VDRC Nauiyu PMB 28 Daly River NT 0822 Ph : 08 8978-2422 Fax: 08 8978-2382 MINUTES MILNGIN/DALY RIVER LOCAL AUTHORITY MEETING Tuesday 15 July 2014 at 4.30pm NAUIYU SERVICE CENTRE, LOT 124 NAUIYU COMMUNITY __________________________________________________________________________________________ 1. Welcome Meeting commenced at 4.34pm Welcomed Mabel Latzer and Trevor Hutchinson as new members of the Local Authority 2. Present Chairperson : Rose Rowlings Members : Robert Lindsay, Ken Baumann, Peter Hollowood, Jacquie Hatt, Rydar Salzgeber, Pat Hollowood, Trevor Hutchinson, Mabel Latzer Councillor : Andy McTaggart Visitors : Michael Tomlinson – VDRC Governance; Shelley Bray – VDRC Aged Care Kathryn Fuller, Teng Yik and Nicki May - PAWA; Observers : Brian Muir, Teresa Latzer, Cheryl Glasgow – Wooliana School, Di Bayne 3. Apologies Mayor Steven Hennessy, CEO Stuart Duncan, Members Miriam-Rose Baumann and Nadine Daly, GEC - Kirk Whelan 4. Disclosure of interest – Members and staff No disclosures were presented 5. Confirmation of Minutes - Milngin/Daly River Local Authority meeting – 13 May 2014 Minutes were distributed and read Moved - Peter Hollowood Seconded - Jacqui Hatt 6. Call for items of General Business on Agenda 6.1 Draft a letter of acceptance and support of the Local Ward Authority to be sent to the Council head office and the Minister for Local Government regarding the Milngin Ward remaining a part of the Victoria Daly Regional Council. There were no objections to this proposal and it was accepted the Chair would write a letter. 6.2 Request the establishment of a sewer dump facility to service the caravans that visit the Daly River tourist precinct. Suggest facility to be located at or near the tourist information bay on the Daly River Road. Item left over from Wooliana Local Board agenda. Facility would add to infrastructure for tourism, health and hygiene to avoid dumping in river and on side of roads. General agreement to ask tourist operators to support the proposal and maybe even contribute. Suggestion to ask council to source grant funding. Need one central place to dump waste in a safe manner. Eviction policy in parks due dumping as it kills the chemicals. Seek letter of support from parks. ADL RVR has one which is an old septic tank modified and gets lots of use, who is responsible for maintaining that one? Could source if any infrastructure in area which could be modified to suit. Dump site would need to consider whose land to use. Mike – Can request Executive Manager of Dept. of Transport and Infrastructure Civil Works to investigate suitable sewerage dump site. If possible to do, it could then go to grants officer. 6.3 Request received for Stop sign in place of Give Way sign on corner Nauiyu/Daly River Road and a painted stop line. Andrew McTaggart has spoken previously to NT govt. dept. and need good reason to change from Give Way to Stop sign. Volume of traffic is not busy enough and need very valid points. Flattened road sign has been reported. Locally we have had reduction of speed in the community. Decision to advise the person no action will be taken at this time as traffic volume does not warrant changes in line with Department guidelines. 6.4 What to do with Harvey Norman gift vouchers left over from the art competition sponsored by VDSC last year. Total $1,500 voucher to be used within approx. next 12 months Pat explained what happened with the first half of the $3,000 last year. No restriction on vouchers other than to use at Harvey Norman before expiry date. Suggestions were - to incorporate with VDRC logo competition, but on a local level - suggest school children to participate - a Milngin logo competition - reward VDRC employees, but it wouldn’t work with this particular framework Andy stated used to have own local logo used in conjunction with VDSC logo. Mike – not sure if we can have own Milngin logo, but he will advise. Option A – participate with current VDRC comp Option B – prizes for Schools adding on to VDRC comp Option C – Milngin logo and copyright Prize = $1,500 Vote - 7 for Option C ** Poster – Rose and Jacqui to work on this. Confirm expiry date of vouchers 6.5 Draft summary of VDRC Regional Plan : Mike - yearly compliance process creating VDRC plan. Discussed contents of plan and tabled document. If things are needed, must go into the plan to enable budgeting. Submissions for draft finish on 25 JULY and once closed feedback then goes to council for discussion and budget allocation. Items required MUST BE IN PLAN. 7.1 Chairperson update including Correspondence Out / In a) VDRC Logo comp – now open closes 21/8. Posters up, further info available at Admin office. b) Letter from NAPCAN – Opportunity to review last cut of film between 25-28 July. Link can be viewed on line via a Drop Box (contact Chair/Admin for the Drop Box email) about films, computer games and on-line items not appropriate for children to view. Film to be presented to NT aboriginal communities around the NT during 2015-16. Seek to trial film in Nauiyu for review with a screening in mid-late September. Len – offer to screen on oval. ** Chair to write and accept offer of screening film at Nauiyu c) NT Govt Gazette of West Daly Regional Council – Andy said the current new boundary is the old aboriginal reserve line. This may be reviewed in 2015. d) Stuart CEO advised Steven Hennessy now Mayor and Veronica Birrell remains Deputy Mayor of VDRC. e) Grants available – on line info as per email f) Jennifer Brook IPSOS – Research project regarding renewable energy. $400 donation from IPSOS to community for past involvement. Chair - confirm how to spend this money and will advise. g) Water Management info about Daly River – was emailed to all. h) H&R Block accountants – in Nauiyu 21 August. i) Australian of Year 2015 awards open – nominations close 1 August – was emailed to all j) VDRC July newsletter now available and will be distributed k) Bess Price – newsletter available No Correspondence OUT 7.2 Councillor update West Daly Regional Council has now de-amalgamated with 4 councillors and one mayor. VDRC now has five councillors now meeting once a month for finance and urgent business then every other month will be the ordinary council meeting. Some meetings will be held in communities. Try and align Council briefing day with Local Authority meetings. 7.4 Council Service Manager update Report attached. Counter disaster plan –latest review still not available. A number of issues still to be raised. Vet – next visit due September, funding is available. Fenced Asbestos disposal plan has progressed and to go before council. Andy - resolution from 2010 that no asbestos to be received in council. The resolution would have to be amended. Len – process in motion and still needs to be looked at again by council. 7. Council financial reports MT – on behalf of CFO report tabled (available at Admin office) a) Quarter YTD and expenditure by program and account category in community. Requirement to table at LA meetings. Any questions email Mike or Ramesh. b) Forecast expenditure in community for whole year (not yet available) ** Andy – request PAWA to speak sooner. Chair has approved. 8. General Business Arising moved forward a) PAWA Prepaid Power Meter Trial at Nauiyu and Wooliana Outstation Kathryn Fuller -PAWA Community Engagement Officer, Nicki May –NT billing manager for retail at PAWA. To ensure the sale of electronic tokens are processed through to power meters. Teng Yik – Senior Project Manager/Technical– ensures that project runs smoothly to find a solution to power meters which are no longer being manufactured. Trial to install new prepaid power system to all residences at Nauiyu and Wooliana Outstation in September 2014. Due to unavailable equipment new system is needed. Main difference is no power card required, will be using Telstra mobile network and vendor for power tokens which will be uploaded during trial to go directly to power meter. New meters can be easily plugged in where old ones were. Screen slightly different, can check credit easily. Antennae is on top of meter box. Wooliana Outstation has no Telstra coverage. Teng says it can work on very low Telstra strength using radio mesh signal. Kathryn – Process will be to buy credit from store and they will upload to meters. Territory Health will participate as well. On-line function is not available for the trial. Rob – Emergency credit available? Kathryn - $8 emergency credit available and will need a push of the button to activate. Trevor – any further training re ESO. Teng - Yes, training will be given to ESO’s. Is easy to change meter if smashed, antennae will need training to change. Andy – what about those who can’t get to shop to purchase? How long is trial and what is the reporting process. Kathryn – Trial Sept – December and will be in community often. Will leave contact details if required. DRAFT booklet available – all members to get copy for review and PAWA is keen for feedback (Draft is not for public at this stage). System is capable of people being able to download by phone in the future, but not in trial stage. Ask – who else should PAWA speak to about the trial. b) SHELLEY BRAY – On behalf of Aged Care request to approach council for financial support. Aged Care has limited funding for services. Important for clients to reconnect with land, culture and younger generation via camping/bush trips perhaps every quarter. Pat – how much would be needed. Perhaps look at community grants to help with funding – VDRC community grant? Pat - Previous Council minutes (15/4 – page 6&7) David Ferguson - $140K Dept Social Services to assist with Aged Care programs. Len – Shelley is passionate about her program, they have torn budget apart to look for funds in an underfunded program. Need to look for new funds. Trevor – perhaps regional equipment supply to be used by all five communities to better utilise resources. Shelley – also want trips to Darwin and other activities. Mike T – suggest Len put together a project brief and budget and put through correct process. Len - Give proposal to Councillor to take to council. Andy – Services not provided due to budget restraints and cut backs. Suggest Shelley consider banding together within other community coordinators and present as one to Local Authority to give to council. Andy will contact other community councillors to see if the can get together to present to next council meeting. Maybe NLC has funds. Rob – to contact NLC to see if funds available to take people back to country. Chair to also write to NLC. Shelley wants conference call with other co-ordinators. 9. Feedback received concerning Regional Office service delivery in community Nothing submitted. Mike – if any LA member receives feedback can bring back to meeting and then take to Council. 9. Action Items from previous Local Board minutes and also this meeting. Rose and Jacqui to work on poster for comp. Chair to write letters as discussed. 11. Council’s response to issues raised – Councillor None 12. Community Reports per earlier CSM report 13. General Business Arising Jacqui – who is supposed to do Counter Disaster Plan, outstanding for twelve months now. Len – Alan Townsend was to do – now redundant, Brendan was to follow up. Andy – asked MLA three times to follow up, MLA has also had no response received. Trevor - Is a failure on NTES’s part to follow through. Len – current plan is not workable due to changes within VDRC and leaves many things in a questionable position. Andy – plan needs to be reworked throughout the NT. Len will email to Michael Freeman for immediate attention. ** Chair - Write a letter to complain about lack of info to Minister Emergency Services and ‘CC’ NTES and MLA. Demand immediate response in view of impending wet season with no current plan in place. 14. Next meeting – proposed date and time Tues 16 Sep @ 1430 15. Meeting closed @ 1820