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Council seeks community input into Future Wellington Think Tank

Planning for the next stage of Future Wellington is now underway with the initiation of a community based ‘Think Tank’ about to start.
Issued: 
September 12, 2024

Wellington Shire Council’s initial stage of engagement for Future Wellington has been a resounding success, with Council expressing gratitude to residents for their enthusiastic participation. Councillors thank the community for dedicating their time to thoughtfully consider and share what matters most to them and their communities.

Following stage one, planning for the next stage of Future Wellington is now underway with the initiation of a community based ‘Think Tank’ about to start. With thousands of community responses through the first stage of community engagement, Wellington Shire Council is now ready to move into building a representative community group to help navigate and plan for the future of Wellington.

The Future Wellington Think Tank will be a representative community working group, made up of everyday people who will work together to guide the next Community Vision, Council Plan, and sub-plans.

The Think Tank will comprise 25-30 people with a focus on fairness and transparency. Through the EOI process, we will be sharing the selection criteria and expectations for the Future Wellington Think Tank and community working group.

Our goal is to create a representative group that truly reflects our diverse community—across a range of community perspectives, experiences, and demographic characteristics such as age, gender, ethnicity, town, those who identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, speak a language other than English at home, the LGBTQIA+ community, have a disability, along with household type.

Participants will be actively involved in a series of interactive workshops where they will consider community feedback, learn from experts and each other, share their own ideas and at the end of the process, provide input into the council planning process.

Wellington Shire Council Mayor, Cr Ian Bye is enthusiastic about the Future Wellington Think Tank, sharing “I’m incredibly grateful to our community for taking the time and participating in the survey, roadshow, and pop-up events. We’ve had thousands of responses to this work and now it’s time to get started on the implementation of these important ideas and key priorities to support our future priorities.”

“The community has helped us to understand whether our current focus on Environment, Economy, Liveability, and Services is still on track or if it’s time to adapt to our municipality’s evolving needs.”

Eligibility to be a member of the Future Wellington Think Tank requires applicants to be available for a series of four workshops. Attendance may be in person or online. The full commitment is expected to be approximately 14 hours. Workshops will be conducted throughout February 2025 outside of normal business hours. Support will be available for those who require assistance with the use of technology.

How do I find out more information?

To find out more about Future Wellington, or to register your early interest in joining the Future Wellington Think Tank, visit Your Wellington Your Say.

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