Port Stephens Community Strategic Plan
2025 to 2035
About Easy Read
This is an Easy Read book.
Easy Read uses pictures to explain ideas.
New words are bold and blue. We tell you what new words mean.
Easy Read includes key information.
You can read the full strategy here www.portstephens.nsw.gov.au/council/ plans-and-reporting/integrated-plans
About this book
This is our Community Strategic Plan in Easy Read.
We call it our plan.
Our plan says how we will keep making Port Stephens a great place to live.
Our plan goes for 10 years from 2025 to 2035.
Feedback from thousands of community members in Port Stephens shaped this plan.
What is most important?
Community members told us what is most important to them.
Community members said it was most important to
• spend money on roads and paths
• make sure people can afford houses
• have nice public spaces
• have a say in important council decisions
• use council money to best help our community.
Community members said it was important for us to keep working to look after the natural environment.
The natural environment includes places in nature like
• parks
• beaches.
Our plan has 4 parts
1. Our community
2. Our place
3. Our environment
4. Our council
1. Our community
We will keep working to make our community accessible and inclusive.
Accessible means we meet disability access needs. For example, wheelchair users can use public spaces.
Inclusive means everyone is welcome.
We will keep working to meet the needs of children and families.
We will keep working to offer safe and equal access to community activities.
We will keep working to
•help volunteers provide community services
•make spaces for people to learn and connect
•respect First Nations people
•share information about local cultural activities
•make customer service important
•create more ways for community members to work with us.
2.Our place
We will keep working to make our community a great place for
• tourism
• business growth
• events.
We will keep working to
• share our plans with our community to create housing and jobs
• make Port Stephens a great place to live using council plans for the area.
We will keep working to grow Newcastle Airport so people can travel overseas and visit our community.
We will keep working to make safe roads and paths connecting different towns and main areas.
We will keep working to make our community feel safe.
We will keep supporting emergency services to
• help our community prepare for disasters
• protect houses and buildings
• protect natural environments.
3. Our environment
We will keep working to
• protect our natural environment
• make our natural environment better
• help our community manage climate change. For example, weather changes over time.
We will keep working to help our community manage danger in
• coastal areas
• waterways.
We will keep working to support renewable energy.
Renewable energy is energy that is better for our planet. For example, solar power.
We will keep working on programs for
• recycling
• less waste.
4. Our council
We will keep working to
• support council workers to do a great job
• offer great leadership
• be a fair and supportive place to work
• use digital technology to help our workers
• use digital technology to help our customers
• use council money to best help our community.
Help to call
Call 131 450 for the Translating and Interpreting Service if English is not your first language.
Call 1800 555 660 for the National Relay Service if you have communication support needs.
Call 1800 555 677 if you use a teletypewriter or TTY.
Embrace Access wrote this Easy Read book. This book was co-designed by an advisor with lived experience of disability. You must ask for permission to use the words and images in this book. Picture Communication Symbols © 1981–2025 by Tobii Dynavox. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Used with permission. Boardmaker® is a trademark of Tobii Dynavox. Contact the team at Embrace Access to create your own co-designed Easy Read book. W: www.EmbraceAccess.com.au E: info@EmbraceAccess.com.au M: 0433 759 535