They contain our vision for the future. A vision of being a cosmopolitan city by the sea, welcoming and inclusive, a city that functions sustainably, where our strong population growth is managed - where no one is left behind.

That's the future I'm focused on. So too are council staff.

My vision for staff is for them to work in a high-performing, values-driven organisation.

To have a workplace where people are respectful of each other, work together, hold each other accountable and are free to innovate, to try new and exciting ideas without fear of failure.

Progressive organisations conduct customer surveys and offer feedback forms to enable them to understand what is working and what is not, to allow them to become more relevant to their patrons and engender greater customer satisfaction and loyalty.

And so it goes for staff surveys, except the focus is on staff rather than customers.

Over recent days there has been a great deal of discussion in the mainstream and social media about the release of findings of a confidential staff survey carried out within council.

No organisation that I am aware of has deliberately released staff survey findings - it isn't normal practice.

To cut through the speculation, I can say that the feedback was enlightening and showed that as an organisation, the issues identified in past surveys were not addressed - and the bulk of the responsibility for making the positive changes staff deserve now rests with me.

I've received feedback from a number of staff telling me they do not wish to see the survey findings released.

They want the opportunity to chart their own constructive course through our challenges.

The issues identified didn't occur overnight and they certainly won't be fixed overnight but we have an action plan underway and a will to get the job done.

All of this is, of course, a distraction from the massive COVID-19 task facing council and the community.

We should all, right now, be focused on helping our city and each other to get through this the best possible way we can.

On this front, we can see encouraging signs.

The Business Initiatives Grants program designed by our Economic Development team drew a rush of inquiries and applications.

That tells us that businesses are keen to adapt and be innovative in their responses to a changing environment.

And the South West, unlike many parts of metropolitan Melbourne, has had a very limited exposure to COVID-19.

That's something I'm really thankful for.

My number one priority and that of the council, has been to keep our community safe.

This has been an outstanding success because our communities have been careful, considerate and kind and we have worked collaboratively with many individuals and organisations to look out for each other.

The economic and social recovery will take some time and the council team will remain focused on helping the community through this.

What any economy needs at times like this is stimulus and we are fortunate that we have underway a $20.25 million joint library project, a $10 million-plus upgrade of Reid Oval and a $2.9 million upgrade of Lake Pertobe.

Let's not forget the $2 million hydrogen energy precinct at Deakin University which council advocated for with Deakin.

We continue to advocate for the Princes Highway West upgrade and for the improvement of our port and boat launching facilities.

Before COVID-19 we had an enviable employment rate and we should strive to return to that level.

One way in which we can do this is by playing to our strengths.

A report produced by the Great South Coast group of councils identified seven factors that give our region an edge over many others, these range from an abundance of renewable energy to an abundance of water.

As a council and community, we have plenty to do - and plenty to look forward to.

My wife and I and our two sons love our new home and friends and are committed to doing our bit to maintain Warrnambool's designation as the most liveable city in Australia.