An annual review of the Action Plan will capture progress, monitor achievement and report completed tasks to Council and the Department of Health to meet statutory requirements of the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 and the Local Government Act 2020.
The Greater Shepparton Public Health Strategic Plan and Action Plan have been developed in consultation with the Greater Shepparton Public Health and Wellbeing Advisory Committee (PHWAC). Membership of the PHWAC is representative of local government, local business, health professionals, community organisations and interested community members across all sectors working collaboratively to improve quality of life, liveability and maximise health outcomes in Greater Shepparton, identify health gaps and foresee further needs
See below for some of the current actions and strategies that Council and partner organisations are currently working on to achieve the priorities of the Greater Shepparton Public Health Strategic Plan.
1. Arts and Culture
Greater Shepparton residents can safely identify with their culture and identity.
- Celebrate and ensure that the stories of First Nations people continue to be told and promoted. Completion of actions for Direction 1: Championing First Nations and culture. Creative City Strategy
- Support arts and cultural events for the region in partnership with the Shepparton Festival.
- Develop arts and cultural programs that particularly encourage and engage youth and young adults.
- Ensuring the cultural diversity of Greater Shepparton is celebrated and featured in arts and cultural programming.
- Council will work actively to ensure that gender, age, ethnicity, social disadvantage, disability or geography do not prevent arts practise, participation, or work in creative industries. Completion of actions for Direction 2: Ensuring the arts are for everyone. Creative City Strategy
- Deliver the Shepparton Culture Kitchen Program to increase social connection and community participation of women from diverse cultural backgrounds to creatively respond to the issues of health inequity and build local knowledge around food cultures and healthy eating.
2. Access to Food
Greater Shepparton residents have access to affordable healthy food.
- Support agencies with food relief and response during times of emergency.
- Provide all junior sports participants with discounted vouchers to Council's Leisure Facilities (Aquamoves, Rural Outdoor Pools, KidsTown, Indoor Sports Facilities) as an alternative to unhealthy food vouchers that are typically offered at sporting clubs.
- Increase healthy food and drink options in places where children and young people learn, live and play. By supporting the Vic Kids Eat Well program and the Healthy Kids Advisors Initiative lead by Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation.
- Developing a Healthy Food and Drink policy for all Council owned facilities.
- Decrease the prevalence of food insecurity through the development of Goulburn Region Sustainable Food Systems Strategy.
4. Crime and Safety
Greater Shepparton residents live in a community that is safe and secure.
- Facilitate the Conversations in the Chair project in partnership with Women’s Health Goulburn North East.
- Promotion of road traffic crash prevention and awareness programs through school and community networks E.g. Cool Heads program.
- Decrease the rate of discrimination occurrences on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity by development of the Greater Shepparton LGBTQIA+ Action Plan.
- Support the Department of Health to implement Public Drunkenness Reform trial in Greater Shepparton, by establishment of systems and programs in Greater Shepparton to help people who are drunk get the support they need to stay safe.
5. Health and Social Services
Greater Shepparton residents have good physical health.
- Ensure our Community is well informed on public health advice to reduce the transmission of COVID-19.
- Improve rates of dental health and preventable dental hospitalisations by implementing the Smiles for Miles program.
- Increase proportion of adolescents who practice safe sex by using a condom through provision for sexual health education, awareness and local prevention strategies including installation of 14 condom vending machines in public toilets across Greater Shepparton.
- Increase the proportion of infants exclusively breastfed at 6 months of age by increase awareness and acknowledgment of the importance of breastfeeding through Maternal and Child Health, New Parent Groups and support the GVH Lactation unit. Provision for and promotion of breastfeeding facilities across Greater Shepparton.
- Decrease annual gambling expenditure in Greater Shepparton from $34 million in 2019 and $25 million in 2020 by commence a partnership with the Alliance for Gambling Reform as a Leadership Council.
7. Transport
Greater Shepparton residents have access to safe walking and cycling routes and reliable public transport options.
- Continue lobbying to increase passenger rail services and improve access and functionality of the railway station.
- Review and monitor the Local Area Traffic Management Plan (LATM) for the Greater Shepparton Secondary College.
- Increase in the number of primary school aged students that walk or ride to school. Deliver the ongoing Get Mooving initiatives including; Walk to School and Ride2School.
- Provision of safe and accessible active transport options - Deliver the ongoing Pedestrian Facilities Program, Bicycle Strategy Works, Footpath Missing Link Program, Safer Routes to School Program, and Shared Paths Extension project.
8. Recreation Facilities and Public Open Spaces
Greater Shepparton residents have access to quality public open space.
- Provide inclusive physical activity and active participation opportunity for all ages and abilities by implementing actions of the Aquamoves masterplan, Sports Development Program, Sporting Chance, Get Active Victoria, Heart Foundation Walking Groups and Sports Hall of Fame.
- Encourage sporting groups to improve own facilities and participation levels at all life stages through provision of Our Sporting Future funding program.
- Increase access to drinking water with the installation of 4 new drinking fountains at:
- Northern Park, Boulevard Estate
- Playground on the Hwy, Seven Creeks Estate
- Central Park Recreation Reserve
- Dookie Recreation Reserve.
- Increase in the number of women and girls in Greater Shepparton that can access Greater Shepparton aquatic facilities, by providing women’s only Swimming sessions as part of the ongoing programming of Aquamoves.
- Deliver the Activities in the Park program and provide opportunity for Greater Shepparton residents and visitors to explore our parks, playgrounds, facilities and pools and participate in a number of free and low cost activities encouraging people to engage with their community, be outdoors and be physically active.
9. Education
Greater Shepparton residents participate in learning and education.
- Support local education and support agencies to deliver information events like Careers Day Out.
- Inform local direction in tertiary course development needs to meet local demand.
- Support the Little Learners Program to increase participation in Early Childhood Education by providing bilingual support at the time of registration, enrolment and attendance in three year old kinder.
10. Employment and Income
Greater Shepparton residents participate in and contribute to the economy.
- Decrease Shepparton’s unemployment rate through programs like Pick GV to attract and link prospective employees with local horticulture businesses to address issues of labour shortage.
- Increase the number of young peopled engaged in full time employment through initiatives including Indigenous Traineeship Program and the implementation of the GROW Greater Shepparton (now closed) Regional Action Plan
- Supporting local businesses to respond and recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic through delivery of Stage 3 of the Economic and Social Response Package (now closed).
- Provide the New Business Grant (now closed) scheme aimed at supporting and attracting business to Greater Shepparton.
11. Climate Change, Mitigation, Resilience and Adaptation
Greater Shepparton residents have access to sustainable natural environments.
- Council has committed to continue with our One Tree Per Child program, planting 25, 000 indigenous plants each year.
- Convert Council passenger pool vehicles to electric vehicles.
- Continue to implement Greater Shepparton Urban Forrest Strategy 2017-2037, including increasing tree canopy cover to 30% by 2025.
- Increase awareness and support for vulnerable population groups during extreme heat and heatwaves.
- Increase energy efficiency of Council buildings and use of renewable energy. In 2022 Council will complete Type 2 Energy Audits of Council buildings:
- Tatura Community House
- Ballantyne Centre Tatura
- Toolamba Community Centre
- Murchison Community Centre
- Bangerang Cultural Centre
