FIRSTLY, I'd like to congratulate everyone involved in our Australia Day event and Citizenship Award ceremony.

It's really the moment we celebrate some of the most important things to our community.

We recognised the incredible contributions of community members and groups who have contributed to making Mansfield Shire the best community in the world.

I was grateful for the opportunity to acknowledge the unwavering commitment and significant contribution made by many of our community members who were nominated or recipients of one of the prestigious awards.

Presiding over the Citizenship Ceremony was also a highlight for me personally as we welcomed five residents who joined our Australian family.

Each of them brings unique skills and cultural perspectives that will continue to enrich our community.

The Christmas and New Year period is always incredibly busy in Mansfield and this year we saw a massive amount of visitors.

Not only was the High Street packed, but there was a lot of activity around other attractions.

Locally, this is a pressure on our systems - our roads and services are overwhelmed when we have peak visitation.

At the same time, these big tourism moments provide a valuable boost to our local businesses and economy.

At Council, the lead-up to Christmas was also a busy time.

We went to the Community Christmas Picnic twice after the first one was washed out.

Thanks to everyone involved in responding quickly to a rescheduled event - especially the MAD Orchestra and Mansfield Community Chorus.

It was such a success and an important community moment to bring everyone together to celebrate Christmas.

As we head into the new year, conversations have already commenced in relation to the development of our 2025-26 budget.

In developing the budget, we look at what funds will be required to continue our operations and maintain and renew our assets, as well as considering submissions from the community.

As always, we are asking and we are listening.

To date, 112 submissions have been received.

Tell us what's most important to you by going to engage.mansfield.vic.gov.au/2025-26-budget.