Role of the Victorian Auditor General
Community Plan:
These include:
Planet Themes
The Victorian Auditor-General has powers under Section 16 of the Audit Act 1994 to prepare and table a report to the Victorian Parliament outlining the result of the local government audits. This report provides a summary of audit opinions on the statements contained in each of Victoria’s 79 council annual reports, addressing the timeliness of their financial and performance reports, their financial sustainability and aspects of how they manage their budget processes and outsourced arrangements. This closes the loop in the accountability framework by ensuring councils are subject to independent scrutiny in relation to their performance.
Councils should take a leadership role in developing and facilitating community engagement and involvement in the preparation of their council plan. Although not a legislative requirement, the council plan can also be informed by long-term plans such as a community plan. A community plan typically describes the community’s long-term vision and aspirations and is a way of directly involving the community in the council plan preparation process. Council plans are typically nested within each long-term community plan”.
• The building of a strong and vibrant community
• Protecting and managing trees, native vegetation and open space (public and private)
Key Documents Victorian councils are required to prepare a number of key documents under the Local Government Act 1989 and as prescribed in the Local Government (Finance and Reporting) Regulations 2004. These are: • Council plan: this is council’s medium-term planning tool which should reflect the wishes of the community and other stakeholders. The council plan must describe the organisation’s strategic objectives, strategies for achieving the objectives, how progress will be measured and the resources required to implement the council plan for a period of at least four years. • Strategic resource plan: the strategic resource plan is a rolling plan of at least four years and forms part of the Council Plan. The strategic resource plan should outline the resources that council requires to achieve the objectives described in the council plan, and include the standard statements as prescribed by the regulations to outline the financial and nonfinancial resources required. • Annual budget: the annual budget should reflect the priorities and objectives of the council plan and establish performance measures and targets for key strategic activities to monitor performance against the council plan. The annual budget reflects the first year of the strategic resource plan and must contain the standard statements and a description of the activities and initiatives to be funded. It should also provide information about services and capital works, and how they will be funded. • Annual report: The annual report outlines the council’s performance as measured against the council plan, annual budget and strategic resource plan. Annual reports must contain standard and financial statements and a performance statement to report performance against the measures and targets related to the key strategic activities. Councils are also required to report on what they have achieved during the financial year in the report on operations. The annual report is acquitted in an audit by the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office at the end of the financial year.
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BANYULE CITY COUNCIL CITY PLAN 2013-2017
Note: The information above is sourced from the ‘Local Government Planning and Reporting Better Practice Guide’ and accompanying fact sheet, provided by the State Government Department of Planning and Community Development (Circular No. 5/2013).
Our Linkage between City Plan and Budget The Annual Budget has been developed within Council’s overall planning framework. This framework guides the Council in identifying community needs and aspirations over the long-term, converting these into medium (Council Plan) and short-term (Annual Budget) objectives, key directions, initiatives, activities and resource requirements. This is then made accountable through Audited Financial and Performance Statements (containing our key performance indicators) and our statutory annual report to the community. Essential in the planning and application of Council’s resources is the critical link to the community. Banyule undertakes an ongoing and iterative process of engagement across all parts of our community. We use community information along with key demographic data, our legislative context and industry benchmarks to assess the appropriate level of service for our community. We test these services against both national and international standards of quality, efficiency and effectiveness. There are direct and obvious links between the broad range of information we gather and the activities we fund to meet our strategic intent. We review this annually and re-assess our activities and areas of emphasis for our community on this basis. Through extensive community engagement and feedback, with a concentrated and targeted effort over the period November 2012 to May 2013, we have strengthened the areas of focus in our new City Plan 2013-2017 and in our Budget 2013-2014.
• Improving communication with our community so we are better informed as to things that matter • Identifying opportunities that bring social and economic benefits to the community • Developing local activity centres in an appropriate and sustainable way • Making land-use planning more consistent and see that it improves local neighbourhood character • Ensuring comprehensive transport planning and advocacy on transport and congestion issues • Continuing a strong focus on delivering quality, value for money services • Ensuring our financial sustainability and making sure we continue to deliver our services to the levels expected • Advocating to other levels of government on important community issues, even where it is not Council’s direct delivery role, and ensuring that this is done in the strongest terms to affect change for the betterment of Banyule. We have also ‘closed the loop’ by showing our community how we have directly responded to what they have said during our community engagement process. This has been captured through a series of key summary papers that showcase ‘What you said’, and ‘How we are using what you said’. This includes a summary of how the information links with the City Plan objectives. It is part of our ongoing program and commitment to communicating and engaging with our community, and responding to community needs. The extended series of themes and issues raised are as follows:
People Themes • Promoting and supporting good health for people of different ages, life stages and backgrounds • Providing a broader range of passive and active recreation opportunities • Providing open spaces, environments and facilities that encourage people to get active • Providing and advocating for services and resources that are accessible and inclusive to all • Inclusion, connection and diversity
• Conserving water and protecting waterway amenity and water quality • Delivering action on climate change through the use of Environmentally Sustainable Design, clean energy or new efficient technologies • Reducing and managing Banyule’s waste stream • Supporting, encouraging and facilitating environmental stewardship.
Place Themes • Neighbourhood character and managing growth • Transport • Retaining and protecting trees • Local services and facilities • Banyule’s identity • Local shops.
Participation Themes • Engaging, partnering with and supporting local community groups and organisations • Improving ways to get information from and about Council and other services/activities • Helping the community understand what Council does and what Council offers • Supporting people to get involved, participate and make connections with others • Increasing and expanding volunteering opportunities • Partnering with the community and making better use of community strengths • Promoting diversity and encouraging community harmony • Providing open and transparent ways for people to have a say and being clearer about what can and can’t be done • Improving and increasing consultation and engagement The full reconciliation of themes and initial responses promoted to the community can be found at http://www.banyule.vic.gov.au/future/
• Safety in local communities • Improve access to and delivery of information about key Council, health and community services and activities.
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