A list of more than 20 political and infrastructure objectives will form the backbone of Ararat Rural City Council’s advocacy to the federal and state governments ahead of their respective elections this year and next.

The council last month voted to adopt the advocacy priorities, which range from improving mobile and NBN connectivity to road upgrades and new sports facilities.

Council chief executive Tim Harrison said while the lengthy list of priorities were contrary to a previously stated council goal of small, targeted advocacy, he believed each item was important.

“Of course some of these will be issues of political advocacy, others will be around funding for projects,” he said.

“We will now go forward … and adopt that advocacy strategy in further detail and prepare that plan for the council to consider at a future meeting.”

Cr Bob Sanders said he tried to rule out items from the list that could be considered superfluous, but was unable to do so.

“I think every one of those things is very imperative to the future of Ararat and I think we certainly need to advocate as hard as we can for all of them,” he said.

“I encourage the residents of Ararat Rural City to get behind this advocacy program we’re going to be running.

“I urge the community to read the advocacy programs and get behind them with us.”

Cr Bill Waterson said the items listed would be ‘wonderful’ to achieve, but warned securing funding would be difficult.

“Obviously we’ll have to work pretty hard to get most of them, but we’re having a crack and I want people to understand we are doing our best,” he said.

Mayor Jo Armstrong said many of the listed projects and priorities were ready to be enacted pending funding.

“We’ve got some really significant projects here that are just waiting to go – just waiting for the right government setting, just waiting for the right government policies and frameworks,” she said.

“Work has been put into setting achievable targets and a very real vision of aspiration for what our community can achieve with the resources we have.

“Every opportunity we have – whenever we have politicians in our community, whenever we are outside our community and have an opportunity to speak to politicians – we need to do our very best to remind them that it is up to them to … be able to support us to achieve our true potential.”

Political advocacy priorities adopted by the council were: delivering the full extent of the East Grampians Rural Pipeline project; condemning the State Government’s Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund, ESVF; delivering Western Highway upgrades from Buangor to Ararat; creating a north-south heavy vehicle route; improving mobile phone and NBN connectivity in rural areas; giving greater confidence and support to renewable gas; bringing more train services to Ararat; a faster and more streamlined processes for Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements, DRFA; realising the Aradale Development Strategy; creating mountain bike trails in the Ararat hills; and receiving continued support from state and federal governments to deliver more housing.

Major project priorities adopted by the council were: a Buangor-Ben Nevis Road upgrade; Mt William Road stage two upgrades; industrial trunk infrastructure for the Ararat Renewable Energy Park; a new Tatyoon Recreation Reserve pavilion; a new indoor sports complex at the Alexandra Oval precinct; an Ararat Outdoor Pool upgrade; an A and J McDonald Centre redevelopment; developing a Grampians Wine Discovery Centre; kindergarten infrastructure projects; childcare access in rural areas; and funding for local roads.

People can view the full list of advocacy priorities in more detail by viewing the minutes of the council’s March meeting at www.ararat.vic.gov.au/council-
meeting-25-march-2025.

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