I would firstly like to take this opportunity to introduce myself to you as the Interim President for the next month or so. The circumstances for my temporary position are outlined in previous correspondence, as well as in the enews posting below titled Interim President.
I was elected as VLGA Vice President in February this year and am Mayor of a medium sized rural shire; Baw Baw in Gippsland.
I am really looking forward to stepping into this role for the next few weeks and hope to keep the focus on many on the important issues before members at the moment such as lobbying Minister Wynne for a review of some of the more unworkable aspects of the Conflict of Interest Legislation.
It was good to catch up with many councillors recently at the Councillor Development Weekend in Creswick and congratulations to MAV for running this successful event.
VLGA Conflict Of Interest Update – Urgent Feedback By July 31st
Thank you to the many Councillors, CEOs, Officers and Community Members who have already provided us with feedback on the key concerns and suggested solutions that we have included in our Conflict Of Interest Update.
It is pleasing to see that the Shadow Spokesperson for Local Government, Jeanette Powell has joined with us in advocating for local governments and communities to be involved in a genuine consultation with the State Government. It is also pleasing to see that changes are not only seen as being necessary, but that the unintended consequences and adverse impacts on council governance are also recognised.
In case you have not read the Update, you have until July 31st to let us know your views. You can find the Update on the right hand side of the front page of our website at http://www.vlga.org.au/
VLGA Special Event: Affordable/Social Housing And Community Engagement: Are The Two Incompatible?
Affordable Housing is of increasing concern to all Victorian communities, as well as to local governments who often have to consider applications for affordable/social housing.
As we all know, the path to getting more affordable/social housing ‘on the ground’ can often be fraught with contentious community debates. This forum highlights the possibilities, challenges and successes of partnerships with local governments, and the factors that influence local community debates about affordable/social housing.
Where: Victorian Local Governance Association,
When: Wednesday August 19th, 1.30-4.00pm
Afternoon Tea will be provided. Speaker Information is available via the VLGA's Upcoming
Events Calendar at http://www.vlga.org.au Numbers limited, so please RSVP to (03) 9349 7999 or
Meeting our Zero Net Emissions Goals after the CPRS takes effect
A carbon accounting workshop for Local Governments. This workshop targets Councils with zero net carbon emissions commitments and aims to:
- Update participants on the likely effects of the CPRS on current carbon accounting and how it may impact on achieving zero net emissions commitments.
- Develop solutions on how we continue to account for voluntary action in a post-Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) era.
Jointly hosted by the MAV and the City of
When:
30th July, 2009, 10am – 2pm
Venue:
RSVPs:
Naomi Phillips at nphillip@portphillip.vic.gov.au
For details of other events, go to our Upcoming Events Calendar on the right hand side of the front page of our website at http://www.vlga.org.au/
New Council Member –
The Board would like to welcome our newest council member - Whitehorse City Council, taking our all-time high Council membership to 56! The VLGA continues to go from strength to strength, due to your support, and the hard work and dedication of our Board and Staff. We look forward to further extending our services and advocacy.Following is some information on the Whitehorse City Council.
The City of
The City’s logo is modelled on the knight, which is one of the most powerful and flexible pieces in the game of chess. The significance of the white horse emanates from the historical and mythological representation of strength, courage and fertility. The symbol of the white horse in celtic mythology comes from the Goddess Epona (Gaul), Macha (Eire) and Rhiannon (
For further information go to www.whitehorse.vic.gov.au
Mayors For Peace
Mayors for Peace, an international network of over 3000 local Councils hosted a colourful stall at the ALGA conference this year, with a focus on local initiatives around nuclear weapons abolition.
ALGA participants were invited to fold a paper crane at the stall to learn about Mayors for Peace upcoming activities and non-members were encouraged to join the 50 Councils already part of the network in
Pictured at ALGA: Cr Helen Relph,
The network in
Mayors for Peace is supporting Councils to host crane folding activities in August on the anniversaries of the atomic bombings of
For more information, go to the bottom right hand side of the front page of our website at http://www.vlga.org.au/ and look at VLGA Supported Networks.
Feel free to email or call me if you would like to discuss any issue.
Regards
Cr Ruth McGowan
Interim President
0431 664 693 or ruth@vlga.org.au
No comments:
Post a Comment