Like most regional communities, Flinders Council has a large area with a dispersed population and a small rate base. Local Government services provided on the two main islands, include some 386 kilometres of sealed and gravel roads. Urban services in Whitemark (population 170) and Lady Barron (population 130) include kerbs and gutters, footpaths, and an untreated water supply. Drinking water comes from household tanks.
There are also four small villages each with less than 50 residents. The remainder of the population is rural residential. Sporting facilities, reserves, cemeteries, five waste disposal sites, a Child Care Centre, the Library and the Airport are all operated by Council.
With its isolation, and most requirements needing to be shipped in each week, a strong community ethos exists, with volunteerism part and parcel of island life. This greatly enhances the range and quality of services Council is able to offer.
At holiday times, the population swells with an increasing number of visitors, as well as the return of many of the 80 non-resident owners of holiday homes and their families.
To ensure it is meeting community expectations, Council’s Strategic Plan 2002-2007 has a goal that states the following.
“Our aim is to provide a caring, safe, productive municipality that enjoys a high standard of living, supporting a larger, viable, permanent population, while retaining the natural charm and beauty of the islands.”
For Council’s part, it pledges to provide affordable and sustainable infrastructure services in accordance with community requirements; and to provide leadership and work with the community to create, develop and implement ideas to achieve the above goal. “One of the key planks of the Strategic Plan is to grow the population to maintain a viable community,” said Mayor Lynn Mason. “This is a problem many communities are grappling with.In dealing with specific issues, if it is going to help the community to stay here then it gets a tick, if not, it is a cross.”
At the same time, due to isolation Council must think carefully about community and cultural events.
“Either Council provides it or it does not happen as there are no other organisations to call on,” Lynn Mason said. “In many ways, total government is reliant on us. We are remarkably self sufficient and want to curtail our reliance on the other spheres of government. However, we must be careful we do not take over unfunded mandates that would further stretch our ability to meet community needs.
“Owning the Airport is certainly a burden but it must be done as it is an essential service and vital for tourism.In an attempt to cut overheads, we pulled back on landscaping and maintenance works at the Airport. However, the community soon let us know that, as the Airport is ‘our gateway’, it was important to continue this work.”
Lynn Mason said that Council’s strategic thinking is based on three critical questions.
- Is it economically feasible?
- Is it acceptable to the community?
- Is it environmentally sustainable?
She said, similar to all communities, there is a range of viewpoints, however, protection of the environment and sustainability are a priority. This is very evident in regard to recreation, ecotourism, Aboriginal heritage and the history of settlement on the islands.
“Council has a strong desire to bring to the attention of the other spheres of government our pride in our heritage and our strong belief in our future,” Councillor Mason said. “We have a role to play in manning the outposts of Australia, and the contribution through our exports to the nation’s GDP more than justifies our ongoing existence.”
