by

Council in

2018/2019

Access Advisory Committee

Advises Council on access issues,

particularly in relation to those people

with a disability.

3

Boyer Oval Management Committee

Assists in the management and

upgrading of Boyer Oval.

7

Bushy Park War Memorial Swimming

Pool

Assists in the safe and efficient operation

of the Bushy Park Swimming Pool.

3

Derwent Valley Youth Future Action

Team (D’FAT)

Derwent Valley Council’s youth advisory

committee.

17

Economic Development and Growth

Special Committee

To aid in the implementation of the

STEP’s Plan

5

Friends of Frascati Community Garden

Aides in the restoration of the gardens at

Frascati House.

5

Friends of Willow Court Committee

Has a special interest in the restoration

of Willow Court

6

Historical Information Centre

Committee

Operates the Historical Information

Centre.

9

Molesworth Recreation Reserve

Committee

Assists in the management of the

Molesworth Reserve.

0

22


Special Committee

Purpose Minutes Noted by

Council in

2018/2019

New Norfolk Business Alliance

Assists in the promotion of the central

business district.

6

New Norfolk Swimming Pool

Committee

Assists in the safe and efficient operation

of the New Norfolk Swimming Pool.

7

Tidy Town Committee

Undertakes projects to help beautify and

keep the municipal area tidy.

1

Tynwald Park Development Committee

Advises on the development of Tynwald

Park.

2

Authorities and Associations

Purpose

TasWater Authority Water supply related issues in regards to TasWater.

Southern Tasmania Council Authority (STCA) A grouping of 12 Southern Councils.

Local Government Association of Tasmania

(LGAT)

Tasmania’s peak Local Government body.

Other Committees and Organisations

Purpose

Australia Day Plans community activities for Australia Day each year.

Community Grants

Administers and assesses applications to Council’s

Community Grants program.

Derwent Catchment Natural Resource

Management

Monitors environment within the Derwent Catchment area.

Derwent Valley Autumn Festival Plans the annual Autumn Festival.

Derwent Valley Council Audit Panel

The objective of the Panel is to assist Council and the General

Manager in providing an independent process in its financial

and risk management practices to ensure accountability to

the community in the governance, management and

allocation of resources.

Derwent Valley Visitor Information

Centre

Provides volunteers for the running of the Council funded

Visitor Information Centre.

Maydena Community Association An association of members of the Maydena Community that

has the support of Council.

23


Financials

The Annual Financial Report, including notes to the accounts is provided as an Appendix to this Annual

Report. The Annual Financial Report meets the requirements of the Local Government Act 1993 and

Australian Accounting Standards and has been audited by the Tasmanian Audit Office.

The following information aims to provide a brief summary of Council’s 2018/2019 financial result.

Sources of Income

The Council receives revenue from a wide range of sources, including rates, user fees, fines, grants,

contributions and other income. The total income for 2018/2019 was $13.9M. The main source of revenue

for the Council comes from rates and charges, which represents 54.51% of the Council’s income.

The below table provides a summary of operating revenue for 2018/2019 and the comparison as a

percentage of total operating revenue over the last four financial years.

Revenue Comparison 2015

%

2016

%

2017

%

2018

%

2018

$

Rates and Charges 52.71 48.13 53.03 54.51 7,587,332

Statutory Fees and Fines 2.08 2.18 2.60 3.05 424,043

User Fees 12.31 10.16 11.65 10.98 1,528,417

Grants 26.43 32.99 27.17 18.06 2,514,270

Contributions - Cash 0.02 0.18 0.00 0.09 12,291

Interest 0.55 0.81 1.17 1.23 171,572

Reimbursements 1.30 1.22 0.80 0.00 0.00

Investment Revenue - TasWater 3.37 2.89 3.10 1.95 272,000

Other Income 1.23 1.44 0.48 10.13 1,410,360

Where the Funds came from: Total income from continuing operations $13,920,285.

54.51% - Rates and Charges

3.05% - Statutory Fees and Fines

10.98% - User Fees

18.06% - Grants

0.09% - Contributions Cash

1.23% - Interest

1.95% - Investment TasWater

10.13% - Other Income

24


Sources of Expenditure

The Council’s total expenditure for 2018/2019, including depreciation, was $13.2M. The majority of the

Council’s expenditure relates to delivering services that benefit the community. Other expenditure

categories include employee costs, depreciation, and other expenses.

The below table provides a summary of operating expenditure for 2018/2019 and the comparison as a

percentage of total operating expenditure over the last four financial years.

Expenditure Comparison 2015

%

2016

%

2017

%

2018

%

2018

$

Employee Benefits 33.62 32.45 32.80 33.12 4,386,382

Materials and Services 36.30 35.23 38.15 35.73 4,731,738

Impairment of Receivables 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.59 211,128

Depreciation 20.02 21.27 19.16 18.86 2,497,532

Finance Costs 1.36 1.44 1.28 1.34 177,790

Plant and Vehicle Running 2.91 3.26 2.81 2.78 367,635

State Taxes 2.11 2.35 2.19 2.25 297,403

Other Expenses 3.38 4.00 3.61 4.33 573,905

Where the Funds were spent: Total expenses from continuing operations $13,243,513.

33.12% - Employee Benefits

35.73% - Materials and Services

1.59% - Impairment of Receivables

18.86% - Depreciation

1.34% - Finance Costs

2.78% -Plant & Vehicle Running

2.25% - State Taxes

4.33% - Other Expenses

25


Senior Employee Total Remuneration Statement

This statement is in accordance with Section 72 (1)(cd) of the Local Government Act 1993. The Council is

required to report on the total annual remuneration paid to employees who hold senior positions.

Total Remuneration including salary, superannuation and private use of any motor vehicle as required

under the Local Government Act 1993 is below, further information is outlined in the Financial Report.

Salary Band Number of Employees

$20,001- $40,000 1

$40,001 - $60,000 1

$140,001 - $160,000 2

$220,001 - $240,000 1

Grant Assistance and Benefits

This statement is in accordance with Section 77(1) of the Local Government Act 1993. A total of $ 51,529.28

was granted/donated during the 2018/2019 financial year.

Description Amount

Community Donation $ 2,002.14

Community Grants Program $ 16,476.50

Youth Support $ 172.73

DV Sport and Recreation Centre $ 32,877.91

Tourism Support

Total $ 51,529.28

This is expanded upon below.

Donations

Derwent Valley Council made the following donations to individuals and organisations in the 2018/2019

financial year:-

Organisation Funds Allocated

J Price - International Trip $ 300.00

New Norfolk Fire Brigade - State Championships 2018 $ 100.00

Magra Fire Brigade - Quiz Night $ 100.00

M Riley - U15 Girls Rugby Union State Selection $ 270.00

New Norfolk Junior Football Club - Trip to Melbourne $ 100.00

K Smith - LA trip C'mount College $ 200.00

New Norfolk High School - State Futsal Tournament Team $ 500.00

Lions Club of Hobart - Circus Quirkus Sponsorship $ 109.09

Rotary Club of Claremont - Derwent Cycle Challenge $ 220.46

New Norfolk Primary School - raffle sponsorship $ 102.59

Total $ 2,002.14

26


Photocopying Services - Community Groups

The Council maintains a register of the photocopying undertaken by community groups and special

committees. The cost to the Council for the period 2018/2019 was $1,646.01.

Community Grants Program

This statement is in accordance with Section 77(1) of the Local Government Act 1993. A total of $16,476.50

was granted/donated during the 2018/2019 financial year. Under Council’s Grants Program, all amounts

are GST exclusive:-

Organisation Funds Utilised for Funds Allocated

IOOF Lodge Hire of Social Room $ 2,770.00

The Salvation Army Fab Fix A Bike Program $ 2,199.50

New Norfolk Cricket Club Upgrade facilities Tynwald Park $ 880.00

New Norfolk Basketball Assoc. Purchase New Uniform $ 4,200.00

Derwent Valley SES Purchase new laptops and projector $ 1,897.00

Southern Tasmanian Axemen's

Association

Reintroduce the sport of wood chopping to

Derwent Valley Autumn Festival

$ 1,500.00

New Norfolk Eagles Women's

Football Team

Purchase new equipment for training

sessions

$ 1,100.00

Westerway Wilds'cool Environmental initiatives and projects in the

local community

$ 1,000.00

Westerway Bush Watch Running costs and maintenance of trailer $ 930.00

Total $ 16,476.50

Willow Court - Barracks Building

27


Contracts for Supply of Goods and Services

For the purposes of compliance with the Local Government Act 1993, the following contracts for the supply

or provision of goods or services valued at or exceeding $100,000 that has been entered into or extended

during this financial year.

The following statement is made in accordance with Section 29 of the Local Government (General)

Regulations 2015.

Contract Contract

Period

Extension

Option

Contract Sum

(inc. extension

options)

2017/006 - Town Maintenance Maydena &

Westerway

Stornoway Maintenance

1/37 Tasma Street

North Hobart TAS 7000

06/11/2017-

06/11/2022

+ 5 years $222,960.00

2017/010 – Waste Management & Resource

Recovery

Bennetts Mowing Services

9 Moores Road,

Lachlan TAS 7140

01/04/2018-

30/03/2023

+ up to 5y $222,100.00/yr

2018/001 – Kerbside Waste Services

Veolia Environmental Services (Australia) Pty Ltd

95 Kennedy Drive

Cambridge TAS 7170

01/07/2018-

30/06/2023

+1 +1 $284,628 /yr

2018/006 Bridge Replacement

TasSpan

27-28 Faulkner Drive

Latrobe, TAS 7307

30/11/2018-

21/06/2019

NA $1,516,677.69

2018/007 - Road Design Services

Cardno

16 Burelli Street,

Wollongong, NSW 2500

02/11/2018-

28/03/2019

NA $220,000.00

2018/008 - Road Rehabilitation FY19

Stabilised Pavement Australia

59 Yellowbox Drive,

Craigieburn VIC 3064

16/11/2018-

30/06/2019

NA $480,746.00

2018/013 - Supply & Delivery of Gravel for the

Peppermint Hill Landfill Site

MSD Construction

1 Daniels Road,

Magra TAS 7140

30/10/2018-

30/06/2020

NA $113,040.00 (based on 6000T)

28


Contract Contract

Period

Extension

Option

Contract Sum

(inc. extension

options)

2018/014 Green Waste Management

BG & JM Barwick Pty Ltd

Lyell Hwy Granton,

TAS 7030

01/03/2019–

28/02/2022

NA $180,000.00 (based on 18000m3)

2018/020 Road Rehabilitation FY19

Stabilised Pavement Australia

59 Yellowbox Drive,

Craigieburn VIC 3064

14/02/2019-

30/06/2019

NA $586,990.54

2019/196 Road Design – Glenora Road

Improvements

Cardno

16 Burelli Street,

Wollongong, NSW 2500

31/03/2019-

30/06/2019

NA $367,885.00

2019/001 Internal Cleaning Services – Council

Buildings

Cleaning Wizard Australia Pty Ltd

8/27 Swift Way,

Dandenong South, VIC

01/07/2019-

30/06/2022

+2 $209,510.70

Branding Strategy

For the People

Ground Floor, 30 O’Conner Street

Chippendale NSW 2008

27/09/2019-

30/04/2020

NA $130,130.00

New Norfolk Esplanade

29


Audit Panel

Derwent Valley Council’s Audit Panel was formally established by Council in February 2016. The Charter

for the Panel is based on the requirements of the Local Government (Audit Panels) Order 2014 issued by

the Minister for Local Government under Section 85B(1) of the Local Government Act 1993. The Audit Panel

Charter sets out the roles and responsibilities of the Panel, its authority, membership and the tenure of its

members, the operation of its meetings, how decisions are made and its reporting responsibilities.

Report dated 1 September 2019 from the Co-Chairpersons, Derwent Valley Council Audit Panel on the

operations of the Panel for the period July 2018 to June 2019, as required under the Derwent Valley Audit

Panel Charter.

Purpose of Report

The Audit Panel Charter adopted by Council requires that the Panel through the Chairperson report

annually on its operations and activities. This report covers the period July 2018 to June 2019. The report

provides a background to the establishment of the Audit Panel, its membership, operation during the last

year and areas for attention in 2019/2020. Prior to its presentation to Council the report was reviewed

and endorsed by the members of the Audit Panel.

Background / Introduction

Derwent Valley Council’s Audit Panel was formally established by Council in February 2016. The Charter

for the Panel is based on the requirements of the Local Government (Audit Panels) Order issued by the

Minister for Local Government under section 85B(1) of the Local Government Act 1993. The Audit Panel

Charter sets out the roles and responsibilities of the Panel, its authority, membership and the tenure of its

members, the operation of its meetings, how decisions are made and its reporting responsibilities.

Membership of the Audit Panel comprises two Councillors and two independent members. The

independent members of the Panel were originally selected following an expression of interest process and

were subsequently reappointed by Council in May 2019.

Audit Panel Membership and Meetings

During 2018/2019 the Panel was made up of the following members:

Councillor members:

• Councillor Triffett until October 2018

• Councillor Graham until October 2018

• Councillor Browning from October 2018

• Councillor Salt from October 2018

Independent members:

• Mr Gary McCarty

• Mr Robert Hogan

During 2018/2019 the Audit Panel was attended by and received support from Council’s General Manager,

Executive Manager of Corporate and Community Services, Accountant and Senior Financial Officer as well

as administrative and secretarial support from other Council staff.

30


A list of Panel meeting dates and attendances by Panel members in 2018/2019 is set out in Table 1 below.

Meeting Date Councillor

Triffett

Councillor

Graham

Councillor

Browning

Councillor

Salt

Mr Gary

McCarty

Mr Robert

Hogan

18 September 2018

30 October 2018

19 December 2018

19 March 2019

Meetings Attended 2 2 2 1 4 4

Table 1 Summary of Panel Meetings and Member Attendance

Role of the Panel

The role of the Audit Panel is to support the elected Council by providing independent assurance and advice

in relation to Council’s financial reporting and controls, risk management framework and practices, internal

controls, legislative compliance, long term planning, fraud control and corruption prevention. Its role is

complemented by both internal and external auditors.

The main responsibilities of the Audit Panel include:

• whether the annual financial statements of the council accurately represent the state of affairs of

the council;

• whether and how the Part 7 plans (these include the Strategic Plan, Long Term Financial Plan and

Strategic Asset Management Plan) are integrated and the processes by which, and assumptions

under which, those plans were prepared;

• the accounting, internal control, anti-fraud, anti-corruption and risk management policies, systems

and controls that the council has in relation to safeguarding its long-term financial position;

• whether the council is complying with the provisions of the Act and any other relevant legislation;

• whether the council has taken any action in relation to previous recommendations provided by the

audit panel to the council and, if it has so taken action, what that action was and its effectiveness.

External Audit

As legislated, Council’s external audit service is provided by the Tasmanian Audit Office (TAO). Staff from

the TAO attended three Audit Panel meetings during the year.

During these meetings the Audit Panel and TAO officers reviewed and discussed Council’s interim and final

Financial Report for 2017/2018 including the TAO completion report.

The Panel also discussed the 2018/2019 financial year audit strategy and plan with TAO staff, this included

a review of key audit areas identified for the year. In addition, outstanding recommendations from previous

TAO audits were reviewed. Including findings from the 2017/2018 audit there were nine findings that

needed to be addressed by Council. The Audit Panel has followed up progress on these matters during

2018/2019. It is clear that some issues can only be addressed with the purchase of new software program

and an upgrade of Council’s IT system.

31


Panel Activities during the Reporting Period

In its 2017/2018 Annual Report the Audit Panel identified a range of issues it aimed to addressed in

2018/2019. These issues included:

• Overseeing the 2018/2019 External Audit planning process;

• Continuing to monitor outstanding audit recommendations as well as progress with

recommendations from the Division of Local Government report;

• Reviewing the Panel’s Charter to ensure compliance;

• Monitoring progress with the development of a risk management framework;

• Working with council staff to develop an agreed legislative compliance process.

The Panel were able to achieve a number of these objectives but were unable to adequately address the

issues of assurance in relation to internal controls and legislative compliance and the development of a risk

management framework. Action has commenced in relation to the development of a strategic risk

framework.

In addition, during the year the Audit Panel:

• Met with TAO staff to discuss the 2017/2018 audit and issues that arose and recommendations

made;

• Were briefed by the TAO on the 2018/2019 external audit process;

• Reviewed Council’s response to and progress with previous external audit recommendations;

• Reviewed and where appropriate made recommendations in relation to Council’s Credit Card

Policy, Code for Procurement and Tendering and Statement of Business Ethics;

• Reviewed Council’s Gifts and Benefits Policy and the associated register;

• Discussed Council’s insurance and insurance policy renewals;

• As required by the Audit Panel Charter, undertook a survey reviewing the Panel’s operations and

performance and discussed areas for improvement on the basis of the results obtained;

• Reviewed the Audit Panel Charter and recommended changes to the Charter to Council for

adoption. The Panel also discussed how the Panel could meet the requirements of the Charter;

• As required by the charter, developed and implemented a comprehensive workplan for 2018/2019;

• Reviewed expenditure on the credit card held by Council’s General Manager and examined

expense claims submitted by the Mayor;

• Received briefings by Council management on key issues raised by Council;

• Attended training sessions provide by LGAT and the TAO.

Future Directions

The Audit Panel Charter requires that the Panel provide assurance and advice in a range of areas including

risk management framework and practices, internal controls, legislative compliance, long term planning,

fraud control and corruption prevention. As indicated previously, this can be difficult without an internal

audit/review function and the lack of some relevant policies and plans.

In addition, the Panel has noted previous delays in addressing recommendations from external audits

including recommendations in relation to asset management, Council’s waste management facility and

staff leave.

32


These issues have been discussed with Council management and progress in being made to address both

outstanding audit recommendations and necessary plans and policies. On the positive side, 2018/2019 has

seen the appointment of additional senior staff; the completion and adoption of a new and well developed

Strategic Plan; the adoption of a new enterprise agreement, which will assist in addressing excessive staff

leave balances; the development of a number of policies that will improve governance; the commencement

of action on strategic risk and the work on documenting necessary software and hardware improvements

in the ICT area.

During 2019/2020 the Audit Panel will;

• Review the 2018/2019 financial report and meet with TAO staff to discuss the 2018/2019 audit and

any issues that arose and recommendations made;

• Oversee the 2019/2020 External Audit planning process;

• Continue to monitor outstanding audit recommendations as well as any outstanding

recommendations from the Division of Local Government report;

• Monitor progress with the development of a risk management framework following the work that

has commenced in 2018/2019;

• Discuss with Council staff the development of a long term financial plan and its integration with

Council’s asset management plans;

• Discuss and agree how the Panel can gain the necessary assurance in relation to internal controls;

• Review and provide comment on relevant new or amended Council policies;

• Work with council staff to develop an agreed legislative compliance process.

The Audit Panel would like to thank Council management and staff for their support, advice and assistance.

33


PART II

REPORTING

PERFORMANCE

34


Our Valley 2030 Strategic Plan

Strategic Action 1 – A regionally diverse, competitive and innovative Valley that is

attractive to all.

Educational support for our local workforce needs

Action Results

1.1 Facilitate partnerships and discussions to

identify education and training

opportunities required to meet the valley's

future economic needs.

Council is a member of the Journey to Jobs Local Action

Group. A project which is jointly funded through the

State Government in partnership with TasCOSS.

1.2 Advocate for affordable education or

learning facilities to be based in the Valley.

Advocacy for affordable education or learning facilities

based in the Derwent Valley is an ongoing process with

stakeholders.

1.3 Facilitate business development

workshops for our small businesses.

Through Business Tasmania council continues to work to

promote our small businesses.

1.4 Facilitate development sessions suitable

for the Valley's tourism professionals.

At present, funding has not been allocated for this

action item.

Turning Willow Court into something even more special

Action Results

1.5 Facilitate a viable adaptive reuse for

Willow Court.

The process of leasing some of the buildings in Willow

Court to the New Norfolk Distillery has been the

culmination of much hard work by both the Council and

proponents. Although at times controversial, as the

proposal utilises some of the area’s most prominent

publicly owned heritage buildings, the development has

been approved. This will allow for the establishment of

Tasmania’s first bespoke rum distillery in over 150 years,

complementing the Agrarian Kitchen which is already

established on the site. These two high quality businesses

will set the standard for the future development of the

site.

The establishment of the distillery is the first stage of a

multi stage development for that part of the site, which is

planned to ultimately lead to increased visitation to the

area and a better visitor experience. This includes

potential use by a number of arts groups.

35


Action Results

1.6 Develop and implement a masterplan for

the Willow Court precinct.

At present, no funding has been allocated to develop and

implement a masterplan.

Allowing Social Enterprises, Artist and Performers to contribute to the valley

Action Results

1.7 Facilitate the instigation of a social

enterprise forum for local businesses.

The timeline for completion of this action is 2023, subject

to budget allocations.

1.8 Investigate opportunities to provide

spaces for artists, performers and social

enterprises.

Council is working to progress a proposal from the

Salamanca Arts Centre to lease part of Willow Court.

Making the valley an inviting place to visit

Action Results

1.9 Develop and implement a masterplan for

High Street's future (including improved

lighting).

The development of a masterplan for High Street is

underway.

1.10 Enhance the physical appearance of

the gateways to our Valley.

This action will be driven by Council’s branding

strategy. The timeline for completion of this action is

2020, subject to budget allocations.

1.11 Improve directional signage to the

New Norfolk Town Centre.




1.12 Improve tourism signage within each

town, highlighting the popular destinations

(food, wine, heritage, environment).




1.13 Enhance visitor services to become a

key asset in the Derwent Valley that

provides quality information on passive

(including self-guided) and active touring

activities and our food, heritage and

environment assets.

The timeline for completion of this action is 2022,

subject to budget allocations.

36


Action Results

1.14 Advocate for increased private

transport options to major tourism

attractions during peak tourism season.

Advocacy for improved private transport options is an

ongoing process.

1.15 Improve signage and access to

Peppermint Hill and Pulpit Rock lookouts.




1.16 Investigate demand for food caravans

at key Valley destinations during peak

seasons.



1.17 Support the implementation of the

Western Wilds Tourism Journey.

The Western Wilds project, funded by the State

Government has continued to develop this year,

helping to promote the Derwent Valley as part of a

journey of discovery for visitors to move through

towards the west of the State. Although there is no

budget allocation for this project, a Council Officer is a

member of the Western Wilds Working group set up by

the Department of State Growth.

1.18 Develop and implement a master plan

to improve access to the Derwent and

Tyenna Rivers (at The Esplanade and

Westerway, for example) for recreation

and tourism.



Strategic Action 2 – A well-planned and supported infrastructure to meet the growing

demands of the region.

Improving the quality of our telecommunications

Action Results

2.1 Advocate on behalf of the community for

access to new and existing phone and internet

technologies for the entire Valley.

NBN Co. information and drop-in sessions were

held within the Derwent Valley to assist residents

learn more about the nbn access network.

2.2 Promote community response to Federal

Black Spot Eradication Programs as they

become available.

The last Black Spot program was promoted through

Council. Council’s Communication Strategy action

1.6 provides a mechanism to promote and provide

updates via Councils Facebook page.

37


Improving our infrastructure

Action Results

2.3 Advocate for sealed road access to connect

us to the Huon Valley

The project will be managed jointly by the Huon

Valley and Derwent Valley Councils in consultation

with other road owners.

The initial project has two stages which involve

upgrading the road to allow improved access as a

fire trail and for qualified technical experts to

complete a feasibility study.

Initial consultation has been undertaken with

elected members of State and Federal

Governments, Wellington Park Trust, Norske Skog,

Parks and Wildlife, Derwent Valley Council. Further

consultation will be taking place with the private

land owners.

The Expression of Interest for the feasibility study

has commenced.

2.4 Advocate for improved tourist road quality,

especially sealed all-year roads, e.g. Lake

Dobson Road

Advocacy for this is an ongoing process reliant upon

stakeholder input.

2.5 Promote community understanding of

infrastructure needs and priorities

Council continues to progress works on its Asset

Management Plan.

Improving access to public toilets

Action Results

2.6 Install public toilets in the Upper Derwent

Valley.

Council has been successful in a grant through the

Building Better Regions fund and is working with the

Westerway Hall committee to install toilets and other

improvements to the hall. This project will be

completed as part of the 2019/2020 Capital Works

program.

38


Strategic Action 3 – We preserve, protect and promote our lived, built and natural

environment for the next generation.

Promoting and preserving our lived, built and natural environment

Action Results

3.1 Promote community understanding of the

benefits of environmental activities.

Landholder visits and support for flood recovery

along the Lachlan River and Glen Dhu Rivulet –

landholder information and education package.

3.2 Develop a sustainable land use strategy that

facilitates considered growth and tourism

while preserving and protecting our natural

and built environment and strategic farming

land.

Received funding to develop a Strategic plan for the

sustainable growth of tourism and agriculture in the

Derwent Valley by June 2020.

Reducing our rubbish going to the tip

Action Results

3.3 Develop and manage a Waste Management

Strategy that considers increased recycling

and reuse opportunities, the reduction of

single use plastics and an improved tip shop.

An Expression of Interest to develop the Waste

Management Strategy will be released in late 2019.



Continuing the management of weeds, willow and biosecurity

Action Results

3.4 Build on the outcomes achieved from the

Willow Warriors Willow Control Program.

Undertaken a Willow Warriors working bee and

received $60,000 of funding to develop a plan for

willow eradication from the Tyenna over a 10-year

timeframe and undertake primary willow control of

priority infestation in the upper reaches.

3.5 Continue the efforts of the Weed

Management Plans to eradicate priority

weeds through best practice weed

management.

Planned works undertaken and completed with

additional resources allocated by State Growth to

the Lyell Highway. Applications to the weed action

fund to support activities in the Derwent.

3.6 Encourage Biosecurity Tasmania to

implement strategies as required, ensuring

our agricultural sector is protected.

Initial discussions with stakeholders and Bio Security

Tasmania have been fruitful. It is anticipated that a

forum/workshop will be undertaken in early 2020

subject to participant availability.



39


Improving water quality within our rivers

Action Results

3.7 Support and encourage sustainable

agricultural programs.

Implementing Dairy Cares for the Derwent, regular

farmer information sessions, pasture hub and

information services; shelter belts and planting

support, farm planning and targeted grant

applications.

Expanding our native vegetation and animal habitat

Action Results

3.8 Collaborate to connect remnant vegetation

patches to create green corridors.



Strategic Action 4 – Services are integrated to maximise opportunities and participation

Helping the Disadvantaged and Marginalised

Action Results

4.1 Facilitate and coordinate efforts to assist

disadvantaged and marginalised members

of our community

Council Officers are members a number of

networking groups and are assisting in creating a

collaborative cross-agency approach too many

projects.



4.2 Promote awareness within the community

of external funding opportunities for home

energy efficiency schemes

This action is subject to the availability of schemes.

4.3 Facilitate the holding of financial literacy

workshops through the valley and increase

coordination of provision of literacy and

numeracy services



40


Providing the Best Medical, Health and State Government Services Possible

Action Results

4.4 Facilitate increased coordination of effort to

provide collaborative and improved health

services, allied health services, mental

health services, aged and palliative care

services



4.5 Advocate for health, allied health, mental

health, aged and palliative care services

required and access to 24/7 services

4.6 Advocate for a one-stop shop for State

government services

Service Tasmania has been retained in the Derwent

Valley. Further activities will be undertaken over the

life of the plan.



Providing the Best Sports, Recreation, Arts and Cultural Services Possible

Action Results

4.7 Facilitate the establishment of a Derwent

Valley arts and culture body to more

effectively coordinate offerings

Council Officers are commencing work to hold initial

discussions with stakeholders. This will be an

ongoing process to some extent dependent upon

action 8.6.


Valley sports and recreation body




action 8.6.

Empowering Our Younger People to be All They Wish to Be

Action Results


Valley youth and family services body




action 8.6.

4.10 Increase connections between schools

and local services/businesses to support the

Children's University project



41


Improving Management of the Valley’s Built and Community Heritage

Action Results

4.11 Facilitate the establishment of a

Derwent Valley heritage body




action 8.6.

4.12 Explore the feasibility of locating the

Historical Information Centre with the

Visitor Information Centre

The timeline for completion of this action in 2024,


Growing Our Volunteer Pool

Action Results

4.13 Facilitate events, activities and forums

requiring collaboration between older and

younger generations to connect and work

together



4.14 Explore the expansion of a community

learn to drive program utilising community

mentors



4.15 Partner with schools to mentor and

build resilience within our younger people



Strategic Action 5 – The Valley has a range of activities to improve physical or mental

wellbeing

Increasing the Number of Tracks and Trails Available

Action Results

5.1 Investigate feasibility of a walking/cycling

path between the school and shop at Bushy

Park



5.2 Investigate the feasibility of walking tracks

that allow dogs, e.g. The Esplanade, Tynwald

Park, New Norfolk Bicentennial Track, The

Wetlands, around Molesworth and along

the Tyenna at Westerway

Preliminary work commenced on clearing a Council

owned section of Tyenna bank. This work is being

undertaken by a group of volunteers.



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Action Results

5.3 Based on an outcome of engineering

assessment, create a future strategy for the

use of the Derwent Valley Line corridor

Engineering report presented to Council June 2019.

Council endorsed a proposal to consider in-kind

support to Derwent Valley Railway.

5.4 Investigate feasibility of a walking/cycling

path between Lachlan and New Norfolk



Keeping People of all ages Stimulated throughout the year

Action Results

5.5 Collaborate with relevant organisations to

establish a range of activities or events for

all of the community to participate in

throughout the year

Council Officers continue to work with stakeholders

to facilitate events where possible. The timeline for

completion of this action is 2026, subject to budget

allocations.

5.6 Investigate feasibility of establishing

community gardens throughout the valley



5.7 Develop secure playground areas in each

town



5.8 Support the community to identify ways to

increase the use of community halls and

activities for all

Council has been successful in a grant through the

Building Better Regions fund and is working with the

Westerway Hall committee to install toilets and

other improvements to the hall.

Additionally, Council provides support to

community halls by assisting with the costs

associated with annual insurance.

5.9 Sporting infrastructure encourages

community wellbeing and participation

Council has been successful in obtaining grant

funding to assist with the improvement of facilities

at Boyer Oval, Tynwald Park and PCYC.



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Strategic Action 6 – The Valley has highly liveable and engaged communities, supported

by access to its needs.

Increasing Our Community Assets

Action Results

6.1 Investigate the development of year round,

multi-purpose sporting facility



6.2 Explore feasibility of developing a centre for

arts and performances



6.3 Investigate the establishment of a suitable

community meeting space at Maydena



6.4 Install a community noticeboard in

Molesworth.

A community notice board has been installed at the

Molesworth Community Hall.

6.5 Facilitate the development of an action plan

for Maydena



Enhancing Access for People

Action Results

6.6 Develop and implement a targeted

approach to the creation of footpaths in the

Derwent Valley

Council continues to work to develop its Asset

Management system with the identification of

existing and potential assets.

6.7 Facilitate conversations with the community

to establish the case for increased public

transport and advocate for increased

funding for public transport to employment

and educational opportunities and

community services and events

In recognition of lobbying by Derwent Valley Council

stakeholders, Department of State Growth has

increased and rescheduled some bus services.

Community Transport Services Tasmania introduction

of community connect services to help with

employment.

Improving the Appearance of Our Communities

Action Results

6.8 Develop and publish a program to regularly

mow our roadside verges

A program of when Council will mow the roadside

verges has been published on the Councils website.

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Action Results

6.9 Educate the community about roadside

littering

This action item is ongoing.

Improving Housing Opportunities for Diverse Needs

Action Results

6.10 Facilitate partnerships with private and

NGO housing providers to understand

housing and rental needs of our community



6.11 Develop and implement a sustainable

housing strategy which considers housing

and rental options (including cooperative

housing)



Supporting Opportunities for Businesses in Our Smaller Towns

Action Results

6.12 Assist the community to investigate the

viability of re-opening of the shops at

Molesworth and Lachlan

This action is ongoing and will require significant

stakeholder consultation.

Changing Perspectives of Community Safety

Action Results

6.13 Collaboratively communicate accurate

crime statistics to inform and engage the

community

Article in December 2018 newsletter and discussions

currently underway with New Norfolk

Neighbourhood Watch to publish news item,

Facebook posts and possibly Gazette article giving

context to the stats reporting

6.14 Ensure that master plans for public

areas contribute to the community feeling

of safety



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Strategic Action 7 – The Derwent Valley brand shapes our story and reputation

Educational Support for Our Local Workforce Needs

Action Results

7.1 Facilitate the development of a Derwent

Valley brand strategy reflecting who we are

(green, organic and our heritage)

Consultations have commenced with expectation that

work will be completed in 2020.

7.2 Implement the Derwent Valley brand

strategy

Implementation of the branding strategy is set to

commence in 2020.

7.3 Work in partnership with artists, social

enterprises and others to innovatively

explore our story to establish events and

media coverage that celebrate us and our

diversity



7.4 Champion stories that celebrate our young

people's achievements

Through Councils Australia Day Awards, school prizes

and donations program, the Council is able to

recognise our young people achievements.

Increasing Pride in What the Community Offers

Action Results

7.5 Champion stories of the community's

talents and how they are being used to

promote pride in the valley



7.6 Facilitate tourism events in High Street, The

Esplanade and Willow Court that showcase

local produce, fashion, arts, musicians,

photography, patchwork quilts, artisan

furniture and social enterprises



7.7 Host a forum to explore how the talents

within our community can be used to

contribute to the economy or community,

e.g. amateur beekeepers who would love to

share their skills or produce with the

community



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Increasing the Value We Place on Education

Action Results

7.8 Pilot events and festivals that celebrate

learning and education such as writers'

festivals, school students' achievements



Strategic Action 8 – The Plan is implemented through effective and transparent

governance and partnerships.

Ensuring Council effectively delivers on Plan and Business as Usual

Action Results

8.1 Integrate monitoring of the plan's progress

into Council's governance processes

Monitoring of Council’s Strategic Plan actions and

results is incorporated into Council’s governance

process with reporting to occur through the Annual

Plan, Annual Report and progress updates as

required.

8.2 Communicate 12-monthly, easy to read

monitoring reports to the community

This report provides Council a mechanism to provide

the community with updates on the strategic

actions. Additionally Councils Communications

Strategy provides opportunities to update the

community.

8.3 Develop a Plan Delivery Communications

Strategy which considers media and face-

face options to communicate how the Plan

is being progressed

The Communications plan was adopted by Council

in December 2018. The implementation is currently

underway.

8.4 Explore the feasibility of establishing

portfolios for councillors

Council’s communication strategy action item 2.1

provides a mechanism for the development of

Councillor profiles.

8.5 Ensure that Council takes a prudent

approach to budget development and

delivery

A review of the Councils Long Term Financial

Management Strategy to align with the Strategic

Plan is to be undertaken.

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Identifying Partnerships to Deliver Parts of the Plan

Action Results

8.6 Review the structure and effectiveness of

Council’s Special Committees in

consideration of the Plan’s future delivery

A review of the structure and scope of Councils

Special Committees will be undertaken.

8.7 Facilitate the development of a committee,

with State involvement, to take us beyond

2030

8.8 Explore the benefits of diverse citizen juries

when implementing strategies and plans of

a complex nature



8.9 Council will partner with other government

organisations and the community to deliver

benefits to the community

Council partners with a number of organisations on

an ad hoc and ongoing basis to deliver support

programs.

8.10 Continually improve whole-of-

government communications with the

community

8.11 Develop and implement a roads

hierarchy that is communicated to the

public

Communications have focus on increasing visibility

of upcoming capital works in advance. An

Infrastructure and Development Projects Map has

been developed and published on Council’s website

showing projects mapped across the Derwent

Valley. Individual project updates are provided on

Council’s website and Facebook page. In addition,

the use of a roadside Variable Message Board has

increased community visibility to road users on

upcoming works.

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2018/2019 Highlights The 2018/2019 Annual Plan provided an appraisal of the current issues and identified key areas of focus

for the financial year. These areas included monies allocated in the budget to address some long term

projects including:

Community Strategic Plan, Our Valley 2030

Much of the focus of the last year’s work has been around the development and commencing

implementation of the Community Strategic Plan, Our Valley 2030.

The Plan provides direction and guidance to the Council in the allocation of resources and priority actions

for the next 12 years, and will work in conjunction with the Council’s Annual Plan, Long-Term Financial Plan,

Asset Management Plan and a range of other strategies and programs that are the result of project

implementation and development.

Our Valley 2030 includes a number of actions across eight (8) strategy streams that reflect the values of

Natural, Inviting and Local.

The development of Our Valley 2030 took many months of solid work, consulting with the community and

then working with the consultant to develop the extensive community feedback into a workable document

that will provide a ‘compass’ for the Council until 2030. Individuals and groups across the Valley were

invited to participate in this project, providing a wealth of information to help develop actions and

strategies for the coming years.

The Plan includes timelines for delivery of actions as well as lead organisations and stakeholders who will

be involved in the delivery of actions.

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Extreme Weather Event

The flood event that occurred in May 2018 significantly impacted areas of Molesworth, Lachlan, Sorell

Creek and New Norfolk. This event damaged Councils bridge, road and reserve infrastructure. Council crews

have worked to rectify and reopen footpaths, Tynwald Park, roads and some bridges however there was

some infrastructure that still requires replacement.

This year included a significant Capital Works program for bridges, with six being identified for redecking

and abutment repairs through AusSpan’s inspection reports on Lachlan Road, Glenfern Road, Douglas

Road, Sharpes Road and Moogara Road. A further five timber bridges on Glen Dhu Road and Hansons Road

and the Tynwald Park footbridge required full replacement following the May 2018 storm event.

The most activity undoubtedly this year occurred on Glen Dhu Road where a total of four bridges alone

needed replacement.

Due to a number of contributing factors for such an ambitious program, some delays were encountered

meaning that the last of the bridges, #39 on Glen Dhu will not be fully completed until early in 2019/2020.

All timber bridges lost in the floods are now all upgraded to concrete structures meeting the most up to

date SM1600 standard.

This made the completion of the bridge a very significant and anticipated event. Another long awaited

bridge replacement was the Tynwald Park footbridge which was also completely washed away during the

flood with the new and improved replacement completed in June 2019.

Glen Dhu Road Bridge #31 before and after

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Before and After of Hanson’s Road Bridge

One of the other priorities for Derwent Valley Council following the May 2018 storm event was to prevent

further movement of the Lachlan Road landslip which released mud and large boulders across the road.

After much investigation and discussion the most effective and more importantly cost-efficient solution, it

was decided that a wire netting drapery system was the best option. Rather than capturing material behind

the mesh which has its own maintenance issues, the chosen method funnels any debris down into the

existing table drain. Once works began just after the Easter break, this job moved very swiftly with the

contractor completing the job in three weeks which was well ahead of the expected timeframe. Sections

of the netting were even upgraded and extended by the contractor based on observations they made

during the works at no extra cost to Council and the community.

Before and After View of Lachlan Road Landslip

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Capital Works

Key Achievements

• Third Avenue – 300 l/m pavement renewal and reseal, reconstruction of kerb & channel and

footpaths and upgrades to stormwater infrastructure.

• Sixth Avenue – 350 l/m pavement renewal and reseal, construction of new traffic island and

upgrades to stormwater infrastructure.

• Glenfern Road – 600 l/m reseal at location approximately 300m from Glenora Road intersection.

• Grey Street and section of Blair Street – pavement renewal and reseal, reconstruction of kerb &

channel and footpaths and upgrades to stormwater infrastructure.

• Resurfacing of flood damaged road and car park at Tynwald Park.

• Relocation and construction of new entrance to New Norfolk Caravan Park

• Richmond Street – construction of new footpath, kerb and channel.

• Security improvements to Council Chambers and Depot and installation of network of CCTV

cameras at various Council properties.

• Replacement of bridges #7, #19, #31 and #39 on Glen Dhu Road, #21 on Hanson’s Road and

Tynwald Park footbridge following May 2018 Severe Weather Event.

• Redecking of bridges #10 Lachlan Road, #18 Glenfern Road, #60 Douglas Road and #5 Sharpes Road

• Major rehabilitation of bridges #50 Glenfern Road, Sharpes Road and #65 Moogara Road

• Replacement of gas chlorine facility with granular system at New Norfolk Pool.

• Establishment of new public unisex DDA toilet facility at Council Chambers.

• Construction of ash internment wall at Tyenna Cemetery.

• Installation of retractable bollards on High Street.

• Stormwater upgrades including 75m rock pitch drain and new culvert installation at Oakley Lane

• Wire net drapery system installed at Lachlan Road slip.

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Road Rehabilitation Program

Within New Norfolk, major reconstruction works were undertaken on Third Avenue, Sixth Avenue,

Richmond, Blair and Grey Streets. The scope of these works included pavement renewal and stabilisation,

resealing, reconstruction of kerb, channel and footpaths and upgrade and installation of new stormwater

infrastructure.

Full design and drawings sets were also completed for Britten Street, Malbina Cemetery improvements and

sections of Molesworth and Black Hills Roads ready for future construction works.

In addition to the kerbing and stormwater network, due to the high water table in New Norfolk it has almost

become standard that subsoil drains are installed on all road remediation projects to assist with keeping

pavements dry.

Blair Street Resealing

Resealing works were completed to a 600m section of Glenfern Road and also to sections of the access

road and car park at Tynwald Park damaged during the severe weather event in May 2018.

Esplanade Works

Following on from the success and popularity of the new marina pontoon for both swimmers and rowers,

Council continued to promote the development of the Esplanade precinct. One of the projects included

Third Avenue Before and After

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facilitating relocation of the New Norfolk Rowing Club with the demolition of the existing structure on the

corner of the Esplanade and Ferry Street leading to a New Rowing Club building commencement.

In conjunction with this, Council constructed a new road and footpath entrance to the Caravan Park on the

corner of Page Avenue and Alfred Street. This new location is easier to find for park visitors and separates

vehicle traffic away from people utilising the Esplanade.

New Main Entrance to New Norfolk Caravan Park

A new Caravan Park entrance was constructed during February including additional pavement and

installation of a controlled boom gate being carried out since then. The relocation of the entrance from The

Esplanade to Page Ave enabled the closure of the Esplanade to

vehicles, allowing construction to commence on the New

Norfolk Rowing Club site on the corner of Ferry Street and The

Esplanade.

Further electrical upgrade works on the Esplanade included the

switch to underground power lines. Access and safety

improvements at the New Norfolk Pool Car Park were

undertaken to complete the joint Commmunity Infrustructure

Fund (CIF) and Council reviatlisation project.

Extension of Esplanade walking path to New Norfolk Pool

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Security Improvements

Council implemented a series of measures to increase both the personal safety of staff as well as the

security of its buildings and property located at the Administration Office and Works Depot.

The Administration Office alarm system was upgraded and expanded to cover the three other Council

buildings in Circle Street, new security doors and an electronic access system was also installed. The Works

Depot had a new integrated security system installed. A comprehensive ‘Closed Circuit Television system’

(CCTV) has now also been installed.

Public Toilet Upgrade

A refurbishment of the existing female public toilets located on the exterior of the Council Administration

Building was undertaken which has now converted into a DDA compliant unisex facility including baby

change facilities.

Tyenna Cemetery

A new ash internment wall was also constructed at the Tyenna Cemetery and retractable bollards have

been put in place on High Street to safely close off the road during market days and other events.

New Security Gate at Council Depot

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Corporate & Community Services

Community Development

Council provides financial and in-kind assistance to a variety of organisations including

Group/Event Amount

Derwent Valley Community House $ 1,455.32

New Norfolk High School 'mood piece' event $ 130.12

Your Valley Your Voice $ 648.17

Friends of Willow Court Open Day $ 2,008.96

Light the night $ 369.09

Remembrance Day $ 734.46

Christmas Parade $ 1,386.03

Christmas Carols $ 281.45

Relay for Life $ 1,087.93

Obstasplash $ 1,367.08

Emergency Management due to Extreme Weather event $ 771.43

ANZAC Day $ 1,715.20

Suicide Awareness $ 195.00

Seventh Day Adventists $ 267.65

DV Community Radio $ 563.00

High Street Market $ 18,590.88

Total $ 31,571.77

As part of the community development for 2018/2019 the Council contributed to the below events.

Australia Day $ 7,478.35

Autumn Festival $ 32,455.29

Christmas Parade $ 1,471.68

Seniors Week $ 2,068.50

Contribution to CWA learn to swim program $ 1,000.00

Contribution to insurance for local halls $ 4,807.97

Contribution to prizes at end of year award ceremonies for local schools $ 800.00

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Australia Day

Council celebrated Australia Day at the Esplanade on 26

January 2019 with the very popular inaugural colour run.

Other activities on the day included the Tasmanian Road

Runners 10km and 5km fun run and walk, musical

entertainment, displays, family activities and a sausage sizzle.

This year’s Australia Day Ambassador was Ms Diana Butler.

Whilst working as an Emergency Nurse in Launceston, a

chance conversation with a colleague about extreme poverty in Africa, motivated, Diana Butler to embark

on a journey of intense learning and fulfillment. Diana’s inspiration and foresight led her to form the Care

for Africa Foundation. The not for profit organization addresses issues around poverty, gender inequality,

lack of clean water, health and educational services in northern Tanzania's Tarime district.

Each year the Council seeks nominations for Australia Day Awards. The recipients of 2019 Australia Day

Awards:

Derwent Valley Citizen of the Year: Martyn Evans - Services to the community as citizen and Councillor

Derwent Valley Young Citizen of the Year: Alesha Moles - Derwent Valley Concert Band

Derwent Valley Sports Team of the Year: New Norfolk Cricket Club - The Club offers 3 senior men's teams,

2 junior sides co-ordinate the Milo T20 Blast for the whole Derwent Valley and last year added the first

Derwent Valley Women's Cricket Team.

Derwent Valley Junior Sportsperson of the Year: Lauren Banks - Tasmanian Junior Lawn Bowls Singles

winner

Derwent Valley Community Event of the Year: New Norfolk Christmas Group - For 3 Christmas periods in

a row New Norfolk town centre has been magically transformed by this group of 3 dedicated ladies.

Autumn Festival

At the 2019 Autumn Festival, held on 14 April, there were 123 stalls, with 37 new stalls to the festival. There

were 26 stalls from the Derwent Valley area, with fundraising from Glenora District School Cultural

Exchange Program, St Brigids Primary School Choc-A-Block, and Industrie Performing Arts fundraising to

attend a workshop in Sydney. Broadcast onsite 7HOFM promoted the Autumn Festival.

A great range of multicultural food options,

children’s activities, and all day

entertainment, on top of the great range of

craft and alcohol stalls were available.

Some of the biggest highlights of the day

was the Wood Chopping Competition,

which drew a crowd throughout the day,

and the new installation of the children's

play area towards the Bowls Club. There

was approximately 5,000-8,000 patrons

throughout the day.

Wood Chopping Competition

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Christmas Parade & Rotary Fair

The Rotary Club of the Derwent Valley was again successful

in organising and running the Christmas parade and fair in

Arthur Square. The fair was an initiative of the Rotary Club,

and although run in conjunction with the Parade was a

separate event.

The Christmas Fair and Parade are major annual events

for the Derwent Valley, and the Rotary Club of Derwent

Valley provides significant volunteer time to organise

and deliver the event. The event brings social and

economic benefits to the region, with all proceeds from

the event spent in helping the Derwent Valley

community.

Relay for Life

The Relay For Life is Cancer Council Tasmania’s single largest fundraiser for cancer support and research.

Relay For Life events are held across Australia with all funds staying within Tasmania to support Tasmanian

cancer patients and their families. The 2019 Relay held on the weekend of 23/24 February at Tynwald Park,

New Norfolk was again supported by Council.

Youth Week Tasmania 2019

D’FAT was successful in Youth Week Tasmania 2019 grant funding and held the following Youth Week

Tasmania 2019 (10 until 17 April) activities;

• Market in the Carpark, Twilight Festival (joint Youth Week Tasmania 2019 activity) on 12 April at

the Glenorchy City Council Chambers carpark

• The Event activity at Ellis Dean Reserve on 13 April with Funny Face, Face Painting and Balloons

Hobart, Tas Laser Skirmish, Mission Australia Youth Beat Program, BBQ, coffee van and The

Salvation Army, Derwent Valley Corps jumping castle

• Outdoor movie night at Arthur Square on 13 April with BBQ and the showing of Incredibles 2 film

by Tassie Open Air Cinemas

• Robotics and programming activities at Glenora District School and The Salvation Army, Derwent

Valley Corps on 17 April in-partnership with CU Tasmania

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Governance

This year the Council continued reviewing policies. As part of this process the public are encouraged to

provide feedback by way of a written submission within the 42 day consultation period.

Internal reviews of the way in which Council services are delivered for the community continues to be

undertaken. The intent of the reviews is to identify areas of improvement and to ensure that the services

provided are consistent and transparent. As part of this review a number of policy changes have been

made. These policy changes include; Asset Management Policy, Councillor Code of Conduct, Work Health

and Safety, Use of the Council Seal, Credit Card Usage Policy, Community Grants Policy, Social Media Policy

and Rates and Charges Policy.

The Council is welcoming of community input and encourages the public to contribute through active

involvement in Special Committees of Council and making submissions to the budget process and other

public documents.

A key part of 2018/2019 was the development of a Risk Management Framework with a Strategic and

Operational Risk Register. Additionally work continues on Councils Asset Management Plan with the

collection of data for a revaluation of Councils stormwater assets.

Assets provide important services to the community. These assets, which are used by the community daily,

deteriorate over time and require ongoing maintenance or replacement. A key issue facing Council is the

management of aging assets in need of renewal or replacement.

Improvements to the process of Council information technology network have also been a focus to ensure

ongoing reliability of data. A review into Council’s systems has provided that an under investment in

Information Technology has left the Council in a catch up phase. Scoping of Councils Integrated Business

System and Electronic Records Management System has been undertaken with the timeframe for

commencement of the migration process to occur in 2020.

Site of Reflection at Frascati House

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Waste Management Strategy

Council instigated a Waste Management Taskforce in early 2019, including representatives from the

current waste contractors, special committees of Council, Council officers, and Councillors. The Waste

Management Taskforce was created to address the issues of waste management and look at creating an

overall Derwent Valley Council Waste Management Strategy in accordance with the Our Valley, Our Vision

Derwent Valley Community Strategic Plan 2030.

The outcome of the taskforce was the requirement for further progression of ideas, creation of a roadmap

for council and the community to follow, and greater progression towards reduce, reuse and recycle of

waste. The roadmap could potentially deliver Peppermint Hill waste refuse site a lengthened lifespan,

reducing the increasing impact of waste charges should transfer to a State-wide facility be required.

Regional Development

Many of the activities undertaken through this role are longer term projects, the details of the Journey to

Jobs project have been finalised, and a project manager appointed. The Council, through the regional

development function supports this project as a member of the Local Action Group which manages the

project overall. The aim of this project is to align local positions vacant with long term unemployed people

looking for work and provide them with the support needed to enter the workforce in meaningful roles.

This project is funded through the Tasmanian government for a period of time, with hopes that it will

become self-sustaining in the future. The project aligns with a number of actions in Our Valley 2030.

This role continues to be involved in the disposal of land to the New Norfolk Rowing Club to facilitate their

move from their current location to the Esplanade. This project, once complete, will see the New Norfolk

Rowing Club commence operations from a new club house with improved facilities. The project is funded

by the New Norfolk Rowing Club, Australian and Tasmanian Governments and with significant in-kind and

financial assistance from the Council.

The past year has also seen this role heavily involved in the design and implementation of a 26TEN

community project aimed at lifting the community’s awareness of low literacy and numeracy and

encouraging people to either seek help or offer their assistance as a literacy or numeracy tutor. A number

of events were held across the Derwent Valley, thanks to a successful grant application prepared by the

Regional Development Officer with assistance from the 26TEN Derwent Valley Action Group. As part of

this project the Council provided significant staff time to assist in the design and implementation of the

project.

This function also led the Councils consultation and development of Our Valley 2030.

Communications

Overarching all of the communications activities for Council, sits the Strategic Communications Plan,

endorsed by Council in December 2018. The Communications Plan considers digital media and face-to-face

options to communicate how the Plan is progressing and the actions being taken.

Directed by themes and strategies outlined in Our Valley 2030, the key objectives are:

1. To proactively communicate Council activity with transparency and foresight, in a way that meets

a diverse community’s needs.

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2. To improve Council’s relationship with the community and encourage greater community

engagement

3. To develop and communicate Council’s brand, functions and identity

4. To champion the local community’s stories, achievements and facilitate a sense of pride in

community

5. To promote the Derwent Valley to visitors and new residents and businesses

6. To deliver improved, effective internal communication between staff.

Council communications have increased, providing a mix of project-based, council and broader community-

based content. Communications support has been provided to a number of community organisations and

Special Committees of Council, including Corumbene Care, Derwent Valley Children’s Centre, D’FAT and

Friends of Willow Court. This consists of the promotion of community events and activities via Council’s

Facebook page, creation of content for newsletters, and news article support for the Derwent Valley

Gazette.

With the increase in Council’s use of Social Media to communicate with the community, House Rules and

an accompanying Social Media Policy was endorsed by the Council for implementation. The House Rules

set guidelines and expectations for use of Council’s Facebook page and cover aspects such as appropriate

behaviour by users, use of the page to promote activities for profit and Council’s rules of engagement.

The use of video has commenced with the establishment of a monthly Mayor’s Message. These videos have

proven popular with the Derwent Valley community and are seen as an easily accessible and easy-to-

understand method of delivering a variety of information. Earlier in the year, Council implemented its new

Community Forums Schedule, discontinuing the 30 minute community forum at the start of Ordinary

Council Meetings in New Norfolk. The new schedule includes Council Listening Posts, General Manager

face-to-face sessions and Regional Community Forums. The schedule increases the community’s access to

Council from 6 to 25 hours, spread across different times and days to better suit the community’s needs.

Content and outcomes of discussions from Listening Posts and GM sessions have the ability to be published

without identifying features, for transparency and communications purposes. Content can also be

developed into possible FAQs to be published on DVC website. The effectiveness of this schedule continues

to be assessed and adjusted to suit the needs of the community.

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Valley Children’s Centre

2019 saw the start of the WT3 pilot program. This is a

government initiative recognising the importance of early

play-based learning for improved lifelong outcomes for

children and focuses on removing barriers to participating in

quality early learning for Tasmanian three-year-old children

and the wrap around supports services to support each child

and their family. The WT3 is piloted with 11 service partners

and families who are involved in a facilitated co-design

process with the aim to test a range of conditions. Findings

will support the design of the broader roll-out of the 2020

initiative. The uniqueness for the WT3 pilot in Derwent Valley is where the Valley Children’s Centre and

Ptunarra (Child and Family Service) work together to support the families and children engaged within the

pilot programme collaboratively.

The WT3 children joined the Willow Room (School Readiness and School Age Program). As time moved on

and utilisation of the Willow room grew, there became a need to critically reflect on the age group, size of

equipment and suitability of the room and facilities for the age of the children engaging in the Willow

program. As a result and through collaboration with educators, management, the education department

and other external early childhood professionals it was identified that changes were required. Discussions

took place and with a variety of options discussed a collaborative decision was made to adjust the ages

within the programmes and to switch two rooms to improve the quality of the education and care being

offered across the service.

The service continues to work toward goals set within

the QIP (Quality Improvement Plan). New shade sails

were purchased to ensure the service was meeting

regulation 114. Sustainable resources were made from

pallets designed to promote learning in spaces that are

designed for imagination, creativity and provision of

quiet spaces. The physical environment continues as

part of the QIP with a future focus on how to set up

environments for improved learning outcomes and

upgrading the outdoor environments to improve

engagement in creative, imaginative play, to foster

physical development, support children’s learning about

our first peoples through authentic learning

opportunities and to improve children’s learning about our environmental responsibilities.

Children continue to have opportunities to venture into the local community and on planned excursions to

places in the wider community. There have been a number of visitors to the service providing educational

activities for children to engage with. The Early Years Learning Framework and My Time Our Place are the

curriculum documents that guide educators to make informed decisions to promote the children’s cycle of

learning, ensuring a play based programme that reflects children’s interests and promotes curiosity,

creativity, discovery and investigation through spontaneous and intentional teaching opportunities.

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Infrastructure Services

This Department manages a vast range of assets including Parks and Reserves, Swimming Pools, Roads and

Footpaths, Stormwater, Bridges, Plant, Buildings and Property, Cemeteries and a Landfill. Operational

activities incorporate the external workforce and extend from maintenance of the above assets to

operation of the Landfill and a Quarry.

Improvements to Council’s information technology network have also been a focus to ensure ongoing

reliability of data. A review into Council’s systems has provided that an under investment in Information

Technology has left the Council in a catch up phase in key areas such as records management.

Derwent Valley Dog Exercise Area

After consultation with stakeholders and the general public, a location at Humphrey Street Reserve was

approved to install a fenced area including necessary core infrastructure elements; ‘air lock’ access gates,

service gates, pathways leading to the site, and landscaping. The available budget permitted a small area

to be fenced and opened, with the ability for future expansion, subject to additional funding.

Council's Road Network

Council's Road Network is managed on a routine maintenance program which includes: major patching and

potholing; drainage; gravel grading/re-sheeting and shouldering; slashing of the road verges; and

replacement of signage and guideposts.

Staff carrying out grading operations

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Stormwater Management

Stormwater management is an ongoing challenge for the Derwent Valley Council works team. In addition

to ongoing drain clearing and maintenance some major projects have been undertaken on Glen Dhu and

Back River Roads including widening table drains and installing new culverts.

Maydena Community playground

Installation of new playground equipment at Maydena Community Children’s Park commenced around

Easter. The Maydena Community Association assisted council to remove the old, non-compliant equipment

and chose the type of equipment for the playground.

Molesworth and Lachlan Community Notice Boards

Council was successful in obtaining a Flood Recovery Grant, enabling Council to purchase and install two

new Community Notice Boards to be located at Gleeson Park, Lachlan and outside the Molesworth

Community Hall.

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Development and Environmental Services

Much of the work undertaken by this department is governed by the legislative requirements of Council;

this is detailed in this report. This department is divided into several discrete areas, with information on

each contained below.

Building and Plumbing Control

The following 2 graphs illustrate the extent of ‘Notifiable Building Work’ compared to ‘Permit Building

Work’. Notifiable Building Work took effect in January 2017 with the introduction of the Building Act 2016.

The combined value of Building Permit and Notifiable works $14,093,829.

$-

$1,000,000

$2,000,000

$3,000,000

$4,000,000

$5,000,000

$6,000,000

Building Permits

2017/2018 2018/2019

$-

$100,000

$200,000

$300,000

$400,000

$500,000

$600,000

Notifiable Works

2017/18 2018/19

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Planning Control

Planning control provides strategic and statutory planning in accordance with the requirements of various

pieces of State legislation.

Council receives and determines applications for development or land use in accordance with the Derwent

Valley Interim Planning Scheme 2015 (the Scheme) and the Land Use and Planning Approvals Act 1993.

Types of Planning Applications

No Permit Required (NPR):

An NPR use or development means that the use or development applied for complies with the relevant

Acceptable Solutions of the Planning Scheme and does not require a Planning Permit.

There were 22 applications assessed with No Permit Required (NPR).

Permitted (no public notification):

A permitted application means that Council must grant approval if all provisions of the Scheme are

complied with however, may impose conditions on the permit.

Council has 14 days to request additional information that may be required to make a determination and

28 days to determine an application. Any additional information request will stop the assessment

timeframe.

Discretionary (public notification required):

A Discretionary application can either be approved with or without conditions or alternatively refused by

Council. Council has 21 days to request additional information that may be required to make a

determination and 42 days to determine an application. Any additional information request will stop the

assessment timeframe.

A discretionary application requires a 14 day public notification period during which any person may make

a written representation to Council in support or opposition of your proposal.

Of the 189 permit applications submitted to Council, 118 were approved. No applications were refused and

applicants withdrew a total of three (3) applications. At 30 June 2019 there were 71 applications pending

a decision (this number does not include applications not determined from previous years).

There were 17 subdivision applications submitted of which eight (8) were approved.

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Animal Control

Council has legislative requirements under the Dog Control Act 2000 to ensure that all dogs within the

municipality are registered, microchipped and managed in a responsible manner. Council employs a

Municipal Inspector to undertake various roles such as but not limited to: patrols, responding to animal

complaints, dog attacks, collection of stray animals, obtaining microchip numbers, issuing kennel licenses,

attending to calls regarding stray stock on the road, complaints, impounding dogs, and issuing caution

notices and infringements for non-compliance, as well as undertaking education to promote responsible

ownership to the wider community.

Council developed the first stage of the Dog Park and held an official opening to celebrate this achievement

earlier in the year.

The following table summarises of Council’s ongoing Animal Control Program:-

2018/2019 2017/2018

Registered dogs 2,567 2,554

Kennel Licences 66 63

Impounded dogs 76 108

Impounded dogs reclaimed 53 60

Unclaimed dogs transferred to the Tasmanian Dogs Home 23 18

Caution Notices issued 275 189

Infringement notices issued 130 119

Emergency Management

In accordance to the Emergency Management Act 2006 and the Local Government Act 1993, Council has a

responsibility to provide resources and facilities for the management of emergencies in our municipal area.

This includes the provision of facilities and resources for the municipal SES unit as well as the storage and

maintenance of the equipment used by the unit and areas of training in conjunction with the Director State

Emergency Services. Council has a Derwent Valley Emergency Management Plan that adopts an all hazard

approach to emergencies in the Derwent Valley Municipality.

On December 27 2018, a lighting strike started the Gell River Bushfires that lasted for almost 100 days. The

fire burnt through 35,000 hectares of some of the state’s most rugged areas. The Derwent Valley Council,

in conjunction with the New Norfolk Salvation Army were on standby to open an evacuation centre, if

required. The Derwent Valley Council provided support to the firefighting air base at Fenton Forest and

participated in community meetings for the Gell River Bushfires.

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Environmental Planning and Management

New Norfolk Riparian Natural Area Plan

This plan was prepared in 2017 on the request of Derwent Valley Council to provide guidance for

restoration of the natural riparian areas around the

township of New Norfolk. The plan consists of a

guide to target areas for weed control to improve

the amenity of the area for residents and visitors,

and to work in a more planned way to improve the

natural values. The focus of the proposed works is

adjacent to the walking track network along both

the Lachlan and Derwent Rivers.

Revegetation along the banks of the Lachlan River

in Tynwald Park has been undertaken to help

improve bank stability and resilience in future flood

events.

Derwent Valley Weed Management Program

The Derwent Catchment Project has been implemented the Derwent Valley Municipality Roadside Weed

Management Plan prepared for Council four years ago. This is the third year of implementation. This

structured approach to weed management along with highly accurate data recording (see Figure below) is

allowing us to see a marked and measurable reduction in weed species in all our target areas and bodes

well for the environmental health of the valley.

This year we were very successful in treating priority sites which are outliers highlighted in the Weed

Management Plan for control and all eradication zone areas. We have also been working with the

Department of State Growth in sections of the Lyell highway between Granton and Sorell Creek with a

focus on the Murphys flat conservation area.

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Karamu

A Weed Management Plan has been developed to provide a

strategic and long-term approach to the management of the

declared weed Karamu in the Derwent. Karamu is a priority weed

and the most significant infestation in Tasmania (there is

considerably smaller patches in the Huon and Fern Tree) and

inhabits the inundation zone along the banks of the Derwent

throughout New Norfolk. We are currently undertaking the

second season as part of the 7-year plan. The work is challenging

due to the flow of the river and semi-aquatic nature of the weed.

Also, dense willows and blackberry make it difficult to access the

lower stems of the Karamu for cutting and pasting. We have

completed control works on the esplanade, below the cliffs

between the Esplanade and Tynwald and downstream to

Millbrook Rise. This program is on-going and control is

opportunistic being tailored to times of lower river flow.

Building Better Regions Grant

We have received funding under the Building Better Regions

Grant to develop a strategic plan for growth in the agricultural

and tourism sectors in the Derwent Valley. The Derwent Valley

community have developed a shared vision of sustainable

growth to build jobs and business opportunities while

maintaining the liveability of the remote, clean and green area

in which they live. The Our Valley 2030: Derwent Valley

Community Strategic Plan developed a shared vision for the

future of the Valley in which sustainable development tourism

and agriculture play key roles. The Valley’s tourism and

agricultural sectors have opportunities in common through

cultivating shared markets, though they can also indirectly

threaten one another with concerns identified for biosecurity,

land degradation and river health. Through collaborative

action planning in a series of workshops focused on

opportunities and threats shared by these sectors we will

investigate how to best ensure a well-supported growth

strategy for long term resilience in the Valley’s community,

environment and economy.

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STATUTORY OBLIGATIONS

Public Interest Disclosure Statement

Section 86 of the Public Interest Disclosures Act 2002 requires a public body to report on the following for

the period covered by this Annual Report:-

Reporting Requirement Outcome

How persons may obtain or access copies of the

current procedures established under the Act.

Procedures may be obtained through the

Council website or by request at the Council

office.

Number and types of disclosures made to the

Derwent Valley Council and number of disclosures

determined to be a public interest disclosure.

No disclosure was made and determined to be a

public interest disclosure.

Number of disclosures determined by the Derwent

Valley Council to be public interest disclosures that

the Council investigated.

No public interest disclosure was investigated by

the Council.

Number and type of disclosed matters referred to

the Derwent Valley Council by the Ombudsman.

No public interest disclosure made by a public

officer was referred to the Ombudsman.

Number and types of disclosed matter referred

during the year by the Derwent Valley Council to the

Ombudsman to investigate.

No public interest disclosure made by a public

officer was referred to the Ombudsman

The number and types of disclosed matters taken

over by the Ombudsman from the Derwent Valley

Council during the year.

No public interest disclosures were taken over

by the Ombudsman during the year

The number and types of disclosed matters that the

Derwent Valley Council declined to investigate

during the year.

No public interest disclosures were declined by

the Derwent Valley Council.

The number and type of disclosed matters that

were substantiated upon investigation and action

taken on completion of the investigation.

Not applicable

Any recommendations made by the Ombudsman

that relate to the Derwent Valley Council.

Not applicable.

Right to Information

The Council has a statutory responsibility to provide the public with access to Right to Information

applications and to have a resource available to process those applications. In the 2018/2019 financial year

4 applications were accepted for determination under the Right to Information Act 2009, numerous other

enquiries were resolved without the need for an application. The processing of these applications,

gathering of information to respond to queries and providing a response requires a significant use of

Council resources.

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Complaints

Customer Service Charter

In accordance with Section 339F of the Local Government Act 1993, Council is required to disclose the

number of complaints it received under the provisions of the Customer Service Charter.

In 2018/2019 no complaints were received. Councils Customer Service Charter will be updated in the

2019/2020 financial year.

Integrity Commission

There were three complaints relating to Derwent Valley Council received by the Integrity Commission for

the 2018/2019 Financial Year. Information received from the Integrity Commission notes that these

complaints were dismissed.

Code of Conduct

The Council is required to report the number of code of conduct complaints that were upheld either wholly

or in part, by the Code of Conduct Panel during the preceding financial year and the total costs met by the

council during the preceding financial year in respect to all code of conduct complaints.

In accordance with Section 72(1)(ba) of the Local Government Act 1993, it is reported that two Code of

Conduct complaints were partly upheld against Councillors of the Derwent Valley Council during the

2018/2019 financial year.

In accordance with Section 72(1)(bb) of the Local Government Act 1993, it is reported that the total cost

met by the Council in respect to the code of conduct complaints was $4,566.48.

Enterprise Powers Statement

This report is made pursuant to Section 72 of the Local Government Act 1993.

Council has not resolved to exercise any powers or undertaken any activities in accordance with Section 21

of the Local Government Act 1993 during the 2018/2019 year.

Donated Land Statement

Derwent Valley Council has not resolved to donate any lands in accordance with Section 177 of the Local

Government Act 1993.

Public Health Statement

From 1 July 2018 until 30 June 2019, the Council’s Environmental Health Department contracted an

Environmental Health Officer for four (4) days a week. Council fulfilled all its obligations under the

Environmental Management and Pollution Control Act 1994, Food Act 2003, Public Health Act 1997 and the

Local Government Act 1993.

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One of the roles of the Environmental Health Department and an objective of Council is to protect public

health and safety and to ensure food prepared and sold within the municipal area is safe for human

consumption and complies with relevant legislation, in particular the Australian New Zealand Food

Standards Code. This objective is achieved through educational programs and regular food inspections of

food premises. There were 115 food premises and 31 mobile state-wide annual food licences registered in

the municipal area during 2018/2019 financial year.

Approximately 121 food inspections and 24 mobile state-wide annual food inspections were conducted.

Council’s Environmental Health Officer attended and regulated large public events including the Autumn

Festival, Bushy Park Show, Granton Boats Racing, and Hobart Speedway.

Council has an obligation to provide food education/awareness training to members of the community,

who work with food in various capacities. The goal of food education/awareness training is to ensure

persons undertaking or supervising food handling operations have the appropriate skills and knowledge in

food safety and food hygiene matters, so as to protect public health and safety.

In accordance with the Building Act 2016, the Environmental Health Department is also responsible for

assessing on-site wastewater systems and to issue certificates of likely compliance, for the installation of

any new/amended on-site wastewater systems. A total of 23 Certificate of Likely Compliance Plumbing

Permits were issued during the financial year.

Under the Public Health Act 1997 – Recreational Water Quality Guidelines 2007, Council has a responsibility

to monitor its recreational and public pools. The recreational water sampling site was the Derwent River,

near Fitzgerald Jetty. Monitoring of recreational waters was conducted by the Derwent Valley Council,

principally on a weekly basis, through the months of December 2018 to March 2019. Samples were

analysed for the microbiological indicator of Enterococci bacteria. A total of 16 recreational samples were

taken.

The water quality conditions at Fitzgerald Park Jetty were generally similar to those sampled the previous

year. The quality of the water at the Fitzgerald Park Jetty is rated as ‘Good’ and the five year 95Hazen

percentile Enterococci is 127. Samples between 140 and 280 is one. Samples >280 is one and total number

of samples is 78. The water sample results indicate that the quality of the water at Fitzgerald Park Jetty is

safe for both primary and secondary contact.

There are two public pools owned by the Council in the Derwent Valley municipality. They include:-

• New Norfolk Main Swimming Pool and New Norfolk Baby Swimming Pool, situated at the

Esplanade, New Norfolk; and

• Bushy Park Swimming Pool, situated at 601 Gordon River Road, Glenora.

Pool samples were analysed for Heterotrophic Plate Count 36°cfu/mL; E. Coli cfu/100mL and Pseudomonas

aeruginosacfu/100mL. A total of 13 pool samples were taken. The results of the recreational and pool

samples are included in a report required by the Director of Public Health.

In accordance with the Drinking Water Quality Guidelines under the Public Health Act 1997, Council is

required to keep a register of private water suppliers and water carriers in the municipal area. There are

currently two (2) private water suppliers and one (1) water carter operating in the municipal area. The

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details of the private water suppliers and water carter are compiled in a report as required by the Director

of Public Health.

Public Health Act 1997

The below table provides a summary of the activity undertaken by the Council in relation to the Public

Health Act 1997.

Type Premises

2018/2019

Inspections

2018/2019

Premises

2017/2018

Inspections

2017/2018

Places of Assembly for Specific Events 2 2 2 2

Pool Water Samples 2 13 2 9

Recreational Water Samples 1 13 1 14

Regulated Systems 0 0 0 0

Commercial Water Carters 1 1 1 1

Public Health Risks 0 0 1 1

Unhealthy Housing 0 0 1 1

Notifiable Disease Investigations 3 3 3 3

Private Burial Permits 0 0 0 0

Private Water Suppliers 2 0 2 1

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Food Act 2003

The below table provides a summary of the activity undertaken by the Council in relation to the Food Act

2003.

Type of Premises Premises

2018/2019

Inspections

2018/2019

Premises

2017/2018

Inspections

2017/2018

Registered food businesses 115 121 111 116

Food Notification 5 5 17 4

Registered Mobile state wide (Annual) 31 24 23 23

Registered Mobile (Once off) 12 3 13 5

Seizure of food items 0 0 0 0

Approval of plans for new or alterations to

existing food premises

5 5 5 5

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Independent Auditor’s Report To the Councillors of Derwent Valley Council Report on the Audit of the Financial Report Opinion I have audited the financial report of Derwent Valley Council (Council), which comprises the statement of financial position as at 30 June 2019 and statements of comprehensive income, changes in equity and cash flows for the year then ended, notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies, other explanatory notes and the statement of certification by the General Manager. In my opinion the accompanying financial report:

(a) presents fairly, in all material respects, Council’s financial position as at 30 June 2019 and its financial performance and its cash flows for the year then ended

(b) is in accordance with the Local Government Act 1993 and Australian Accounting Standards. Basis for Opinion I conducted the audit in accordance with Australian Auditing Standards. My responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s Responsibilities for the Audit of the Financial Report section of my report. I am independent of Council in accordance with the ethical requirements of the Accounting Professional and Ethical Standards Board’s APES 110 Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (the Code) that are relevant to my audit of the financial report in Australia. I have also fulfilled my other ethical responsibilities in accordance with the Code. The Audit Act 2008 further promotes the independence of the Auditor-General. The Auditor-General is the auditor of all Tasmanian public sector entities and can only be removed by Parliament. The Auditor-General may conduct an audit in any way considered appropriate and is not subject to direction by any person about the way in which audit powers are to be exercised. The Auditor-General has for the purposes of conducting an audit, access to all documents and property and can report to Parliament matters which in the Auditor-General’s opinion are significant. My audit responsibility does not extend to the budget figures included in the financial report and the asset renewal funding ratio disclosed in note 10.5(f) to the financial report and accordingly, I express no opinion on them. Furthermore, I express no opinion on the General Manager’s determination that Council did not have any Significant Business Activities for inclusion in the financial report as required by Section 84(2)(da) of the Local Government Act 1993.

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I believe that the audit evidence I have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for my opinion. Key Audit Matters Key audit matters are those matters that, in my professional judgement, were of most significance in my audit of the financial report of the current period. These matters were addressed in the context of my audit of the financial report as a whole, and in forming my opinion thereon, and I do not provide a separate opinion on these matters.

Why this matter is considered to be one of the most significant matters in the audit

Audit procedures to address the matter included

Property and Infrastructure Refer to notes 3.4, 6.1 and 9.10

Property and infrastructure at 30 June 2019 includes land, buildings and material long-life infrastructure assets, such as roads, bridges and drainage totalling a fair value of $111.95m. The fair values of land is derived from observable market information with the fair values of buildings and other infrastructure assets are based on current replacement cost.

Council undertakes formal revaluations on a regular basis to ensure valuations represent fair value. The valuations are highly dependent upon a range of assumptions and estimated unit rates. Indexation is applied to fair values between formal valuations where considered necessary.

In 2018-19 Council undertook a full revaluation of bridges and drainage assets. The values for land, buildings and recreation facilities were revalued by applying appropriate indexation.

Council recognised a waste management asset of $5.06m, equal the value of the provision for landfill restoration as at 30 June 2019.

The calculation of depreciation requires estimation of asset useful lives, which involves a high degree of subjectivity. Changes in assumptions and depreciation policies can significantly impact the depreciation charged.

Capital payments in 2018–19 totalled $4.68m on a number of significant programs to upgrade and maintain assets. Capital projects can contain a combination of enhancement and maintenance activity which are not distinct and

Assessing the scope, expertise and independence of experts involved to assist in the valuations.

Evaluating the appropriateness of the valuation methodology applied to determine fair values.

Critically assessing assumptions and other key inputs in the valuation model, including corroboration of assumptions to external data and application of indexation.

Testing, on a sample basis, the mathematical accuracy of the indexation calculations.

Assessing the calculation of the provision for landfill restoration liability to ensure the equivalent asset was appropriately valued.

Evaluating management’s assessment of the useful lives.

Performing substantive analytical procedures on depreciation expenses.

Testing, on a sample basis, significant expenditure on maintenance and capital works to corroborate appropriate treatment.

Testing, on a sample basis, capital work-in-progress to ensure that active projects will result in usable assets and that assets commissioned are transferred in a timely manner.

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Why this matter is considered to be one of the most significant matters in the audit

Audit procedures to address the matter included

therefore the allocation of costs between capital and operating expenditure is inherently judgemental.

Evaluating the adequacy of disclosures made in the financial report, including those regarding key assumptions used.

Responsibilities of the General Manager for the Financial Report The General Manager is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of the financial report in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards and the Local Government Act 1993 and for such internal control as determined necessary to enable the preparation of the financial report that is free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. In preparing the financial report, the General Manager is responsible for assessing Council’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless Council is to be dissolved by an Act of Parliament or the Councillors intend to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so. Auditor’s Responsibilities for the Audit of the Financial Report My objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial report as a whole is free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes my opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with the Australian Auditing Standards will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of this financial report. As part of an audit in accordance with the Australian Auditing Standards, I exercise professional judgement and maintain professional scepticism throughout the audit. I also:

• Identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial report, whether due to fraud or error, design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for my opinion. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control.

• Obtain an understanding of internal control relevant to the audit in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of Council’s internal control.

• Evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates and related disclosures made by the General Manager.

• Conclude on the appropriateness of the General Manager’s use of the going concern basis of accounting and, based on the audit evidence obtained, whether a material uncertainty exists related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the Council’s ability

…4 of 4

to continue as a going concern. If I conclude that a material uncertainty exists, I am required to draw attention in my auditor’s report to the related disclosures in the financial report or, if such disclosures are inadequate, to modify my opinion. My conclusion is based on the audit evidence obtained up to the date of my auditor’s report. However, future events or conditions may cause Council to cease to continue as a going concern.

• Evaluate the overall presentation, structure and content of the financial report, including the disclosures, and whether the financial report represents the underlying transactions and events in a manner that achieves fair presentation.

I communicate with the General Manager regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and timing of the audit and significant audit findings, including any significant deficiencies in internal control that I identify during my audit. From the matters communicated with the General Manager, I determine those matters that were of most significance in the audit of the financial report of the current period and are therefore the key audit matters. I describe these matters in my auditor’s report unless law or regulation precludes public disclosure about the matter or when, in extremely rare circumstances, I determine that a matter should not be communicated in my report because the adverse consequences of doing so would reasonably be expected to outweigh the public interest benefits of such communication.

Stephen Morrison Assistant Auditor-General Financial Audit Services Delegate of the Auditor-General Tasmanian Audit Office

14 November 2019 Hobart

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