Four motions moved by Horsham Rural City Council were carried at the recent Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) State Council meeting. The motions focused on rural mental health, communications resilience during emergencies, recreational lake water supply reliability and integrated water management funding.
Mayor Brian Klowss said the successful passage of the motions was a positive outcome for Horsham and regional communities.
“These motions address important issues for regional communities and provide a strong platform for ongoing advocacy through the MAV.”
“We welcome the support shown for these proposals and look forward to continuing to work with the MAV and governments on matters that are important to our region.”
Improved access to mental health services is a shared priority of the Wimmera Southern Mallee Council Alliance.
One of the motions called on the Victorian Government to fund a complete rural and regional mental health and wellbeing model, including Rural Mental Health and Wellbeing Locals, satellite services, outreach support, youth services and workforce development initiatives. The motion also sought recognition of the Wimmera Southern Mallee as a priority region for implementation.
Deputy Mayor Rebecca Sluggett advocated for this shared regional priority and spoke during debate on the motion at MAV State Council. The motion received 86.6 per cent support from delegates.
Cr Sluggett said the outcome highlighted the importance of continuing conversations about mental health in regional communities.
“Access to services remains an important issue for regional communities and this motion helps reinforce the need for continued focus on rural and regional mental health.”
A second motion called for improved communications network resilience during emergencies, including advocacy for telecommunications to be declared an essential service and for stronger resilience standards for mobile towers in disaster-prone areas. The motion was carried unanimously.
Two further motions relating to the reliability of water supplies for recreational lakes and increased government funding for integrated water management implementation were also carried, with the integrated water management motion receiving 100 per cent support.
Council will continue to work with local government partners and all levels of government to progress these advocacy priorities and deliver positive outcomes for Horsham and the broader region.
