Council services update (21 March)

Published on 21 March 2020

The Ordinary Council Meeting will proceed as planned next Wednesday, however the community is encouraged to watch the livestream rather than attend due to the current coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.

Director Corporate Services, John Hausler, said Local Government Victoria had advised that all Ordinary Council Meetings and Special Council Meetings were required to be open to the public with few exceptions.

“The health and wellbeing of our community is our priority at this time,” Mr Hausler said. “We want everyone to stay safe, so please watch online if you can rather than come down to our Gisborne office next week.”

Council offices were among several facilities closed to the public earlier this week as a preventative measure following the outbreak of coronavirus COVID-19 in Victoria.

Mr Hausler said if residents chose to attend the meeting, appropriate social distancing and hand hygiene practices would be put in place in line with Australian Government recommendations.

“If you do choose to attend the meeting, please note that limited space will be available in the Gisborne Council Chamber to ensure Councillors and officers present can comply with the social distancing requirements currently in place.”

The next Ordinary Council Meeting will be held at 6pm on Wednesday 25 March in the Gisborne Administration Centre at 40 Robertson Street.

Questions for Council can be submitted but will be encouraged to be placed via email rather than in writing. For details, visit Question Time

To view the agenda for the meeting, visit Agendas

Service changes

Access to Hanging Rock will be limited this weekend as necessary due to guidelines around public gatherings.

Once the reserve reaches capacity, the gates will be closed for the remainder of the day.

The Discovery Centre will remain closed this weekend, and visitors are asked to be considerate of fellow visitors and staff by practising good hygiene, maintaining social distance and utilising the wide open spaces.

There have also been changes to the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) service in line as required by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

MCH services will continue to provide services to families, however alternative methods such as telephone calls may be used instead of face-to-face consultations. Appointments with parents of children under eight weeks of age or considered ‘at-risk’ will be prioritised. Group sessions will cease until further notice. Parents will be notified directly on how they may be affected by these service changes.

Stay up to date

For more information, visit Coronavirus, or the Australian Government Department of Health and the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services

You can also contact Council by calling 5422 0333 or by emailing [email protected]