All Ages All Abilities report available for public comment

After consulting with over 1400 people the City of Greater Bendigo has released a draft All Ages All Abilities Issues and Opportunities Report to seek feedback from the community.

City of Greater Bendigo Mayor Cr Margaret O’Rourke said the aim of the All Ages All Abilities Issues and Opportunities Report is to gain an understanding about what matters most to the community when it comes to health and wellbeing. 

“The report will also inform an All Ages All Abilities Action Plan for the next two years which will replace the City’s previous Positive Ageing, Municipal Early Years, Community Access and Inclusion and Youth Strategies,” Cr O’Rourke said.

“The combined All Ages All Abilities Action Plan will take a whole of community approach to activating the priorities identified in the Greater Bendigo Health and Wellbeing Plan (2017 – 2021).

“It will also help guide the City’s actions in improving and promoting health and wellbeing for all community members to ensure everyone has the opportunity to fully and actively participate in activities and events across Greater Bendigo.

“It has been an important piece of work given we have a growing population forecast for all age groups, and the City’s overall population is expected to exceed 155,000 by 2036.”

The All Ages All Abilities Issues and Opportunities Report was developed with extensive input from community members of all ages.  Over 1,400 members of the community were engaged face-to-face through workshops, meetings, events and schools.  Over 430 people completed an online survey and over 1,000 written feedback cards were completed and displayed at the Bendigo Library.

Through the consultation many people said they love living in Greater Bendigo because of its beautiful parks and green spaces, pools and lakes and its close proximity to natural parks and reserves.  The community also placed strong emphasis on some of the concerns already identified in the Health and Wellbeing Plan such as mental health and homelessness.

The report is available for comment at www.bendigo.vic.gov.au/allagesallabilities  until August 16, 2019.