So it's been, I guess, quiet and busy at the same time, but behind the scenes, quite busy. The Mayor has been incredibly busy again. I think one of the main issues when I was coming into Council, but definitely one of the main issues that this council is really focused on, is the DA wait times. So as we know, they were pretty shocking there. I think we were ranked, if not in the bottom 10, if not the worst in the state for them. So this has been a really big focus for everyone on council, but particularly the Mayor, he's really been pushing this. Particularly this week, he's been really active in this space. He's just held quite a few forums and round tables with stakeholders that are really engaged in this process, because one of the main problems we had here in Dungog Shire was that we didn't have a lot of staff to actually run those tasks. But the other thing is that Dungog Shire is quite a large water catchment area, so we do actually have a lot of external reports that need to be done when we're doing DAs, even for things like sheds. Often this comes from Hunter Water as well. And so I guess for us, it was really important to get staff in, which we have done, and that has seen a really big increase into Dungog Shire's DA wait times and if you go back and read the Council notes from the quarterly update, you see that we're well out of that bottom ten now, and that we're well below what the requirement is from the State as well. So it's really been really good progress in decreasing those DA wait times for everyone. But you know, just because we don't have huge amounts of staff like these other Councils, we don't have a huge budget, it doesn't mean that we just sit there and do nothing. And so this has been a really big focus - trying to fine tune all those external reports that we need to do and all those other factors that we can actually influence and really decrease the DA wait time. So the man's been really busy with that. He's been getting really good feedback, and he's really pushing in that space. I'm really hopeful that our DA times will continue to trend down, which is, you know, what we all want to see, right? Especially if you just want to do things like build a shed and you have to wait four months or five months for a DA that's totally crazy, and spend crazy amounts of money on the reporting for it. So watch that space. There will be improvements. And I guess what this means for the community is that there are things like faster approved housing, for businesses and for those smaller projects, and it really changes the attitude and what investors and developers see Dungog as and it becomes a place that people want to invest in, and that's really what we're trying to push at the moment.
Community information sessions on the Chichester Dam preparedness now. I talked about this a few weeks ago. Obviously, here in Dungog Shire, particularly this year, we've had quite a lot of flood events. We've had three major flood events this year alone. I think the first one we even had evacuations, particularly downstream of Chichester Dam. There were a lot of concerned community members out there. And I think just because of the amount of flood events we've had, we are holding these forums, these community safety information sessions. And so this will be run by the Dungog Local Emergency Management Committee. Also there will be Hunter Water, New South Wales SES and New South Wales Police. So they'll be working on and I guess, communicating with the community, as well as developing this response plan, the flood emergency caused by Chichester Dam spilling in particular, and all those residents downstream of it. So starting next week, they'll be doing a community session every Wednesday, and so that will be in Bandon Grove, Dungog and Clarence Town. The exact times and locations will be put in the comments below. So make sure you check that out. I really encourage everyone to come, not just the people that live directly downstream of Chichester Dam, but you know, the wider community, there will be some good information, as well as a really good opportunity for you to raise your concerns, and I guess, get first hand responses from the people that are leading these disaster recovery as well as developing these plans. Make sure you come and check them out.
Now, just on flooding. Obviously, we have had quite a lot of rainfall. Unfortunately for us, that means potholes. Now I've noticed on the community pages, there's been quite a lot of concerns raised about potholes, but particularly the roads leading to Seaham, which is actually Port Stephens Council, as well as the roads leading to Tocal, which is Maitland Council. I have been in contact with both these Councils, but if you go to their website, you can actually report potholes. So I really encourage you to do that. The more the better. Facebook's great, obviously, for telling the community to watch out, but it doesn't necessarily help in actually fixing them. So make sure that you do go onto those websites. Every Council will have a link where you can report potholes, and make sure that you are reporting them as well, particularly those areas that are close to the Dungog Shire, because I can imagine that these Councils aren't always patrolling out that way. And you know, the same goes to Dungog Shire too. If you're out there and you see any potholes or damage, make sure you're reporting it to the Council as well.
All right, this weekend, it's going to be huge. So Sculpture on the Farm starts today, Friday, and goes Saturday and Sunday. It's going to be massive this year. I've already been up and I've had a sneak peek at the amount of sculptures there, which is actually mind-blowing. The amount of work that has gone into it is crazy. And in the calibre of sculptures, it is really good. So this is going to be, I think, one of the big events that Dungog is going to be known for. This is the first time that it's moving to the Common off a private farm. So I think it's going to be absolutely huge. I really encourage everyone to go. So it will be from 9am to 4pm today and tomorrow, so Friday and Saturday, and then Sunday will be 9am to 2pm. It's only $10 per ticket, which will get you full entry and a cool colour catalogue. You'll get access to the shuttle bus, which does all the sculpture trails, plus there's guided walks, there's artist talks, workshops, live music. There's also going to be food and drink there as well. So it's going to be huge, right? So really, make sure you go down there and, I guess, promote what Dungog Shire is trying to do and what we're trying to achieve here. And it's great to see events like this coming in and really pushing what we have as strengths in our community and our arts and culture scene. For how small we are, we certainly punch well above our weight. So it's really good to see.
I think that's about it for me. But again, if you have any questions or queries, I'm always here for a chat. Just give me a call or send me an email. Thank you very much, have a great weekend, and hopefully, I'll see you at Sculpture on the Farm.
