A VISION for Ararat’s future was painted over scrambled eggs and hash browns at a networking event Tuesday morning.
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Ararat Rural City Council hosted it’s business networking breakfast which was attended by crowd of 93.
The crowd represented a diverse range of business interests, including manufacturing, agriculture and real estate.
New council chief executive Dr Tim Harrison spoke, followed by a keynote address from Grampians Tourism chief executive Marc Sleeman.
Dr Harrison took the opportunity to outline the direction he wants to take council and the region in.
“My job is to lead council .. we need to structure it so it is efficient and spends your ratings money well,” he said.
“At the moment we’ve got a lot to do to build that organisation. We need to talk to people and build that relationship.”
Dr Harrison identified some key priorities for council and the wider community that he will continue to build on.
These included water security, building a reliable and skilled workforce, education and training opportunities for young people, and housing.
“We need to get smart about regional priorities,” he said.
“We need to cherry pick what is important and be selfish about those priorities.”
Dr Harrison also encouraged residents to “push back” when they were not satisfied with council.
“Critique us so we know what we’re doing right and wrong. If there’s a survey that goes out, don’t just think it’s another piece of council rubbish … we will listen,” he said.
Mr Sleeman told the audience about the growing Grampians tourism sector and his push to build the industry during the off season.
“Total visitor spending in the region (for year ending June 2018) has jumped 20 per cent. It’s overtaken Phillip Island,” he said.
Mr Sleeman said the major draw cards for both international and domestic tourists are nature and the food and wine industry, and new marketing campaigns across multiple media platforms were tapping into those markets.
Mr Sleeman also said another area in need of expansion was the Indigenous rock art in the Grampians.
“Over 86 per cent of the state’s rock art is here in the park,” he said.
One question from the audience addressed the lack of accommodation able to accommodate groups of over 40.
Both Mr Sleeman and Dr Harrison affirmed that it was a priority.