Published on Thursday, 21 January 2021 at 4:48:48 PM
Results from the 2020 Shire of Exmouth Community Perception Survey have been collated, and Council will now use the community's information to inform coming budget deliberations.
The survey asked the community to rate the importance of Council services and provide feedback on how these were being delivered as well as rank the overall performance of Council and local liveability factors. It was heavily promoted in the local community via digital & analogue notice boards, social media, direct email incl. a non-response follow-up, designated iPads, hard copies, postcards to PO box holders and an advertised face to face mall information stall.
With a total of 457 responses from residents and ratepayers, the participation increased from 12.72% in 2018 to 16.75% in 2020; accrediting Councils efforts to provide open transparent, accountable leadership while collaboratively working with the community over the last two years.
83.7% of respondents indicated that the Shire's performance was average to very good, which is a 10.69% improvement compared to the 2018 results with 73.1%. 25% rated the Shire's performance as poor and very poor in 2018; this number decreased in 2020 to 14.36% and confirms the general upward trend in community satisfaction across almost all 40 surveyed Shire services.
The identified areas which require more focus are:
- Prevention of Illegal Dumping
- Recycling
- Value for money from Council rates
- Illegal Camping
- Community consultation about local issues
The overall liveability factor ranked Exmouth with 80.39% as a good or very good place to live (2018: 79.78%). The overall average score on a five-point scale for the best things about the Shire of Exmouth are:
- Natural environment (4.3/5.0)
- Sense of Community (3.8/5.0)
- Safety & Security (3.7/5.0)
- Leisure, Sport & Entertainment (3.4/5.0)
On the other end of the scale with an average below 3.0 have been:
- Cost of Living (2.2/5.0)
- Housing / Accommodation (2.5/5.0)
- Access to Mental Health Services (2.6/5.0)
- Aged Care Facility (2.6/5.0)
- Education & Training Opportunities (2.7/5.0)
- Job Prospects (2.8/5.0)
Where possible the information has been compared to results from the 2018 survey, some service areas have been added or amended to better understand the communities' perception, which means comparative data from 2018 is not available. Council is looking forward to building a complete picture over time and reporting transparently and regularly.
A full breakdown of results for the survey are available on the Shire of Exmouth website at www.exmouth.wa.gov.au.
COMMENTS ATTRIBUTED TO THE SHIRE – SHIRE PRESIDENT MATT NIIKKULA
"The Community Perception Survey enables the Council to keep in touch with residents' current wishes, determine priorities, and make the best decisions possible on behalf of the community in line with our Strategic Community Plan. Councillors and Shire officers frequently refer to the results to support decision-making and strategic planning. Community views and comments are highly valued and guide our future planning activities."
"The survey provides broad information regarding community opinions on services and facilities throughout the Shire. It tells us which areas the community felt were most important and indicated areas for improving Shire services that can be looked at more closely in the budget process. The data collected told us that the community was happy with how we are performing in areas such as the spray park, the public library, the Ningaloo Visitor Centre and the Ningaloo Centre, with the top areas for improvement identified as the prevention of illegal dumping, recycling, value for money from Council rates, illegal camping and the community consultation about local issues."
"2020 has delivered strong, positive results and the Council has placed considerable emphasis on the investigation of sustainable waste management and recycling options. As a small Shire, we are facing new challenges due to our increased visitation; however, we already dedicated additional resources to administer community and visitor waste-education programs, collecting litter, addressing illegal rubbish dumping and ensuring compliance with waste bylaws."
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Media Release to Download: 2020 COMMUNITY PERCEPTION SURVEY SHOWS HIGH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND CONFIRMS COUNCIL'S CONTINUOUS PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT
Additional Download : COMMUNITY PERCEPTION SURVEY 2020 RESULT SUMMARY
Media contact: Sandra Flint, Communications & Media Liaison Officer, Shire of Exmouth
M: 0459 431 439 | E: sflint@exmouth.wa.gov.au
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