I'd like to give everyone an update on this year's verge collection services.

First up, I want to acknowledge that a lot of residents are frustrated and disappointed about the hard waste collection situation. We get it. Verge collections are something many households factor into their plans each year, and plenty of people have been preparing for it.

I also want to reassure residents that our green waste verge collection is still good to go. Collections will kick off in the Swan View area from 17 August as scheduled.

Unfortunately, we've been unable to secure a contractor to deliver this year's traditional hard waste verge collection within the required timeframe. Earlier this year, the Shire went out to market looking for a contractor to provide the service. We only received one submission and, despite our efforts to work through options with them, they weren't able to deliver the collection when it was needed. On top of that, the contractor who previously provided the service in our area is no longer operating locally.

To be honest, we fully expected to deliver the service this year and continued exploring other options in the hope we could find a solution before needing to update the community. Looking back, we recognise many residents would have preferred to hear from us sooner, even if we were still trying to work through the problem. That's fair feedback, and we apologise for the frustration and uncertainty this has caused.

We recognise that residents expect more than an explanation. They expect a solution, and that's exactly what we're focused on finding.

Importantly, hard waste collection hasn't been cancelled and it's not disappearing for good. Our goal remains to deliver a hard waste collection service later in the 2026/27 financial year. Right now we're working through the available options and can't yet confirm exactly how or when it will happen. What I can say is that we have not made any decision to discontinue the service and there are no plans to reduce it.

We'll provide another public update within the next fortnight, even if we're not yet in a position to confirm a final solution.

In the meantime, we're providing some immediate support. Every household will receive an extra three Community Recycling Centre passes this financial year, increasing the annual allocation from three passes to six at no additional cost.

That said, we know extra tip passes won't solve the problem for everyone. Some residents have already placed hard waste on their verge, while others simply don't have a trailer, ute or other way of getting items to the Community Recycling Centre. We're actively looking at what support can be offered in those situations and will share more information as soon as we can. In the meantime, we're asking residents not to put any more hard waste out on verges while we work through the options.

We've also heard questions about rates and possible compensation. Because we're still working towards delivering a hard waste collection service this financial year, we're not proposing any rates offset at this stage. Our focus remains on finding a practical way to deliver the service and support residents while we get there.

We're also reviewing longer-term options for how hard waste services may be provided in the future so we can continue delivering a reliable service for our community. This includes the potential for a pre-booked waste collection service from 2028/29. Any future changes would be carefully considered and communicated well in advance.

As Chief Executive Officer, I take responsibility for keeping our community informed. I'm committed to providing regular updates, being upfront about the challenges we're facing, and sharing the steps we're taking to work through them.

I know this isn't the news many residents were hoping for, and I understand the disappointment. Thank you for your patience while we continue working through the issue. Our focus remains on finding a solution and keeping the community informed every step of the way.

Our commitment to delivering quality services for our community hasn't changed, and we'll continue working hard to provide the services and support residents expect from their local government.