The days are winding down to Christmas and we are all running between events it seems. The past week has been a hectic time at the VLGA with our annual Christmas function for members on Thursday night, where we were delighted to award our second John Jago Award for Good Governance (see below). On the same night, we were very proud to receive our own award – the 2011 VicHealth Award for Outstanding Achievement in Health Promotion (also see below). Last Tuesday, the VLGA co-convened the Urban Climate Justice Research Roundtable with Curtin, Griffith, Macquarie, Monash and RMIT universities and the University of Melbourne as a step in bridging the gap between research and practice. We were welcomed by Federal Member for Melbourne, Adam Bandt MP, at RMIT’s Storey Hall, and more than 40 participants workshopped what it means to have a ‘climate just’ city in Australia. Particular thanks to VLGA Vice President Cr Heinz Kreutz and the VLGA staff team for putting this together.
Also last week, I wrote to Premier Baillieu regarding the Victorian Government’s review of the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 (Vic) (the Charter). I commended to the Premier the evidence provided by local governments to the Review, which was overwhelmingly in favour of a retention of the Charter and for strengthening the capacity of local governments as responsible authorities. The Charter has made a real difference to the lives of many Victorians and has had a direct impact on the policies and practices of local governments. See the letter here.
Finally, in my meeting with Minister Powell last week, I provided feedback from VLGA members on the Ministerial Mayors Advisory Panel, which was well-received. The Minister also reinforced her desire to include all peaks in the discussions on the VLGSA.
That’s it from me this week. In the meantime please don’t hesitate to give me a call to discuss issues of interest to you on 0407 364 509, or drop me a line via email. Cheers.
Cr Samantha Dunn, President
Keeping you up to date
Indigo wins the VLGA’s 2011 John Jago Good Governance Award
Indigo Shire Council's Indigo 2030 Community Vision Project has won the John Jago Award for good governance for 2011. Indigo's win was announced at the VLGA's end of year function on 1 December and was accepted by Indigo Shire’s CEO Brendan McGrath and General Manager Sustainable Communities Mark Florence. We received seven entries this year, and the winning entry was judged as being a very innovative approach to community planning by a small rural shire with significant challenges around geographical size and dispersed populations. Indigo utilised very creative approaches including the arts and storytelling to enable its various communities to speak in their own voices.
The other highly commended short-listed entries were Alpine Shire Council and the Harrietville Community Building Initiative Committee's Community Building Initiative; Baw Baw Shire Council's Baw Baw 2050 plan; and the David House Redevelopment Project by Maribyrnong City Council. All the entries exhibited excellent governance and the VLGA will be displaying all these projects on our website as terrific examples of what Victorian local government can do. Congratulations again to Indigo Shire Council. The VLGA looks forward to running the John Jago Award again in 2012.
VLGA wins prestigious VicHealth Award
Speaking of awards … the 2011 VicHealth Award for Outstanding Achievement in Health Promotion has been awarded to the VLGA for building capacity in local governments and communities (or for ‘Organisational Development’) for our Food for All Information Dissemination Project. The VLGA was one of only 22 Award Finalists for health promotion and disease prevention projects across the whole of Victoria – so a prestigious win it was!
Our congratulations especially to Leah Galvin as the Project Officer, Darren Ray as Project Manager, and our administration and policy teams for their contributions to this successful project. We also acknowledge the previous work of VLGA member Dr Beverley Wood on food security over a number of years, which established our reputation in this space. You can see more information on the project in the Award Application Statement. This Award places the VLGA in a good position to continue negotiations with government about improving food security at the local level. It lends considerable weight to existing leverage such as the mention of the VLGA’s food security work in the new State Government’s Preventative Health Plan actions. Watch this space!
Community involvement in planning … matters?
Members may have come across this very good article by Alan March, senior lecturer at the Melbourne School of Design, and Executive of Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, where he makes the case for retaining appeal rights for communities. Alan concludes with the view that “the planning system must be able to determine what the future of the city should be and to get people to generally agree to it in advance, rather than expecting that many tiny incremental changes initiated by infill developments will lead to good outcomes.” The VLGA has been making these points for many years, with a focus on the lead-up to the last State Election, and subsequently in meetings with the Planning Minister. This was a key theme of our submission to the Underwood Inquiry looking into the future of Victoria’s Planning System. Our submission emphasises the need for the planning system to incorporate collaborative approaches that embody the principles of community engagement and good governance. For this to occur, it is vital to ensure that there is equitable access to the planning processes, with local government maintaining its functions in strategic and statutory planning for local communities. While significant gains in efficiency can be made, they should not be sought through a deregulated system that bypasses fair and transparent processes. We await the outcomes of the Underwood Inquiry, and we will continue to make the case for appeal rights and community involvement to be maintained.
VLGA members offered 20% discount for Place Making Training
Creative Communities is offering VLGA members a 20% discount to this season's new and improved 2012 Place Making workshop series with David Engwicht. The focus of the workshop is Day One: The Art of Place Making; and Day Two: Becoming a More Creative Place Maker. David Engwicht is one of the world's most innovative thinkers on creating vibrant public spaces. David empowers design professionals, city officials and citizens with new low cost tools and powerful community engagement approaches to tame traffic, create vibrant places, stimulate economic development, promote civility and build resilience. To claim a 20% discount simply put VLGA in the discount code box. Go online to download the brochure, register, and get more information.
16 Days of Action to prevent violence against women
Don’t forget to take a look at the VLGA’s ‘16 Days of Action’ on our website at www.vlga.org.au, which will run until International Human Rights Day on 10 December. If you’d like to join us for our International Human Rights Day Morning Tea on 8 December with a focus on women, see the details in VLGA events below. We encourage you to have a look at the simple actions you can take as part of our ‘16 Days of Action’, with new actions loaded each day.
Fresh new look for Footscray
Maribyrnong City Council’s Mayor, Cr Sarah Carter, launched the Footscray Integrated Marketing Strategy (FIMS) and a fresh new brand for Footscray at a launch event at Victoria University's Footscray Park Campus last Wednesday. The event highlighted the collaborative, strategic partnerships between key partners in Footscray: Maribyrnong City Council, the State Government, Victoria University, and the Western Bulldogs. The event was attended by senior figures from all the partner organisations. The launch event featured a performance by local artists, the Snuff Puppets, who performed as a 7-tonne elephant, complete with elephant handler. The marketing strategy aims to encourage residents and visitors to take a fresh look at Footscray and what is has to offer: located on the city fringe, offering riverside lifestyle, city views, arts and cultural festivals and unique Asian and African dining experiences and easily accessible to Melbourne’s western growth corridor. The marketing strategy has already led to the creation of a new Footscray destination website – www.footscraylife.com.au – partnered with a bi-monthly Footscray Life newsletter in English, Vietnamese and Chinese.
Melbourne City Council’s Urban Forest Strategy
Melbourne's tree population is vast – we have 60,000 local government owned trees, worth around $650 million. Trees are a defining part of Melbourne. But the trees are now under threat. After a decade of drought, severe water restrictions and periods of extreme heat, combined with an ageing tree stock, we expect to lose 27 per cent of our current tree population in the next decade and 44 per cent in the next 20 years. To pre-empt this major loss, Melbourne City Council has just released their new Urban Forest Strategy. This may also be a model other local governments and communities are interested in following. You can have a read and have your say by visiting melbourneurbanforest.com.au.
Honouring Victorian Women
Nominations for the 2012 Victorian Women’s Honour Roll are closing on 21 December 2011. Since its launch in 2001, 478 women have been included on the Honour Roll. The new inductees will be announced as part of International Women’s Day celebrations in March 2012. Women can be nominated for their contributions in a diverse range of fields including health, science, law, social justice, arts, media and education, as well as their involvement in culturally diverse and Indigenous communities. For more information, nomination forms and posters visit the website at Victorian Women's Honour Roll, contact Brenna Murphy on (03) 9918 7343 or view the website www.dhs.vic.gov.au/for-individuals/women.
Call for applications: Future City Leaders Initiative
Are you a young Mayor or Councillor currently involved in your local government’s sustainability initiatives looking to build your knowledge, leadership skills and networks? Future City Leaders is a global initiative that offers a unique two-year environmental capacity building program for 21 selected young mayors and councillors. The accelerated learning curriculum uses face to face mentoring alongside group activities online to help leaders looking for the next step up. Highlights include networking with global peers and experts; attending the ICLEI World Congress and potentially Rio +20 in June 2012; and receiving expert mentoring from established leaders and (also in collaboration with the World Mayors Council on Climate Change). FutureCityLeaders is an outstanding program essential for young mayors and councillors looking to build their leadership skills, collaborate internationally and share best practice case studies in a supportive group of global peers. Applications should be sent to ICLEI by January next year. For further information on the program and to apply, please visit www.iclei.org/futurecityleaders or contact via email.
Supporting Victorian Local Governments Manage Climate Risks and Plan for Change
This MAV report is the second part of the Supporting Victorian Local Governments Manage Climate Risks and Plan for Change project, funded by the Department of Sustainability and Environment. The aims of this, Part B, were to: understand the barriers and constraints local governments face in undertaking, integrating and implementing adaptation planning; to assess the ability of current methodologies, guidance, information and tools to address these issues and barriers; and finally, to identify potential measures to assist councils in their adaptation planning. Events for your diary
VLGA events
International Human Rights Day Morning Tea
Thursday 8 December, 10-11.30am
VLGA, 60 Leicester Street, Carlton
The VLGA invites you to celebrate International Human Rights Day. The theme for the 2011 International Human Rights Day is ‘promoting human dignity’ and 2011 also marks the 100th Anniversary of International Women’s Day. Our focus for this year will be on the progress and future of local government and community actions in:
* Preventing Violence Against Women
* Promoting participation of women in next year’s Local Government Elections, and
* The uptake of the Victorian Local Government Women’s Charter.
Come along and network with colleagues, and do your bit for International Human Rights Day. Numbers are limited, so please RSVP via email or phone (03) 9349 7999.
Other events
Local Government Promising Practice Forum on the Prevention of Violence against Women
Wednesday 14 December, 12.30-5.30pmDepartment of Human Services, Level 1, 50 Lonsdale St, Melbourne
Speaking of preventing violence against women, and acknowledging the wonderful leadership that local governments in particular have demonstrated, the MAV is holding a Local Government Promising Practice Forum on the Prevention of Violence Against Women on 14 December in Melbourne. The audience is primarily local government people (both elected representatives and officers), key community partners and government representatives. This half-day event (including lunch) is offered by the MAV at no charge. Registrations are required by COB today, 5 December, and you can find more information and register online.
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