WHO Global Network of Age-friendly Cities and Communities

Barunga West Council is located on the northern tip of the Yorke Peninsula, with its southern-most boundary some 120 kilometres north of the capital city, Adelaide. The major townships of the Council area are Port Broughton, Bute & Fisherman Bay.

The main industries in the District are agriculture, aged-care, recreational and commercial fishing, and tourism. According to the latest Census data, the District population is 2544. The median age of the population of Barunga West Council is 55, compared to the State average of 40 and national average of 38. People aged 65 years and over make up 32.27% of the population, with 50.5% of the population over 50 years old. The increased average age of the population is always a consideration by Council in its planning for the future.

With one of the Council’s major employers being in the aged-care sector, and recognizing the circumstances of a regional location, the Council is committed to supporting all ages of the community. This is seen as crucial to ensuring the long-term sustainability of the local hospital, medical and school services in the district.

In 2012, the Council completed the construction of 1.5 kilometre shared-access pathway to connect the local retirement village to the Port Broughton town centre. This was to provide safe access for walkers and those using assisted mobility scooters or ‘gophers’ to access to the shops and other commercial facilities.

The Council has committed to work towards a process of continuous improvement in its support of all ages within the community.

We are engaging community groups in an active participation style, acknowledging the communities’ role in proposing and/or shaping planning requirements, program delivery or service options. Participation is achieved through a range of participative engagement processes. Such processes are designed to engage people in an active partnership with Council. With issues ranging from child-care to aged-care, the spectrum of age-related planning is extremely wide.

Community engagement processes will be incorporated into existing planning regimes, such as information and consultation into annual business and budgetary planning processes. This will facilitate the inclusion of identified stakeholder groups and engaged residents and ratepayers. Long-term strategic planning processes will be modified to specifically include consideration of issues from an age-friendly perspective.