A Program of Sharing - Post Bushfires and In the midst of COVID | VIC
East Gippsland Shire Council and Brimbank City Council
The project – A Program of Sharing – Post Bushfires and in the midst of COVID – demonstrated an innovative approach to meet an identified and urgent need for two Councils; East Gippsland Shire Council and Brimbank City Council.
The project demonstrated creativity and agility through a collaboration in the aftermath of the December 2019/January 2020 bushfires. The two Councils established a formal arrangement for the sharing of resources between two municipalities (which are 380 km or a 4-hour drive apart) by sharing workload, knowledge, processes and systems. The project resulted in significant and positive outcomes with wide ranging benefits.
The East Gippsland local government area was significantly affected by the bushfires and experienced a substantial increase in planning applications. At the same time the Brimbank local government area was significantly affected by the COVID pandemic and experienced a noticeable downturn in planning applications. This meant that East Gippsland needed help, and Brimbank had resources to assist.
With the help of Brimbank planners, East Gippsland issued 97 standard and 17 VicSmart permits during the month of December 2020.
The project is highly transferable to other Councils and has demonstrated excellence in planning practice.