Alpine Shire Council invites community members and relevant stakeholders to provide feedback on their new draft Sporting Reserves Maintenance Support Policy 2026.
Sporting reserves across Alpine Shire are managed by committees of management appointed by the Victorian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) or by community asset committees appointed by Council, depending on which agency is responsible for the reserve.
The new policy has been developed in recognition of the limitations of the previous policy that was adopted in 2005 and determined how resources were allocated to these committees.
Due to significant changes in the nature of sport and the increased frequency of use across all sporting reserves, the new policy aims to reflect the current use, needs, and expectations of these committees by ensuring that funding and other material support is distributed fairly and equitably.
The draft policy was developed over the past six months together with the committees that will be affected by the changes.
Alpine Shire Mayor, Cr Sarah Nicholas, said that the draft policy recognises the significant role that these volunteer committees play in the management of sporting reserves across Alpine Shire.
"While we have always supported these hard-working volunteer committees to manage sporting reserves, the previous policy didn't have a clear framework that outlined the differences in frequency and intensity of use, and how this translated into allocation of funding," she said.
"The new draft policy sets out clear funding amounts based on the number of people that use the different sporting reserves, as well as the activities that take place, to ensure that distribution is fair and transparent."
Community members and relevant stakeholders are now invited to review the draft policy and provide feedback:
- Online via Engage Alpine: https://engage.alpineshire.vic.gov.au/draft-sporting-reserves-maintenance-support-policy
- In person by visiting Council's office in Bright or the libraries in Bright, Mount Beauty, and Myrtleford
The engagement period will close on Wednesday, 24 June 2026.