MORE than 200 people descended on Halls Gap for the Rural Councils Victoria Rural Summit last week.
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Rural Councils Victoria chairman and Hindmarsh councillor Rob Gersch hailed the conference a success.
He said it was a chance for councils to think of solutions to common problems.
‘‘There was a lot of emphasis on youth,’’ he said.
‘‘Quite a few of the speakers from the breakout forums talked about retaining youth or encouraging them to come back.
‘‘That is one of the big things councillors are very aware of.
‘‘The majority of rural councils, especially in the north-west of Victoria, are unfortunately losing population.’’
Masterchef winner Emma Dean and host of SBS
program Gourmet Farmer Matthew Evans also addressed the conference.
‘‘The food industry was quite well represented,’’ Cr Gersch said.
‘‘The word entrepreneur came up on many occasions and again it shows we need to encourage entrepreneurs in our rural shires.’’
Cr Gersch said cost shifting from state and federal governments – which placed funding burdens on local government – was also a hot topic among rural councillors.
‘‘If you look at metropolitan councils, they have the capacity to raise funding through other methods. Unfortunately we just don’t have that capacity,’’ he said.
Former Christchurch mayor Sir Bob Parker addressed the conference on Friday about guiding a municipality through a natural disaster.
Regional Development and Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford also spoke on Friday.
‘‘It was a very successful summit, enjoyed by all,’’ Cr Gersch said.
‘‘We look forward to some great ideas coming out of the summit.’’
Cr Gersch congratulated Northern Grampians Shire Council for hosting the summit.
He said the summits were, in part, a way to stimulate the economy of the small towns in which they were staged.
‘‘We had a dinner on Thursday night and there were 200 people there,’’ he said.
‘‘It certainly would stimulate the economy of local businesses and accommodation providers.’’