Annual Report recounts region's success during another challenging year

The region's success in meeting the challenges of another year of significant impacts from natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic is celebrated in Scenic Rim Regional Council's 2021-2022 Annual Report.

Adopted at this week's Ordinary Meeting, the report provides a detailed account of Council's success in providing enhanced levels of service to the community, helping to grow the local economy, maintaining $1 billion in public assets and ensuring financial sustainability for the future.

Cr Michael Enright said he was proud of the Annual Report, which was delivered in the context of significant disruptions to Council's operations due to repeated flood events and the impacts of the pandemic.

“It makes me very proud to read the 2021-2022 Annual Report and see what we have achieved despite the very demanding circumstances,” he said.

"In this challenging environment, we have seen excellent focus from our high-performing team to maintain the delivery of essential services while continuing to build a strong future for the Scenic Rim and deliver the best value for our ratepayers.

“I would like to extend a very sincere vote of thanks to the amazing employees who have delivered these projects and programs throughout the year.

“We, as Elected Representatives of Council, set the strategy and the course, however it is the Executive, Managers, Principal Specialists, Coordinators and all employees that deliver the goods.”

Cr Enright acknowledged the leadership of former CEO Jon Gibbons, as well as the systems and processes that have been put in place thanks to the huge efforts of the General Managers, Managers and all employees of Council.

“We can hold our heads high when we look back at all we achieved working with and for our community,” he said.

The region achieved international recognition in October 2021 with a number eight ranking in global travel authority Lonely Planet's Top 10 'must visit' regions in 2022 - a major coup for the Scenic Rim as it was the only Australian destination to make the list.

This was followed by a gold award in the Destination Marketing category at the Queensland Tourism Awards in November 2021 for the 'Richest Place on Earth, in Australia' promotional campaign.

Mayor Greg Christensen said this recognition, both in Australia and abroad, highlighted the abundance and richness offered by the Scenic Rim as our region was poised to capitalise on the anticipated resurgence of domestic and international tourism.

“Another highlight of the year was the announcement of a partnership between Council and industry to deliver a grant-funded 10-year roadmap and a three-year action plan for the Scenic Rim's agribusiness and agritourism industries,” he said.

"Council also presented the Scenic Rim's first Regional Prosperity Report Card, highlighting the successful delivery of key activities and initiatives of the Scenic Rim Regional Prosperity Strategy 2020-2025, that have assisted the region's recovery.  We also adopted the Scenic Rim Smart Region Strategy 2022-2032 to leverage new technologies to support the region's prosperity."

Mayor Christensen identified that the implementation of a customer survey underscored Council's commitment to the highest standards of service to the community. The survey showed a high level of customer satisfaction for Council's Waste Management Program, with 76 per cent of respondents being either very satisfied or satisfied with their bin services and 62 per cent very satisfied or satisfied with waste and recycling stations.

"Council also adopted the Council's first Community Engagement Strategy and launched the digital community engagement platform, Let's Talk Scenic Rim. Council also released Scenic Rim’s first Biodiversity Strategy Report Card and launched a national award-winning hiking program for women and girls called EmpowHER," Mayor Christensen said.

The development of a region-wide Growth Management Strategy identified future growth opportunities, while maintaining the region's lifestyle and preserving the Scenic Rim's natural assets and prime agricultural land.

Despite the delay to significant portions of Council's capital works program in the wake of flood events, Council allocated $27.1 million to the Scenic Rim's road and bridge network in 2021-2022 as part of its ongoing investment in a well-maintained, safe and interconnected transport network.

Mayor Greg Christensen said he was extremely proud of the work that Council had delivered.

"In spite of the challenges we faced, 2021-2022 was a year of significant achievements that should be celebrated, along with the remarkable resilience of our community,” he said.

"I would like to acknowledge the contribution of the Queensland and Australian Government's funding, without which we would not have been able to deliver many of the significant capital and operational projects for the Scenic Rim community over the last twelve months.

“I would also like to acknowledge the hard work tendered by our Officers across Council to ensure that we continue to deliver a sustainable future for our region."

The full Scenic Rim Regional Council 2021-2022 Annual Report can be viewed online at https://www.scenicrim.qld.gov.au/downloads/file/5615/2021-2022-annual-report