Clean bill of health for Bass Coast Shire despite planning concerns

BASS Coast Shire Council has officially adopted its 2025–2026 Annual Report after receiving formal certification from the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office (VAGO).

The audit verified that the performance statement accurately reflected council's operations for the year ended June 30, 2026, complying fully with all state regulations.

Reflecting on the reporting period, Chief Executive Officer Greg Box highlighted a successful but complex operating environment.

”Chief among the year's triumphs was the official opening of the Wonthaggi to Inverloch Shared Path, celebrated with a 600-person community launch,” according to Mr Box.

"After many years of planning, it was a proud moment to see the trail come to life and to hear such positive feedback from locals and visitors alike," Mr Box said.

"Our greatest ongoing challenge is balancing growing needs of the communities of Bass Coast with increasingly limited resources," Mr Box noted. "Rate capping continues to restrict revenue growth, requiring every dollar to work harder."

Mayor Brett Tessari paid tribute to former Mayor Cr Rochelle Halstead before focusing heavily on council’s face-to-face advocacy campaigns to the state government.

"Bass Coast is growing and with that growth comes significant infrastructure, environmental and community needs that council cannot fund alone," he stated.

Environmental protection remained a core council priority according to the annual report particularly coastal erosion and the preservation of the Western Port Woodlands.

"With only 14 per cent native vegetation remaining, and more than 1,000 critically endangered trees and 153 species at risk, council continues to advocate for long-term protection of this area," the Mayor said.

Cr Bell welcomed the report as a valuable opportunity to step back from day-to-day operations and recognise the organisation's productivity, highlighting major project completions, infrastructure delivery, and strong community advocacy.

"What stands out to me is not what has been achieved, but who has achieved it," Cr Bell said. "I feel like we've got an enormous range of services with a relatively small workforce. It's hard not to be impressed by the breadth of work undertaken by the staff in every corner of this organisation."

However, Cr Bell noted the annual report was also about identifying areas for improvement, specifically pointing to youth services contract KPIs and a decline in planning performance measures.

"On the planning numbers, I remember this time last year we were acknowledging a significant improvement in our planning KPIs. There was a big celebration and success story for Bass Coast Shire Council," Cr Bell said. "So I'm a bit disappointed to see some of those measures move in the opposite direction."

Cr Temby described the 2025/26 annual report as a "credit to the energy and focus of our council staff" and the broader community and called the document an "impressive record of a very busy year."

Addressing the financial landscape, Cr Temby noted that the achievements were reached despite a "very constrained budget" hit by unexpected income and expenses.

Cr O’Brien reflected on the broader challenges facing local governance in a difficult macroeconomic climate, while highlighting key regional infrastructure achievements.

"Council is a really complex business," Cr O'Brien noted. "We know what a really challenging time that business is generally feeling across the Australian economy. Notwithstanding that there are small things here and there where residents or us councillors might be disgruntled.

Cr O'Brien praised the council's resilience, highlighting its ability to secure major government recognition despite operating under "considerable constraints".

"While the role of Council is so much tied up in so many little things, we do really achieve when you look at the annual report and take on some really big tasks," Cr O'Brien said.

The adoption of the annual report followed a brief procedural delay. At its October 21 meeting Mayor Brett Tessari requested a motion to defer the final sign-off allowing council time to receive the necessary independent assurance on its financial and performance statements.