COUNCIL has signed off on a new Community Disaster Resilience Plan, aiming to lift preparedness and strengthen how the community responds to future emergencies.
The plan, adopted alongside a Year One Action Plan at the council’s 2 December meeting, follows community consultation held in April, May and September and sets out a whole-of-community approach to building resilience.
Mayor Cr Anthony Marsh said the plan recognised the crucial role council played during crises.
“Local government is often the first and most consistent point of contact in times of crisis. This plan reflects our commitment to working alongside our community, preparing for, supporting, and coordinating response efforts, as well as advocating for those most affected,” he said.
The plan outlines how council will help reduce disaster risks by coordinating preparedness efforts, strengthening partnerships, improving communication and education around emergency readiness, and for residents to take an active role in their own resilience.
It brings together community feedback, internal consultation and best-practice actions from across Victoria into a single framework supporting communities before, during and after emergencies.
It will complement the Municipal Emergency Management Plan and be promoted and implemented across the shire.
According to a shire report, “Whilst there are more localised township plans elsewhere in the state, it is believed this is the first Mornington Peninsula Shire-wide, community plan that addresses actions for the community before, during and after an emergency”.
Cr Andrea Allen successfully moved an amended motion so that the objectives of the plan were “adjusted to reflect advice from the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience”.
This included that “the plan aligns with the existing National Disaster Risk Reduction Framework and the emerging national priorities contained in Australia’s National Climate Risk Assessment, which recognises that local councils are on the front line of managing community resilience, climate-related risks and community impacts”.
A report will now be brought back to council by July next year to update the progress of creating emergency relief hubs and/or centres evenly across the Mornington Peninsula, along with a broader review of the plan.
Allen noted the shire had three designated emergency hubs and three relief centres though none were based on the southern peninsula.
“There are some good things in this plan, so we don’t want to hold it up especially as we come towards bushfire season,” she said.
Cr David Gill said there was a concern that the community perceived council as not treating climate risk as a priority.
“We see it as hugely important part of what we do and I don’t think our community is seeing that at the moment,” he said, adding there should be equal weighting to both climate risk and disaster resilience.
First published in the Mornington News – 16 December 2025
