Hyden Progress Association

08/09/2026

📋 Hyden Progress Association Council Update #2
Meeting Outcomes Summary – Wednesday 19 August 2026

We've reviewed the minutes from the Shire of Kondinin Council meeting so you don't have to! (Although we highly encourage you to read them too.)

This is the second in our Council Update series, highlighting matters that may be of interest to the Hyden community. Following each meeting, we'll publish a Meeting Outcomes Summary covering decisions, key discussion points and any follow-up information.

🌄 Wave Rock (Katter Kich) Discovery Centre

Council endorsed the Business Plan for public advertising, allowing the statutory six-week public submission process to commence.

Importantly, Council has not approved the Centre to proceed. The resolution specifically records that Council has not committed to the land acquisition, construction or expenditure beyond the statutory process.

The community will be able to make formal written submissions once the public notice is issued. A separate community survey will also be conducted, but the survey does not replace a formal written submission.

Council is expected to consider the submissions and decide whether to proceed at its 18 November 2026 meeting, or the earliest practicable meeting thereafter. Any decision to proceed will require an absolute majority.

💰 2026/27 Budget & Rates

Council adopted the 2026/27 Budget.

The budget provides for approximately $3.95 million to be raised through general rates, with significant investment continuing in roads, infrastructure and community facilities across the Shire.

Budget items of note for Hyden include:

🛣️ Hyden–Norseman Road
🛣️ East Hyden Bin Road
🛣️ Hyden–Mt Walker Road
🚶 Hyden Shared Pathway
🏊 Hyden Swimming Pool diving board
🛝 Hyden Playground improvements
🌊 Wave Rock Precinct Improvements
🏛️ $400,000 transferred to the Hyden Discovery Centre Reserve.

🌬️ King Rocks Wind Farm

Council approved the updated Operational Management Plan and Aviation Impact Assessment for the King Rocks Wind Farm, approximately 35km north-east of Hyden.

🏆 Community Citizen of the Year Awards

Council established the Community Citizen of the Year Awards Selection Panel, with representation from each of the Shire's three towns.

For Hyden:

Primary representative: Craig Mayfield
Secondary representative: Gerrard Lynch

The awards will recognise individuals and community contributions across the Shire.

🎉 Community Events & Tourism

Planning continues for the Hyden Spring Markets, with stallholder applications open and the "Little Loui" truck ride secured as an additional attraction.

The Seniors Week event is scheduled for Sunday 8 November in Hyden, featuring an Elvis tribute performer.

Content creators will visit the Shire in early October to capture tourism photographs and video, with the Shire also hosting the ROE Tourism Annual General Meeting in November.

🌊 Wave Rock Visitor Facilities

The damaged Alsynite sheeting on the information huts at the western end of Wave Rock has been replaced, with pricing being obtained for new information signage.

💬 Have Your Say

Did anything from this Council meeting stand out to you?

Is there something you'd like the Hyden Progress Association to follow up on with the Shire?

Leave a comment or send us a message. We'll do our best to seek clarification on matters that are important to our community and include those responses in future updates.

📄 Read the official Council minutes and meeting documents:

Shire of Kondinin – Ordinary Council Meeting 19 August 2026

📅 Next Ordinary Council Meeting

Wednesday 23 September 2026
Hyden CRC Building

Our community. Our future. Staying informed together.

Disclaimer: This summary has been prepared by the Hyden Progress Association using publicly available Shire of Kondinin Council minutes, agendas and supporting documents. It is intended to provide a community overview and encourage local engagement in Council matters. While every effort has been made to accurately summarise the information, residents are encouraged to read the official Council documents and contact the Shire of Kondinin directly if they require further information or clarification.

17/08/2026

📣 HPA MEETING REMINDER

Just a reminder that our next Hyden Progress Association meeting is this Tuesday 18 August at 6:30pm at the Hyden Community Resource Centre.

Everyone is welcome — come along, have your say and hear what’s happening in our community.

We’d love to see you there! 😊

16/08/2026

📋 Hyden Progress Association Council Update #2
Agenda Summary – Wednesday 19 August 2026

We've reviewed the publicly available Council and Committee meeting agendas so you don't have to! (Although we highly encourage you to read them too.)

This is the second in our Council Update series, highlighting matters that may be of interest to the Hyden community. Following each meeting, we'll publish a Meeting Outcomes Summary covering decisions, key discussion points and any follow-up information.

🌄 Wave Rock (Katter Kich) Discovery Centre

The major item for Hyden is the proposed Wave Rock (Katter Kich) Discovery Centre.

Council is being asked to endorse the Business Plan for public advertising only under Section 3.59 of the Local Government Act 1995. This is not a decision to proceed with construction.

If approved, the community will have a six-week public submission period before Council considers whether to proceed. A separate community survey will also be available.

The proposed facility is intended to provide a new civic, cultural and community facility for Hyden and visitors to the region.

💰 Budget & Rates

Council will consider adopting the 2026/27 Budget.

The budget includes approximately $3.95 million to be raised through general rates and total capital expenditure of approximately $8.24 million, with funding identified for the full amount through grants, the General Fund, reserves and other funding sources.

Budget items of note are:

🛣️ Hyden–Norseman Road
🛣️ East Hyden Bin Road
🛣️ Hyden–Mt Walker Road
🚶 Hyden Shared Pathway
🏊 Hyden Swimming Pool diving board
🛝 Hyden Playground improvements
🌊 Wave Rock Precinct Improvements
🏛️ $400,000 transferred to the Hyden Discovery Centre Reserve.

🌬️ King Rocks Wind Farm

Council will consider updated documentation for the King Rocks Wind Farm, including an updated Operational Management Plan and Aviation Impact Assessment.

🏆 Community Citizen of the Year Awards

Council will consider establishing a selection panel with community representation from Hyden, Karlgarin and Kondinin.

The awards recognise community members, young and senior citizens, and community groups or events that make a positive contribution to the Shire. The proposed presentation will be held in Karlgarin as part of the Australia Day Community Breakfast, with bus transport proposed from Hyden and Kondinin.

🎉 Community Events & Tourism

Planning continues for the Hyden Spring Markets, including the recently secured "Little Loui" truck ride, and Seniors Week in Hyden on Sunday 8 November, featuring an Elvis tribute performer.

Content creators will also visit the Shire in early October to capture tourism content, with the Shire hosting the ROE Tourism AGM in November.

🌊 Wave Rock Visitor Facilities

The damaged Alsynite sheeting on the information huts at the western end of Wave Rock has been replaced, with pricing now being obtained for replacement information signage.

💬 Have Your Say

Is there anything in this agenda you'd like the Hyden Progress Association to follow up on after the Council meeting?

Leave a comment or send us a message. We'll do our best to seek clarification on matters that are important to our community and include those responses in our post-meeting update.

📄 We encourage all residents to read the official Council agenda and supporting documents:

Shire of Kondinin – Council Meetings

📅 Next Ordinary Council Meeting
Wednesday 23 September 2026
Hyden Community Resource Centre

Our community. Our future. Staying informed together.

Disclaimer: This summary has been prepared by the Hyden Progress Association using publicly available Shire of Kondinin Council agendas, reports and committee minutes. It is intended to provide a community overview and encourage local engagement in Council matters. While every effort has been made to accurately summarise the information, residents are encouraged to read the official Council documents and contact the Shire of Kondinin directly if they require further information or clarification.

14/08/2026

📋 Hyden Progress Association Council Update #1
Meeting Outcomes Summary
Council & Committee Meetings – July 2026

Following our recent Agenda Summary, the July Council and Committee meetings have now taken place.

We've reviewed the available meeting information and followed up with the Shire where clarification was needed.

A note about the July meetings: Since the 22 July meetings, the Shire has advised that the Infrastructure & Assets Committee and Medical & Community Services Committee have been disbanded, with their existing work programs, action trackers and reporting to be transferred into the Ordinary Council Meeting process.

This means some of the matters we highlighted in our Agenda Summary will now continue through the full Council process rather than through separate committee meetings.

🏥 Hyden Medical Services

In our Agenda Summary, we highlighted the proposed relocation of Livingston Medical Services to the Hyden Trading Post.

Following the July meetings, the HPA sought clarification from Shire CEO Bruce Wright regarding the status of the proposal.

We have been advised that the Medical & Community Services Committee has now been disbanded, with its work to be incorporated into the monthly Council process.

Importantly, the proposed relocation of the Medical Centre was not a standalone item on the 22 July Ordinary Council agenda and no final decision on the relocation was made at that meeting.

The Shire has advised that Council has received a briefing on community feedback regarding the proposal. The CEO is undertaking further enquiries and will report back to Council in August.

The HPA will continue to follow this matter and provide an update when further information becomes available.

❤️ Health & Aged Care

Health, medical services, aged care and community services will continue to be considered by the full Council following the disbanding of the Medical & Community Services Committee.

The Shire has advised that the work already commenced by the Committee will transfer into the monthly Council process.

This includes ongoing work around health and aged care planning and advocacy.

👨‍⚕️ Positive Medical Services Report

The Medical & Community Services Committee agenda included a positive update on Livingston Medical Services, including growth in patient numbers and expansion of services.

However, as there are no separate published minutes for the 22 July Committee meeting, we won't report these matters as confirmed Committee outcomes.

The medical services work will now continue through the full Council process.

🌄 Wave Rock–Katter Kich Discovery Centre

The proposed Wave Rock–Katter Kich Discovery Centre, previously referred to in Council documents as the Community & Tourist Centre, was a key matter across the July Council meetings.

Going forward, the HPA will refer to these matters together as the Wave Rock–Katter Kich Discovery Centre. Information relating to the Community & Tourist Centre and the Discovery Centre will therefore be combined in our future Council Updates.

At the 22 July Ordinary Council Meeting, Council approved a full refund of $18,513.63 in planning application fees associated with the proposed development at 36 Marshall Street, Hyden.

The project's Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was also considered, with the matter subsequently dealt with at a Special Council Meeting held on 29 July 2026.

At that Special Meeting, Council resolved by 4 votes to 3 to proceed with Option 2 – Conditional Continuation.

This allows the Shire to continue working with the Hyden Progress Association on a replacement Option A Memorandum of Understanding, subject to the MOU being amended to ensure it is conditional upon compliance with the required Section 3.59 process and does not restrict Council's future statutory discretion.

Council also resolved that the Shire may continue work on the current Lotterywest grant application, however binding funding agreements, construction contracts or land transactions cannot proceed until the Section 3.59 requirements have been met, or further legal advice confirms they can proceed.

The CEO was also authorised to negotiate termination of the existing Option B MOU and negotiate the replacement Option A MOU with the HPA.
In short: the Wave Rock–Katter Kich Discovery Centre project is continuing, with further legal and statutory steps required before the project can move into binding implementation.

🚗 Road Safety

Digital speed feedback signs for Hyden and Kondinin were included in the Medical & Community Services Committee agenda.

There was no separate resolution on this matter recorded in the 22 July Ordinary Council minutes.

With the Committee structure now changed, matters such as this will continue through the full Council process.

🎉 Community Events

The Ordinary Council meeting included a Community Development update with a number of Hyden activities and upcoming events.

These included:

Hyden Spring Markets, with planning underway.
Brendan Cullen's mental health, resilience and succession planning presentation in Hyden on 4 August.
An Australian Citizenship Ceremony in Hyden on 15 August.
Community activities held during NAIDOC Week and SOCK Week.

Council also approved a $1,000 contribution towards the proposed Cycling Without Age Trishaw initiative for Hyden and the wider Wheatbelt, conditional on the initiative proceeding, and endorsed a letter of support for the organisation's grant applications.

💰 Budget & Rates

Council resolved to apply to the Minister for Local Government for approval to apply the proposed differential rates for 2026/27.

The agenda information indicated an overall proposed rates increase of 3.5%, and Council recorded that no objections had been received during the public consultation period.

This is part of the process leading into the Shire's 2026/27 budget.

💬 Have Your Say

Did anything from the July Council or Committee meeting documents stand out to you, or is there a matter you'd like the Hyden Progress Association to follow up on?

We welcome your questions and feedback.

Our aim is to keep the community informed, encourage constructive discussion and, where appropriate, seek clarification from the Shire on matters affecting Hyden.

📅 Next Ordinary Council Meeting
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Karlgarlin Country Club

Look out for Hyden Progress Association Council Update #2 – Agenda Summary in the lead-up to the meeting.

Our community. Our future. Staying informed together.

Disclaimer: This summary has been prepared by the Hyden Progress Association using publicly available Shire of Kondinin Council and Committee meeting documents, together with information provided by the Shire in response to HPA enquiries. It is intended to provide a community overview and encourage local engagement in Council matters. While every effort has been made to accurately summarise the information available, residents are encouraged to read the official Council documents and contact the Shire of Kondinin directly if they require further information or clarification.

Official Council meeting documents:

The meeting dates are subject to change. Should Council deem it necessary to change a meeting venue or date, it will be advertised accordingly.Bruce WrightChief Executive Officer

28/07/2026

🏋️ Have Your Say – Hyden Community Gym

The Shire of Kondinin is seeking community feedback on the gym equipment you’d like to see included in the proposed Hyden Community Gym.

This is a great opportunity to help shape a facility that meets the needs of our community, whether you’re into strength training, cardio, functional fitness or just looking to stay active.

Please take a couple of minutes to complete the survey and share your ideas.

👉 https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9WH57HL

Every response helps demonstrate community interest and ensures the equipment selected reflects what local residents actually want.

Please share this post to help reach as many Hyden community members as possible. 💪🏽

26/07/2026

21/07/2026

Look after your community’s future this Census! Apply now at census.abs.gov.au/jobs

As a Field Officer, you’ll be the local face of the Census. You’ll deliver Census letters and forms, answer questions from the public and follow up households that haven’t yet responded.

Earn extra money and work flexible hours across weekdays, evenings and weekends. No experience required. Training and support provided.