CiVic Magazine Issue 10 - June 2015 by Kristi High

ISSUE 10 JUNE 2015

Ageing friendly

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Over 40 years in Australia A range of quality products supported by a national dealer network Sat-Nav multimedia unit with Bluetooth® and 3 years map updates Best service intervals on any Japanese truck Rosa is the best selling bus in it’s class for 11 years running* Roadside Assistance Support Hotline (for new and existing customers) With Fuso Financial Fast Track Finance we make buying your new truck or bus easy^

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EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO GET THE JOB DONE AT A GREAT PRICE. Call 1300 429 134 or visit fuso.com.au to find out more. *Rosa is Australia’s top-selling bus in its class for the last eleven years based on Vfacts sales volumes 2004-2014. ^Fast Track finance is available to approved customers only. Approval is subject to 60 month maximum term, 30% maximum balloon payment and other lending criteria. Available on new Fuso products only. $200,000 Fast Track approval limit is including, and not in addition to any pre-existing financial exposure. Fuso Financial is a registered business name of Mercedes-Benz Financial Services Australia Pty Ltd ABN 73 074 134 517 AFSL 247271. Fuso is distributed by Mercedes-Benz Australia/Pacific Pty Ltd ACN 004 411 410. Bluetooth® is a registered trade mark of Bluetooth SIG.

The City of Ryde was on a mission to drive new waste behaviours. They did it with icon’s help. The City of Ryde was faced with a challenge: service the waste needs of a growing population with existing collection services, as well as meet new government targets to divert waste from landfill. When it comes to municipal waste reduction, most of the easy wins are gone. Hitting targets means working smarter. The council had developed a more efficient waste management strategy, but to be a success, householders would need to embrace changes to collection services and new ways to reduce and recycle. That’s when the City of Ryde engaged icon.pr to create a new waste brand, which would communicate changes to services. The ‘Smarter Cleaner Greener’ brand was a critical factor in the change management process – connecting with community, building awareness of improved practices and driving behaviour change. On top of the brand, icon.pr developed a communication plan to launch the project. Collection vehicles became moving billboards to promote ‘waste smart’ behaviour. Council delivered calendars to all residents featuring the key dates for collection and events, as well as ways to reduce waste and promote a new At-Call CleanUp service. The aim is to increase recycling, reduce landfill and encourage the community to take pride in its ‘Smarter Cleaner Greener’ approach to life. Icon.pr is a digitally led public relations agency, specialising in strategic communications and behaviour change marketing. This is just one example of many high impact campaigns we’ve created for councils and local government all over Australia. If you’d like to see more or need help to drive change, contact Joanne Painter at icon.pr on (03) 9642 4107, email: joanne@iconpr.com.au or visit: www.iconinc.com.au

How to book your Household CleanUp

Live in a house?

Book your CleanUp online: www.ryde.nsw.gov.au/ cleanup or call: 9952 8222

Set yourself a reminder for your booked CleanUp date

Live in a unit/apartment complex or duplex?

Share a bin service with others in your complex

Have your own set of bins

Check your notice board or contact your Managing Body for your next CleanUp date

Ensure you are aware of requirements for presentation and acceptable CleanUp items

Behaviour change marketing for government • COMMUNICATIONS • PR • DIGITAL • SOCIAL MEDIA • BRANDING Place CleanUp items on the nature strip with the sticker provided no earlier than 1 day before your booked CleanUp date

Ensure you or your Managing Body make a booking prior to placing your CleanUp materials on the nature strip

Each household is entitled to no more than 1.5 cubic metres of material or equivalent to one box trailer load per collection

Each household and unit/apartment complex is entitled to up to five CleanUp collections per calendar year

For more information and a full list of acceptable and nonacceptable CleanUp items visit: www.ryde. nsw.gov.au/cleanup

The start of Alpine Shire Council’s transformation results in multi million dollar savings. REGULARS

F E AT U R E S

President’s Report

Editor’s Note

Opinion by Brimbank Chair of Administrators John Watson

8 10 16 18 20 22 25 28

Sector Connector by Verne Krastins

MAV Technology

In Brief

Events

5 minutes with Manningham Cr Michelle Kleinert

Amazing results using non-motorised travel Wyndham City Council Big skips and organic ideas East Gippsland Shire Council COVER STORY: Building ageing friendly cities Banyule City Council The fashions of cultural diversity Greater Dandenong City Council Celebrating great communications Mildura Rural City Council ANZAC Day honoured Bayside City Council, Benalla Rural City Council Street sweeping recycles Melbourne City Council Leading regions to growth Regional Capitals Australia

Cover photo: Banyule residents are playing a role in helping to define age friendly cities. This page: Alpine is undergoing an organisational transformation for the improvement of its beautiful shire.

Disclaimer Puffafish (“Publisher”) advises that the contents of this publication are at the sole discretion of the Municipal Association of Victoria and the publication is offered for background information purposes only. The publication has been formulated in good faith and the Publisher believes its contents to be accurate, however, the contents do not amount to a recommendation (either expressly or by implication) and should not be relied upon in lieu of specific professional advice. The Publisher disclaims all responsibility for any loss or damage which may be incurred by any reader relying upon the information contained in the publication whether that loss or damage is caused by any fault or negligence on the part of the Publisher, its directors and employees. Copyright All advertisements appearing in this publication are subject to copyright and may not be reproduced except with the consent of the owner of the copyright. Advertising Advertisements in this magazine are solicited from organisations and businesses on the understanding that no special considerations other than those normally accepted in respect of commercial dealings, will be given to any advertiser.

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CONTENTS ISSUE 10â&#x20AC;&#x201A; JUNE 2015

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President’s Report

The MAV President and Board elections were held in March, and I am honoured to have been elected President for the next two years. Bill McArthur MAV President

long with the 12 Board Members, five new and seven returned, I am confident that we will work collaboratively and positively to best represent the sector. Submissions to the Essential Services Commission’s (ESC) consultation paper on rate capping were due on 15 May, and the MAV worked alongside councils and the Finance and Rate Capping Taskforce to ensure our voices were heard. We have continuously maintained that the consumer price index is not a fair measure of council costs, and the development of an independent Local Government Cost Index to

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more adequately reflect council costs is required. A draft report will be released by the ESC in July, followed by further consultation. The final report is due in October. We will continue to work closely with our taskforce to ensure the ESC gets this model right. Ahead of the Australian Government’s May budget we welcomed a funding boost of $840 million nationally to fund the five hours of 15 hours of kindergarten. This was a great outcome for the sector after 12 months of continuous campaigning. The two years of funding will provide certainty for parents who

access kinder for four-year-olds, and for councils who provide 15 hours of kindergarten. Without this funding, which was set to expire in December, parents were at risk of exorbitant fee increases of up to 100 per cent, or poorer learning outcomes for their children. Complementing this federal funding is a further $50 million over four years from the State Government’s budget for improved kindergartens and integrated children’s services centres. Other wins from the State budget include $50 million for interface councils to maintain vital assets, and $100 million over four years for

sporting infrastructure. However, replacement funding for the expiring $160 million Country Roads and Bridges Program was not forthcoming in the budget, leaving rural and regional councils facing an effective funding cut. While substantial funds have been made available in the budget for road projects, there is no indication that local government will be eligible for this funding. We have a challenging time ahead with the freeze on indexation of Financial Assistance Grants, potential road funding cuts, and a looming rate cap. The MAV will continue to work with members to achieve the best outcomes possible.

Editor’s Note

NEW

We’ve made it to double digits!

ssue 10 of CiVic is being regarded as a milestone in the publishing halls of Puffafish, and we could not have done it without the support of the MAV, councils and of course our advertisers. And, I could not have done it without my extraordinary team of graphic designers, writers and sales people. Delivering a magazine that is solely focused on good news stories sometimes causes a raised eyebrow – you know the old journo sayings like ‘if it bleeds, it leads’ etc.

Kristi High

Well, sensationalism, the beat-ups, and mis-angled stories are just not what we’re about. It was time to give councils the kudos they deserve and strengthen communications between the 79 of you so East Gippsland projects are seen and heard in Cardinia, and Alpine happenings are visible to Bass Coast. Our stories aim to tell the journey and not just the outcome of council-led projects, programs and initiatives in an effort to start a conversation

Proudly published by

and identify similarities between councils. I haven’t quite made my personal milestone of having each council featured at least once. There are a few councils that have not had a story in CiVic and I hope to rectify that in the next two issues. If you have an idea for a feature in CiVic magazine, feel free to contact me directly via email kristi@puffafish.com.au and please add editorial@puffafish.com.au to your media distribution list. Kristi

MAV INFO Follow us on Twitter @Viccouncils

Editor Kristi High § 0407 366 466 § kristi@puffafish.com.au Editorial Deadline 14 August § editorial@puffafish.com.au Advertising Tony Cornish § advertising@puffafish.com.au Design & Layout Jason Jeffery & Kathryn Steel

Like us on Facebook facebook.com/viccouncils Subscribe to the MAV Bulletin mav.asn.au

Facebook.com/CiVicMagazine Contributors: Rachael Sweeney and Verne Krastins.

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Opinion

Working hard to prevent violence against women By mid May, 37 women had been killed, violently, in Australia this year alone by their intimate partner. In that same period, thousands of other women have experienced violence, threats, intimidation, control and coercion. John Watson

Chair of Brimbank Panel of Administrators

n Victoria, there were 68,000 reported incidences of violence against women last year. Although not all of these women have been hurt or killed by an intimate partner or a family member, many have. In 2014, Victorian crime statistics identified that one-third of the sexual assaults and related offences, almost half of assault and related offences and more than half of the stalking, harassment and threatening behaviour offences were family violence related. Despite the shocking statistics on reported violence against women, according to the Australian Institute of Criminology, women are more likely to report violence perpetrated by strangers than those by men known to them such as partners, former partners and family members. Police, health professionals and crisis response services are working harder than ever to support women in abusive relationships. Workplaces are also seeking ways to ensure they respond appropriately to assist women employees who are experiencing violence in their lives. Brimbank City Council is proud to offer uncapped leave to female members of staff who have experienced violence. This leave is written into the Enterprise Agreement between council and staff and enables us to best support staff. It can be used to 6 C I VI C

meet with legal representatives, attend to health issues arising from the violence, seek safe accommodation and any other associated matters. Violence against women does not occur in a vacuum. Societal attitudes toward women and gender inequality can create an environment in which violence is permissible. Former Governor General of Australia Quentin Bryce recently said, “the truth is that domestic and family violence is caused by unequal distribution of power and resources between men and women; it’s about the rigid gender roles and stereotypes that characterise our society, and the culture and the attitudes that support violence against women”. Beyond responding to violence against women, there is a clear role for local government in preventing violence against women by challenging the cultural dimension of gender-based violence. With a local focus, working to change attitudes toward women and reduce gender inequality is one way councils can help to prevent this form of violence. Recently, Brimbank City Council was proud to endorse Council’s Plan to Prevent Men’s Violence Against Women (2015-2019): Towards Gender Equality. Planned priorities include

Photo by Scout Kozakiewicz courtesy of the Preventing Violence Together – United partnership.

creating an organisational culture that is welcoming, inclusive and respectful of women and an initial focus here will be on building the capacity of the council’s leadership team to recognise and challenge attitudes across the municipality that support gender inequality and violence against women. Future work will include community campaigns to promote gender equality and raise awareness of the different forms of violence against women. A recent survey highlighted how much this is needed. The research, commissioned by Our Watch, the national foundation to prevent violence against women and their children, surveyed the attitudes of 3,000 young people in Australia to violence against women. It found that: §§33 per cent of respondents believed that ‘exerting control over someone is not a form of violence’

§§25 per cent of men surveyed believe that controlling and violent behaviours are signs of male strength §§25 per cent did not think it was serious if a man who was normally gentle slapped his girlfriend when he was drunk §§25 per cent thought it was normal for men to pressure women into sex §§16 per cent believed women should ‘know their place’. These compelling and disturbing findings are not limited to younger people, or to specific geographic or socioeconomic groups. People hold similar opinions right across the country, including in our municipalities. Brimbank City Council is proud to be playing a role in challenging culture and attitudes that make violence permissible and accepted – in our workplaces, our schools, our neighbourhoods and our homes.

Column

Sector Connector

Rate capping full circle A short history to now Just over 20 years ago, the landscape of Victorian local government was transformed. Local Government Authorities were amalgamated to the present 79, and councillors were replaced with commissioners to run municipal affairs for a couple of years.

fter the reintroduction of municipal elections in 1996, the newly elected councils found themselves in quite a different world, with much larger administrations, the legacy of compulsory competitive tendering, and a considerably weakened ability to raise revenue thanks to rate capping introduced with amalgamations. There were benefits of course. Many would agree that the ability of councils to do more with less improved – the cost of running municipal affairs per resident decreased due to economies of scale, and services could become more effective by coordinating across much larger service user populations. Significant modernisation also occurred inside and out. On the outside, councils took a more strategic approach to community consultation and involving constituents in longer term planning. On the inside amongst workforces and management regimes, levels of professionalism probably improved. At the interface, the more commercial approach of acknowledging residents as consumers of

Illustration by Jason Jeffery.

Verne Ivars Krastins BSc (Hons), Fellow LGPro

council services, not just recipients, probably improved service delivery. The sentiments and needs of the consumer (read rate payer) could be taken into account in a more rational and better benchmarked manner. In 1999, rate capping was disbanded and councils once more had greater discretion over raising revenue locally. This was very enabling, except for ever growing ‘cost shifting’ – the phenomenon where higher levels of government ask more of council budgets, arguing that there’s still slack in the system. The result was biannual rate rises which the populace saw as increasingly unreasonable. Councils found themselves between a rock and a hard place, with the good outcomes spawned by council amalgamations a fading memory. Now rate capping again. What happened? The answer will depend on your perspective. The State Government’s view is that the content of council budgets requires more oversight and a better way to rationalise them for rate payer’s and Victoria’s greater good. The rate payer perspective, at a guess, is that rates seem to be going through the roof without sufficient value for money. If that were not the general view, you’d expect a groundswell of opposition to rate capping. This may well be coming up if the sector makes its case well, but those most likely to question rate capping are those who don’t directly pay rates, reflecting the widening gap between haves and have nots. The arguments being put by councils and peak bodies to the Essential Services Commission are highly rational and with their communities’ long term wellbeing at heart. But I’d suggest that there are more philosophical issues at play. The ascendance of household self-interest, and that the value of local governance is generally out of mind when out of sight, is going to make this battle a tough one to beat. C I VI C

Sch o o l s g et w it h Staff, parents and students at Wyndham schools are all involved in promoting non-motorised travel. 8 â&#x20AC;&#x192; C I VI C

great

s t l u s re

Wyndham City Council is working in partnership with local schools to increase active travel, reduce traffic and improve road safety by encouraging families to walk, cycle, skate or scoot to school.

he Wyndham Active Travel Schools Program was successfully piloted last year with three schools. A further five are in the process of developing School Travel Plans to encourage children, staff and parents to use nonmotorised travel to and from school. The program is delivered through Healthy Together Wyndham, which is implementing and leading the strategy to address low active travel rates around schools. Active Travel Officer Andrew Pell works closely with the schools and coordinates the internal Active Travel Steering Group, which is represented by six council departments involved in traffic management and active travel. Mr Pell said council provides resources, templates, support and networking opportunities to enable the schools to develop a School Travel Plan relevant to their location and community. “The schools set up a working group that includes parents, students and members of staff such as a health and wellbeing officer or physical education teacher, and council provides support,” he said. Each school that participates in the program receives a one-off $5000 grant.

Wyndham children enjoying a morning walk to school.

“It is up to the discretion of the school how it uses the grant money but they must develop a holistic School Travel Plan,” Mr Pell said. Last year, all three schools started the process by surveying parents, teachers and students about their travel habits. “The surveys helped guide the development of the plan, which was able to be developed by school staff by bringing in relief teachers paid out of the grant,” Mr Pell said.

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Activities completed last year by the pilot schools included a mapping exercise showing where students live to identify clusters. Using that information, walking or cycling routes were developed. A number of routes now have active path markers, an initiative from the Ride2School team at Bicycle Network, to show the travel times and distances to school. Schools sent this information to their community through regular communication channels.

“The schools drive the program so that it can be seen as a school program rather than council-run, which assists with sustainability of the work,” Mr Pell said. All of the schools that participated in the pilot reported an increase in active travel rates among staff and students. “One school increased rates from 33 per cent to 64 per cent among students, and 20 per cent to 37 per cent for staff,” Mr Pell said. Healthy Together Wyndham negotiated for part of council’s capital works budget to be allocated to infrastructure improvements such as footpaths and zebra crossings to further support active travel around schools. The five schools that joined the program this year will complete their School Travel Plan by the end of term two, ready to implement in the last two school terms. Last year’s pilot schools continue to roll out their School Travel Plans. “This is a long term approach that can be implemented and then sustained over a long time,” Mr Pell said. “Behaviour change and building an active travel culture can take a long time but we are already seeing many positive results.”

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ast Gippsland Shire Council recently introduced a split skip into its remote areas, and the award winning Kitchen 2 Compost program now has a permanent organic compost site. Manager Waste and Assets Kartik Venkatraman said council needed to explore options for maximising better waste services when five unlicensed rural landfill sites closed due to changes in the EPA legislation. “Council recognised that the small, unsupervised and unlicensed landfill sites were prone to illegal dumping and also had environmental and safety concerns,” Mr Venkatraman said. “These sites had been around for years, and were closed when the new EPA legislation came in.” Council’s waste management team designed a new prototype for waste disposal – a fabricated, mobile, 30m3 split skip bin. Split into two enclosed sections with a swivel type partition and a latch, the bin takes 15m3 of waste in one section and 15m3 of recycling material on the other. Mr Venkatraman said the split skip bins have introduced recycling

The closure of unlicensed landfill sites across East Gippsland coupled with an environmentally hungry community have sparked council to develop a number of innovative waste management solutions.

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Flexible in their design, the bins are for domestic waste only and are collected, on average, every eight days. “The bins are for domestic waste and only ratepayers have been issued with a key to unlock and use the bins,” Mr Venkatraman said. While the skip bins were designed intentionally for rural communities, they have other operational uses. “Some skip bins are being placed at our three waste transfer stations solely for recyclable materials,” Mr Venkatraman said. East Gippsland’s skip bin solution was shortlisted at last year’s Australian Waste and Recycling Expo for an innovation award. The previous year, council won in this category for its Kitchen 2 Compost program, which is still continuing in the Victorian coastal town of Mallacoota. Since Kitchen 2 Compost was trialed in 2010, Mallacoota has almost halved the amount of organic waste that ends up in kerbside bins headed for landfill. The project, in collaboration with Gippsland Waste and Resource Recovery Group and

The closure of the landfills and introduction of the skip bins has provided council an opportunity to educate the community about waste and recycling.

to communities that traditionally used a landfill where everything went in together. “The closure of the landfills and introduction of the skip bins has provided council an opportunity to educate the community about waste and recycling,” Mr Venkatraman said. “As a result, waste to landfill has been reduced and litter in these remote sites is now minimal since there are no open pit landfills.” The bins are placed where the small unlicensed landfill sites were located in rural communities that often service as little as 30 families.

the environmentally passionate Mallacoota community, has seen the removal of kitchen organics and green waste from the town’s municipal waste stream, and the introduction of a permanent local composting site. Mallacoota’s green waste was previously transported 293km from Mallacoota to Bairnsdale before the material was carted a further 96km to be composted. Now, a permanent composting site on the outskirts of Mallacoota, which is owned by East Gippsland Water and supported by funding from Sustainability Victoria,

Interior of East Gippsland's purpose built split skip bin.

East Gippsland Shire Council has leased a permanent site for organic waste.

Organic waste going to landfill has almost halved in Mallacoota since 2010.

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Split skip bins from rural towns are transported to landfill sites.

is producing a compost product that can be used in community parks, gardens, landfill rehabilitation and sporting fields. “The Kitchen 2 Compost program has provided environmental and economical benefits, including savings on transportation costs and the reduction of

council’s greenhouse emissions,” Mr Venkatraman said. Later this year, East Gippsland plans to pilot the program at a councilowned caravan park, which is the largest in the southern hemisphere. Over one summer, the caravan park can generate almost equivalent to the town’s waste in one year.

Supporters and Sponsors

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The future looks bright for Alpine as council makes significant operational changes.

Alpine Shire Council is undergoing a massive transformation that has already saved more than $3 million in recurrent spending.

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ver the past 12 months, council has implemented a review of its human resources, motor vehicle fleet and some smaller spend items. Under direction from council, newly appointed Chief Executive Dave Barry began a systematic review of the entire business in February last year. “Every project and service went under the microscope,” he said. “What we noticed was a number of services were delivering outputs but not outcomes. “In local government there can be a tendency to judge what we do or spend, rather than what we deliver.” Council recognised it had overcomplicated the projects that it was delivering. “We found a number of projects that sought to transform the organisation were not achieving their full potential,” Mr Barry said. A benchmarking and timesaving review of how council had changed over time showed that the employee budget cost had grown by nine per cent annually over the last 10 years, and rates had risen in response.

“Every cent of rate revenue above CPI was going to sustain employee costs,” Mr Barry said. “Post amalgamations, we had 66 staff and this had grown to 143 pre-review, costing us $12M a year in wages. “This made our business very heavily wage exposed where 60 per cent of our revenue was going to staff expenses. “We looked at how the business had transitioned over the past 10 years and tried to find reasons for why we had more staff.” The result of the review was a reduction of Alpine’s indoor workforce from 80 to 58 fulltime employees. “This was achieved by all voluntary redundancies except for one, and staff in many of the positions made redundant were redeployed,” Mr Barry said. Most of the positions to go were back office functions and Alpine now has more customer facing staff than prior to the review. Good communication internally meant staff understood the need for change and supported the review. Over nine months council held monthly meetings with all

Season passes to the local pool reduced dramatically with council savings in recurrent spending.

Reduced indoor workforce by 25%

Lowest rate increase in 15 years (2.9%)

Reduced private use vehicles from 22 to 8

Reduced price of pool season passes ($295 to $99)

Saved $110,000 from minor spend orders between $2000 and $5000

360L recycling bins now cost the same as 240L bin Lower hall usage fees $8.5M committed for capital projects in 2015/16 budget Forecast to pay off $1M in loans to become debt free in 2015/16 Allocated $6.25M to streetscape works in three major townships over next five years

staff, making it clear that change was imminent. “At these meetings, we were able to explore and answer everyone’s questions as to why the review was necessary,” Mr Barry said. “We were upfront and honest. There was no sugar coating the truth but it was delivered in a respectful way.

“We discussed where we needed to get to and how we were going to go about it with as little adverse impact as possible.” Staff also appreciated the introduction of more equality into the organisation. Over time, anomalies had been introduced into the organisation with things like the use of council vehicles.

“Before the review there were some frustrations amongst staff over inequity,” Mr Barry said. “This can weigh heavily on staff, and we want to run a fair and equitable organisation which needed to start by removing legacy type anomalies.” As an organisation, Alpine believes it is functioning better with a smaller

workforce and has greater clarity and better vision. “We have managed to achieve reform by listening to our ratepayers and introducing efficiencies, but we still have a little way to go before we can say our transformation is complete,” Mr Barry said. Alpine will soon undergo a review of its library and waste services.

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Technology

Understanding Public Wi-Fi A new report released by MAV Technology provides local government with a better understanding for implementing Public Wi-Fi that can help councils and their communities grow through better engagement.

he Implementing Public Wi-Fi Services for Local Government report includes a collection of research and case studies that are relevant for councils to implement or grow an existing Public Wi-Fi service. The report includes research material related to the design, implementation, use and ongoing management of Public Wi‑Fi services. MAV Technology Executive Officer Lisa Bennetto said examples from both the private and public sectors are included. “Case studies have been selected from around Australia and the world and are relevant to Victorian local government,” she said. The report also includes business models that support the sustainable use of Public Wi-Fi, along with policies and process for managing it effectively. “Councils looking to understand more about how others have implemented Public Wi-Fi solutions, and that may be seeking guidance on how they may implement their own Public Wi-Fi offering, would benefit from reading this report,” Ms Bennetto said. Commissioned by MAV Technology and developed by

Charlie Mac and Associates, the report sets out the community and economic benefits of public Wi-Fi and when and why to implement a solution. Ms Bennetto said the case studies in the report reveal a variety of ways that public wi-fi can benefit communities, some of which may not be immediately obvious to councils. “Public Wi-Fi has been shown to encourage innovation, economic activity, social equity and greater use of public space for the community. “It can also benefit councils and promote the work they do to service their communities. Research material in the report explores the design, implementation, use and ongoing management of Public Wi-Fi services. Case studies are included from both the public and private sectors, with a particular focus on local government. Information is also provided on appropriate technologies, policies and processes for the effective management of Public Wi-Fi. “Councils typically offer Public Wi-Fi at council buildings and libraries, and potentially some tourist destinations or retail centres,” she said. To read the report, visit the MAV Technology website, www.mav.technology

P: (03) 9667 5509 A: L12, 60 Collins Street, Melbourne, 3000 E: lbennetto@mav.asn.au W: www.mav.technology C I VI C

a g s e e i i n t g i C friendly Banyule’s global input on local journey

Banyule City Council is playing a key role on the international stage towards building age‑friendly cities around the world.

s Australia’s only representative on a World Health Organisation (WHO) study to test and measure the ‘friendliness’ of cities around the world towards older people, Banyule recently attended a WHO meeting in Geneva. The purpose of the meeting was to finalise the 17 indicators that will be tested during the pilot study, which relate to a range of factors including the physical environment (housing and transport),

the social environment (employment, inclusion and participation), and health. Banyule Community Planning Consultant Catherine Simcox said the indicators would be instrumental in establishing a common understanding among stakeholders about the key dimensions of age-friendliness that are valued in their city. “The indicators will be used to measure the baseline level of age-friendliness of the city and

Building age-friendly champions Banyule City Council has established an advisory committee to be an integral part of its journey towards becoming an age-friendly city. The 15-member Age-friendly Advisory Committee has already recruited 22 age-friendly champions interested in influencing and shaping the way council can improve the quality of life for older people, and has a waitlist of residents wanting to be involved. Since February this year, the champions have received training to understand agefriendly communities. This knowledge will help council identify opportunities and challenges in the journey to make Banyule more age‑friendly. Banyule Community Planning Consultant Catherine Simcox said the World Health Organisation (WHO) defines an age-friendly city 1 6 C I VI C

as an inclusive and accessible urban environment that promotes active ageing. “A core aspect of age-friendly work is that it must include older people as active participants in the process,” she said. “Our champions will be invited to assist council in a number of different activities which will influence and shape Banyule’s age‑friendly journey. “Some of these activities will be one-off workshops and at other times they will require a champion to use their skills on larger projects.” In the past few months, champions have taken part in a number of projects including an age-friendly indicator workshop and gathering data about the WHO study. The group is also collecting clippings of older people portrayed in the media and recently organised a photography session showing age-friendliness in Banyule.

monitor how it changes over time as relevant interventions are implemented,” she said. “Monitoring and evaluation are hallmarks of sound public health practice and the indicators help us do this. “They will also be used to help set goals and objectives in relation to them.” The two-day meeting was also an opportunity to build the global relationship between the 13 pilot sites* chosen by WHO last year to evaluate and monitor indicators for how good a place is to grow old in.

*WHO age-friendly pilot sites Bilbao, Spain; Bowdoinham, USA; Dijon, France; Hong Kong SAR, China; La Plata, Argentina; Nairobi, Kenya; Melbourne, Australia; New Delhi, India; Shanghai/Jing’an, China; Tehran, Iran; Tuymazy, Russia; Udine, Italy; and Washington DC, USA.

World Café

Ms Simcox said being part of this global study was a big win for Banyule, which took part in the global and highly competitive Expression of Interest process last year. “It was likely that Banyule was chosen as Australia’s only site because council was at the start of its age-friendly journey, and we have a very multicultural community,” she said. “Banyule’s population, like many areas of Australia, is ageing. “Older residents, aged 60 and over, comprise 21.8 per cent of our 124,475 strong population, and one in five residents was born overseas – coming from 148 countries, the majority of which are non-English speaking.” At the same time council applied to be part of the study, it also became a member of the WHO Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities.

Mayor Craig Langdon said council is continually making improvements to help people as they grow older feel supported, safe and included in all aspects of community life. “Taking part in this global pilot study will enable us to identify our baseline level of agefriendliness and monitor how it changes over time as we introduce more age-friendly initiatives,” Cr Langdon said. “Importantly, we won’t be benchmarking just council’s performance but everything that goes into influencing the quality of life for older people in Banyule.” Council is working in partnership with La Trobe University, the Banyule Agefriendly Advisory Committee, and the North East Primary Care Partnership to complete the study.

The universal ‘world café’ technique, that collects people’s thoughts in an informal environment, was used for a workshop to harness ideas about the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) indicators from Banyule’s age-friendly champions. Banyule Community Planning Consultant Catherine Simcox said the café feel to the workshop provided an open and creative conversation on the topic of indicators. “This technique allowed us to gain collective knowledge, share ideas and insights, and gain a deeper understanding of the subject and the issues,” she said. “We wanted to consider the results obtained for Banyule having used the WHO draft age-friendly indicator guide to find out whether they truly reflected the participant’s experience living in Banyule, and if the champions thought the choice of indicators were right in measuring a community’s age‑friendliness.” Champions were seated at four round tables to discuss the allocated set of indicators. A council officer facilitated the conversation at each table while the champions moved around the room expanding on the ideas put forward. Ms Simcox said on a global level, the World Café Indicator Workshop allowed Banyule’s older people to provide feedback directly to WHO on the value of the age-friendly indicators. “On a local level, the information we gathered at this workshop will assist council to develop our own Age-friendly City Strategy.” C I VI C

Parading cultural diversity Cultural Diversity Week was celebrated across the nation in March with hundreds of events and activities coordinated or supported by Victorian councils.

n international dress parade was the headline event organised by Greater Dandenong City Council in partnership with Springvale Neighbourhood House. The inaugural event showcased traditional and contemporary clothes from every corner of the world. Cultural Diversity Planner Biljana Komnenovic said the Civic Square was alive with people, smiles, conversation and colour. “The sense of community pride was palpable as communities came together to celebrate diversity through dress, music and dance,” she said. More than 100 community members dressed up for the parade, which attracted 600 keen onlookers. Other events included activities at the Walker Street Art Gallery where 135 people representing seven different communities attended programs designed to activate the space and introduce local women to activities and facilities. Council also held events at its libraries, participated in Harmony Day, hosted a Places of Worship Open House, and supported local concerts and festivals.

1 8 C I VI C

Greater Dandenong Mayor Sean O'Reilly with fashion parade participants.

HOW CAN YOUR COUNCIL SUPPORT LOCAL PEOPLE TO REDUCE THEIR RISK OF DEVELOPING DEMENTIA?

Being brain healthy is important at any age, whether you’re young, old or in-between. Your Brain Matters, developed by Alzheimer’s Australia, guides you on how to look after your brain health and centres around 5 Simple Steps, which may reduce your risk of developing dementia. Many council initiatives and facilities promote health and wellness activities which align with these 5 Simple Steps. Alzheimer’s Australia Vic has developed a Media Pack to help councils educate

community members about brain health, and to highlight how participating in council initiatives and using council facilities can help people to reduce their risk of developing dementia. The Media Pack includes newsletter templates and social media content which can be customised to reflect your council’s initiatives and facilities. For more information about the program and access to these resources, please visit yourbrainmatters.org.au/ Council-Media-Pack

Here is an overview of the 5 Simple Steps and how they align with various council initiatives and facilities:

1 LOOK AFTER YOUR HEART

4 FOLLOW A HEALTHY DIET

SOME KIND OF 2 DO PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

5 ENJOY SOCIAL ACTIVITY

Initiatives which promote heart health, management of chronic diseases and smoking reduction.

Leisure centres, bike routes and sporting grounds. CHALLENGE 3 MENTALLY YOUR BRAIN

Growing vegetables at a community garden and facilitating access to farmers markets.

Facilitating volunteering opportunities, social groups and the celebration of special events throughout the year.

Services provided by libraries and neighbourhood houses. Your Brain Matters is supported by funding from the Australian Government under the Chronic Disease Prevention and Service Improvement Fund

HOW BRAIN HEALTHY IS YOUR COUNCIL? Your health and wellbeing initiatives can also help people of all ages reduce the risk of developing dementia. Find out which of your council services and initiatives align with the 5 Simple Steps to Maximise Your Brain Health. Let your community know, and give them another reason to get involved with your council’s services and initiatives. Alzheimer’s Australia Vic has developed a Media Pack to promote ‘brain healthy’ activities to your community. It includes customisable newsletter content and sample social media posts.

Get the Media Pack from yourbrainmatters.org.au/Council-Media-Pack

C I VI C

Government Communications Australia 2015 Awards for Excellence National Award Winner Best Tourism and Events Communication Award Winner

In a first for any Triple j concert, council developed a visual identify that was applied to all collateral. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The red graphic crowd silhouetteÂ was used on all of our material to ensure brand identity standards were high and to convey clear and consistent messaging in a cluttered media space,â&#x20AC;? MsÂ SymesÂ said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This meant the community could instantly recognise information as

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public relations opportunities the event could bring to council and the region. Communications Officer Mieka Symes said carefully planned communications and public relations was the key to ensuring there was no backlash from tourists and visitors, but also local residents and businessÂ operators. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Triple j had the task of promoting the event, but council needed to manage the logistics, information andÂ coordination,â&#x20AC;? Ms Symes said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We planned and timed all our communications tactics using an integrated, coordinated and consistent approach with a hierarchy system where all material got final sign off by council with input from the projectÂ group,â&#x20AC;? she said. An integrated communications plan was developed, which identified key audiences and likely impacts the event could have. Tactics were timed in three segments â&#x20AC;&#x201C; before, during and after the concert.

Social media played a large role in the communications, particularly because of the large number of young people the event was likely to attract. E-bulletins, website information and a 12-page newspaper lift-out with information about the concert went live before the event. Businesses and residents near the concert venue received further information relevant to them through phone calls, letters and signage.

TENTH

concert for nearly 20,000 people put Mildura on the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s event map last year and recently earned council two awards for outstandingÂ communications. The ABC notified Mildura Rural City Council in February last year that Mildura had been selected to host the iconic Triple j annual One Night Stand event. With just three months to prepare, council joined Mildura Tourism and retail body Mildura City Heart to ensure the opportunity to stage a music festival at the Nowingi Place outdoor venue was a great success. Council established a communications project group in the lead up to the public announcement in March, which included representatives from Mildura Tourism, Mildura City Heart and Mildura Visitor Information and Booking Centre â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the key touch point for tourists and visitors. Together, the stakeholders had one clear objective â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to successfully stage the Triple j One Night Stand while maximising the economic, social and

All roads led to Mildura on 17 May 2014.

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CONCERT LOCATION

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Disabled er/ illegal ROAD CLOSURES These sed entr Rap produc both 19, earance g the 6:05 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 6:40pm VIOLENT SOHO and irres park substanc befo entry ingZONE s, car park y if you ht DROP-OFF/PICK-UP app will be venue. es and are into The following road closures will bereinorplace 7:05 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 7:40pm DAN SULTAN after the ponsible to at the Williamfor their j One Nig avai - Dres Drink Plac topentrance xicated. event, e (off Chase ations e triple entrancetolable The car park at Seve the top the in the Drive, s for due to the One Night Stand concert. in 8:05 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 8:45pm RĂ&#x153;FĂ&#x153;S don the wea if you â&#x20AC;&#x2122;t driv nth Stre Street)to will also prepar massiv May 17. forming the - The are over e. ther: itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll Nowingi Place Seventh et). 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Disa p-Off/ event, are also bring Milduraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 12noon Friday 16 May to 2pm Sunday front ngside gle Giantsmade the y and you Night 18 May. water bott somethi bled general parking, however a limited number of avai alo arou CBD onl les allow Stand lable thro Jun can brin ng warm One Night Stand is a non-ticketed nd ple and Tree nagers The ed. ugh g your - Langtree Avenue (Feast Street)you. will be closed is for ever disabled parking baysare willclea be available here. out - tripl Soho, , the teeThe Cider yone so rly mar own, event. Entry to the concert is free, the e j Eighth Night ked. reco plea between Seventh Street and Street Sultan ut at into One mm se j d be min a pare end deb The Drop-Off/Pick-Up Zone will be however volunteers will be collecting l lea debut altriplefrom 2pm to 2am on Saturday nt or live dful of 17 gua May. s that peo ht. s wil be t of the those ple age rdian. managed at all times with traffic controllers, gold coin donations. 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Mildura Rural City Council

A 12-page newspaper lift-out informed locals and tourists about the Triple j event andÂ other activities in Mildura over the weekend.

Left: On-theground signage was branded with graphics developed specifically for the One Night Stand. Right: Winning Victorian councils at the Government Communications Australia awards night held in Sydney in May.

‘official’ and therefore rely on it to be accurate.” The event was held on 17 May 2014 with 18,000 locals and visitors from Victoria and interstate coming together on the banks of the Murray River. Events Development Officer Nardia Sheriff said this was by far the biggest event held in Mildura. “The closest we had come to attracting a crowd to a single event previously was about 4,000 people in 2012,” she said. Hosting the event itself was a challenge, with no budget, no precedence and no prior planning. “We knew we were in a prime position to leverage the huge economic, social and public relations benefits,” Ms Sheriff said. “But first, we had to overcome

some increasing negative public sentiment around attracting and delivering large-scale events and activities for young people.” While council anticipated there could be significant risks and were prepared for scrutiny and criticism, the result was overwhelmingly positive. “Maybe it was because we had anticipated public backlash that we were able to prepare well and get it right,” Ms Sheriff said. “Issues we anticipated such as parking, traffic congestion, road closures and bus routes didn’t manifest.” The concert injected nearly $1.4 million into the local economy over the weekend and left Mildura with a new reputation of being well organised and well equipped to host large-scale events.

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Government Communications Awards 2015 Congratulations to the following Victorian councils Best Communications Campaign on a Shoe-string City of Boroondara – Boroondara Gotta Go (Featured in CiVic, issue 9) Best Advocacy/Public Affairs Wyndham City Council – Get Wyndham Moving Best Tourism and Events Communications Mildura Rural City Council –Triple j One Night Stand Internal Communications/Engagement Yarra City Council – Internal Communications at Yarra Best Digital Media City of Greater Dandenong

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To find out more call 61 2 6042 8400 or visit arfuels.com.au C I VI C

ANZAC Day Dawn Service, Green Point, Brighton Beach. Photo: Jarrad Drummond.

As Australia prepared to commemorate the brave men and women who served in World War I to mark the 100th anniversary of the landing of troops at Gallipoli, councils found themselves coordinating or supporting ANZAC Day events, many for the first time.

round 15,000 Bayside residents descended on the Green Point War Memorial on Brighton Beach to honour the ANZACs at a dawn service held in partnership between Bayside City Council and the Hampton Returned Services League (RSL). Victorian RSL State President Major General David McLachlan AO met with Bayside City Council last year to discuss the potential for a dawn service in the municipality. With 100,000 people expected at the Shrine of Remembrance Shortly after landing at Gallipoli, ANZAC troops re-named Beach Z ‘Brighton Beach’, after the popular bayside destination. It became a popular bathing spot. At 2.30am on 25 April 1915 the Gallipoli campaign started when 1,500 men of Australia’s 3rd Battalion were lowered into boats several kilometres from the Turkish coast. Their expected landing point was ‘Brighton Beach’, but they landed at ANZAC Cove. And, the rest … is history. 2 2 C I VI C

Dawn Service, the RSL asked Bayside to conduct a satellite site service at the Green Point Brighton Cenotaph on Brighton Beach. Bayside Governance and Performance Reporting Manager Terry Callant said council saw this as a great opportunity for council to showcase the Green Point Cenotaph but more importantly provide the opportunity for the community to commemorate this significant milestone locally. “We had an existing war memorial honouring the ANZACs, which we upgraded to include new illuminated flag poles and sympathetic lighting to the cenotaph,” he said. Traditionally an RSL event, council approached the Hampton RSL to partner in coordinating the Green Point dawn service, which was first expected to attract around 3,000 people. Council took on the logistics and programming and protocols while the RSL assisted with emceeing the event. On the morning of 25 April, people started arriving at Green Point as early as 2am with around 1,000 people on site within the first hour. “By 4am I couldn’t see my fellow staff members through the crowds,” Mr Callant said. The people kept coming and coming and at 6am police blocked off the entire Beach Road given the crowd stretched across the roadway. The service mirrored the main dawn service at the Shrine with a

ANZAC Day Dawn Service, Green Point, Brighton Beach. Photo Jarrad Drummond.

band, choir, flag raising and lit cauldron. Mr Callant put the success of the dawn service down to increased education in schools, a good communication plan and the symbolic location of Green Point, which has a strong connection with Brighton Beach in Gallipoli. At the service, council provided free coffee and ANZAC biscuits, handed out rosemary and poppies, and provided an opportunity for the

community to lay a wreath or plant a poppy in a makeshift field of poppies. Council is unsure whether the site will be used for dawn services in the future. “The dawn service really is an RSL event,” Mr Callant said. “This year’s event was a great learning opportunity for large community events, so if we were to do it again, we would do a few things differently.”

In Benalla, more than 1,000 people visited a moving community exhibition celebrating the ANZAC centenary. The COO-EE Saluting Our World War 1 Heroes exhibition was organised by the community through the Benalla ANZAC Commemorative Partnership Project. It displayed a treasure trove of priceless family memorabilia, artworks, videos and displays generously contributed by over 50 local community members and groups. What began as a humble display of war memorabilia swelled to become an extraordinary tribute to the memory of those who participated in WW1 from the Benalla area, ranging from veterans to nurses, and those that remained at home.

“This was a moving and very successful community exhibition that council was very pleased to support,” said Mayor Cr Justin King. “This was a grassroots project that was embraced widely throughout the community and allowed us to celebrate an important part of our community’s history.”

Electrix Offers Proven Benefits from Smart Lighting With a proven track record in street light maintenance and upgrade programs, Electrix has assisted our customers to deliver lighting programs under traditional contract models for almost 20 years. Electrix recognises that the landscape for smart lighting is an exciting one. The emergence of new technologies provides greater amenity and safety for the community and opportunities for asset owners to improve livability and achieve savings in running costs. Electrix is delighted to now offer its customers the benefit of both its experience in this space as well as the worlds best practice approach of parent company VINCI Energies and the VINCI Energies CITEOS Division. In France, the VINCI Energies CITEOS brand manages long-term “turn-key” contracts for 115 cities including 19 Public Private Partnerships (PPP’s).

These contracts include a 200,000 lighting infrastructure DBO for Paris, and France’s largest-ever PPP – a €200m project to renew the lighting infrastructure and provide 47% energy savings for Cergy-Pontoise, an urban area 20km from Paris. Through innovative contract models and long term partnerships Citeos is delivering smart lighting solutions to make cities safe, attractive and comfortable while protecting the environment. As a skilled utilities asset manager and services provider backed by VINCI Energies and CITEOS, Electrix has the expertise, proven track record, and geographic coverage to deliver the benefits of smart technologies. To find out more, contact us by email at info@electrix.com.au or visit us at www.electrix.com.au or www.citeos.com

For more information please contact: Australia Ian McLeod Phone +61 3 8698 2200 Address 3/153 Bertie Street, Port Melbourne Victoria 3207, Australia Web: w ww.electrix.com.au | www.citeos.com

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Darebin City councillor awarded McArthur Fellowship The MAV is pleased to announce that Darebin City councillor Bo Li has been awarded the renowned McArthur Local Government Fellowship. T he $12,000 fellowship, sponsored by McArthur Management Services, will fund Cr Li’s research study tour to investigate the role local government can play in addressing the social determinants of health to improve the wellbeing outcomes of residents. Cr Li aims to identify best practice models in councils that are tackling social disadvantage,

MAV wins violence prevention award The MAV has won a prestigious international award for our Prevention of Violence Against Women – Leading Change in the Victorian Local Government Sector booklet. T he Avon Global Communications Awards recognise work that helps change communities, policies, institutions and behaviours to end violence against women. Our booklet was selected from nearly 400 submissions by 146 organisations in 42 countries. The $5000 award grant will fund the creation of a prevention of violence against women infographic for local 2 4 C I VI C

government, which will be developed in partnership with Our Watch. The booklet, funded by VicHealth in 2013, will help inform the infographic. It will include information on how gender equity and violence prevention practices can be implemented to all areas of council services. It will also encourage male leaders and staff to actively support campaigns to end men’s violence against women. The infographic will be a great resource for councils who are already doing extensive work in promoting gender equity in the prevention of violence against women space.

using a whole‑of‑council approach in their programs and initiatives. It’s anticipated that Cr Li will travel to the United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium and Singapore over four weeks in September to complete the research, and will report back to the sector at the MAV Annual Conference.

NEED MORE INFO? Follow us on Twitter @VicCouncils Like us on Facebook facebook.com/viccouncils Subscribe to the MAV Bulletin mav.asn.au LinkedIn bit.ly/MAVlinkedin Download the CiVic app for extra content and a more interactive experience

Australia’s first street sweeping recycling plant Councils now have access to Australia’s first street sweeping recycling plant with the capacity to recycle 12,000 tonnes (240,000 green waste bins) of street sweeping material each year.

he leading edge facility, built by Citywide, will be utilised by Melbourne City Council among others to divert up to 80 per cent of collected material away from landfill for reuse and recycling. Lord Mayor of Melbourne The Hon Robert Doyle officially opened the facility at a launch attended by Yarra, Port Phillip and MAV CiVic advertisment.pdf 1 27/05/2015 4:56:01 PM Whitehorse city councils.

The Lord Mayor said that until now, all street sweeping material had gone directly to landfill. “The launch of the recycling plant will help Melbourne City Council deliver on its ambitious targets to minimise greenhouse gas emissions, water use and waste generation,” he said. Citywide Acting Chief Executive Officer John Collins said the street sweeping recycling plant would

(L-R) Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle, Citywide Chairman John Brumby and Citywide Acting CEO John Collins at the unveiling of a new street sweeping recycling plant.

deliver a range of environmental benefits on behalf of the community. “The plant sets the benchmark for environmentally sustainable street sweeping recycling,” he said. “Diverting waste from landfill reduces greenhouse gas emissions and Citywide’s street sweeping recycling plant takes this one step further by processing collected waste to create valuable by-products with multiple uses.”

Citywide Group Manager Infrastructure and Environment Matthew Whelan said the opening of the recycling plant in Melbourne would pave the way for bringing the market leading, sustainable solution to customers and communities. “This type of technology is commonplace in the UK and Europe, but it’s the first time we’ve seen it in Australia,” he said.

A major Australian physical services company, Citywide delivers integrated civil infrastructure, open space and environmental services that enhance community assets and quality of life

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We share our customers’ focus on healthy, connected and productive communities. Citywide is leading recycling innovation in Australia. Our new Street Sweeping Recycling Plant is the ﬁrst of its kind in Australia, setting the benchmark for environmentally sustainable street sweeping recycling across the country.

To explore our latest projects, discover all of our services and meet our team; visit www.citywide.com.au or call 1300 136 234. THE CITYWIDE GROUP

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In Brief

have been built for local reserves to monitor and record wildlife activity while providing a refuge for wildlife where there is a lack of natural hollows for nesting. The nest boxes were created on site at the centre with timber and hardware provided by council. The young men were also involved in live monitoring activities, attending site visits to check the contents of nest boxes they had created with the aid of a camera on an extendable pole. “These young men have developed practical vocational skills while helping council to roll out a large-scale fauna monitoring program in our reserves,” said Cr Anderson.

What’s in a name? Hume officers Howard Mitchell, Gulcin Dardas and Roger Page with Mayor Adem Atmaca.

Hume gets appy Hume City Council has launched a new free council services app for residents to report common issues and hazards, pay their rates and access key services information. Mayor Adem Atmaca said connecting with council has never been easier. “We know that people have busy lives and we know they want to be able to deal with us when it suits them in the way that suits them. Most importantly, they want us to be easy to deal with,” Cr Atmaca said. “We want to be on the front foot and maintain the municipality – residents can report common issues, such as dumped rubbish, graffiti, missed, stolen or damaged bins, abandoned vehicles or problems such as cracked footpaths, potholes in roads, or parks and sporting reserves. “They have the option to take a photo of their issue and mark up the location through their phone’s GPS location directly in the app – which means that council staff will be able to pinpoint exactly where the issue is and respond to it accordingly.” The maps use GPS locations to find libraries, leisure centres, parks and reserves, and the app includes all of council’s contact details. Check out the free download in the App Store, on Google Play or in the Windows Store.

Justice for Macedon Macedon Ranges Shire Council has entered a unique partnership with the Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre that is providing a win-win for both parties. 2 6 C I VI C

Council approached the Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre to involve young men in a wildlife program as part of their ongoing education, training and rehabilitation. To date more than 200 nest boxes

Casey City Council has revealed Bunjil Place as the official name of its new cultural precinct. Mayor Mick Morland said Bunjil is derived from traditional Aboriginal mythology meaning ‘the eagle’, and is the creator and spiritual leader of the Boon Wurrung people. “The story of the Bunjil provides a great link to this new facility and the idea that it will be a gathering place for the community and visitors,” Cr Morland said. Three community members were recognised as finalists in the community naming competition. The first stage of works has commenced onsite. Bunjil Place is expected to be completed in 2017.

Building enviro cops Port Phillip City Council’s first energy positive building has been achieved with help from a community group of energy savers. Council and the University of the Third Age established the group, called the Community Carbon Cops, in 2013. The group was set a challenge to reduce energy use at an Albert Park community centre by 50 per cent.

Since commencing work on the building last year, electricity consumption has reduced by 42 per cent and the building now generates 110 per cent of its total energy use thanks to the installation of solar panels. Mayor Amanda Stevens said the 10 volunteers from the Community Carbon Cops had gone to great lengths to make the building as sustainable as possible. “Through improved insulation, LED lighting and sealing vents and chimneys, the Community Carbon Cops have reduced the expected electricity bill by $4700,” Cr Stevens said. “And with the addition of a 10kW solar panel system, the building now generates $2300 revenue, equalling a total saving of $7000 per year. The Community Carbon Cops are working with council to see if other buildings in Port Phillip can undergo similar transformations.

Time for an oil change Baw Baw Shire Council is encouraging local food retailers to get an ‘oil change’. In collaboration with Central West Gippsland Primary Care Partnership, council is encouraging food retailers to make the switch to healthier cooking oils through a new project, Food For All Baw Baw. The project promotes the Heart Foundation’s Healthier Oils initiative by encouraging healthier oils when deep frying food, which can be a small yet significant step towards improving health. Healthier oil choices include canola, sunflower, safflower, soybean, olive, peanut, sesame, or any oil with the Heart Foundation Tick. Results from a recent survey show around 30 per cent of food outlets in Baw Baw with a deep fryer are already using healthier oils in their food preparation.

Events

JUNE

JULY

AUGUST

Rug Up Winter Festival

The School of Life Live

Date: 21 June Venue: Ballarat Mining Exchange, 8 Lydiard Street North, Ballarat central Description: Rug up, step out and warm up in the heart of the Ballarat Central business district with a winter delights market including local designers and makers, a pop-up café and a local artist sculpture garden. There will be an interactive children’s space and BallaRatCat Kids will be present comedy and magic shows. This event supports local charities Uniting Care and the Soup Bus. Need more? 0400 059 109

Date: 4 August Venue: Federation Square, Corner of Swanston and Flinders Streets, Melbourne (Deakin Edge) Description: Four key thinkers share ideas to help people unlearn some of the fundamental aspects of their lives. This two-hour evening event will guide you through four key exercises and ideas, with interludes and some essential humour from multi-award winning comic, Lawrence Leung. Get practical tips on ways to unlearn, learn and relearn social and cultural norms we take for granted. Need more? melbourne@theschooloflife.com.au

Lorne Festival of Performing Arts Date: 28–30 August Venue: Mountjoy Parade, Lorne Description: Set against a stunning coastal backdrop where the waves lap at the shore, the streets of Lorne will come alive for three days with a host of legendary arts and music events during the 4th Annual Lorne Festival of Performing Arts. Need more? lovelorne.com.au

Fun4kids Festival

Open House

Date: 28 June-4 July, 2015 Venue: 25 Liebig Street, Warrnambool Description: Arguably Australia’s best children’s festival with more than 80 live performances and a huge selection of kids’ activities throughout a range of zones. Aimed at children aged 2-12 years. Need more? Fun4kids.com.au

Date: 25–26 July Venue: Meet at the Melbourne Town Hall, 90-130 Swanston Street Melbourne Description: Open House Melbourne returns in 2015 with more buildings to explore and events to participate in. Unlock some of the city’s significant buildings and gain access to buildings not normally open to the public, and get a sense of their history with the odd ghost or two. Need more? openhousemelbourne.org

Writing the war: personal stories from WWI Date: 30 June–3 October Venue: State Library Victoria, 328 Swanston Street, Melbourne Description: Hear extraordinary stories of war from seven extraordinary Australians – a nurse, bank clerk, farmer, sports master, journalist, artist and activist – in this moving exhibition about the Australian experience of World War One. Need more? inquiries@slv.vic.gov.au

Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) Date: 30 July–16 August Venue: Various, check website Description: MIFF is a film-lover’s paradise. See international premieres, red carpet glamour and the best global cinema as this iconic Melbourne event enters its 63rd consecutive year. Need more? Miff.com.au

Sweet Wine & Food Festival Date: 30 August Venue: St Anne’s Winery, 64 Gerrards Road, Myrniong Description: Held amongst the picturesque rolling hills at St Anne’s Winery, enjoy over 30 local, artisan and boutique producers with a focus on the sweet side – wines, ciders, beers and mead, as well as cheese, chocolates, honey, jams, nuts and seeds. Activities include a bee-keeping display, make your wine port blending and a food and wine masterclass. Need more: brefney@bigpond.com C I VI C

Leading our regions to

A recent report commissioned by the Regional Capitals Australia association (RCA) uncovers how leadership within local government plays an important roleÂ in growing healthy regional capitals. Rachael Sweeney

Director Collective Position 2 8 â&#x20AC;&#x192; C I VI C

Above: Regional Capitals Australia board members (L-R) Dubbo Mayor Matthew Dickerson, Warrnambool Mayor Mike Neoh and Wagga Wagga Mayor Rod Kendall. Opposite page: The City of Greater Geelong was involved in a recent report into leadership within regional capitals.

fficially launched at RCA’s Regionalism 2.0 conference in Mackay in March, Regional Capitals Australia partnered with the Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government (ACELG) to deliver the report, titled Local Government Growing Regional Australia. The report was commissioned to understand what factors have contributed to the development of strong, sustainable regional capitals and regions and if the actions of local government assisted in this growth and development. By identifying the common drivers and inhibitors, the research specifically set out to uncover what is meant by a ‘strong and sustainable regional capital’. Equally there was an investigation on how key local government governance and leadership ingredients helped to create and enhance these drivers, and minimise inhibitors. In preparing the report, an extensive literary review was undertaken in addition to five case studies. The cities of Geelong (Vic), Mackay (QLD), Wagga Wagga (NSW), Geraldton (WA) and Launceston (Tas) all went under the microscope. RCA defines a regional capital as an urban centre located outside the urban growth area of the nation’s capital cities, functioning as the primary service centre for people living in the surrounding network of smaller towns and rural communities. The five councils were chosen to ensure diversity in terms of population size, economy

and distance from a capital city, however all cities displayed core characteristics that showed some progression towards becoming a strong and sustainable regional capital. Cities were examined in terms of the factors that both drive and inhibit development in their regional capital. In addition, the report addressed governance framework and leadership within the councils, and cities were asked about key milestones affecting their development. Across the board, major drivers and inhibitors included environmental factors, community capital, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, economic and market conditions, institutional factors, governance and leadership. In all five of the case studies, transport infrastructure and infrastructure connecting regional capitals to the rest of Australia and the world was highlighted as a key driver of economic development, and in some cases an inhibitor of future progress. All regional capitals involved cited transport costs as a particular problem. The report’s principal researcher, Dr Robyn Morris, Adjunct Academic, Edith Cowan University, explained, “Simultaneously, many of the regions face significant infrastructure backlogs. These relate both to the need to maintain or replace existing infrastructure as it ages and to invest in new or expanded infrastructure to meet the demands of expanding industries and/or growing populations.”

What’s driving Geelong?

The report’s Victorian subject was the City of Greater Geelong, the state’s largest regional city and one of the 20 largest cities in Australia. With a population of close to 200,000, it’s also one of the nation’s largest regional capitals. Geelong identified key drivers of its economic development as: coastal location and an attractive coastline, proximity to Melbourne, transport infrastructure, extensive community and cultural infrastructure, major educational institutions, significant public sector employment, and a large population. Inhibitors facing Geelong varied from the impact of the declining manufacturing sector and collapse of the car industry, to strained transport links, an ageing population and lower-than-average health incomes. In terms of key governance and leadership in Geelong, the G21 region and its many institutional and individual leaders who share power through collaborative governance was key. Organisations in the region include the G21 Alliance, Geelong Manufacturing Council, Geelong Chamber of Commerce, Deakin University and the Committee for Geelong. Across these bodies, there was shared individual and institutional representation on boards and committees, serving both public and private interests. Dubbed ‘institutional thickness’, C I VI C

Deakin University was identified as a key institutional leader in Geelong.

Geelong had an appropriate number of organisations focused on promoting the region’s wellbeing, leading to effective functioning without high costs or complexity. Greater Geelong City Council, and in particular its Mayor Darryn Lyons, was noted as a key component of Geelong’s governance framework. Through the G21 Alliance, the Mayor is often the spokesperson for the broader region and, together with former CEO Gillian Miles, advocates for regionally significant projects and infrastructure, working to attract government investment to the region. Other key ‘ingredients’ for governance and leadership included articulating a clear vision for the G21 region, developing partnerships, fostering innovation and winning resources. As stated in the report, ‘whilst this regional capital and region are still very much in the depths of significant economic transformation, these stakeholders have been responsive to external events, and they have been proactive in seeking out opportunities to strategically reshape the future of the region.’ Geelong also identified various key events or milestones that helped drive development

The Local Government Growing Regional Australia report by the Australia Centre for Excellence in Local Government is available in two volumes. §§Volume 1 provides an overview of the project, its background and aims, a summary literature review, an outline of the research findings and conclusions that emerged from a synthesis of the outcomes of the individual case studies. §§Volume 2 provides the full literature review, the full case studies and a complete bibliography. Both volumes of the report can be downloaded via www.acelg.org.au

in the city, such as the regional rail link project, development of Deakin University, development of G21’s Regional Growth and Implementation Plan, and the establishment of the Geelong Region Innovation and Investment Fund (GRIIF).

About Regional Capitals Australia Regional Capitals Australia (RCA) is an alliance of local government associations representing Australia’s regional capitals. The alliance is working to achieve a network of well-planned and sustainable regional capitals across Australia. RCA has 27 members from all states in Australia, except South Australia. For more, visit www.regionalcapitalsaustralia.org or call 03 9629 7752. 3 0 C I VI C

Commonalities across Australia

While drivers, inhibitors and other forces affecting regional development varied across the regional capitals, there were also similarities between the cities. There was a high degree of integration between the economy of the regional centre and that of its region. The direction of such integration, however, varied. While the economies of Greater Geraldton and Mackay are both influenced by mining industries in their region, the influence runs the other way in Geelong, where regional economy is largely dominated by the city’s declining manufacturing base. The report noted that many forces were largely beyond the control of regional capitals, such as changes in global economic and market conditions, and natural forces like floods, droughts and cyclones which affected all regions but in different ways. Despite somewhat lacking control over these forces, the report highlighted that this did not necessarily mean the regional capitals were powerless to influence the outcomes. ‘Each of these cities has recognised the need to exercise regional leadership either directly or indirectly through a range of policies and strategies to encourage economic development.’ Examples of such action include Greater Geelong and Launceston’s attempts to deal with the collapse in manufacturing in their regions, and Greater Geraldton and Mackay pursuing policy that responds to the mining downturn. The ACELG report catalogues many positive innovative actions that these regional capitals have taken to lead the way in regional economic development. As stated in the report, ‘The size of the regional capitals and the agglomeration of infrastructure and services available in each of them mean that by default they have a role as regional leaders. However all of them have sought to exercise leadership in more proactive ways’.

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You are a friend of David Cassai’s family, the young man who was a victim of a one-punch attack on New Year’s Eve 2012. How did this cowardly attack affect you?

FIVE

MINUTES WITH …

Cr Michelle Kleinert Manningham City Council

Manningham City Councillor Michelle Kleinert caught up with CiVic Editor Kristi High to talk about an issue close to both of their hearts – preventing all forms of bullying and violence, everywhere. Cr Kleinert, you’ve joined Bully Zero Australia Foundation (BZAF) recently as a workplace trainer within councils. What drove you to take on this role? It happened quite organically following a chance meeting with BZAF founder, Moreland Cr Oscar Yildiz. Over the course of my professional life, I have seen first hand many examples of bullying. This, coupled with my strong belief of what is right and wrong, made it a perfect fit.

How do you think your work within councils can influence a change in workplace behaviour? I do not believe that there is any excuse for bullying, no matter who you are or what business or industry you are in. This includes all levels of government. Through appropriate training, we can all make a difference to how people are treated when they are at work.

What are some of the misconceptions about bullying and violence in the workplace today? Firstly, sometimes people who say ‘I don’t bully’ actually do,

It just brought it so close to home. David was an amazing kid. He grew up in a good neighbourhood, came from a good family and was extremely family-oriented. The sense of injustice surrounding what happened to David, and not having any power to do anything or to take away the hurt and pain that I was watching his family and friends go through was horrific. I wanted to honour his mum’s grieving desire to get the message out and knew that we needed to save other lives. What started with a local rally quickly grew with momentum and the development of Stop. One Punch Can Kill, which is now delivering education in schools and sporting clubs through volunteers. At a recent session we had 80 young boys aged 12-19 years in the room and you could have heard a pin drop – the message was really hitting home that violent behaviour wrecks lives.

and they need to listen and understand when their behaviour is inappropriate. The second misconception is that someone’s personality, or position, are excuses for how they behave. They are not. Just because someone has a ‘large’ personality, doesn’t make his or her behaviour excusable. Also, just because you might be more senior in your role, doesn’t mean you can speak to others in a less than respectful manner. The BZAF sessions acknowledge some people have challenging personalities but this can be controlled through some learned diplomacies.

You work for yourself, and are active in a number of community organisations and activities. What made you want to add ‘councillor’ to your bow?

How is the volunteering at Bully Zero Australia Foundation going? What is happening over there?

And finally, when you’re not working or volunteering, what is your favourite past-time?

We are working together and doing some forward planning. I am learning the culture of the office and understanding how driven Oscar is and where his passion comes from because bullying just does so much damage.

It really stemmed from an incident where I had written to council as a citizen. It was an OHS issue where I had been hurt and others could be. The response I received was sterile and showed a real lack of care. Then I saw an ad and a friend suggested I run. I never thought it would happen but I love my city and I want to serve our community, and more than anything want to be proud of everything Manningham offers.

It may not sound like a past-time but I am really enjoying the new friendships I have made, many through the community that have been forged through my councillor role. It makes me feel connected. Everyday is something different and it is hard to switch off from something you love. Oh, but I do like to cook.

WHAT’S HOT Macedon’s iconic Honour Avenue added to the Victorian Heritage Register.

New bans on smoking around kids’ hang-outs, hospitals and some public buildings.

Bendigo starts work to protect precious heritage buildings.

Planning Minister rejects Bayside’s request for interim mandatory height controls to residential areas for local activity centre.

Federal Government cuts almost $30 million from local government funding through its freeze on indexation of Financial Assistance Grants.

Rate capping could cause some councils to lose up to $3M in the 2016/2017 financial year.

WHAT’S NOT Illustration by Kathryn Steel.

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