2023/2024
2 Prince Street Grafton Phone 02 6643 0200 council@clarence.nsw.gov.au www.clarence.nsw.gov.au
We acknowledge the Bundjalung, Gumbaynggirr and Yaegl people as the Traditional Owners of the land on which we live and work. We honour the First Nations peoples culture and connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.
Welcome to Clarence Valley Council’s 2023/2024 Annual Report.
The Annual Report (Report) is a key point of accountability between a council and the community. The main purpose is to report on the progress of the Delivery Program 20222025 and Operational Plan 2023/2024. It is an important part of Council’s legislated Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework as shown in Figure 1.
Regular updates on Council’s progress in delivering the community’s aspirations through the Delivery Program and Operational Plans are provided through bi-annual progress reports on the Delivery Program and an Annual Report at the end of each financial year. These are available via Council’s website.
Section 428 of the Local Government Act states:
Within 5 months after the end of each year, a council must prepare a report for that year reporting as to its achievements in implementing its delivery program and the effectiveness of the principal activities undertaken in achieving the objectives at which those principal activities are directed.
The Annual Report is divided into four key sections:
• Part 1: Introduction
• Part 2: Our Clarence Valley
• Part 3: Statutory Information Report
• Part 4: Audited Financial Report
Each new term, Council is required to prepare a State of the Valley Report that highlights the achievements of the previous Council against the Community Strategic Plan and the Delivery Program.
This Annual Report should be read in conjunction with the State of the Valley Report 2024 which outlines the principal activities undertaken by Council to meet the goals of the Community Strategic Plan, The Clarence 2032, over the previous council term.
The State of the Valley Report is divided into five key themes:
• Strategic Theme 1: Society
• Strategic Theme 2: Infrastructure
• Strategic Theme 3: Economy
• Strategic Theme 4: Environment
• Strategic Theme 5: Leadership
Together, these reports provide information to our residents and ratepayers, government and nongovernment organisations, our partners and local businesses. It also provides staff with information on how Council has performed over the year and how their efforts are contributing to deliver great outcomes for our communities across the Clarence Valley.
“To make the Clarence Valley a community full of opportunity”
“To plan and deliver services valued by the community”
The Integrated Planning and Reporting (IP&R) Framework guides the way local government plans, documents and reports its future strategies.
The IP&R Framework begins with the community’s aspirations for a period of at least 10 years, considered by each newly elected council and which is underpinned by a suite of integrated plans that set out a vision and objectives and hones down to specific actions to achieve those aspirations. It involves a reporting structure to communicate progress to council and the community as well as a structured timeline for review to ensure the goals and actions are still relevant.
The Community Engagement Strategy is based on social justice principles and details how we engage with our community to prepare the Community Strategic Plan.
‘The Clarence 2032’
The Community Strategic plan is the overarching document for all plans and policies of the Council. It identifies the community’s aspirations and priorities for the future of the local government area. It creates the vision we are working toward.
The Delivery Program is the key directional document for the term of the elected council. It is developed by a newly elected council and adopted before the end of June, in the year following the election. It presents as a statement of commitment to the community by outlining the focus the council intends to contribute toward achieving the long-term aspirational goals of the community as identified in the Community Strategic Plan.
Without sufficient resources - money, people and assets, the objectives of the Operational Plan cannot be achieved. The Resourcing Strategy consists of three components:
A ten-year financial plan often presented as more than one scenario that informs decision making and planning.
A minimum four-year strategy that addresses the human resourcing needs and challenges of the organisation in achieving goals.
A minimum ten-year strategy that is supported by Asset Management Plans that details the management and maintenance strategies for assets within the ownership of Council.
Supporting the Delivery Program is an annual Operational Plan prepared by the General Manager and staff. The Operational Plan defines quite specifically how the commitments of the Delivery Program will be achieved by detailing what the organisation will deliver where, how delivery will be resourced, at what cost and who is accountable for action as well as how performance is measured. The Operational Plan is a document of organisational accountability. The Operational Plan is intrinsically linked to staff performance with outcomes reflected in individual workplans.
The Clarence Valley Council’s Operational Plan is prepared by the organisation’s leadership team in consultation with coordinators of teams and staff who delivery services and activities.
The Operational Plan outlines actions to achieve the strategies in the Delivery Program. It also incorporates the Capital Works Program, Revenue Policy and Budget.
Capital works are projects that upgrade and renew our infrastructure. They include such things as road improvements, resurfacing, intersection upgrades, shared pathways, drainage improvements, new facilities such as community centre, playgrounds, libraries.
As outlined in Section 405 of the Local Government Act 1993, Council presents its Revenue Policy. The Revenue Policy ensures fair and equitable levying of rates and charges in order to provide sufficient funding to carry out services for the benefit of all ratepayers of the Clarence Valley Government Area.
Council generates income to fund services and assets for the Valley through rates on property, developer contributions, interest on investments, government grants, users charges and business activities.
Located in the Northern Rivers region in NSW, the Clarence Valley covers an area of 10,441 square kilometres and has three major centres, Grafton, Maclean and Yamba. NSW
Our Population
Total population in 2023: 55,323
Projected population by 2041: 64,121
Our Area
3 towns
60 villages
2,068 kilometres of roads
8 rivers
36 beaches
100 kilometres of coastline
2,262 square kilometres of National Parks, State Forest & Reserves
26,141 dwellings
Our People
49 median age
71.4% residents aged over 18 and eligible to vote
2.3 people per average household (26,141 dwellings)
Our Economy
$2.89 billion gross regional product in June 2023, growing 4.2% since the previous year
4,282 local businesses
22,899 local jobs
Source: id profile, 2021 Census, NIEIR
No issues have been raised by the Anti-Slavery Commissioner during the 2023/2024 financial year.
Council has utilised contracts prepared by the NSW State Government, Local Government Procurement, and Procurement Australia with advanced modern anti-slavery mechanisms in their tendering and contract management system.
No environmental upgrade agreements were entered into in 2023/2024
The amount of rates and charges written off in the 2023/2024 financial year were as follows:
$1,009,254.30
* Eligible pensioners who have been issued with a pension card by Centrelink or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. This amount does not include the 55% DLG subsidy.
2020/2021 saw the completion of the 2018/2019 Section 508A SRV application of 8% for three years. The culminated increase of 25.97% is permanently built into our rate base, meaning the standard rate peg from 2021/2022 now applies. For the next four years (2023/2024 to 2027/2028), the estimated yield from the now built in SRV component of our rate base will be know as the Infrastructure Renewal Value and will be restricted and then subsequently used to improve our infrastructure,
As per the SRV requirements. The council is obligated to report on the expenditure associated with the SRV component of our rate base until 2027/2028 in the annual report. During 2023/2024, Council utilised $5.73M of the Infrastructure Renewal funds on projects for roads, floodplains and parks and recreation.
Below is a list of projects we have been able to commence and achieve due to these funds.
Local Road Renewal Programs
Gap Seal Program
Local Road Pavement Restoration Program
Unsealed Road Gravel Resheet Program
Culvertand Drainage Renewal Program
Alice St Levee Rehabilitation
Old Glen Innes Rd Stormwater Drainage
Coombadjha Stormwater Drainage
Clarence Regional Aquatic Centre
This program is utilised to support the overall asset management of our sealed road network and has been used in conjunction with other funding streams to maximise the restoration of sealed roads which has resulted in a significant reduction in the overall defect backlog providing safer transport infrastructure to the community.
The gap seal program is designed to target short segments of unsealed roads between 2 sections of an otherwise fully sealed road. These unsealed segments maintain a high cost/km to maintain and through the investment of sealing these segments a reduction in ongoing maintenance expenditure is realised. This project repaired and upgraded 350m of significantly damaged road pavement
This program is targeted at high priority roads where the current road width does not meet the requirements or standards for the present traffic volumes This year McPhersons Crossing Road from McPhersons Crossing bridge over the Orara River to Black Swan Drive a length of 1.2km was widened and sealed from 4.2m to a width of 7.2m to provide a much safer route for the community.
Through unsealed road trials Council has developed an unsealed resheet material specification that is unique to this council. This program enables Council to resurface sections of unsealed road where ongoing maintenance requirements exist. Through this program much greater intervals in time are realised before maintenance intervention is required. This provides improved service levels and travel conditions at a greater period of time for the community.
This program is used to upgrade or restore dilapidated stormwater assets. It is often used in conjunction with the above programs to restore the drainage prior to undertaking road renewals which provides greater resilience and overall project benefits to our transport network.
This project is an ongoing project involves the rehabilitation of the Alice Street Levee through rock armouring and other levee protection services.
This project replaced an existing storm water drainage asset at OBX Creek on Old Glen Innes Road, Chambigne. This project replaced a 1800mm corrugated iron culvert with a 1800mm reinforced concrete structure with an expected 50-year life.
This is a specific project to repair the stormwater drainage assets along Coombadjha Road. These assets were significantly old and had deteriorated significantly in recent floods. This project is replacing the deteriorated assets with a new box culvert structure.
This new regional facility will provide an inclusive contemporary facility with a variety of water bodies and support facilities which service the needs of the local community. It will also provide a facility to host regional swimming carnivals and host events for the greater Clarence Valley area.
Councillors elected on 21 December 2021 participated in the following induction training courses and professional development activities during 2023/2024:
Date Title
28-Jul Sustaining a healthy relationship with the Executive Team
1-Aug Code of Meeting Practice for Councillors
24-Aug Cultivating Connection with our community
19-Sep Communicating Council Priorities
4-Oct Code of Meeting Practice - Refresher
24-Nov Procedures for Administration of Code of Conduct with Locale Learning
13-Dec Empowering Resilience and Performance: Stress Relief Webinars for Local Leaders
2-May Cyber Bullying / E Safety Workshop
Attended by:
Karen Toms
Allison Whaites
Jeff Smith
Allison Whaties
Steve Pickering
Bill Day
Peter Johnstone
Steve Pickering
Jeff Smith
Karen Toms
Bill Day
Peter Johnstone
Steve Pickering
Jeff Smith
Allison Whaites
Steve Pickering
Allison Whaties
Greg Clancy
Bill Day
Peter Johnstone
Debrah Novak
Steve Pickering
Jeff Smith
Allison Whaites
Councillors and Council officers did not undertake any overseas visits during 2023/2024
Total cost during the year of the payment of expenses of, and the provision of facilities to Councillors in relation to their civic functions (this amount must equal the reported amount in the financial statements).
Council maintains three policies relevant for the payment of and the provision of facilities to councillors:
• Councillor Expenses and the Provision of Facilities Policy V16.1
• Councillor Induction and Professional Development Policy V1.1
Annual fees were paid to the Mayor and Councillors as required by the Local Government Act and in accordance with the determination of the Local Government Remuneration Tribunal.
In 20223/2024 the total amount of money expended on mayoral and councillors’ fees were as
A breakdown of the payment of these fees on a per Councillor basis is provided in the following schedule:
The provision during the year of dedicated office equipment allocated to councillors on a personal basis, such as laptop computers, mobile telephones and landline telephones and facsimile machines installed in councillors’ homes (including equipment and line rental costs and internet access costs but not including call costs)
calls made by councillors, including calls made from mobile telephones provided by the council and from landline telephones and facsimile
Interstate visits by councillors, including transport, accommodation and other out-ofpocket travelling expenses
Overseas visits by councillors, including transport, accommodation and other out-ofpocket travelling expenses
Expenses of any spouse, partner or other person who accompanied a councillor in the performance of his or her civic functions, being expenses payable in accordance with the Guidelines for the payment of expenses and the provision of facilities for the mayor and councillors
equipment (phones, printers, iPads, Internet, etc.) excluding call costs
Section 356 of the Act to community organisations, including schools, totalling $88,158. In addition, it approved grants totalling $2,400 from the Clarence Valley Cultural and Sports Trust Fund to assist elite young sportspersons. Council gave a further $244,486 in financial assistance to various organisations to assist with the running of festivals, exhibitions and celebration events staged within the Council area.
North West Weight of Loads Group (Newlog)
Inspection of motor vehicles and the policing of overloading on Council roads.
North East Waste
Researching waste management issues and investigating opportunities for regional cooperation in the Northern Rivers area.
Other organisations performing services in the Clarence Valley Council area but without any delegations from Council:
Clarence Regional Library provides library services for libraries in the Clarence Valley and Bellingen Council areas. The Regional Library is part of Clarence Valley Council, which employs the Regional Library staff and provides these services to the Bellingen Shire Council under delegations it has received from Bellingen Council.
Council did not hold a controlling interest in any corporation, partnerships, trusts, joint ventures, syndicates, or other bodies in 2023/2024
Council did not participate in any corporation, partnerships, trusts, joint ventures, syndicates, or other bodies in 2023/2024
Clarence Valley Council demonstrates its commitment to the principles of Equal Employment Opportunity through the continued operations under Council’s EEO and Anti-discrimination Policy was reviewed to ensure demonstration of the Council’s commitment to ensuring the absence of discrimination and to promote equal employment opportunity for EEO target groups.
Council has achieved the following to ensure equal employment opportunity:
Continued implementation of the My Employee Journey Framework, incorporating ongoing review of policies and procedures to ensure a holistic view of the journey of all employees, and that all human resource processes are robust and transparent and in line with the legislation.
Continued implementation of the Local Government Capability Framework, which involves updating all position descriptions. This process will ensure position descriptions are up-to-date and remove any artificial barriers.
There are 16 positions on Council’s organisation structure (including two trainee position) designated as First Nations People identified positions. In addition to those identified positions, Council has engaged several employees from First Nations backgrounds through the open recruitment process. A total of 34 employees identify as First Nations. This equates to approximately 7.05% of Councils workforce, an increase of 1.05% from the 2022-2023 period.
Council has commenced building relationships with local employment agencies including disability employment services to help create awareness and opportunities within council workforce. The Leadership team has also participated in disability awareness training through Social Futures.
First Nations People Employment strategy has been drafted on how to improve awareness and recruitment for opportunities for First Nations People in the Clarence Valley Council. Council has now commenced taking job opportunities to the local Aboriginal Land Council to help build awareness and opportunities.
Council’s Workforce Management Strategy 2024-2028 (adopted June 2024) addresses workforce challenges faced by Clarence Valley Council. Council’s workforce is comprised of 64.97% male and 33.39% female employees. Our leadership team has seen an increase in diversity with an increase in female leaders to 46% from 23% in 2023. We currently have 14 future leaders enrolled in formal leadership training programs to enable them to develop new skills and take on future career progression opportunities with Council. 57% of participants in our future leader’s program are women, 43% are male. Our Workforce Management Strategy ensures robust strategies continue to be put in place to support employment equity and diversity principles.
Council is rolling out recruitment training in 2024 to ensure a fair and equitable process during the recruitment process.
All staff are inducted with an eLearning package on GO1 Learning system which provides further education around equal opportunity and discrimination.
All new Council staff participate in Code of Conduct training as part of their induction to the organisation. Face-to-face code of conduct was conducted throughout 2023/2024 financial year.
The Local Government (General) Regulation 2021 requires Statement of total number of persons who performed paid work on Wednesday 14 February2024, including, in separate statements, total number of:
In accordance with Section 496A of the Local Government Act 1993, Council levied $403,479 in annual charges for the provision of stormwater management services on eligible urban properties. This money was spent on drainage inspection and cleaning with removal of surface blockage as well as repairs to surface damage that is scoured or cracked in urban areas across the valley.
Council did not levy for coastal protection services in 2023/2024.
Statement of the council’s activities during the year in relation to enforcing, and ensuring compliance with, the provisions of the Companion Animals Act 1988 (CA Act) and the Companion Animal Regulation 2018.
Companion animals taken in by the pound:
Lodgement of Pound data collection returns with the Division of Local Government – 16.2(a) Guidelines
Pound data is collated monthly and a return is lodged annually with the Division of Local Government.
Lodgement of data relating to dog attacks with the Division of Local Government – 16(2) Guidelines
Council’s Rangers attended 112 dog attacks in 2023/2024.
Amount of funding spent on companion animal management and activities - 16.2(c) Guidelines
Companion animal community education programs carried out - 16.2(d) Guidelines
A social media presence and animal foster network is in place to improve community awareness and promote responsible pet ownership. These support the pound operations and the Companion Animals Act.
Strategies Council has in place to promote and assist the de-sexing of dogs and cats - 16.2(d) Guidelines
Council’s policy on the sale of animals is that they must be desexed before sale. This contributes to a reduction in the number of kittens and puppies brought to the pound as abandoned. Council continues to hold reduced fee microchipping days to help members of the public get their animals identified and returned home.
Strategies in place for complying with the requirement under s 64 of the CA Act to seek alternatives to euthanasia for unclaimed animals – 16.2(c) Guidelines
Animal control staff work with over 50 animal rescue organisations (Doggie Moggie Rescue, Dogs for Jobs, etc.) throughout the area and interstate, forging strong partnerships to provide rescue pathways for unwanted animals. Much of this work is facilitated by Rural Pound Aid.
Off leash areas provided in the council area - 6.2(f) Guidelines
In accordance with the Companion Animals Act 1998 and the Local Government Act 1993, dogs are allowed off leash in 18 parks, reserves and beaches throughout Clarence Valley. Along with this a new specialised dog park has been developed at Corcoran Park, Grafton.
The new park includes:
Gravel road and concrete parking bays
Double gate access
Separate quiet and active dog areas
Natural and built shade structures
Digging pit
Natural play area with logs, rocks and hardy plants
Connection pathways
Water bubblers with a dog bowl
Bins and dog bag dispensers
Dog agility equipment
A combination of granitic sand and grass surfaces
A full list of off-leash areas can be found on Council’s website www.clarence.nsw.gov.au
In 2010 the Office of Local Government issued guidelines that apply to capital projects for infrastructure facilities, including renovations and extensions that are expected to cost in excess of 10% of Council’s annual ordinary rate revenue or $1 million, whichever is the greater (GST exclusive). In addition to the minimum requirements for a capital expenditure review, a Council is also required to complete additional requirements in cases where a project’s cost is forecast to exceed $10 million (GST exclusive).
The guidelines do not apply to:
Capital expenditure on land purchases, land remediation, water supply networks, sewerage networks, stormwater drainage, domestic waste management facilities, roads, footpaths, bridges;
Projects where funding has been approved under the Public Reserves Management Fund Act 1987;
Projects that are classified as public-private partnerships; and
Project designs and feasibility studies that do not commit council to the project (the costs of such studies are to be included if Council subsequently proceeds with the project).
During 2023/2024, 3 capital projects were above the threshold identified in the Capital Expenditure Guidelines. Ordinary Rates Yield per 2023/2024 Financial Statements - $40,730M – therefore 10% = $4 073M.
Clarence Valley Council is no longer considered a ‘human services agency’ under the Carers Recognition Act 2010.
Key achievements delivered under the DIAP 2023 - 2026 include:
Monthly meetings of the Clarence Valley Access Committee held to provide advice to Council on access and inclusion matters/ issues.
Key information about access and inclusion is included in marketing and promotional material for events, festivals, and activities.
Programs promoting and supporting the inclusion of people with disability were delivered by council’s Youth Officer, Clarence Valley libraries and Grafton Regional Gallery
Changing Places facility included in the design for the Clarence Valley Regional Aquatic Centre amenities upgrade.
Corcoran Park includes disabled parking and pathways to accessible amenities.
Four raised wombat crossings in the Grafton CBD, include tactile pavement treatment for visually impaired people.
The draft Affordable Housing Strategy includes new requirements for provision of accessible housing where more than 10 dwellings are proposed.
Footpath connectivity was completed on Spencer, Street Iluka to promote accessible and liveable communities.
Documentation of disabled parking spaces throughout LGA to assist in future activities to reduce non-compliance.
Inclusion of 18 pieces of content in Clarence Magazine promoting and raising awareness about people with disability.
Five Simtables for community empowerment sessions were delivered at Iluka, Maclean, Ashby, Grafton and South Grafton and co-facilitated by NSW RFS.
Social Futures training provided to Leadership team.
Tradies Guide to Good Access was promoted online so developers and tradespeople are aware of their minimum requirements regarding access for all abilities.
Accessible attractions promoted via My Clarence Valley website.
Wheelchair Accessible facilities and toilets at parks and open spaces promoted via Bookable.
179 library members accessed the at home library service.
Leadership team participated in Community Wheelchair Basketball game to celebrate International Day of People with Disabilities.
Clarence Magazine featured 18 stories relating to people with disability or accessibility facilities and four images of people with a disability.
No new Planning Agreements were entered into during 2023/2024.
The total value of all contributions and levies received during 2023/2024 was $5.3M and the total value expended was $1.7M.
Compliance with the Fisheries Management Act 2014
The Regional State of the Environment 2016 Report (SoE) provides information on how Council is responding to actions with the following plans:
Removal of Large Woody Debris Threat Abatement Plan
Black Rockcod Recovery Plan
Eastern Freshwater Cod Recovery Plan
Oxleyan Pygmy Perch Recovery Plan
Under Section 125(1) of the Act, each agency must, within four months after the end of each reporting year, prepare an annual report on the agency’s obligations under this Act for submission to the Minister responsible for the agency. A copy of the report is to be provided to the Information Commissioner.
Under paragraph 7 of the Government Information (Public Access) Regulation 2009 the Annual Report must include:
a. details of the review carried out by the agency under section 7 (3) of the Act during the reporting year and the details of any information made publicly available by the agency as a result of the review, Section 7 (3), provides that, an agency must, at intervals of not more than 12 months, review its program for the release of government information under this section to identify the kinds of government information held by the agency that should in the public interest be made publicly available and that can be made publicly available without imposing unreasonable additional costs on the agency.
b. the total number of access applications received by the agency during the reporting year (including withdrawn applications but not including invalid applications)
c. The total number of access applications received by the agency during the reporting year that the agency refused, either wholly or partly, because the application was for the disclosure of information referred to in Schedule 1 to the Act (Information for which there is conclusive presumption of overriding public interest against disclosure).
Note: Table D in Schedule 2 also requires information relating to access applications in respect of which there is a conclusive presumption of overriding public interest against disclosure.
d. Information, as set out in the form required by the tables in Schedule 2, relating to the access applications (if any) made to the agency during the reporting year.
Clause 8A: Details of the review carried out by the agency under section 7 (3) of the Act during the reporting year and the details of any information made publicly available by the agency as a result of the review.
Clause 8B: The total number of access applications received by the agency during the reporting year (including withdrawn applications but not including invalid applications)
Total number of applications received: 31
Clause 8C: The total number of access applications received by the agency during the reporting year that the agency refused either wholly or partly, because the application was for the disclosure of information referred to in Schedule 1 to the Act (information for which there is conclusive presumption of overriding public interest against disclosure)
Total number of applications refused:
Table
* More than one decision can be made in respect of a particular access application. If so, a recording must be made in relation to each such decision. This also applies to Table B.
* A personal information application is an access application for personal information (as defined in clause 4 of Schedule 4 to the Act) about the applicant (the applicant being an individual)
Table D: Conclusive presumption of overriding public interest against disclosure matters listed in Schedule 1 to Act
* More than one public interest consideration may apply in relation to a particular access application and if so, each such consideration is to be recorded (but only once per application). This also applies in relation to Table E.
Table F: Timeliness
* The Information Commissioner does not have the authority to
Agencies are required under the Public Interest Disclosures Act 2022 (PID Act) to report certain information about the voluntary public interest disclosures (PIDs) they have received, and how they have dealt with those voluntary PIDs, in an annual return to the Ombudsman. In 2023/2024, no public officials made a Public Interest Disclosure (PID) to Clarence Valley Council. No PIDs were received via other agencies and no PIDs were finalised in the reporting period.
Information on the number of complaints made under Council’s privacy management plan.
Whilst not a statutory requirement, Council’s Privacy Management Plan provides that Council must report on the number of reviews and complaints received in its Annual Report to demonstrate accountability and transparency.
In 2023/2024 there was one privacy complaint against Council and no privacy complaints referred to Council by the Information and Privacy Commission (IPC)
Clarence Valley Council’s audited financial reports for the year 2023/2024 are reported separately to Council. Council submitted the audited financial statements in October 2024 as required by the Office of Local Government. The Annual Financial Statements and Auditor’s Report is available on Council’s webpage.
Below is a summary of the Annual Financial Statements.
*Council conducted a full review of contributed assets. Evidence was gained that the documentation supporting the recording of Infrastructure Assets relating to developer contributions had been lacking resulting in the omission of some assets over various classes. Clarence Valley Council has now updated its asset register to include these assets and updated values as at 30 June 2023.
www.clarence.nsw.gov.au