BULLETIN

• Following the declaration of council election results, Victoria now has the highest percentage of female councillors in Australia at 38 per cent, which is a great achievement. At the time of publication 18 female mayors and 20 male mayors had been confirmed. Mayoral appointments will continue to be decided over the next week.

• The MAV has prepared a submission to Infrastructure Victoria’s draft 30-year infrastructure strategy. Our submission was informed by member feedback, recent MAV State Council resolutions, Infrastructure Victoria’s local government briefing, and the Local Government Advisory Group. Final recommendations from Infrastructure Victoria will be presented to Parliament in December.

• Councils participating in the Victoria Against Violence Take Action, Go Orange campaign can now access a toolkit to support and promote local activities. Councils and communities can show support for gender equality, respect and non-violence by wearing something orange or turning homes, community centres, workplaces, organisations or schools orange on 25 November and during the 16 Days of Activism against gendered violence.

• The MAV would like to congratulate City of Prospect Mayor David O’Loughlin who was announced this week as the new president of the Australian Local Government Association. Cr O’Laughlin has served on the ALGA Board for three and a half years and is also the immediate past President of Local Government of South Australia.

This week the MAV appeared before Parliament’s Economy and Infrastructure Standing Committee for their inquiry into the Domestic Animals Amendment (Puppy Farms and Pet Shops) Bill 2016.

The hearing provided an important opportunity to voice our concerns regarding the government’s failure to consult the MAV and councils on significant legislative reforms that councils will be responsible for administering and enforcing. Little consideration appears to have been given to the substantial resource implications for local government and we consider the bill unworkable in its current form. A genuinely collaborative partnership approach between the State and local government is essential to achieve improved animal welfare outcomes in Victoria.

The Committee will reports its findings and recommendations to the Legislative Council by 6 December 2016.

For further information, contact Claire Dunn.

The Terms of Reference for the Liquor Control Reform Act 1998 review has been released by the State Government. The review was flagged in a recommendation from the Royal Commission into Family Violence.

The MAV will develop a submission to the review and is calling for member feedback. The review aims to reduce red tape and regulatory burden. In March 2016 the Royal Commission into Family Violence recommended that the Victorian Government ensure the terms of reference consider family violence and alcohol-related harms.

Please email feedback to Jan Black by 5 December to meet the government’s 16 December deadline.

MAV Insurance is recognising the important role its members’ risk managers play in improving risk performance across the sector through our MAV Insurance Risk Management Award.

The award is open to all current LMI scheme member officers. We will again provide two awards – one for Victorian scheme members and another for Tasmanian scheme members.

A nomination form has been sent to all member councils. The winners will have the opportunity to build their professional growth through attendance at a major international conference. They will share what they’ve learnt to the sector at the Round Two Best Practice Forums, and will run an education session for the benefit of the local government sector.

Nominations will be accepted until 5pm on 2 December and should be sent to Owen Harvey-Beavis.

The MAV and the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation are inviting councils to partner in taking up the Victorian Pleasurable Food Education Package, a new offering supported by the Victorian Department of Education and Training.

The MAV recently convened a meeting of councils to discuss the opportunity for partnering with the foundation, and the proposal was greeted with a high level of enthusiasm.

The initiative invites councils to partner with the foundation to grow healthy communities. Over 30 nations have sought support from the program to introduce the model into their communities, and it has been evaluated as successful in changing food habits, reinforcing learning, supporting diversity and building communities.

For further information, contact John Hennessy.

From 1 December, the heads of State Government departments and council CEOs will be required to notify the Independent Broad-based Anti Corruption Commission (IBAC) if they suspect corruption is occurring, or has occurred, in their organisation.

IBAC has been working with the public sector to develop resources that will assist principal officers to meet new reporting obligations. IBAC will issue directions on:

• The types of matters that must be notified
• How to make notifications
• What information to include.

IBAC is holding information sessions for principal officers and their relevant staff on 18 November (10am-11.30am), and 24 November (2pm-3.30pm).

• Councils and library corporations across Victoria can now apply for part of $4.5 million of State Government funding under the Living Library Infrastructure Program. Grants of up to $750,000 are available to fund new, renovated or refurbished library buildings, or to go towards a mobile library. Applications close on 16 December.

• The MAV would like to congratulate the Geelong Regional Library Corporation, and the City of Greater Geelong on the new Geelong Library and Heritage Centre. The centre’s architects Ashton Raggatt McDougall received a National Architecture Award this week.

• Local Government Inspectorate staff are available to give presentations on their work to new councillors. To request a presentation, please email media.comms@lgici.vic.gov.au with ‘new councillor presentations’ in the subject line.

• It’s National Recycling Week (7-13 Nov). Check out the Golden Rules of Kerbside Recycling.

• The University of Tasmania, Deakin University and the University of South Australia are looking for rural Victorian adults to tell them about how the local environment helps or hinders physical activity. This study involves completing a brief online survey (around 20 minutes) twice, two weeks apart. All participants will enter a draw to win one of two $100 VISA vouchers.

• Play Australia is holding a one-day Risk Management Conference on 25 November, suitable for early years service managers.