Community Resilience and Safety Program

This program delivers significant social benefits by creating safer, more connected communities through the council-owned hubs located strategically around the municipality. These hubs serve as vital centres for community events, programs, and emergency response efforts for diverse groups, including youth, families and vulnerable members of our population.

The integration of early warning systems and hazard monitoring enhances public safety and provides peace of mind, empowering residents to respond effectively during crises. These measures strengthen community resilience, helping neighbourhoods withstand and recover from disasters. By fostering social cohesion and participation, the program transforms shared spaces into activated hubs of community engagement and support.

Additional neighbourhood enhancements include upgraded lighting and CCTV near schools, parks, playgrounds, and future earmarked ferry stops, for example, promoting safety and security. Innovative features such as bin sensors will ensure timely waste management by notifying Council when bins are full.

Improved access management for public venues like halls and community centres will enhance the customer experience by providing a centralised, seamless, user-friendly booking system with real-time availability and instant confirmations. This streamlined process will make it easier for residents to reserve spaces and access facilities, ensuring a smoother experience.

While the programs primary focus is on emergency management, its ripple effects extend far beyond, offering multi-layered benefits that enhance social infrastructure, public safety, and overall community wellbeing.

This program will deliver significant economic benefits by reducing operational costs for facilities management through the integration of advanced systems including remote access management and monitoring, sensors, and CCTV. These technologies help minimise vandalism and unreported damage, thereby preventing unnecessary repair expenses and contribute to extending the lifespan of public assets, ensuring long-term cost savings and improved asset management.

In addition, by investing in council owned infrastructure instead of paying and relying on third-party vendors for corporate grade services offerings, this program pays for itself almost six times over within its 25-year asset life, providing significant cost savings to our rate payers while being able to provide enhanced tailored services for our community. 

The project’s infrastructure investments also enhance disaster preparedness, reducing the long-term financial burden of emergency responses and recovery. By safeguarding critical infrastructure and enabling faster recovery, the program ensures economic stability and resilience for the municipality.  Additionally, by activating community hubs for multi-use programs, the project promotes local economic activity, attracting visitors and supporting local businesses, fostering sustainable economic growth and boosts the appeal as a desirable place to live and work.  

• Safer Communities: Enhanced early warning systems, CCTV monitoring, and real-time data, improve community safety and emergency responsiveness.
• Climate Resilience: Off-grid power and water redundancy better prepare the municipality for natural disaster and coastal inundations.
• Economic Efficiency: The network reduces facility management costs, deters vandalism, and prevents unreported damages.
• Community Activation: Hubs for events, programs, and diverse community engagement strengthen the social fabric.
• Reliability in an Emergency: Fibre cables are less susceptible to interference from weather or electromagnetic signals, making them ideal for critical infrastructure. It can also support backup communication lines for redundancy in case primary systems fail.  

The Community Resilience and Safety Project addresses several critical needs within the Clarence City municipality:

• Emergency Preparedness and Safety: There is a growing demand for robust infrastructure to support communities during emergencies. This includes off-grid power, water redundancy, and reliable communication systems to ensure safety and continuity during disasters.
• Hazard Detection and Early Warnings: Increased risks from climate change, including coastal inundation and extreme weather events, necessitate improved monitoring systems like CCTV and sensors for hazard detection and incident management.
• Community Resilience: Many neighbourhoods lack connected, resilient hubs that can serve as both social and emergency response centres. This project provides spaces that foster social cohesion and ensure critical resources are accessible during crises.
• Sustainability and Cost Efficiency: Ageing infrastructure and inefficient management systems result in higher costs and prevent effective community service delivery. This project integrates modern technologies to enhance cost efficiency and sustainability.
• Inclusive Community Spaces: There is a growing need for safe, accessible spaces where diverse community groups can gather for events, programs, and activities. The project addresses this by activating hubs tailored for multi-use purposes.