Council Meeting wrap - September 2026

Published on 17 September 2026

September 2026 Council meeting.png

The awarding of the tender for road safety and accessibility improvements at Cohuna was the highlight of Gannawarra Shire Council’s September 2026 meeting.

Held on Wednesday, 16 September at The Glasshouse, Kerang, the meeting saw Council award Mawson Constructions Pty Ltd of Kialla the $1.078 million tender for two projects occurring as part of the Safer Local Roads and Streets Program.

Made possible by the Victoria Government, which has provided $210 million across the State to improve the safety of local roads, the tender includes improvements to the intersection of Cohuna Island and Tennis roads, and the installation of a roundabout and speed reduction measures at the intersection of Channel and Market streets.

Meanwhile, residents are encouraged to have their say on the proposed Rural Dwelling Excision for the Farming Zone Policy and Rural Dwelling Excision Assessment Guidelines for the Farming Zone, which will establish a strategic framework for the assessment of applications to excise existing dwellings from land within the Farming Zone. These documents can be viewed online at www.gsc.vic.gov.au/yoursay and at Council’s Customer Service Centres at Cohuna and Kerang, with feedback accepted up to 5pm Wednesday, 7 October.

Mayor Garner Smith announced at the meeting that he will step down as Mayor on 30 September following his nomination as a candidate for the Murray Plains electorate in November's State Election. As another Councillor is currently on leave, Mayor Smith will not seek a leave of absence.

Other outcomes of the meeting included:

  • Approving the “in principle” 2026 Financial Statement and “in principle” 2026 Performance Statement.
  • The adoption of the Private Works policy.
  • Endorsing Council’s Chief Executive Officer to write to the Federal Water Minister requesting that the Commonwealth Sustainable Communities Fund be used to help the communities most affected by water recovery to build a broader, more resilient and less water-dependent economic future, and that Council would welcome the opportunity to work with the Victorian Government and their federal colleagues to refine the Sustainable Communities Fund package and identify a place-based allocation model that reflects historic loss, current dependency and the required investment needed to secure Gannawarra’s prosperity.

Question relating to the spraying of roadside vegetation and airstrips on rural land were also addressed.

For more information, including a link to the video from this meeting and minutes, please visit www.gsc.vic.gov.au/meetings

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