Best value highlights report 2011 to 2012 by Banyule City Council

BANYULE CITY COUNCIL BEST VALUE HIGHLIGHTS REPORT 2011 - 2012

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best value quality & cost standards audit

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people rates responsiveness

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resources city prosperity

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Service highlights for 2011/12 This ‘Service Highlights’ document provides a snapshot of the performance of Banyule Services in 2011/12. It supports Council’s Annual Report 2011/12 and Banyule’s commitment to reporting to our community on the ongoing application of the Best Value principles. For each service, this report incorporates the following information: • Key Performance indicator results (KPIs) • Key Highlights for 2011/12 • Future Challenges for 2012/2013

General Notes and Glossary of Terms Community satisfaction scores come from the 2012 Community Satisfaction Surveys (CSS) conducted by the JWS Research Group on behalf of the Department of Planning and Community Development and Victorian Councils. Due to the significant changes to the methodology and content of the CSS in 2012, comparisons cannot be made with the CSS results for surveys conducted in 2011 or before. The 2012 survey results provide a benchmark which will enable Banyule to track comparisons with results in future years. The survey also enables Banyule to compare its results with Councils in the same group (ie. the Inner Melbourne Metropolitan Group) and with the State-wide average results for all participating Councils. Although the 2012 survey methodology has changed, Banyule Council has continued to deliver strong results, with relatively high performance in most of the measured service areas. • Inner Group:- Inner Melbourne Metropolitan Group (Inner Group) of councils • CSS: - Victorian Local Government Community Satisfaction Survey (CSS) for 2012, co-ordinated by the Department of Planning and Community Development (DPCD) • I ndicators and results are based on survey measures in the CSS for 2012, in response to the changes in survey methodology and content. Banyule’s original CSS indicators have been substituted with the appropriate (related) new measures. These are listed for comparison with the Inner Group average results. Community Satisfaction Index (CSI) scores are commonly used in the market research industry to represent the extent of customer satisfaction.

CONTENTS

Service

Page

Aged and Disability Services (HACC)

Aquatics and Leisure Facilities

Building Control Service

Business Services

Communications Service

Community & Social Planning

Customer Service

Development Planning Service

Early Years Services

Engineering Services

Financial Services

Fleet Management Services

Functions (The Centre Ivanhoe)

Governance Service

Health Services

Information Technology

Leisure and Cultural Services

Major Projects and Infrastructure

Municipal Laws Service

Parks and Gardens

Records Management Service

Strategic and Economic Development Services

Street Sweeping and Cleansing Service

Waste Management and Education Services

Workforce Development

Youth and Community Partnerships

BANYULE CITY COUNCIL BEST VALUE HIGHLIGHTS 2011-2012

AGED AND DISABILITY SERVICES (HACC)

Service Aspect Financial

Operational

Key Performance Indicator Actual Result against Council’s Budget.

Customer Satisfaction with the service.

Target 2011-12/ Benchmark comparison with Inner Group

Actual 2010/11 -0.68% ($20,542 more than budgeted net expenditure. Total expenditure budget was $8,015,043 and total income budget was $4,985,618.)

CSI 75 Health and Human Services

- Based on State Government’s Annual Community Satisfaction Surveys.

Achieve at or better than budget

Inner Group average 66* CSI score for Elderly Support Services (performance)

Actual 2011/12 +9.45% ($385,381 less than budgeted net expenditure. Total expenditure budget was $9,381,035 and total income budget was $5,304,614.)

69* CSI score for Elderly Support Services (performance)

Note: *Indicators and results are based on survey measures in the Victorian Local Government Community Satisfaction Survey (CSS) for 2012, in response to the changes in survey methodology and content. Banyule’s original CSS indicators have been substituted with the appropriate (related) new measures. These are listed for comparison with the average results for the Inner Melbourne Metropolitan Group of councils (Inner Group).

Key Highlights/Features for 2011-2012 • B anyule achieved a result of 69 for ‘Elderly Support Services (performance)’ in the State Government’s Annual Community Satisfaction Survey 2012. This result compared favourably with the Inner Group (scoring 3 points above the group average), and also with the State-wide results (scoring equal). • C ompleted and launched the Elder Abuse Toolkit Managers from the Banyule, Darebin and Nillumbik local government areas officially came together with the North East Primary Care Partnership (NEPCP) and the EAPS Project Officer in September 2011 to develop the NEPCP Elder Abuse Prevention Tool Kit, including the Elder Abuse Prevention Guide. The toolkit and guide have been approved by the Victorian State Government. The work undertaken is in line with the state government funded project and strategy, ‘With respect to age 2009’: Victorian Government practice guidelines for health services and community agencies for the prevention of elder abuse’. The Elder Abuse Prevention Toolkit will assist agencies to respond appropriately to suspected incidents of elder abuse. • C ouncil has continued to advocate on behalf of the community in relation to funding and cost shifting issues associated with Aged and Disability Services. • S uccessfully concluded the Banyule Community Health - Banyule City Council Occupational Therapist

Co-location project. New arrangements are now in place to continue this collaborative work. This has resulted in a more co-ordinated approach, improved work practices to enhance service delivery for clients at the point of initial assessment, and more efficient response to client needs. • Delivered a successful Seniors Week Program during October 2011 that included a sponsored morning tea. Every year the program has grown with input from groups who offer activities to older people. • Improved networking with local GP’s to facilitate client care planning • Implemented EBA for Home Support Staff • Shopping Transport program - The Social Support buses were previously used to take eligible clients to Warringal and Greensborough shops. A pilot was undertaken using taxis instead of buses. The pilot was successful, however, further evaluation and analysis is required before a permanent program can be considered. • A ctive Service Model – HACC staff participated in training to develop their skills to empower and encourage clients to continue to be active. This enables clients to work out safe ways of undertaking their daily tasks, live in their homes for as long as possible, and maintain their independence.

• A number of HACC Staff were presented with Length of Service Awards for 20 years and 30 years of dedicated service • P articipated in an industry themed program held at La Trobe University to promote careers in Aged Services at Council • C onducted an internal staffing review and restructure resulting in the establishment of a fourth HACC service delivery team, the appointment of a dedicated service assessment officer and the appointment of a senior administration officer. These changes have improved the efficiency, effectiveness and customer service levels particularly to new client referrals • A ddressed new and emerging OH&S issues around caring for an ageing community with increased care needs (eg increase demand for staff to fit compression stockings) • E stablished an introduction session for the Social Support Program for prospective new clients - Prospective clients can attend a session, with family support if they wish, to get an idea of how the program is run, and the types of activities available. The introduction is also helpful for family members who may be unsure of how their loved one will cope in the program environment. • C ommunity Chef (meals provider) has completed its first full year of operation. Client satisfaction surveys have indicated a very high level of satisfaction with the move to the Community Chef model. Community Chef is able to provide a greater range of options for clients. Clients are now able to heat their meals in their own time as the longer life product has a 28 day shelf life (from production). • I ntroduced a template to streamline the assessment process for property maintenance requests • P rovided a submission to the government enquiry into Opportunities for Participation of Senior Victorians • R elaunched the Senior Citizen’s Network – the ‘Seniors Network’ has been expanded to include other groups such as University of the Third Age (U3A) and Probus.

BANYULE CITY COUNCIL BEST VALUE HIGHLIGHTS 2011-2012

Key Challenges for 2012-2013 • Introduce the concept of Age Friendly Cities across Council – working collaboratively in planning and development of programs and infrastructure to maximise the concepts of Age Friendly Cities within targets and budget • A ddress cost shifting at State and Commonwealth Government level • Conduct service planning in relation to the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) aged care reforms • Conduct Review of HACC Service Scope and Guidelines • Consideration of Ageing workforce issues • Viability of Taxi shopping scheme to be tested • Continue the significant preparation work needed to address the requirements of the new- format ‘Aged & Community Care Common Standards Audit’. • Continue to meet the service targets set by the Department of Health in line with the funding and service agreement • Managing service delivery expectations in relation to HACC service that are outside Council’s scope (particularly for clients with disabilities and mental health issues) • Enabling the net-books used by assessment staff to operate live with Council’s system. Work collaboratively with Council’s Information Technology Unit to bring to fruition. • Investigate improvements required to address current issues for Aged Services with Council’s newly introduced telephone system • Realigning HACC services to address State Government funding cuts.

AQUATICS AND LEISURE FACILITIES

Service Aspect Financial

Operational

Key Performance Indicator Actual Result against Council’s Budget.

Customer satisfaction with the service.

Actual 2010/11 +1.67% ($28,884 less than the budgeted net expenditure. Total expenditure budget was $4,566,804 and total income budget was $2,839,854)

Achieve at or better than budget

Actual 2011/12 +0.42% ($7,993 less than the budgeted net expenditure. Total expenditure budget was $4,927,175 and total income budget was $3,005,988)

CSI 73 Recreational Facilities

Inner Group average 73* CSI score for Recreational Facilities (performance)

72* CSI score for Recreational Facilities (performance)

(-)

1% increase

87.6% increase

- Based on State Government’s Annual Community Satisfaction Surveys.

Attendance at Council provided aquatic centres

Target 2011-12/ Benchmark comparison with Inner Group

Key Highlights/Features for 2011-2012 • H ealth and Fitness membership attendances at both Olympic Leisure Centre (OLC) and Ivanhoe Aquatic and Fitness Centre (IAFC) continue to grow. OLC has averaged a membership base of 500 members and IAFC has averaged 2,000 members, a fantastic result for each centre. • T he Aquatic Programs at both OLC and IAFC are continuing to grow and each centre is at record numbers for enrolments for the Learn to Swim Program. OLC has 240 enrolments and IAFC 1600 enrolments. • T he Olympic Leisure Centre (OLC) had its Open Day in October 2011, with a number of free activities for the community. It was a great day enjoyed by over 300 visitors to the Centre on the day. • T he Ivanhoe Aquatic and Fitness Centre (IAFC) held its Open Day in March 2012, with a number of free activities for the community. The centre had 262 new members sign on the day and 264 members renew their membership. Attendances for the day were an increase on last year.

• IAFC has seen an increase in its Personal Training Program since the introduction of the new personal training studio, with an average increase of about 100 sessions per month for the last year. • Introduced an equity grants program to assist those with financial difficulties to participate. Local service providers such as NEAMI, (a non-government mental health organisation), Banyule Community Health, Children’s Protection Society and Austin Hospital nominate clients that they feel could benefit from the use of the Centres to assist with health and wellbeing outcomes. • Introduced an interactive software package at the Ivanhoe Aquatic and Fitness Centre (IAFC). ‘The Wellness System/Club’ links each piece of equipment at the IAFC, and programs for members are installed and updated on a USB. The member then simply plugs the USB into the piece of equipment and it automatically sets up based on their program – the member just has to push start. The program allows for better recording and monitoring for members, makes modifications when members have not been attending, and communicates nonattendance to the centre. This will be a great retention tool for membership of the Centre.

• C ompleted the feasibility study and master plan design for the Ivanhoe Aquatic and Fitness Centre. The proposed four stage master plan incorporates a range of new wet and dry based recreational facilities and it has been carefully designed into the existing Centre to allow maximum integration with existing structure and functionality. The design seeks to provide linkages from point of entry and more functional use of existing spaces. The creation of a new entry spine and cafe connects all aspects of the Centre and improves accessibility of the site. The redeveloped dry program area will include expansion of the gymnasium, new administration block, development of dedicated health and fitness change areas, new program spaces and member entry point. The aquatic hall will see the upgrade of existing change areas and development of family and accessible change areas, new program and warm water therapy pool, a dedicated Learn to Swim pool, and additional water play features in and around the leisure pool. • I ncluded SMS Communicator as an addition to the ‘Point of Sale’ System at both OLC and IAFC to enable improved communication by SMS to staff and patrons. • W ith the closure of Banksia College and the loss of the two court stadium for community use, negotiations were held with Charles La Trobe College to gain access to the one court stadium at the site for community use. All users affected by the closure of the courts have now been relocated to Olympic Leisure Centre, Charles La Trobe College, and Olympic Village Primary School. Council will continue to advocate for the Banksia College facilities to be reopened for community use.

BANYULE CITY COUNCIL BEST VALUE HIGHLIGHTS 2011-2012

WaterMarc • I nvolved in the Project Steering Group for the development and commencement of operations for the WaterMarc Facility. • D eveloped the specification for the Management and Operations for the facility. Worked with the Project Steering Group and Procurement team to implement an Expressions of Interest and Tender Process to award a three year contract. • D eveloped and launched the branding for the WaterMarc facility. Developed a marketing strategy and collateral for WaterMarc in conjunction with Communications team. • I mplemented lease arrangements for the Café facility located at WaterMarc. • C o-ordinated the procurement processes for Fit Out and Fixtures for the facility – including Health and Fitness Equipment, Point of Sale Hardware and Access Control Systems, Facility Signage and Precinct ‘Way finding’ Signage, Furniture and Pool Equipment.

Key Challenges for 2012-2013 • Implement the first stage of redevelopment works at the Ivanhoe Aquatic and Fitness Centre with minimum disruption to current programming. • Finalise the Olympic Leisure Centre Master plan and prepare for Council consideration and adoption.

BUILDING CONTROL SERVICE

Service Aspect Financial

Operational

Key Performance Indicator Actual Result against Council’s Budget. Customer Satisfaction with the service. - Processing of Building Permits within 15 working days. - Based on State Government’s Annual Community Satisfaction Surveys.

Target 2011-12/ Benchmark comparison with Inner Group

Actual 2010/11 +1,564.04% (a return of $471,699 above the budgeted net result)

Achieve at or better than budget

Actual 2011/12 -165.40% (a return of $206,542 less than the budgeted net result)

78%

100%

88%

(-)*

Inner Group average 54* CSI score for Planning and building permits (performance)

58* CSI score for Planning and building permits (performance)

Key Highlights/Features for 2011-2012 • B anyule achieved a result of 58 for ‘Planning and building permits (performance)’ in the State Government’s Annual Community Satisfaction Survey 2012. The result of 58 was significantly higher than both the average for the Inner Group (54) and the State-wide average (54). • B anyule Building Permits and Inspections (BPi) staff continued to deliver a high quality service to the Banyule community and external clients over the year. • I ssued a total of 1,583 building permits for the year with a value of $220,622,000. Of this total, some 440 building permits were issued for development within Banyule, with a value of $42,234,000. • B Pi kept residents and clients informed about compliance with building regulation changes including the Australian Standards: ‘AS 1926.1 2007 Swimming Pool Safety’ and ‘AS 1428.1 2009 Design for Access and Mobility’ • C ontinued to identify illegal works and dangerous buildings within the municipality and where appropriate enforce the Building Code. The outstanding and active complaints have been reduced from 239 to 104.

• Conducted a total of 7,426 building inspections throughout the year. • BPi was audited on eight occasions this year and achieved great results. These included four audits conducted by the Building Commission, including a Building Commission Levy Financial audit and Building Commission Site Specific Audits, in addition to other internal and external audits. • A n additional staff member became registered as a Building Practitioner with the Building Practitioners Board. This enables BPi to offer another level of expertise to its customers.

Key Challenges for 2012-2013 • Review income streams and the potential to attract new clients and maintain market share in a declining market. • Implement the new online, internet-based building application and information system. • Issue an occupancy permit for the Watermarc building. • Development of mobile technology to enhance service delivery from inspection sites.

• C onducted inspections of the Greensborough Watermarc Aquatic and Leisure Centre building works and to date over 90 inspections have been completed.

BUSINESS SERVICES

Service Aspect Financial

Operational

Key Performance Indicator Actual Result against Council’s Budget. Customer Satisfaction with the service.

Actual 2010/11

Target 2011-12

+19.88%

Achieve at or better than budget

($82,917 less than the budgeted net expenditure of $417,182)

CSI 80 (based on December 2008 internal survey)

- Based on Internal Customer Satisfaction Surveys

Key Highlights/Features for 2011-2012 • F acilitated and supported the organisational and Council processes to review Banyule’s City Plan 2009-2013 for Year 4, incorporating community feedback. • S uccessfully supported the organisation through the External Surveillance audits of Best Value Plus (Banyule Management System) to Australian and International Standards in Quality, Occupational Health and Safety, and Environmental Management. • R eviewed and maintained organisational systems related to Best Value Plus (Banyule Management System) including providing support to the Steering Committee and Working Group, facilitating the Internal Audit Program, maintaining system documentation and communication, facilitating training to relevant staff members, liaising with external auditors and assisting with the close-out of audit findings. • P rovided assistance for a range of consultation activities to support business units in their work. • I nvolvement in a range of organisational projects, including: - S upporting the Community Plan and providing information for our corporate planning - S upporting integrated planning to achieve a consistent planning direction for key plans, strategies, consultation and other activities - S upported the Watermarc development of the Greensborough Project 8

BANYULE CITY COUNCIL BEST VALUE HIGHLIGHTS 2011-2012

Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) rating = 85

Actual 2011/12 -2.39% ($11,833 over the budgeted net expenditure of $494,433)

CSI 77 (based on June 2012 internal survey)

(‘Overall satisfaction with service support’. Internal survey.)

Internal Survey rating = 7.5

Internal Survey rating = 7.4

(Overall Customer Service Satisfaction. Average rating out of 10.)

(Average rating out of 10. Based on June 2012 survey)

• Supported service units in the continuous improvement of corporate systems and processes. • Supported the specialised corporate planning and reporting software – CID (Corporate Information Database) to enable stronger integration of service planning and reporting across the organisation. This included transition from CID to the new Interplan system. • Successfully transferred Council’s corporate action plans to Interplan from CID, including training of Council officers to ensure EOY reporting could be completed. • Co-ordinated and supported the organisation’s Annual Business Planning Program. This included: consultation with staff, an Annual Planning Day and series of workshops, and an Annual Business Plan for 2011-12 with strong alignment to the City Plan. • A ssisted service units with their annual reporting and planning processes. • Prepared Banyule’s Best Value Victoria Report, reporting progress to the community and Minister for Local Government on the ongoing implementation and achievement of Banyule’s Best Value Program. Also, provided relevant corporate reporting for Banyule’s Annual Report. This involved working with Communications and Financial Services to prepare and finalise the Annual Report for 2010-11, and commence work for the Annual Report 2011-12 incorporating new guidelines and recommendations.

• S upported Communications and Financial Services in the preparation of a new format Budget document for 2012-13 which responds to new guidelines and recommendations. • P rovided ongoing information management, including maintenance of documentation on the Banyule Council website and intranet (e.g. Best Value, City Plan), and assistance in the development and review of a range of internal policies and guidelines. • F urther developed the framework for service unit planning throughout the organisation with a focus on expected outcomes and alignment with key organisational priorities. • D eveloped a reporting initiative as a package of periodic key information to support senior management in their work and focus on key management needs. • P layed a key role in the preliminary stage and stage 1 of the EDRMS (Electronic Document Records Management System) project including: - C o-ordinating Business Readiness Assessments of all service areas, - Managing communication and Staff engagement, - Participating in the Tender Evaluation Process, - C o-ordinating the first draft of the Business Classification Scheme, - C o-ordinating the AS IS process mapping for system implementation - C o-ordinating the Business Requirements for EDRMS Integrations • M anaged the amalgamation of the business services and community planning units • D elivered key internal organisational market research information. • E nhanced and coordinated integrated planning within the organisation • D elivered on the household information data and analysis to the organisation. • P repared for the next phase in service reviews including the development of a service review diagnostic tool.

Key Challenges for 2012-2013 • L ead the organisational and Council process to develop Banyule’s new four year City Plan 20132017 (Council Plan)

• Support the organisation in undertaking annual planning program actions (2012-2013), and develop a program for 2013-2014 to further enhance Council’s approach to planning, project and service delivery, in alignment with the City Plan priorities. • Further develop the organisation’s performance measures to support and strengthen the alignment of service unit outcomes with City Plan priorities. • A ssist service units in action planning and reporting processes through the service unit planning process. • Continue to develop, promote and support Council’s Interplan system through the implementation of Project Management modules to achieve business improvements • A ssist the organisation in maintaining certification to Australian and International Standards in Quality, Occupational Health & Safety, and Environmental Management, including reviewing and simplifying system documentation and processes. • Participate in organisational continuous improvement programs, key initiatives and identified projects to improve organisational performance and service delivery. • Manage the change management and business improvement aspects of the EDRMS project in order to achieve the organisational, community and user benefits. • Continue to participate in the EDRMS Information Management Working Group through Stage 2 implementation by: - Improving and implementing business processes - Capturing business requirements through design and configuration workshops - Playing a key role in the implementation of change management across the organisation. Related to the capture and use of information and records. • Redesign Council’s Intranet to create a central location for internal information and communication including corporate processes and documentation, staff contact details and service area information. • Support organisational review programs to seek efficiencies and improvements to ensure alignment with the key priorities outlined in the City Plan. • Promote, support and assist the organisation to strengthen advocacy and engagement with the community.

• C ontinue to facilitate and support further integration of key Council plans, strategy development and actions, and ensure alignment with the City Plan priorities.

COMMUNICATIONS SERVICE

Service Aspect Financial

Operational

Key Performance Indicator Actual Result against Council’s Budget. Customer satisfaction with the service. - Based on Banyule City Council/ Internal Customer Satisfaction Surveys - Based on State Government’s Annual Community Satisfaction Surveys.

Target 2011-12/ Benchmark comparison with Inner Group

Actual 2010/11 +9.27% ($79,800 less than budgeted net expenditure of $861,308.)

CSI 77 (Based on external Customer Satisfaction Survey 2008)

(-)*

Achieve at or better than budget

Actual 2011/12 +11.51% ($103,840 less than budgeted net expenditure of $901,906.)

Internal Survey rating = 7.3

(Overall Customer Service Satisfaction. Average rating out of 10.)

(Average rating out of 10. Based on June 2012 survey)

Inner Group average 63* CSI score for Informing the community (performance)

68* CSI score for Informing the community (performance)

Key Highlights/Features for 2011-2012 • C ommenced implementation of Council’s Corporate Communications Plan focusing on brand and promotion (brand/style, promotion of major projects, festivals), the introduction of digital media (website, social media, electronic media, including Banyule’s YouTube Channel) and community engagement. • M arketing campaigns – provided support in the marketing, branding and co-ordination of external and internal communications for a number of Council areas, including: 2011 Seniors Festival, 2012 Twilight Sounds, Kids Arty Farty Fest, Youth Fest and Carols by Candlelight. • W orked with the project team to develop and launch the branding for the WaterMarc facility. Also developed a marketing strategy and collateral for WaterMarc. • C onducted a tender process to award a contract for the redevelopment of Council’s website. This involved development of a new specification, working with the IT and Procurement teams, and consultation with service units. The redevelopment process is now underway. New site to be live early December 2012. • D eveloped Social Media Policy and Guidelines.

BANYULE CITY COUNCIL BEST VALUE HIGHLIGHTS 2011-2012

• Submitted four applications for the National Awards for Local Government: - Tarakan Estate, rebuilding a community (Active Arts Award Application) - T he KeyNote Singers community choir (Active Arts Award Application) - Unearthed 3081 Claymation Project (Active Arts Award Application) - YouthFest (Youth Engagement Award Application) • A ssisted the development of submissions for WorkSafe Awards and Heart Foundation: Healthy Community Awards • W orked with service units in the Community Programs area to co-ordinate the event management, marketing and sponsorship for the 2012 Banyule Volunteer Awards event. Nine winners were named across five categories and were presented with their prizes by MC Rhonda Birchmore. The celebration dinner was attended by 480 guests. • Co-ordinated the event management and marketing of the 2011 Community Ball • Developed marketing and consultation strategies for projects such as the Ivanhoe Project and Storm Water Harvesting Project.

• W orked with the Leisure and Culture service unit to co-ordinate the event management, marketing and sponsorship for the 2012 Banyule Sports Awards event compered by Giaan Rooney. • C o-ordinated a “Staff Recognition Lunch” to recognise staff for length of service. • D eveloped and implemented promotional DVDs for Customer Service foyers. • D eveloped and produced a marketing campaign for “Discover Your Own Backyard” in conjunction with Destination Melbourne and Economic Development including Youtube video and a series of full page advertisements in local media. • P roduced the 2012 Community Calendar “The Best of ”, featuring favourites from previous calendars. • R eviewed and updated the design of the Banyule Banner. • C o-ordinated the production of six editions of The Banner, Council’s bi-monthly community newsletter. This included facilitating and editing articles submitted by Council’s service units and design of the publication. • P roduced five ‘Banyule in Brief ’ advertorials for the Banyule and Nillumbik Weekly. • P roduced 10 editions of the Birds Eye View – Council’s internal staff newsletter. • W orked with Financial Services and Business Services to prepare a new format Budget document for 2012-13 which responds to new guidelines and recommendations. • C ontinued to review and develop the format of the Annual Report in conjunction with the Financial Services and Business Services teams. The Annual Report was prepared and finalised for 2010-11, and work commenced for Annual Report 2011-12 to incorporate new guidelines and recommendations. • I ntroduced bi-monthly Communications Updates for senior management • W orked with relevant service units to produce brochures (including writing, editing and artwork) for: - Smoke Free postcard - Waste Services brochure - Water Harvesting brochure - Budget 2012-2013 brochure - Budget Report 2012–2013

- Banyule Leisure Facilities Management DL brochure with an overview of their centres - Leisure and Culture brochure promoting upcoming leisure programs - Children’s Services childcare flyer promoting Banyule-run centres - Poster promoting the Banyule Municipal Early Years Plan survey and consultation - Invitations for the Fairy Hills Kindergarten launch event - Neighbourhood Renewal newsletter template - Playgroup Open Day flyers and posters - National Playgroup Day event poster - Y outh and Family Services Citizenship framework (14 page booklet) - Youth Plan Executive Summary - Graffiti brochure for Youth Services - Sports Achievements Awards brochure for Leisure and Culture - Youth Services Safety Plan booklet - Project management flow chart for use by City Development - Sports Achievement Awards brochure and nomination form - Stand for Council flyer - Assorted WaterMarc design work

Key Challenges for 2012-2013 • Redevelop Council’s website and introduce social media. • Co-ordinate the event management and marketing of the opening of WaterMarc • W ork with IT and Business Services to redevelop the Banyule Central intranet site, to enable easy access and sharing of information internally. • W ork in conjunction with the Community Planning and Business Services teams to implement Council’s community engagement plan. • A ctively promote Council through trade publications and award entries, to maximise the exposure of Council’s solid performance and successful initiatives.

- Immunisation book - Dog Registration insert - Council Services and Information Book - Community Comment card 11

COMMUNITY AND SOCIAL PLANNING

Service Aspect Financial

Operational

Key Performance Indicator Actual Result against Council’s Budget. Customer Satisfaction with the service.

Target 2011-12/ Benchmark comparison with Inner Group

Actual 2010/11 +17.22% ($71,367 less than budgeted net expenditure of $414,486.)

CSI 75 Health and Human Services

- Based on State Government’s Annual Community Satisfaction Surveys.

Achieve at or better than budget

Actual 2011/12 +35.74% ($159,975 less than budgeted net expenditure of $447,580.)

Inner Group average 65* CSI score for Disadvantaged Support Services (performance)

64* CSI score for Disadvantaged Support Services (performance)

Inner Group average 58* CSI score for Community Consultation and Engagement (performance)

58* CSI score for Community Consultation and Engagement (performance)

Key Highlights/Features for 2011-2012 • D evelopment of the Banyule Indigenous Australians Commitment Plan 2012-16, and 2012-13 Action Plan, adopted by Council on 4 June 2012. • F ormal launch of the Banyule Indigenous Australians Commitment Plan 2012-16 at this year’s Welcome to Country & Indigenous Australian Flag Raising Ceremony.

Key Challenges for 2012-2013 • Development of the new Banyule Health & Wellbeing Policy & Strategy for 2013-17 and related action plans. • Support the development of the Banyule City Plan for 2013-17 and the review of the key supporting policies, strategies and plans informing the City Plan • Completion and implementation of the Banyule Food Access & Security Plan, 2012-16

• C ontinued to consult with and support residents and groups from Banyule’s culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

• Implementation of Banyule Indigenous Australians Commitment Plan 2012-16 and 2012-13 Action Plan.

• I mplementation of Year 3 of the Banyule Disability Policy & Action Plan 2009-13.

• Develop an integrated community engagement program to enhance connection between Council and its’ community on our key policies, strategies and plans

• C ontinued to support the implementation of the Banyule Health & Wellbeing Policy & Strategy 200913 and related action plans.

• Review of Community Plan actions (Years 5 – 9)

• W ork more closely with our CALD and hard to reach communities • W ork to implement actions from the Access and Inclusion Plan to better represent the diverse Banyule community

BANYULE CITY COUNCIL BEST VALUE HIGHLIGHTS 2011-2012

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Service Aspect Financial

Operational

Key Performance Indicator Actual Result against Council’s Budget. Customer Satisfaction with the service. - Based on State Government’s Annual Community Satisfaction Surveys.

Target 2011-12/ Benchmark comparison with Inner Group

Actual 2010/11 +0.62% ($2,440 less than budgeted net expenditure of $391,517).

CSI 76 Customer Contact (Council’s interaction and responsiveness in dealing with the public)

Achieve at or better than budget

Inner Group average 73* CSI score for Customer Service (performance)

Actual 2011/12 +2.26% ($13,899 less than budgeted net expenditure of $616,090).

74* CSI score for Customer Service (performance)

Key Highlights/Features for 2011-2012 • C ontinued high level of community satisfaction with customer service. Banyule achieved a result of 74 for ‘Customer Service (performance)’ in the State Government’s Annual Community Satisfaction Survey 2012. The result of 74 is 3 points higher than the Statewide average (71) and 1 point higher than the Inner Group average (73). • D ealt with challenges associated with the introduction of the VoIP phone system and Geomant call centre system • B uilt on our Customer Request Management (CRM) system with a further work undertaken in the area of corporate reporting • C onducted a mystery shopping program with Customer Service Benchmarking Australia which provided us with independent reporting on our service levels and style • B uilt on our knowledge base by continuing to make Customer Service staff available to work in a variety of different business units • R eviewed and update the Banyule City Council Customer Service Standards • D ealt with a forced change in service providers for our after-hours service • P repared for the introduction of Windows 7 computer environment

• Continued to participate in industry forums including LGPro Customer Service Special Interest Group • Attended the LGPro Customer Service Conference • P articipated in Banyule’s Municipal Emergency Management Plan exercises and events • C onducted Best Value Plus audits as part of councils BV+ internal audit program

Key Challenges for 2012-2013 • M aintain the highest levels of customer service within the sector through the implementation of the Customer Service Standards. • C ontinue to develop the knowledge bank of the Customer Service team by building on the Customer Service information page on Banyule Central and our successful ‘Buddy’ program. • A ssist with the launch of WaterMarc and associated changes to parking and amenity in Greensborough. • B uild on the CRM request system to cover all Council service areas. • M anage the potential impacts on the Customer Service team resulting from the implementation of Windows 7 and preparation work for Electronic Document and Records Management System (EDMRS).

• D ealt with the construction works at Greensborough and the associated questions from residents

DEVELOPMENT PLANNING SERVICE

Service Aspect Financial

Operational

Key Performance Indicator Actual Result against Council’s Budget.

Customer satisfaction with the service.

Target 2011-12/ Benchmark comparison with Inner Group

Actual 2010/11 +2.59% ($38,564 less than budgeted net expenditure. Total expenditure budget of $2,744,869 and a total income budget of $1,257,145)

CSI 59 Town Planning Policy and Approvals

- Based on State Government’s Annual Community Satisfaction Surveys.

Achieve at or better than budget

Actual 2011/12 -12.72% ($223,143 more than budgeted net expenditure. Total expenditure budget of $3,025,329 and a total income budget of $1,271,270)

Inner Group average 54* CSI score for Planning and building permits (performance)

58* CSI score for Planning and building permits (performance)

Inner Group average 55* CSI score for Council’s general town planning policy (performance)

57* CSI score for Council’s general town planning policy (performance)

Key Highlights/Features for 2011-2012 • P lanning had a busy year, receiving 1,179 applications for development, subdivision or tree removal. Further to this, 227 amendments to existing permits/ secondary consent applications, 101 extension of time to permit requests, 18 development plan approvals and 184 certification applications were also received. • P lanning completed assessments of 1,239 applications for development, subdivision or tree removal. This suggests a productive 12 months for the department with 60 more applications being completed than received. Furthermore, the assessment of 252 amendments to existing permits/secondary consent applications, 110 extension of time to permit requests, 20 development plan approvals and 159 certification applications were also completed. • B anyule achieved a result of 58 for ‘Planning and building permits (performance)’ in the State Government’s Annual Community Satisfaction Survey 2012. The result of 58 was significantly higher than both the average for the Inner Group (54) and the State-wide average (54). In addition, Banyule achieved a result of 57 for ‘Council’s general town planning 14

BANYULE CITY COUNCIL BEST VALUE HIGHLIGHTS 2011-2012

olicy (performance) - this was higher than the p average for the Inner Group (55) and significantly higher than the State-wide average (54). • Over 362 investigative inspections were conducted by the Development Planning team. • Maintenance of EARTH (Electronic applications for removal of trees at home) via SPEAR and online property information requests. • Maintenance of online payments for tree applications, subdivisions and property information requests. • Continued improvements of the Planning, Subdivision, Property Information and Investigation Modules in Authority, including the use of Memo’s, a register of all formal pre-application meetings, Liquor License referrals and Telecommunications enquiries. • Improved technologies including tree assessment tool software, hot desk, communal laptop and additional adobe pro licenses. • Successfully reviewed and implemented changes to tailor the formal pre-application process to streamline the application process.

• I mproved internal referral processes including setting the Engineering Department up on SPEAR and setting the Property Services Department up on Authority. • I mproved internal processes and systems (including a fast track process, revised and improved report structures, forms and implementation of quick fixes). • C ontinued presenting twice yearly Victorian Civil and Administration Tribunal (VCAT) Activity Report to Council. • S uccessfully completed participation in the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) Step program. • R educed backlog of live applications from 520 to 425 a reduction of 95 applications in the system which improves staff workloads and response times for determinations.

Key Challenges for 2012-2013 • Review and improve our Planning Enforcement systems and processes. • Continuing high levels of tree related applications and enforcement matters. • Review and implementation of Neighbourhood Character policies and strategies, together with managing the uncertainty associated with the new Zones proposed by the State Government. • Increase the use of technology and computer systems to assist with streamlining applications and improving existing processes and systems, including review of the public notice/ advertising process.

EARLY YEARS SERVICES

Service Aspect Financial

Operational

Key Performance Indicator Actual Result against Council’s Budget.

Customer Satisfaction with the service.

Target 2011-12/ Benchmark comparison with Inner Group

Actual 2010/11 +23.24% ($733,945 less than the budgeted net expenditure. Total income budget of $3,934,915 and total expenditure budget of $7,093,591.)

CSI 75 Health and Human Services

- Based on State Government’s Annual Community Satisfaction Surveys.

Achieve at or better than budget

Actual 2011/12 +1.57% ($56,015 less than the budgeted net expenditure. Total income budget of $3,863,439 and total expenditure budget of $7,435,796.)

Inner Group average 67* CSI score for Family Support Services (performance)

64* CSI score for Family Support Services (performance)

- Based on BCC annual users survey for Early Childhood Services

(92%)

90%

93%

Key Ages and Stages: participation rate for 3.5 year visits

(72%)

71%

76%

Key Highlights/Features for 2011-2012 Early Children’s Services (ECS) • I ndigenous murals installed at Morobe Street Children’s Centre and St Hellier Street Children’s Centre.

• C ommencement of Stage One of the development of a new Municipal Early Years Plan with 950 surveys of parents and guardians returned to Council.

• E CS continued to be funded for the pilot project of 15 hours of kindergarten being delivered at Olympic Village Kindergarten and Joyce Ave Children’s Centre and fully funded by the DEECD. The introduction of increased hours of Kindergarten and longer day sessions at Olympic Village Kindergarten has received a significant amount of positive feedback from the community and early year’s sector

• C ontinued municipal planning for the Universal Access of Early Childhood Education, through the capacity assessment and change management process with Kindergartens and Long Day Care Centres across the Municipality. Early Years planning officer supported 17 Services with their development of models for 15 hours of Kindergarten programs.

• C ompletion of construction of additional Kindergarten rooms to Fairy Hills Kindergarten, Panorama Heights Kindergarten, Macleod Kindergarten and Yallambie Kindergarten, with attendance by the Minister for Children and Early Childhood Development, the Hon Wendy Lovell at the official openings at Fairy Hills, Macleod & Yallambie.

• B anyule City Council managed services transitioned successfully to the new National Quality Framework, including completion of Quality Improvement Plans for each site.

• E CS secured a further $20,000 funding for 2012/13 from the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development to assist with municipal planning around the Universal Access to Early Childhood Services (15 hours Kindergarten by 2013).

BANYULE CITY COUNCIL BEST VALUE HIGHLIGHTS 2011-2012

• Continued to facilitate the Banyule Childcare Network, which has steadily grown in capacity and attendance during 2011-2012. • E CS partnered with the Early Childhood Development Project to produce a resource for professionals working with vulnerable families. • E CS partnered with CPS (formerly known as Children’s Protection Society) in the delivery of combined training sessions for both services to increase staff networks and increase staff knowledge and capacity in supporting vulnerable families. • Whilst the closure of the Family Day Care program area was the challenge of the year, it was an achievement to manage the closure of the service with minimal impact to families and children. • E CS worked very closely with Council’s Building Maintenance team and Briar Hill Kindergarten Committee to repair the site after the Christmas day storms and ensure that the building was safe and operational in time for the commencement of term 1. With the significant amount of damage to the site this was a huge achievement. Maternal Child Health (MCH) • MCH and Banyule Community Health Partnership: - A Maternal and Child Health service is offered at the Banyule Community Health Service in West Heidelberg for one day per week to families with complex issues. - F amilies are making contact before a situation has turned into a crisis, enabling early intervention and referral. The location at Banyule Community Health allows for easy referral and access to other services such as GP’s, dental, legal service, counselling along with a choice of playgroups and parenting groups. - R ecent evidence suggests that women value the opportunity to see the same midwife and MCH nurse and attend for most of their Key Ages & Stages visits. • M CH, in conjunction with the Playgroup Association of Queensland, offered a series of Sing and Grow programs in the last 12 months in the West Heidelberg, Greensborough and Watsonia areas. Sing and Grow is a national early intervention music therapy program that aims to improve interactions and relationships between vulnerable parents/carers and children. This program aims to enhance learning through music in order to help children meet their developmental milestones. The program also allows children and adults to participate in their own way.

• P artnerships within Council include: involvement in auditing and document registration, OH&S; White Ribbon, Children’s Citizenship Framework development, Road Safety, Children’s Advisory Committee and a successful Enterprise Bargaining process. • P artnership with Australian Breast Feeding Association (ABFA) to provide all new parents with ABFA packs at the first home visit. • Inclusion Support Officers supported a number of Child Care programs across the municipality including Before and After school hours care and Vacation programs. This involved direct support to staff and therefore provision to include children with a disability, CALD and ATSI backgrounds. • W ith the planned closure of the Inclusion Support program in December 2012, current staff are being appropriately supported through this process. • T oys for Tots, Camps for the disadvantaged children, Xmas hampers were all delivered successfully this year. • Responsive and environmentally sustainable practice of SMS reminders for consultations continued this year. This increased the number of clients attending appointments and the customer service satisfaction rate. Also developed an online booking system this year which is increasingly utilised. Workforce • Early Childhood Services was successful in obtaining two Employment Incentives for Early Childhood Educators. These incentives are available in hard-tostaff regions and were received for Morobe Street Children’s Centre. The two successful applications were required to fill vacant positions and received a financial incentive of up to $6000 from the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, and in return they are required to commit to the service for a minimum of one year. • Nine ECS staff are currently upgrading their qualifications or have recently completed their course. This is a significant achievement for those working and studying at the same time. • A number of older MCH staff members have retired and succession planning has eased any potential service impact. In the last 12 months we have continued to take the maximum number of student MCH nurses in order to expose them to the Banyule service and provided a comprehensive new graduate program to support new staff. The last recruitment drive attracted 21 applications for MCH nurses. We have targeted new graduates and given them opportunities to work casually, which in turn has given us a greater number of staff to replace during leave periods.

• C ouncil has committed to providing a financial sponsorship of $3,500 to a registered nurse/midwife who undertakes an accredited Post Graduate Maternal and Child Health nurse course. This year we successfully provided this opportunity to an outstanding nurse who received nomination for nurse of the year. She commenced all her clinical placement with the Banyule MCH team with positive feedback from her mentors. Last year’s scholarship recipient was permanently employed by Council. Olympic Village Learning Hub (OVLH) • T he vision for the OVLH revolves around life-long learning and pathways to education and employment with planning for integration across the site ongoing for several years now. In May 2012 the project was successful in securing $1.34m capital infrastructure funding from the Victorian Government ($840,000 DEECD and $500,000 DHS Neighbourhood Renewal) this funding together with Council contribution of $750,000 will deliver stage one of the OVLH development - the Child and Family Centre. Citizenship Framework • T he finalisation and design of the Citizenship Framework document was completed with the official launch of the document to occur on the 20th August. • T he Citizenship Framework continues to be embedded in the daily tasks undertaken by the ECS and MCH teams. It complements the National and Victorian Early Learning Frameworks, National Quality Framework and MCH Program Standards and Framework. Customer Satisfaction • 9 3% of families accessing Council managed Early Years Services (Childcare and Kindergarten) expressed satisfaction with the services. • 7 0-80% of the MCH clients surveyed found the service to be within the good to excellent range for communication, information and support from the nurse. Banyule Festival • Great feedback was received from the community, Councillors and Council staff about the Fantasyland activity area which is set up and run by the MCH and ECS teams. Attendance by staff this year to assist was very pleasing with representatives from many areas.

Children’s Week • A successful Children’s Week program was conducted with three activities run over five days. This involved many of Council’s service areas, the Charles La Trobe College (Olympic Village campus), Audrey Brooks Memorial Kindergarten, local libraries, Heidelberg Rotary, Olympic Village Pensioners Association, and traders from The Mall. These activities included the mini trains, water safety at the leisure centres and activities at The Mall. Enhanced MCH • T he enhanced MCH home visiting program is provided for families with significant early parenting difficulties which are best dealt with within the family’s own environment – the MCH team managed 112 cases over the past 12 months, with 26 cases open at the end of the financial year. The number of visits attended was 450. The major categories of clients were: unsupported young mothers, women in domestic violence situations, families with child protection involvement and women with mental health issues (note: some families fit into all 4 categories).

Key Challenges for 2012-2013 ECS • R ecruitment of suitably qualified staff - with the changes in the early year’s industry sector there is a skills shortage. Banyule, as with the industry as a whole, is struggling to find suitably qualified staff to work directly in Diploma and Degree positions. This is particularly more challenging to cover maternity leave replacements. • E nsuring the demand for 4 year old kindergarten places are met across the municipality. • C ontinue to apply for capital grants to assist with the implementation of universal access to 15 hours of kindergarten across the municipality by 2013. • T he construction and operations of the Olympic Village Child and Family Centre within relevant timelines. • I nvestigating options to ensure services offer IT technology that is current and meets the needs of customers (including children) • C ontinued compliance with National Reforms, in particular ensuring services comply with the new National Quality Standards. • D evelopment of the new Municipal Early Years Plan and analysis of the data from the community consultation. • C ontinuing to seek funding opportunities to progress further stages of the Olympic Village Learning Hub and the proposed Watsonia Hub.

BANYULE CITY COUNCIL BEST VALUE HIGHLIGHTS 2011-2012

MCH • E ngaging vulnerable families following the outcomes of the Auditor General’s Report on Victoria’s Vulnerable Children • Responding to changing demographics in the Bellfield, Heidelberg Heights area, due to an increase in housing density. • M onitoring the impacts on workload resulting from an increase in accountability, support for programs and reporting to both state and local government. • C ontinue to monitor and respond to changes in community needs – the increase in the number of birth notifications over the last 3 years and the changes in demographics (especially the increasing demand in the southern part of the municipality) are impacting on staff workload and availability to see clients. • A ddressing issues associated with the ageing MCH electronic program ‘MaCHs’ which is now very old and operates on an obsolete platform. DSI provides minimal yearly updates and a new system is required. • T o ensure that Children’s services in the municipality are adequately supported by the new inclusion support service provider from January 2013.

ENGINEERING SERVICES

Service Aspect Financial

Operational

Key Performance Indicator Actual Result against Council’s Budget.

Target 2011-12/ Benchmark comparison with Inner Group

Actual 2010/11 +4.67% ($79,695 less than budgeted net expenditure of $1,708,210)

Customer Satisfaction with the service.

CSI rating 64

- Based on State Government’s Annual Community Satisfaction Surveys.

Traffic Management and Parking Facilities

Local Roads & Footpaths

CSI rating 58

Achieve at or better than budget

Actual 2011/12 +10.84% ($185,343 less than budgeted net expenditure of $1,709,282)

Inner Group average 57* CSI score for Traffic management (performance)

58* CSI score for Traffic management (performance)

Inner Group average 56* CSI score for Parking facilities (performance)

56* CSI score for Parking facilities (performance)

Key Highlights/Features for 2011-2012 • B anyule achieved solid results in the State Government’s Annual Community Satisfaction Survey 2012 across the selected performance measures related to Engineering Services. The results compared favourably with the average scores for the Inner Group and State-wide averages. • Prepared 35 Council Reports, an average of 3 per month, to inform Council and provide recommendations on the appropriate course of action for key issues including: major projects, transport and road safety issues, parking management, drainage and road design. • R eceived 1,245 Transport and Road Safety related customer requests, an average of approximately 100 a month, with 87% completed on time • S uccessfully delivered approximately $175,000 in Transport and Road Safety related Capital Works. • F acilitated the development of a School Crossing Policy which was adopted by Council, to formalise Council’s subsidy of supervisors. • F acilitated the development of Banyule Resident Parking Permit Scheme Policy, adopted by Council, to standardise an approach across the whole of the municipality. • Prepared the WaterMarc Parking Management Plan • D esigned and completed Stage One Streetscape Works for Main Street Greensborough 20

BANYULE CITY COUNCIL BEST VALUE HIGHLIGHTS 2011-2012

• D eveloped guidelines for stormwater drainage requirements for new developments • C ompleted the design for the Wattle Drive road reconstruction • D eveloped the Activity Centre Car Parking Policy and Strategy which was adopted by Council. • I mplemented the recommendations from the Greensborough Activity Centre Car Parking Strategy in preparation for the opening of Watermarc, and the potential impacts on parking in the area. • Developed the Residential Parking Permit scheme, which has been implemented. • C ommenced the development of the Heidelberg Parking Strategy, with the preparation of a database for a future parking plan review. • I nvestigated and recommended the installation of bicycle lanes throughout the municipality to improve links to the existing bicycle network in line with Council Bicycle Strategy. • C ontinued to work with and advocate to the Department of Transport and the Minister for Transport to improve: - service frequencies and accessibility to our activity centres - access and facilities at railway stations

Key Challenges for 2012-2013 • Develop the Banyule Right of Way Policy and Strategy. • C ontinue to review, develop and update the Banyule Integrated Transport Strategy. • D eliver approximately $340,000 in Transport and Road Safety related Capital works. • Implement the WaterMarc Parking Management Plan. • R eview standards, systems and processes for the internal developments and drainage function of the Engineering Services unit. • U pgrade engineering information available on Banyule’s Web site.

FINANCIAL SERVICES

Service Aspect Financial

Operational

Key Performance Indicator Actual Result against Council’s Budget.

Customer Satisfaction with the service. - (based on Internal Satisfaction Surveys)

Actual 2010/11

Target 2011-12

+1.23%

Achieve at or better than budget

($16,605 less than budgeted net expenditure of $1,351,786)

Actual 2011/12 +3.57% ($54,877 less than budgeted net expenditure of $1,538,216)

Internal Survey rating = 7.3

Internal Survey rating = 8.0

Internal Survey rating = 7.6

(Average rating out of 10. Based on Dec 2008 survey)

(Overall Customer Service Satisfaction. Average rating out of 10.)

(Average rating out of 10. Based on June 2012 survey)

Key Highlights/Features for 2011-2012 • C omplied with external statutory and taxation requirements and avoided any penalties. • P roduced month-end reports and bi-monthly financial reports for Council. • C ontinued to refine and develop the information and system used to determine Councils long- term strategic financial planning estimates. This information has been utilised by management to compile the operating budget for future years. • T he Procurement team has continued to provide education and support for procurement activities and contract management for service units. Monitoring of adherence to the Procurement Policy and the Procurement and Contract Guidelines has continued and been reported to management as required. The Local Government Inspectorate Audit conducted for Banyule included procurement testing and identified a high level of compliance. • P articipated in the annual internal audit using computer-assisted audit technique reviews of data contained within the payroll, accounts payable and general ledger systems. • U pdated the Power Budget reporting structure to streamline the production of the end of year accounts notes.

• I mplemented the Accounts Payable remittance advices being sent via email rather than post to reduce postage costs. • W orked with Councillors and the management team to review and prepare the budget for 2012-13. • P repared and provided relevant financial information for Banyule’s Annual Reports for 2010-11 and 2011-12, and for Banyule’s City Plan 2009-2013 (Year 4). This involved working with Communications and Business Services. • W orked with Communications and Business Services to prepare a new format Budget document for 2012-13 incorporating model budget guidelines.

Key Challenges for 2012-2013 • P articipate in internal audits and risk assessments undertaken by Council’s internal audit firm as part of its scheduled program. • R eview the Financial Services business continuity plans and update them to reflect changes in systems, processes and dependencies. • P articipate in the Electronic Document and Records Management System (EDRMS) Project as it impacts upon the record keeping requirements of the Financial Services Unit • C ontinue to provide purchasing and contract management education and support to service units throughout Council.

BANYULE CITY COUNCIL BEST VALUE HIGHLIGHTS 2011-2012

FLEET MANAGEMENT SERVICES

Service Aspect Financial

Operational

Key Performance Indicator Actual Result against Council’s Budget. Customer Satisfaction with the service.

Actual 2010/11

Target 2011-12

+0.16%

Achieve at or better than budget

($853 less than budgeted net expenditure of $532,501).

Actual 2011/12 +3.85% ($8,595 less than budgeted net expenditure of $223,302).

CSI 84

CSI 85

CSI 78

(Based on May 2005 internal survey)

(‘Overall satisfaction with the service’)

(Based on Dec 2011 internal survey)

- Based on Internal Surveys

Key Highlights/Features for 2011-2012

Key Challenges for 2012-2013

• C ontinued to provide a cost effective fleet through the purchase of suitable vehicles and plant, and ensuring appropriate maintenance and programmed replacement.

• I nvestigate options for refurbishing the floor in the rear workshop

• C ontinued to provide a timely and responsive maintenance service that enables maximum utilisation and minimal downtime, for:

• C ouncil’s fleet - light passenger and commercial fleet, trucks, mobile plant (eg. tractors)

• small equipment

• Council’s Waste Recovery Centre

• C ontinue to keep abreast of new fleet technologies to improve vehicle operational and environmental efficiency.

• C onducted a user satisfaction survey of the Fleet Management Service. This aimed to identify opportunities for improvement for the workshop, fleet management, vehicle changeover and breakdown services, with actions developed to address issues raised. • I mproved OHS and environmental practices at the vehicle wash-bay area (at the Operations Depot) by consolidating vehicle diesel hot water pressure washers into one external location. • C ompleted an environmental audit of the workshop and depot grounds. • C ontinued to review the Fleet Policy and the organisation vehicle list, expanding the availability of smaller, more environmentally efficient vehicles. • C ontinued to evaluate new vehicle technologies and fuel options to help improve Council’s transport carbon footprint and operating cost. • C ompleted the development and application of new graphics for the waste collection vehicles.

FUNCTIONS (THE CENTRE IVANHOE)

Service Aspect Financial

Key Performance Indicator Actual Result against Council’s Budget.

Actual 2010/11

Target 2011-12

Actual 2011/12

+3.52% on total expenditure budget of $2,726,830. -5.83% on total income budget of $2,642,747.

Achieve at or better than budget

-7.31% on total expenditure budget of $2,931,375. +4.19% on total income budget of $2,925,361.

(Net variance was $58,002 more than the budgeted net expenditure.)

Operational

Customer Satisfaction with total service.

90% (Overall)

(Net variance was $91,916 more than the budgeted net expenditure.)

90%

86% (Overall)

- Based on an on-line survey methodology

Key Highlights/Features for 2011-2012

Key Challenges for 2012-2013

The Centre Ivanhoe

• S uccessfully manage the Tender process for the Catering Services for The Centre Ivanhoe, and produce a mutually beneficial outcome.

• T he Centre Ivanhoe hosted its first VIP Client Event, which was a fantastic event launching the new Spring Summer Menu and showcasing the facility and venue. Over 180 guests attended with positive feedback. • S uccessfully achieved sales targets, with an increase of approximately 20% in income. This was due to a 24% increase in the number of events (from 441 to 545). This is a fantastic result and reflects the significant promotional and marketing efforts of The Centre Ivanhoe team. • Capital Improvements to the facility including: - T he Streeton Room ladies toilets refurbishment to match the rest of the venue. - The McCubbin Room was repainted. - The carpet on the stairs has been replaced. - T he bridal suite and the band room have been refurbished. - A new sound system was installed in the Great Hall. These works now mean all areas on the ground floor, and level one have been restored. Community Halls, Buses and Staging • E xcellent feedback has been received for the Community Halls and demands on these facilities are increasing. The income for this area has also improved compared to last year’s sales.

BANYULE CITY COUNCIL BEST VALUE HIGHLIGHTS 2011-2012

• S uccessfully manage the Tender process for the Audio Visual, and produce a smooth transition from agreement, into contract • Meet sales and expenditure targets for Centre Ivanhoe, and maintain previous growth. • Create new relationships with clients. • Successfully manage the new menu offering. • P osition the venue to ensure we keep our share of the market through pricing, product and service. • A llocate funding for capital works items that are needed to present the facility in a better manner and ensure income potential. • C reate a policy for hosting markets and expos in line with community consultation and business requirements

GOVERNANCE SERVICE

Service Aspect Financial

Operational

Key Performance Indicator Actual Result against Council’s Budget. Customer satisfaction with the service. ased on internal B Customer Satisfaction Surveys.

Target 2011-12/ Benchmark comparison with Inner Group

Actual 2010/11 -13.06% ($110,775 more than budgeted net expenditure of $848,409)

Achieve at or better than budget

Actual 2011/12 +6.99% ($61,062 less than budgeted net expenditure of $874,114)

100%

95%

100%

(based on satisfaction of citizenship ceremonies participants)

(-)*

Inner Group average 63* CSI score for Informing the community (performance)

68* CSI score for Informing the community (performance)

- Based on State Government’s Annual Community Satisfaction Surveys.

Key Highlights/Features for 2011-2012 • H eld 23 Ordinary Meetings and one Special Meeting of Council. • H eld four Citizenship Ceremonies this year, with over 400 Banyule residents becoming Australian Citizens from a variety of nationalities/countries. This included an Australia Day citizenship ceremony with, a local Banyule resident, as Banyule’s Australia Day guest Speaker. • R ecorded 89 Assemblies of Councillors, indicating Councillors are being provided with a greater understanding of issues to assist them to make informed decisions. • S urveyed Citizenship Ceremony attendees to measure satisfaction with the ceremony, achieving a 100% satisfaction rating. • P rocessed 11 Freedom of Information requests. All requests have been processed within the statutory timeframe of 45 days. • Reviewed and adopted the Councillor Resource, Expenses and Entitlements Policy. This provides guidance for Councillors on the reimbursement of out of pocket expenses. The revised policy incorporates recommendations from auditors appointed by Council’s Audit Committee as part of its scheduled program.

• P reparation and Planning for the General Election in October 2012 are underway, including tendering for services for the Conduct of the Election, Stand for Council Campaign and General Advertising Plan for the elections. This includes website information on the elections, how to enrol to vote and becoming a Councillor. • I n accordance with best practice and advice from Local Government Victoria, an Election Caretaker Period Guideline was developed to cover the period leading up the Elections being held on 27th October 2012. These guidelines cover the period that Council goes into ‘caretaker mode’ and no major decisions are to be made. Governance Practice notes were developed to assist both Councillors and staff adhere to these guidelines during this period. • F urther implementation of the Agenda and Minutes system with the Outstanding Actions report issued on a monthly basis and discussed at Senior Management Meetings. • D eveloped and introduced a new process at Council meetings to capture questions arising from the Council Meeting Public forum (the informal question time before the meeting). This enables questions and queries that cannot be answered at the meeting to be documented. Such questions are passed on the relevant department the day after the Council meeting and a response is then provided to the enquirer. Once

a month, Councillors are updated on the progress of such questions that were taken on notice from the Council meeting.

Key Challenges for 2012-2013

• D eveloped an Induction Presentation/Program to assist staff in understanding the key legislative requirements of the Governance area, specifically in relation to standard statements key Ombudsman’s reports on Conflicts of Interest, Receiving of Gifts, and Privacy.

performance diversity

rting

• C onduct and supervise the Elections, the election contract, and utilisation of media to advise of the upcoming election and attract quality candidates. • D evelop an Induction Program for Councillors to ensure they are kept abreast of the key requirements of office and the key challenges facing the organisation

committees manage

• E xpand and develop Governance Practice notes to assist staff with key legislative requirements

• D eveloped a Governance Practice Note for staff in relation to report writing for Council meetings.

ntsaccessibility local laws

plan

• W orked with the Procurement team to review the tender documentation for Cleaning of Council’s offices. The new Cleaning Contract has commenced, the new cleaners and contractors have been inducted, and ongoing meetings are being held with the contractor.

• P lan and ensure the necessary policies, delegations, and Code of Conduct are reviewed within the legislative timeframe after the General election • R ollout hand-held technology for Councillors to reduce the requirement for hardcopies of Agendas, Minutes and briefing notes and ensure Councillors have the most up to date information.

development resources

eople rates responsiveness • A Local Government Inspectorate Audit was conducted for Banyule and this identified that a high level of compliance was being achieved. Particular mention was made of the Public Information Register and the manner it was maintained.

corporate governance

uncil

profile 26

plan

council

strategy

quality reporting planning

community

dom mation

action

events city plan

opportunity

ation

equal

prosperity

participation

nity

rates

place people

continuous lic participation provement planet

accessibility

BANYULE CITY COUNCIL BEST VALUE HIGHLIGHTS 2011-2012

HEALTH SERVICES

Service Aspect Financial

Operational

Key Performance Indicator Actual Result against Council’s Budget.

Target 2011-12/ Benchmark comparison with Inner Group

Actual 2010/11 +3.49% ($34,438 less than budgeted net expenditure of $986,942. Total expenditure budget was $1,579,901 and total income budget was $592,959.)

Achieve at or better than budget

Actual 2011/12 +8.85% ($92,483 less than budgeted net expenditure of $1,044,690. Total expenditure budget was $1,631,899 and total income budget was $587,209.)

Customer satisfaction with the service.

CSI 75 Health and Human Services

Inner Group average CSI scores (performance):

Banyule CSI scores (performance):

- Based on State Government’s Annual Community Satisfaction Surveys.

CSI 67 Enforcement of Local Laws

Family Support Services 67*

Family Support Services 64*

Enforcement of local laws 66*

Enforcement of local laws 68*

(100%)

100%

MAV Insurance (overall score) Food Safety.

(based on 2009-10 result as an assessment/ audit was not conducted for Banyule in 2010-11)

100% (based on 2011-12 audit for Banyule)

Key Highlights/Features for 2011-2012

Immunisation

Food Safety

• R eceived an award for Excellence in Immunisation awarded by the Department of Health. The award was for the development of an Easy English Document to better support clients at immunisation sessions.

• I n the 2011 calendar year, 53 new food businesses opened in the municipality (resulting in a total of 693 premises registered under the Food Act 1984 as at 29 June 2012). • F ood sample requirements were met with a total of 186 food samples submitted for the purpose of analysis in the set period of 1 March 2011 to 28 February 2012. • C ompleted 1,191 statutory inspections/assessments of food premises in the year ending 31 December 2011. • P rogressed with the Mobile Technology project for inspection of food premises. • I mplemented a new procedure for the renewal of registrations. The process now includes infringement notices for failure to apply for a renewal of registration and it has significantly reduced the need for use of legal services.

• D uring the 2011 calendar year, 12,429 vaccines were provided at public immunisation sessions, 5,901 vaccines at schools sessions and 1,160 via commercial sessions. • M aintained an average 92% immunisation coverage over 3 age cohorts (12 -75 months) equal or better than the State average. • Streamlined the school immunisation process, leading to further staffing efficiency and increased coverage rates. • C ompleted an Immunisation Service Plan that clearly defines the scope and priorities for the service.

Public Health • A total of 19 new Public Health and Wellbeing Act premises opened in the 2011 calendar year (resulting in a total of 221 registered Public Health and Wellbeing Act premises as at 30 June 2012). • C onducted a total of 252 statutory inspections of Public Health and Wellbeing Act premises during the 2011 calendar year. • I n 2011 there were 410 health/nuisance related complaints investigated. • C onducted 115 Tobacco education visits in the 2011/2012 financial year. • Conducted 94 Tobacco Test Purchases in 2011/2012. • C onsultation was undertaken regarding smoke free outdoor areas.

Key Challenges for 2012-2013 • I mplementation of ‘Streatrader’ database – Statewide database for Temporary Food Premises • C ontinuation of Mobile Technology Project Purchasing the hardware • I mplementing new HPV vaccine to Year 7 school boys from 2013 and Year 9 school boys under a catch-up program for the next 2 years. • R eview of Secondary School program including consent cards and “mop up”. • Introduction of smoke free outdoor areas.

2011-2012 BANYULE CITY COUNCIL BEST VALUE HIGHLIGHTS 2011-2012

MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Service Aspect Financial

Operational

Key Performance Indicator Actual Result against Council’s Budget.

Customer Satisfaction with the service.

Actual 2010/11

Target 2011-12

-7.70%

Achieve at or better than budget

(Net expenditure was $44,575 over budgeted net expenditure of $579,187)

(100%)

98%

Actual 2011/12 +20.93% (Net expenditure was $346,292 less than budgeted net expenditure of $1,654,443)

99.8%

- Percentage of core IT systems availability

Key Highlights/Features for 2011-2012 Projects:

applications; upgrading MS Exchange from 2003 to MS Exchange 2010 (email server software); organised training for more than 200 staff for the stage 1 roll out and their PC replacement).

• I T delivered a range of foundation technologies as identified in the ‘Technology Vision 2020 and Delivery Plan,’ with the aim to best position Council in meeting the future technological challenges. Some of the key achievements in this area include:

• E stablished and commenced implementation of a technology platform to deliver effective, efficient and reliable IT services for WaterMarc at Greensborough. The following is a brief list of projects that have commenced and are nearing completion:

- Implemented the Unified Communication Solution (Microsoft Lync and Geomant Contact Expert System) using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) to replace outdated PABX/Telephony systems. This delivers a technology platform that will enable the organisation to establish a flexible, mobile and collaborative workforce. At present 600 users are using VoIP solution across 14 sites, and 25 network switches have been replaced.

- D esigned and developed the tender specification to build a new purpose-built data centre at WaterMarc, a primary data centre for the leisure facility and for Council. This will enhance system reliability and stability, and a significant part of the work has already been completed.

- Upgraded the wireless WAN (Wide Area Network) link between Ivanhoe - Austin - Rosanna to Greensborough to provide improved connectivity. - Improved VoIP services and reliability by replacing VMware (virtual) servers, and deployed new 2008r2 AD (server for active directory) at Nets Stadium, Olympic and Ivanhoe BLFM sites, and also implemented Ivanhoe Aquatic ‘Club 2.0’ software to support the Technogym Wellness system. - C ompleted the technology platform in readiness for Windows 7 and Office 2010 rollout by undertaking a series of upgrades, modifications and systems assessments (i.e. establishing automatic software distribution via SCCM (System Centre Configuration Manager); testing software and systems compatibility; reconfiguring and modifying more than 200 business and system

- D eveloped the tender specification for the data storage system and server infrastructure for the new data centre to meet the future needs of the Council. Contracts have been awarded to the appropriate vendors for the installation and commissioning of the systems. - C onducted preparation work to install a series of network switches and VMWare servers to connect Technogym equipment, POS Access Control, computer systems and test the IT services (i.e., systems integration and VoIP system). This has involved significant work in building and testing the integration of POS Access Control and Technogym System in the test VMware server environment during completion of the building construction. - Investigated and evaluated the microwave link requirements between WaterMarc and NMIT, Flintoff Street offices and Jets Studios. The upgrade of these microwave links are in progress.

• W orked with the Municipal Laws team to successfully replace the out-dated ‘Autocite’ system with new replacement technology (AutoISSUE), to enable the laws team to continue to deliver services effectively and efficiently. • P rovided assistance with the transition from the ‘Corporate Information Database (CID)’ system to the ‘Interplan’ system for corporate planning and reporting. • R eplaced the out-dated Crystal e-Portfolio report server with an advanced SAP Crystal Report Server 2008. This is a self-help system and can be used by different service units, eg. Workforce Development, Aquatics and Leisure Facilities, and Payroll. • W orked together with the Electronic Document and Records Management System (EDRMS) Project Team to establish an appropriate methodology, resource requirements and processes. The functional and system specifications have been developed and tendered. Operational Achievements: • P rovided responsive and quality IT services, with more than 7,500 IT requests logged and resolved. In addition: - In excess of 2.5 million emails were received and distributed - In excess of 370,000 spam emails were quarantined – an increase of 110,000 from last year, which demonstrates that active blocking is occurring at the gateway (firewall) rather than in the internal network - In excess of 19,500 viruses were prevented from accessing our network – an increase of 5,000 from last year. - M ore than 2,500 system patches were applied for Microsoft Applications, systems and servers to make the IT Network Infrastructure stable and reliable, and the IT Infrastructure uptime was more than 99%. • P rovided a reliable corporate application environment where more than 1,700 patches were applied for Authority (Council’s main corporate system) in the production environment and more than 8,500 patches were applied in the other five test environments. In excess of 150 business and system issues were resolved with Civica (the service provider for Authority). • W orked closely with service units to investigate and deliver a range of business IT solutions, including: - 1 3 service units are now utilising the SMS MessageNet system to send SMS to customers instead of making telephone calls, resulting in savings in cost and staff time.

BANYULE CITY COUNCIL BEST VALUE HIGHLIGHTS 2011-2012

- D eveloped and enhanced Authority crystal reports for Municipal Laws, Financial Services (Revenue, Accounts Payable) and others to assist in improving operational effectiveness. - C ompleted a project for our Authority System to enable Cheque Printing on A4 Laser Printers and email transmittance - M igrated the Corporate Information Database (CID) System – this was quite challenging as the application had to be migrated to, and distributed in, new environments (Windows 64bit server and SQL 2008 R2 failover cluster). It involved a significant amount of work and technical expertise to ensure a smooth transition. - P rovided ongoing support and services to different service units for their ‘legacy applications’ (ie. applications that are still required for business continuity or legislative requirements). To make these legacy applications compatible with the Windows 7 platform, some of them required re-programming, reconfigurations, modifications (eg. Significant Tree Registration System, Banyule Registration System (for documents), Childhood Services Registration System, NW&S (the capital works management system), Vehicle Booking System, Risk Register, Contact Management System and others). • R esolved significant issues experienced during the last upgrade of the corporate system (Authority migration to Version 6.3), including issues related to ‘samba’ incompatibility, ‘winbind’ memory and file descriptor leakage. To resolve these issues IT worked closely for many months with service providers (eg. Civica, Red Hat and IBM). • F acilitated the executive IT Steering Committee to prioritise IT projects based on business needs and resource requirements. • R enewed Microsoft Enterprise Agreement by reviewing the licensing requirements and presenting a business case to obtain Council’s approval. Also completed the implementation of SCCM (System Centre Configuration Manager), a software deployment mechanism that will enable the organisation to effectively monitor and manage license usages. • C ompleted the memory upgrade of the UCS (Unified Computing System) blade server and the upgrade of ‘Commvault Simpana’ (backup server software) to improve data backup time and increase systems reliability.

Key Challenges for 2012-2013 • S upport service units in reviewing and improving service delivery systems, e.g. CRM (customer request management), Asset Management, Capital Value Register, and review of e-Services functionalities. • I mplement and upgrade core information systems and technology as required, e.g. Authority corporate system, server and network hardware and network security upgrades, PC replacement program. • R esolving user requests in a timely manner, application version control, patch management and regular monitoring of network security. • I nvestigate and develop innovative solutions that will enhance Business Units’ operational efficiency and effectiveness in consultation with the Executive Management Team and the Strategic Review Committee, i.e. EDRMS, Mobile Technology, Website redevelopment, Online Sharepoint Forms/Workflow

and others. • A ssist the Business Services team with the ongoing implementation of the Interplan corporate planning and reporting system. • S upport corporate and business unit specific legacy applications by further enhancement, modifications and upgrade to the new platform. • I mprovement of technology systems by undertaking research and development of emerging technologies to ascertain appropriate business solutions, e.g. Windows 7 rollout, Virtual Desktop, GreenIT and other initiatives. Also develop an appropriate Disaster Recovery solution aligned with the Business Continuity strategies. • W ork with the appropriate management team to identify, investigate and recommend technology appropriate for the proposed Flintoff Street new office facility at Greensborough.

LEISURE AND CULTURAL SERVICES

Service Aspect Financial

Operational

Key Performance Indicator Actual Result against Council’s Budget.

Customer Satisfaction with the service.

Target 2011-12/ Benchmark comparison with Inner Group

Actual 2010/11 -4.69% ($47,920 more than budgeted net expenditure of $1,022,109. Total expenditure budget was $1,575,635 and total income budget was $553,526)

CSI 73 Recreational Facilities

- Based on State Government’s Annual Community Satisfaction Surveys.

Achieve at or better than budget

Actual 2011/12 +6.86% ($66,258 less than budgeted net expenditure of $1,218,900. Total expenditure budget was $1,717,120 and total income budget was $498,220)

Inner Group average CSI scores (performance):

Banyule CSI scores (performance):

Recreational Facilities 73*

Recreational Facilities 72*

Community and cultural activities 70*

Community and cultural activities 69*

Art centres and libraries 74*

Key Highlights/Features for 2011-2012 • B anyule achieved solid results in the State Government’s Annual Community Satisfaction Survey 2012 across the selected performance measures related to Leisure and Cultural Services. The results were amongst the highest service performance scores for Banyule, and they compared favourably with the average scores for the Inner Group and State-wide averages. Sports and Leisure Projects & Events • W est Heidelberg Football Program - worked in partnership with the Northern Football League, Collingwood and Carlton AFL Clubs and the North Heidelberg Sporting Club to deliver a training program for children in West Heidelberg to introduce them to Australian Rules Football, with over 200 attending. • L eisure Programs - A range of new and innovative leisure programs have been developed for the Banyule Community to improve people’s physical and mental health and wellbeing. The programs aim is to build partnership with existing organisations, to develop a range of programs that engage with and bring the community together. 32

BANYULE CITY COUNCIL BEST VALUE HIGHLIGHTS 2011-2012

The free programs have included: Exercise in the Parks in partnership with Banyule Leisure Facility Management (BLFM), Men’s 3 on 3 Basketball in partnership with YMCA, a Family Bike Ride in partnership with Banyule Bug User Group, a Community Picnic at Warringal Parklands, Games Night at the Watsonia library in partnership with the YPR Library Service, Walk at Wilsons Reserve in partnership with Catholic Walking Club, and 5 Street parties were held throughout Banyule. • Older Adults: Christmas luncheon - Over 120 older adults attended the annual Older Adults Christmas luncheon hosted by Banyule City Council. The event is for isolated older adults in the Banyule community who come together to share a meal and celebrate. The Older Adults Recreation Program ran a variety of events, trips and activities with over 700 people attending the program this year. • A ccess for All Abilities - The program continues to support and educate sporting and community groups on ways to be inclusive of people with disabilities through a range of training programs and one on one support. Some other highlights of the AAA program include: - T he introduction of a Football Integration Development Association Football Team which was

successfully established at the Lower Plenty Football Club. The team, the Lower Plenty Bears, have 15 regular players. The team was also nominated for an award during the Banyule Sports Achievement Awards. - A tri-council Fishing Event held in May. The event was fully booked out with 90 people attending across two fishing sessions at Yarrambat Park Lake. - T he development and implementation of the needs analysis for leisure programs. The needs analysis aimed to identify barriers and enablers along with areas of strength and areas for improvement to participation in sport, recreation and leisure for people with a disability living in the Banyule municipality. - B anyule continues to support Extended Families in the ‘Live Your Community–Sporting Mates’ program which has been a success. Additional funding was secured from Sport & Recreation Victoria for an 18 month extension of the program and includes Whittlesea and Nillumbik in the program. Due to the continuing success of this program and the ongoing support of Banyule City Council, Extended Families has now secured recurrent funding for the program and it will now be rolled out through the North, West and South of metro Melbourne. Capital Works Projects & Planning • B anyule Flats Lighting Project - The Banyule Flats Reserve Sports Field Lighting Project involved the installation of 8 new lighting poles at Banyule Flats Reserve, 4 poles for each existing oval with 4 floodlights per pole. The project was funded through Sport and Recreation Victoria and Council. •W arringal Pavilion Redevelopment - The Warringal Pavilion was redeveloped to include two new change rooms, gym area, new accessible toilets and a new viewing deck. The project was jointly funded by Council, Department of Planning & Community Development, Federal Government RLCIP Program, Heidelberg Cricket Club, Heidelberg Junior Football Club, Heidelberg Football Club and AFL Victoria. • E lder Street Reserve Pavilion Upgrade - The Elder Street Reserve Pavilion Redevelopment included the upgrade of the existing change room facilities to create four change rooms, updated social area, accessible toilets and referee rooms and improved storage rooms for all clubs. It is a marked improvement for the clubs previously without a social area. • F easibility Studies and Master Plans - were completed for an In-line Skate Facility at Olympic Park Reserve, for Simms Road Oval, Central Park and Ivanhoe Park.

Arts & Cultural Development • C ultural Vault -The Cultural Vault Reference Group has worked very closely with Council over the past 12 months to write a Business Plan for the Cultural Vault. Funding has now been secured for the Stage 1 development of converting the Banyule Arts Space to the Cultural Vault. • I mpressionist Lab (Gallery) -The team continues to work in partnership with the Heidelberg School Art Foundation and Parks Victoria on the development of Council’s first purpose built art gallery to celebrate the Heidelberg School of Artists and Impressionism. Consultation with the community will continue as Council moves forward on the proposed development. • D ulin Baba Women’s and Narangetta Men’s Indigenous Cultural Education Programs - Leisure & Cultural Services in collaboration with the Banyule Community Health Service have facilitated a new home for the Dulin Baba Women’s and the Narangetta Men’s Indigenous Cultural Education Programs. The two groups are now located at the Fred Howe Annex, a facility at Olympic Park Heidelberg. The groups focus on connecting local Indigenous people and their families to country, story and contemporary expressions of culture through visual art, storytelling and meeting. The development of this space into a local gathering place for the Koorie community has raised the profile of the groups’ significant achievements in the area and strengthened Council’s relationship with the Indigenous community towards reconciliation and cultural development. • P ublic Art Development - Council worked closely with the Public Art Advisory Committee to determine the site location and artist for Council’s Public Art Commission. A new public art work will be launched in late 2012 at the Greensborough Walk. • B anyule Festival - Banyule Festival continues to be very well attended and enjoyed by the Banyule Community. Twilight Sounds attracted over 2,000 with a great line up of Australian acts. The Kids Artyfarty Fest attracted well over 8,000 people throughout the day with the annual Grand Street Parade having a near record number of participants with over 800 people singing, dancing and marching down Burgundy Street. • ‘Duality - The 2011 Banyule Award for Works on Paper’ - was held in November 2011. Over 160 people attended the opening, whilst attendance overall reached 604 in total. 200 school children from both Ivanhoe Girls Grammar and Ivanhoe Primary attended education sessions held by the Art Curator. • I nclusive Arts Forum - Banyule gathered 13 leading inclusive arts agencies and peak bodies together with 70 members of the local community to talk about raising the profile of artists who have a disability, pathways in the creative industries for artists with a 33

disability, and practical strategies for making creative environments inclusive. This forum was in partnership with Metro Access. • E MERGE New Youth Collective art exhibition celebrating National Youth Week 2012, over 80 works were exhibited and installed at the Banyule Art Space during 10 days in April reaching 300 people. This program was in partnership with Metro Access, Jets and Youth and Community Partnerships. • N ational Year of Reading with the Yarra Plenty Regional Libraries - the commencement of 12 months of innovative and dynamic programming to engage the community in a wide variety of literacy based arts and programs including stop animation projects, photo story project, a progressive novel, ‘book droppings’ and more. • A rt Collection Policy - Council adopted the new Art Collection Policy in August 2011 which sets the direction for new acquisitions for the Collection for the next 5 years. A range of new works were purchased to add to the significant Banyule Art Collection which will be exhibited in 2013. Community Development and Engagement • E -Newsletters - introduced two new monthly e-newsletters to keep the community informed and engaged with what is happening in sports and leisure and arts and culture across Banyule. An Arts & Culture and Sports & Leisure E-Newsletter is distributed to approximately 600 individual and groups each month. • A rts & Cultural Committees - continued to consult and engage with the community through four Arts Committees Arts & Cultural Advisory Committee, Public Art Advisory Committee, Cultural Vault Reference Group and the Art Collection Advisory Committee. Over 40 committee members meet with Council Officers on a regular basis to provide advice on projects and contribute to the development of Council’s strategic direction for arts and cultural development across Banyule. • S ports Forums - A range of sports forums for all sporting clubs, including liquor licence education on recent law changes and first aid training. Strategic planning workshops were conducted for soccer, cricket, baseball and football clubs specifically looking to improve club direction and understanding of Council processes. Grants, Recognition & Support • 2 012 Sports Achievement Awards - 38 nominations were received this year and over 160 people attended the awards and recognition event held at The Centre Ivanhoe hosted by Giaan Rooney.

BANYULE CITY COUNCIL BEST VALUE HIGHLIGHTS 2011-2012

Key Challenges for 2012-2013 • I mplementation of the first stage of works at the Ivanhoe Aquatic and Fitness Centre at minimum disruption to current programming • Progress plans for the relocation of the Ivanhoe Library, incorporating community and arts facilities. • I mplementation of a range of activities at WaterMarc designed to activate the community spaces and Greensborough Walk • A range of feasibility studies and master plans were undertaken in 2011/2012. A key challenge will be seeking and securing funding to enable Council to implement the recommendations of these reports and studies. • W ith the Business Case now finalised and Stage 1 of the community consultation complete, funding for the Impressionist Lab (Gallery) detailed designs stage will be sought. • T he development of two new supporting strategies, the Arts Plan and Recreation Plan. • D ata management systems are a high priority for the Leisure and Cultural Service Unit due to the amount of data generated via consultation, applications and the cultural network, and the need to manage this data in line with privacy legislation. • A llocation of sporting grounds and facilities, given the increasing demand for sports grounds and pavilions and the issue of supply and demand. This will remain a challenge to maintain the safety of grounds when unable to reduce the use of these grounds. • W ith ageing infrastructure, facilities are in need of major refurbishment and upgrades and financial resources will be required. • A fter the development of the Synthetic Pitch Feasibility Study and the recommendation to develop a full size synthetic pitch to meet increasing demand, it will be challenging to secure funds to develop this facility at a proposed cost of $1.2 million.

MAJOR PROJECTS & INFRASTRUCTURE

Service Aspect Financial

Operational

Key Performance Indicator Actual Result against Council’s Budget.

Target 2011-12/ Benchmark comparison with Inner Group

Actual 2010/11 -0.68% ($46,940 more than budgeted net expenditure of $6,872,641).

Customer Satisfaction with the service.

CSI 64 Local Roads and Footpaths

- Based on State Government’s Annual Community Satisfaction Surveys.

Unchanged but similar as compared group & higher in comparison to all Councils

Achieve at or better than budget

Inner Group average 63* CSI score for The condition of local streets and footpaths in your area (performance)

Actual 2011/12 +3.50% ($249,601 less than budgeted net expenditure of $7,127,085).

61* CSI score for The condition of local streets and footpaths in your area (performance)

Key Highlights/Features for 2011-12 • B anyule achieved solid results in the State Government’s Annual Community Satisfaction Survey 2012 across the selected performance measures related to Major Projects and Infrastructure. The results compared favourably with the average scores for the Inner Group and State-wide averages. • C ompleted 99% of the NW&S projects handed over to the Unit. WaterMarc Project • P roject Team played a key role in co-ordinating the development and construction of the WaterMarc facility. This role included managing and supervising the works for the construction of the facility. • In brief, the following key features were completed: - Main 50m pool - Learn-to-swim and toddlers pool

• W orks nearing completion and well advanced include the following: - Tantrum Alley water slide - Interactive water play area - P aving of Greensborough walk, connecting Main Street and Flintoff Street Building & Civil Works and Infrastructure Maintenance • Construction of civil works around WaterMarc, upgrading of footpaths, car parks and signage • Construction and upgrade of Main Street, Greensborough including new pedestrian signals at Greensborough Walk and Main street intersection • Completed major building projects, through the coordination and supervision of a range of contractors, including the following:

- Hydro-therapy pool, spa, sauna and steam room

- W arringal Park Pavilion (Football/ Cricket) Redevelopment

- Gym, spin room, occasional day care and other community use areas on level 1

- E lder Street Pavilion (Soccer/ Cricket) Redevelopment

- Additional level 5 of existing multi-deck carpark

- D e Winton Reserve pavilion store room Construction

- G reensborough walk - connecting Main Street and Flintoff Street

- S herbourne Rd Pre School - Extension & Refurbishment - Yallambie Pre SchooL - Extension & Refurbishment - Panorama Pre School - Extension & Refurbishment

- M acleod YMCA - Internal Refurbishment Construction

• R eceived approximately 2,530 customer requests for infrastructure maintenance

- Warringal Park Regional Playground – Construction

• Participated in the project co-ordination meetings for the construction of the Montmorency Secondary College Wildcats Stadium, a joint partnership between Council and Eltham Wildcats

- Wattle Drive Private Street Scheme - Installation - Banyule Flats Sports field lighting – Installation - M alcolm Blair Reserve – accessible scorers shed Construction

• Developed the Buildings Asset Management Plan

- Banyule Tennis Club additional lighting - Installation

Key Challenges for 2012-2013

- Central Park - Temporary Change-rooms • D elivered a range of infrastructure asset improvement works, including: - Approximately 62,000 m2 of resurfacing, which equates to 38 streets re-sheeted and reconstructed under Local Road re-sheeting and re-construction program. (Note: Approx. 38.7 tonnes of carbon was saved during 2011-2012, which equates to approximately 779,790 black balloons.)

• C ommence the redevelopment and construction of Ivanhoe Aquatic Centre Stage 1 • C ommence construction of the Olympic Village Learning hub • D evelop a concept design of Watsonia Community Hub, Knight Street, Watsonia

- A pproximately 1,300 tonnes of asphalt (profilings) were recovered, with 906 tonnes of asphalt reused in Banyule

• Install a lift at Rosanna Bowling Club

- Completed 34.5.kms of crack sealing - Installed speed humps on The Boulevard, Ivanhoe

• C omplete relevant projects in the 2012-13 Capital Works program on time and on budget

- Installed speed hump in Grove Road, Rosanna

• Implement Building Asset Management Plan

- Replaced 26,222 sqm or 11,655 bays of footpath

• Continue to implement the Road Management Plan

- Replaced 457 l/m of kerb & channel - Installed 25 pram crossings at various locations - R epaired and replaced Street signs and other street furniture worth $99,000 - Line marked 61 streets with long-life paint - P erformed major road patching works on 11 streets, with 1,270 sqm of patching - Replaced and repaired footbridges and planking: at Elder St, Rosanna Parklands, George Ct, Binnak Park,Yallambie Park, Whatmough Park Suspension - Repaired 10 bridges due to storm damage

• C omplete and handover the WaterMarc project at Greensborough

BANYULE CITY COUNCIL BEST VALUE HIGHLIGHTS 2011-2012

• C omplete construction of shared trail at Sparks Reserve

MUNICIPAL LAWS SERVICE

Service Aspect

Key Performance Indicator

Target 2011-12/ Benchmark comparison with Inner Group

Actual 2010/11

Actual 2011/12

Financial

Actual Result against Council’s Budget.

-9.39% on total expenditure budget of $2,699,326. -3.12% on total income budget of $2,485,240.

Achieve at or better than budget

-6.73% on total expenditure budget of $2,314,406. -5.75% on total income budget of $2,449,065.

Operational

Customer Satisfaction with the service.

CSI 67

Inner Group average 66* CSI score for Enforcement of local laws (performance)

68* CSI score for Enforcement of local laws (performance)

Enforcement of Local Laws

- Based on State Government’s Annual Community Satisfaction Surveys.

Key Highlights/Features for 2011-2012 • A chieved a significant improvement in responding to customer requests - 86% of customer requests were responded to within time compared with 77% last year. Customer requests have increased by an average of 3% from the previous year and this has been handled within existing resources. • P rovided an increased focus on enforcement of traffic issues around schools for the protection of children. • C ompleted the annual review of the Domestic Animal Management Plan. The plan contains actions which support and facilitate the benefits of animal ownership and companionship and contribute to the health and wellbeing of residents. It also aims to educate residents about the accepted standards of animal welfare including the care, feeding and physical wellbeing of domestic pets. • B anyule Council was the first council in Victoria to have a declaration of a restricted breed dog (under the new Victorian legislation) upheld by VCAT. • I n collaboration with the Salvation Army and Victoria Police, Council has successfully implemented a trial project to tackle illegal dumping of rubbish at the Watsonia Salvation Army Store. The project which involved Council installing CCTV technology has resulted in a 75% reduction in rubbish dumping, the prosecution of offenders and a huge cost saving to the Salvation Army in having to get rid of the rubbish.

• R eviewed the specification for Pound Services for Council and awarded the contract to Burwood RSPCA as the new service provider. This facility incorporates an on-site vet and increased security. • W orked in conjunction with the Country Fire Authority (CFA) and Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services Board (MFB) to place a greater emphasis on fire prevention within the municipal boundaries. Continued to manage the fire season activities using the fire risk register. The register provides a sound framework and assists procedures including advice letters, formal enforcement notices and followups. • C ontinued to conduct site inspections and provide education to building contractors. This ensures building sites are kept clean, tidy and safe for the surrounding community. • F ollowing additional consultation and further requests from the community, traders groups, and the police, Council’s ‘Alcohol in Public Places Order’ was extended to include three additional activity precincts throughout Banyule and the expansion of one exciting area. This will allow Victoria Police to have greater flexibility in dealing with anti-social behaviour associated with alcohol in these areas. • B anyule achieved a result of 68 for ‘Enforcement of Local Laws (performance)’ in the State Government’s Annual Community Satisfaction Survey 2012. The result of 68 was higher than the average for the Inner

Group (66) and significantly higher than the State-wide average (65). • W orked with the IT team to successfully implement new replacement technology to enable officers to continue to issue infringement notices effectively and efficiently.

Key Challenges for 2012-2013 • C onduct a service review of the Municipal Laws Service in 2012-13 to ensure the service is achieving best value and continues to meet community needs into the future. • Continue to focus on proactive fire prevention, including Council’s responsibilities in relation to compliance with municipal fire prevention planning. • C ontinue to review the prosecutions and recovery processes for infringements to ensure that a high level of performance is maintained. • Continue to focus on responsible animal ownership, including enforcement of animal management, local laws, education and raising awareness (eg. control of dogs off leads and picking up after dogs). • R eview and update the 4 year Domestic Animal Management Plan • C ontinue to provide a high level of service to our community in relation to parking enforcement, animal management, local law enforcement, fire prevention and school crossings supervision, to ensure a safer environment for the community. • C ontinue to focus on customer service, timely management of requests, and community education and awareness.

BANYULE CITY COUNCIL BEST VALUE HIGHLIGHTS 2011-2012

MANAGEMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF PARKS AND GARDENS

Service Aspect Financial

Operational

Key Performance Indicator Actual Result against Council’s Budget.

Target 2011-12/ Benchmark comparison with Inner Group

Actual 2010/11 +0.43% ($43,560 less than budgeted net expenditure of $10,031,224)

Customer Satisfaction with the service.

CSI 67

- Based on State Government’s Annual Community Satisfaction Surveys.

CSI 73

Appearance of Public Areas Recreational Facilities

Achieve at or better than budget

Actual 2011/12 +2.16% ($224,616 less than budgeted net expenditure of $10,415,420)

Inner Group average CSI scores (performance):

Banyule CSI scores (performance):

The appearance of public areas 71*

The appearance of public areas 70*

Recreational facilities 73*

Recreational facilities 72*

Environmental sustainability 65*

Environmental sustainability 68*

Key Highlights/Features for 2011-2012 • B anyule achieved solid results in the State Government’s Annual Community Satisfaction Survey 2012 across the selected performance measures related to Parks and Gardens. The results were amongst the highest service performance scores for Banyule, and they compared favourably with the average scores for the Inner Group and State-wide averages. • C ontinued to advocate on behalf of Council and the community in relation to maintenance issues for the city. This includes advocating to and working with various government agencies regarding amenity and safety issues related to asset damage, weed control, and public amenity. In collaboration with the relevant Council service units and key stakeholders, the Parks and Gardens service has facilitated the delivery of a range of projects. These include: • T he conversion of Banyule Flats South sporting oval to a warm season grass, including the renewal of the irrigation system. • P laygrounds at Banyule Native Gardens, Briar Valley Reserve, Winsor Reserve, Olympic Village Green and Donaldson’s Reserve have been renewed and expanded in accordance with Council’s asset management plans.

• I nstalled a Basketball Half Court including netball ring at Anthony Beale Reserve and at Price Park. • R enewed the long slide at Rosanna Parklands in consultation with the Rosanna Parklands Consultative Committee • R enewed Barbeque facilities at Greensborough War Memorial Park and Binnak Park. • R esearched, assessed and acquired relevant tractors and equipment to enable improved service delivery for sports fields, including: - a new Massey Ferguson front-end-loader tractor - a Tractor-drawn scarifier and broom to assist management of warm season grasses • P rogressed Stormwater Harvesting projects to the procurement stage. Undertook a range of public consultation sessions with the community. • I mproved Street tree pruning activities by reviewing management systems and processes, to enhance response times for customer requests. This included pruning and inspecting over half of Banyule’s population of street trees (which equates to 35,000 street trees pruned and inspected). • S upported the development, construction and opening of the Buna Reserve Community Garden in West Heidelberg. The garden is a joint initiative between Heidelberg West, Neighbourhood 39

Renewal, the Banyule Community Health Centre and Banyule City Council. The community garden aims to encourage people to learn about gardening, to grow their own fruit and vegetables and to also create a friendly supportive environment where residents from a range of cultural and religious backgrounds can mix and develop friendship and social connections.

• F acilitated the Clean Up Australia Day – Every year, thousands of Australians help clean up their environment on Clean-Up Australia Day in March. Council encourages volunteers to join together in a clean-up at a number of sites around the municipality. This year 190 Banyule volunteers collected 1.7 tonnes of litter and rubbish from six sites across the city.

• C o-ordinated the installation of Banyule’s first outdoor gym at Binnak Park in Watsonia North. The equipment has separate fitness stations for stretching and flexibility, cardio and strength.

• C onducted effective weed control works in 35 reserves, covering approximately 280 hectares of bush reserves and natural areas, and continued work to protect rare and threatened species at key locations throughout bushland reserves.

• Facilitated the community consultation for, and coordinated the construction of, Warringal Park Regional Playspace. This has a range of exciting features including climbing, spinning, sliding and swinging equipment, a puzzle maze, cubbies, a double flying fox, picnic and barbeque facilities and kiosk. • P repared a masterplan for Price Park. The plan was adopted by Council and recommends strategies to bring the park back to pristine condition, including erosion and drainage control, planting of native vegetation, upgrading of paths, improved playground and picnic facilities and substantial tree works.

• Co-ordinate the completion of the following: - extension of Darebin Trail under Heidelberg Road to Sparks Reserve - Shared Path Feasibility Study - Dog Park Feasibility Study - Stage 2 of the Binnak Park Regional Playground

• C ommencement of the Darebin Park Trail Project - A new 2.5 metre wide shared bicycle and pedestrian trail has been constructed through Sparks Reserve in Ivanhoe and under Heidelberg Road to connect the existing completed section of Darebin Creek Shared Trail with The Boulevard. This will eventually connect with the Main Yarra Trail. This stage of the project has been jointly funded by Council and Parks Victoria.

- implementation of Stage 1 of the Price Park Masterplan

• C o-ordinated the planting of a total of 1,975 trees in streets and parks, in line with the scheduled tree planting program for 2011-2012.

• R espond to the requirements of Electrical Line Clearance Act 2010.

• C o-ordinated the planting of a total 16,103 local native (indigenous) plants in parks and bushland reserves, in line with the planting program for 20112012. This program included 65 community working bees. Over 70 volunteers participated on National Tree Day – planting 2,200 plants.

• P repare Urban Tree Management Guidelines for Council consideration

• C o-ordinated a range of improvement works at key locations, including: - M alahang Reserve - partially renewed of the perimeter fencing around the regional playspace - A ndrew Yandell Reserve - installed a new staircase at St Helena Road entrance - B anyule Flats - new farm-style fencing around Somerset carpark - B anyule Swamp - upgraded chainmesh fencing on Main Yarra Trail - B rowns Reserve - new chainmesh fencing around perimeter 40

Key Challenges for 2012-2013

BANYULE CITY COUNCIL BEST VALUE HIGHLIGHTS 2011-2012

- upgrade of the Plenty River Trail between Montmorency Tennis Club and Willinda Park - provision of kiosk and toilets facilities for the Warringal Park Regional Playspace • A ddress issues with the Montmorency Park escarpment to ensure safety aspects are addressed

• A ddress issues arising from an increased demand and over-usage of sports fields.

• P rovide ongoing maintenance for our regional playspaces (Warringal Park Possum Hollow Playground, Malahang Reserve and Binnak Park) • A dvocate for improved road side vegetation maintenance by non-council agencies

RECORDS MANAGEMENT SERVICE

Service Aspect Financial

Operational

Key Performance Indicator Actual Result against Council’s Budget.

Customer Satisfaction with the service.

Actual 2010/11

Target 2011-12

+16.59%

Achieve at or better than budget

($111,606 less than budgeted net expenditure of $672,584)

Actual 2011/12 +0.41% ($2,305 less than budgeted net expenditure of $560,095)

CSI 83

CSI 80

CSI 83

(based on overall internal customer satisfaction rating – December 2008)

(based on overall internal customer satisfaction rating)

(based on overall internal customer satisfaction rating – December 2008)

Key Highlights/Features for 2011-2012 • R egistered over 63,148 records in Council’s Records Management System (InfoVision). The types of documents registered included inwards and outwards correspondence, internal files, notes, memos and emails. • A ssessed, sentenced and transferred 172 shelf metres of files to the secondary storage facility. • S uccessfully retrieved 90% of files requested by staff from the secondary storage area, demonstrating the effectiveness of the management of our paper records. • R eviewed the Records team roster and workload which has produced time savings to enable backlog projects to be undertaken. • R egistered, bar-coded and sent 35.7 shelf meters of building files to the offsite storage provider. • Implemented the Clean Mail Improvement Project, including the review of system templates, to ensure Australia Post Clean Mail requirements are met and to deliver savings to Council.

• C ouncil has established an Information Management Working Group. The following tasks have been undertaken in readiness for the implementation of a new Electronic Document and Records Management System (EDMRS): - Appointment of a Project Manager. - A ppointment of a consultant to assist with the development of a tender specification, change management plan and implementation strategy. - Extensive tender evaluation process, including site reference checks, vendor demonstrations and implementation workshops. - F acilitation of Information Management (IM) Steering Committee to capture IM decisions. - E stablishment of ‘Bills Buddies’ to be champions of the new EDMRS and assist with cultural change pre and post implementation. - Developed a draft Business Classification Scheme to provide a better structure for the capture and management of Records.

• N egotiated a new Secondary Storage Agreement that will lead to a reduction in off-site storage costs. • C onducted cleansing of InfoVision data (Council’s outdated records management system), in readiness for the migration of data to a new Electronic Document and Records Management System (EDMRS). • I nstalled a ventilator in the Records Storage Area at the Operations Depot to increase the level of fresh air intake, improving the air quality for the stored records and for staff.

Key Challenges for 2012-2013 • P ilot and implement a new EDMRS to increase the capture of information and records across Council. This includes: - D evelopment of business rules and naming conventions to improve consistency of naming of records - Review of all Records Procedures. • W ork with staff to reduce paper records and prepare documents for secondary storage. • C ontinue to develop new mail protocols to improve workflow for specific mail types. • R eview and introduce an improved ‘Mail Protocol’ for Councillors to increase record capture and to align the management of Councillor correspondence with Council’s records management policy. • D evelop and implement an education program to assist staff with the management and archiving of records. • I mplement the Storage Plan Recommendations to free up space for corporate records. • D evelop a strategy to deal with storage issues associated with Planning and Building files. • C ontinue the Clean Mail Improvement Project to ensure Council continues to receive clean mail savings.

BANYULE CITY COUNCIL BEST VALUE HIGHLIGHTS 2011-2012

STRATEGIC AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SERVICES

Service Aspect Financial

Operational

Key Performance Indicator Actual Result against Council’s Budget.

Customer Satisfaction with the service.

Target 2011-12/ Benchmark comparison with Inner Group

Actual 2010/11 +18.73% ($247,137 less than budgeted net expenditure. Total expenditure budget was $3,415,683 and total income budget was $2,096,343)

CSI 70 Overall Performance of the Council

- Based on State Government’s Annual Community Satisfaction Surveys.

Achieve at or better than budget

Actual 2011/12 +27.83% ($434,949 less than budgeted net expenditure. Total expenditure budget was $3,459,153 and total income budget was $1,892,683)

Inner Group average CSI scores (performance):

Banyule CSI scores (performance):

Environmental sustainability 65*

Environmental sustainability 68*

Business and community development and tourism 61*

Business and community development and tourism 60*

Council’s general town planning policy 55*

Council’s general town planning policy 57*

Key Highlights/Features for 2011-2012 • Banyule achieved solid results in the State Government’s Annual Community Satisfaction Survey 2012 across the selected performance measures related to Strategic and Economic Development Services. The results compared favourably with the average scores for the Inner Group and the average State-wide scores. Banyule’s result of 68 for ‘Environmental sustainability (performance)’ was significantly higher than both the average for the Inner Group (65) and the State-wide average (64). • Supported the construction of ‘Watermarc’ in Greensborough, incorporating a range of environmental sustainability measures including provision of a cogeneration plant to significantly improve energy efficiency. • Worked with the State Government to secure a contribution of $1.2m towards the completion of Greensborough Walk and an upgrade of Main Street, including a new pedestrian crossing. • Drafted a new Neighbourhood Character Strategy and resolved to proceed with a planning scheme amendment to replace temporary controls that end on 31 March 2013.

• Completed a planning scheme amendment that rezoned Council land in Turnham Avenue and Douglas Street in Rosanna in preparation for its sale and the move of Rosanna-based Council staff to Greensborough. • Sought State Government support for permanent planning scheme controls for substantial trees in residential neighbourhoods in Heidelberg West, Bundoora, Watsonia, Viewbank and parts of Greensborough. • Completed public exhibition for a planning scheme amendment to protect 65 additional heritage properties throughout Banyule and add a cultural heritage conservation policy to the scheme. • Continued to seek State Government approval for an Environmentally Sustainable Development (ESD) amendment for the Banyule Planning Scheme, to improve Council’s assessment of development requiring a permit. • Commenced discussions with Places Victoria on the future redevelopment of former school sites in Bellfield and Heidelberg West, after the decision by Places Victoria not to proceed with the redevelopment of the Bell Street Mall at this time. 43

• C ommenced the development of a new draft Ivanhoe Structure Plan and extended public consultation, which has involved about 1500 stakeholders, including expanded resident membership on the Ivanhoe Community Consultative Committee. • C ommenced revision of the Special Rates and Charges schemes for shopping centres in Greensborough, Montmorency, Eaglemont, Watsonia and Macleod. • S ought funding for energy efficient street lighting from the State’s $20 million program for Local Government and the Federal Government’s $80 million Low Carbon Communities program. • S ecured $500,000 from Melbourne Water towards Council’s $6 million-plus 138-megalitre Stormwater Harvesting Project in Ivanhoe, Greensborough and Rosanna. This will provide water for about 40 per cent of Council’s active open space. • R efined the 10-Year Capital Works Plan to help prioritise the city’s capital works. • C ompleted or updated asset management plans for the city’s roads, pathways, bridges, drainage, playgrounds, open space and buildings. • C ontinued to apply Council’s policy commitments to direct development towards appropriate locations, encourage good design and maximise the value of Council’s existing assets. • C ompleted the second year of the three-year $640,000 Sustainable Homes and Communities Education Program for residents, together with Darebin Council and with the support of the State Government. The Program involves workshops and presentations to provide the community with practical information for saving money by reducing energy, water and food bills, producing less waste and creating a more sustainable home and community. • F inished the 2011-12 revaluation of properties in the municipality. • C ompleted the planning and subdivision process for 2 hectares of land in Ryans Road, Eltham North, nearly half of which has been set aside for a conservation reserve. • C ontinued the Wildlife Corridor Program to deliver biodiversity community education to schools and community groups. This included over 2,000 participants through 26 events and over 7,000 indigenous plantings across the municipality. Spring Outdoors engaged residents in events across the city including Breakfast with the Birds, Weedbusters at Rosanna Parklands and Catch a Carp Day at Kalparrin Lake. • C ontinued the Healthy Waterways Waterwatch education program which included over participants and long term volunteers monitoring waterway health. Monthly monitoring was conducted 44

BANYULE CITY COUNCIL BEST VALUE HIGHLIGHTS 2011-2012

by a number of groups (including school groups) for 19 sites on the Darebin, Donaldsons and Karringal Creeks, Kalparrin Lake, the Plenty River and the Yarra River and floodplain. • R elaunched EnviroReps, a Council staff engagement program to encourage environmentally friendly behaviour. • M ore than 600 people attended economic development events including networking events (breakfasts and a lunch), training and development sessions, business advisory service meetings and a State Government funded group delivery program. • C ouncil supported four Northern Business Achievement Award breakfasts with at least 200 in attendance at each event.

Key Challenges for 2012-2013 • C omplete the development of policies and strategies for Planet (Environmental Sustainability) and Place for Council consideration. • Prepare drafts of environmental stewardship, water, biodiversity and greenhouse sustainability plans to sit under the Planet Policy and Strategy. • S upport the installation of a cogeneration system in Watermarc to generate electricity from waste heat and reduce energy consumption and costs. • C ommence a planning scheme amendment for the new Neighbourhood Character Strategy to replace temporary controls that end on 31 March 2013. • A chieve State Government approval for permanent planning scheme controls for substantial trees in residential neighbourhoods in Heidelberg West, Bundoora, Watsonia, Viewbank and parts of Greensborough. • C omplete a planning scheme amendment to protect 65 additional heritage properties and add a cultural heritage conservation policy to the scheme. • C ontinue to seek State Government approval for an Environmentally Sustainable Development (ESD) amendment for the Banyule Planning Scheme to improve Council’s assessment of development requiring a permit. • E xplore ways to make new housing more accessible for older people in Banyule. • C ontinue to work with Places Victoria on the provision of community facilities in any redevelopment of former school sites in Bellfield and Heidelberg Heights. • D evelop a plan for the Bell Street Mall that furthers the aspirations of the Bell Street Mall Masterplan and Urban Design Framework.

• F inalise the Ivanhoe Structure Plan for Council consideration and commence the development of a planning scheme amendment including the option of interim controls approved by the Minister for Planning. • D evelop a draft of the Ivanhoe Civic Precinct Masterplan including recommendations on improved community facilities and public spaces and the future of the library. • C omplete Special Rates and Charges schemes for shopping centres in Greensborough, Montmorency, Eaglemont, Watsonia and Macleod. • C ommence revised special rates and charges schemes for shopping centres in Rosanna, Ivanhoe, East Ivanhoe and Lower Plenty. • C onsider opportunities to fund energy efficient street lighting, including from the State and through the Federal Government’s $80 million Low Carbon Communities program. • S upport the construction of Council’s $6 million-plus 138-megalitre underground stormwater project in Ivanhoe, Greensborough and Rosanna that will water about 40 per cent of Council’s active open space. • C ontinue to refine the 10 -Year Capital Works Plan to help prioritise the city’s capital works. • D etermine funding gaps in the management of the city’s assets including roads, pathways, bridges, drainage, playgrounds, open space and buildings. • C ontinue to apply Council’s policy commitments to direct development towards appropriate locations, encourage good design and maximise the value of Council’s existing assets. • U ndertake the third year of the three-year $640,000 million Sustainable Homes and Communities Education Program for residents, together with Darebin Council and with the support of the State Government. • C ontinue Community and Council environmental sustainability engagement programs and events including Sustainable Homes and Communities, Wildlife Corridor, Healthy Waterways Waterwatch, EnviroReps and Spring Outdoors.

STREET SWEEPING AND CLEANSING SERVICES

Service Aspect Financial

Operational

Key Performance Indicator Actual Result against Council’s Budget. Customer Satisfaction with the service.

Target 2011-12/ Benchmark comparison with Inner Group

Actual 2010/11 -6.77% ($154,978 more than budgeted net expenditure of $2,288,342).

CSI 67 Appearance of Public Areas

- Based on State Government’s Annual Community Satisfaction Surveys.

Achieve at or better than budget

Inner Group average 71* CSI score for The Appearance of Public Areas (performance).

Actual 2011/12 -1.00% ($24,947 more than budgeted net expenditure of $2,485,714)

70* CSI score for The Appearance of Public Areas (performance).

Key Highlights/Features for 2011-2012 • B anyule achieved a result of 70 for ‘The Appearance of Public Areas (performance)’ in the State Government’s Annual Community Satisfaction Survey 2012. The result of 70 was similar to both the Inner Group (71) and State-wide average (71). This was amongst the highest service performance scores for Banyule. • C ontinued to deliver a quality service to Banyule residents, with a focus on:

- M aintaining roads, drains and other installations to a standard which ensures public safety and protects the natural environment.

- Providing a responsive and effective street sweeping and cleansing service to the municipality’s streets, drains, shopping areas and public conveniences, and maintaining these assets with the required high level of cleanliness.

• P rovided an comprehensive service, including the following:

- Clearance of litter from shopping centres, Council litter bins and specified main roads. - C leaning of Council’s public toilet blocks and barbeques - Cleaning and waste collection at Festivals (eg. Banyule Festival events, Boulevard Christmas Lights). - E mergency callouts - responding to out of hours requests requiring urgent attention. • C ontinued to manage the impact of increased waste disposal costs resulting from the ongoing issue of dumped rubbish • C ompleted the development of the draft drainage asset management plan, in conjunction with various service units including Engineering, Infrastructure Maintenance, Civil Construction and Asset Management. • W orked with the Engineering team and Melbourne Water to develop a Banyule Flood Management Plan.

-T wice-weekly mechanical sweeping of roads and gutters, car parks and laneways associated with major shopping centres. Other shopping centres and residential streets were swept on a five-weekly cycle, and sweeping in industrial areas was conducted on a three-weekly cycle.

Key Challenges for 2012-2013

- A dditional resources to assist the mechanical street sweeper for the 8-12 week autumn program, for leaf collection in designated streets.

• I mplement actions developed in the Drainage Asset Management Plan and Banyule Flood Management Plan.

- I nspection and maintenance of stormwater pits and drains - with trouble spots serviced four times a year, and pits and drains (including those located in easements) cleaned in response to customer requests.

• N ew requirements for Greensborough, WaterMarc and Town Square have been identified and resources are being sourced for 2012-13 implementation.

BANYULE CITY COUNCIL BEST VALUE HIGHLIGHTS 2011-2012

• C ontinue to develop strategies for dealing with increasing dumped rubbish including working with Local Laws to enhance Litter Infringement enforcement processes.

WASTE MANAGEMENT AND EDUCATION SERVICES, INCORPORATING OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT

Service Aspect Financial

Operational

Key Performance Indicator Actual Result against Council’s Budget. Customer satisfaction with the service. - Based on State Government’s Annual Community Satisfaction Surveys.

Percentage of waste diverted from landfill

Target 2011-12/ Benchmark comparison with Inner Group

Actual 2010/11 +4.44% ($346,656 less than budgeted net expenditure of $7,802,739)

CSI 76

Achieve at or better than budget

Actual 2011/12 +0.92% ($71,837 less than budgeted net expenditure of $7,784,673)

Inner Group average 75* CSI score for Waste Management (performance)

77* CSI score for Waste Management (performance)

(-)*

Inner Group average 65* CSI score for Environmental sustainability (performance)

68* CSI score for Environmental sustainability (performance)

(56%)

56%

55%

Waste Management

Key Highlights/Features for 2011-2012 • C ontinued high level of community satisfaction with waste management. Banyule achieved a result of 77 for ‘Waste Management (performance)’ in the State Government’s Annual Community Satisfaction Survey 2012. The result of 77 was above the average for the Inner Group (75) and significantly higher than the State-wide average (72). In addition, Banyule achieved a result of 68 for Environmental sustainability (performance) – this was significantly higher than both the average for the Inner Group (65) and the Statewide average (64). • C ontinued work with 10 municipal Councils in the northern and western suburbs to enter into a contract for the long-term processing of green organic waste collected within Banyule. The process used by the North West Councils and the Metropolitan Waste Management Group has been used as a template for all new metro regional waste contracts. • C ontinued to manage the impact of the large increase in the State Government landfill levy.

• W orked with the Fleet Management team to complete the development and application of new graphics for the waste collection vehicles. The graphics focus on waste avoidance as part of Banyule’s waste education program. • O ver 5,200 visitors came to the Rethink Centre which brings the total attendance to more than 51,000 since its opening in 2000. • S uccessfully applied for funding under the Metropolitan Waste Management Group’s Grants program (Round 2). This will help to fund and co-ordinate a research project that will enable Banyule to better understand the ‘consumer’ habits of residents. • S uccessfully worked with six other northern Councils to develop the Northern Region Emergency Relief and Recovery Collaboration project. Council also successfully hosted the Northern Collaboration Project ‘relief centre exercise’ which tested the ability for councils to share resources in an emergency.

Key Challenges for 2012-2013 • C ontinue to manage the impacts of State Government landfill levy increases and the Clean Energy legislation on waste disposal and service costs. • C omplete the development of a new Banyule Waste Management Plan. • Continue to work with the Banyule community, by providing waste education and information on sustainable consumption, to reduce the cost of waste. • W ork with the Communications team to review the website for the Rethink Education Centre. The aim is for this site to include and showcase Council environmental education programs and initiatives. • I mplement the objectives established by MAV and Dept. Health and Human Services regarding the Vulnerable People in Emergencies Program. • M anage resource allocation for the North West Metro Region Emergency Management Collaboration Project.

BANYULE CITY COUNCIL BEST VALUE HIGHLIGHTS 2011-2012

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Service Aspect Financial

Operational

Key Performance Indicator Actual Result against Council’s Budget.

Actual 2010/11

Target 2011-12

+45.16%

Achieve at or better than budget

($400,640 less than the budgeted net expenditure of $887,141)

Customer Satisfaction with the service.

Human Resources Services - Internal Survey Rating = 7.0

- based on internal Council Survey.

(Average Rating out of 10. Based on December 2008 survey)

Risk Management Services - Internal Survey Rating = 7.5 (Average rating out of 10. Based on December 2008 survey)

Key Highlights/Features for 2011-2012 • C ontinued implementation of a Workforce Wellbeing Program to prevent injuries and maintain overall wellbeing. The program included: - W orkplace Health Checks which have provided data indicating higher risks exist for particular health issues across Banyule’s workforce. - Fruit Box deliveries to help increase daily fruit intake; - G lobal Corporate Challenge - walking program, to encourage daily activity - Diabetes, and mental health awareness sessions; - Annual immunisation program; - Council’s Employee Assistance Program - H ealth & Wellbeing pages and various links on our staff intranet - Distribution of various health and Wellbeing Bulletins and articles - P roactive safety and posture/manual handling education program - SunSmart/UV/Heat Awareness education • C onducted Learning and development focus groups to identify learning needs across the organisation 12 focus groups were conducted. The findings have provided a rich source of data and have formed the basis of our learning calendar, along with other initiatives such as the implementation of a cross-

Internal Survey Rating = 8.0 (Overall Customer Service Satisfaction. Average rating out of 10)

Actual 2011/12 +30.59% ($345,020 less than the budgeted net expenditure of $1,127,778)

Workforce Development Internal Survey Rating = 7.1 (Average Rating out of 10. Based on June 2012 survey)

Internal Survey Rating = 8.0 (Overall Customer Service Satisfaction. Average rating out of 10)

organisational Learning and Development Advisory Group and the development of the Learning and Development Strategy. • C onducted a Safety Leadership program with City Services and Community Programs team leaders and supervisors. This included: - P arks, Operations, Early Years and HACC team members undertook a program based on OHS responsibilities and leadership. This development opportunity covered specific OHS requirements, as well as general skills such as: communication skills, conflict management styles, leading a safety work team, dealing with difficult people, conducting a risk assessment, and giving and receiving feedback - E ach group within the program identified a safety issue, researched the relevant legislative requirements, undertook risk assessments and developed a report with proposed solutions, costs and timeframes for implementation. These projects were centred on practical issues in their day-to-day work, and a majority of identified changes have been successfully completed. • D eveloped an Employee Value Proposition (EVP) - finalised and implemented in the recruitment processes. This includes: - Development of an EVP Statement which is used to guide our recruitment advertising: “We work in a collaborative and friendly environment with job security and work/life balance

and we work towards a common goal of making a difference to people’s lives in the community”.

- A full page spread in ‘The Age’ newspaper to market Banyule as a prospective employer

• F acilitated and co-ordinated three Leadership Skills workshops for the Banyule Leadership Network (BLN - a group comprising the senior management team, co-ordinators and team leaders). The workshops covered: Emotional Intelligence, Positive Psychology, and Leadership Strategies for Success. • C ontinued enhancement of human resources and occupational health and safety policies and practices, and assistance with their implementation, including:

• C ontinued to provide on-site support across the organisation to enhance OH&S performance. This included OHS officers providing support for incident investigations, recommending actions to address identified hazards, communicating standards and arranging appropriate health and safety training.

- Issue Resolution Guidelines

• D eveloped a series of e-learning modules in-house to improve the efficiency of knowledge transfer, particularly in relation to new staff. These can be accessed through the Intranet and are used for induction and ongoing learning. The modules include:

- OHS Policy and Guidelines

- Corporate Induction

- Risk Management Policy and Guidelines

- Sustainability Induction

- E vacuation and emergency management documents, information and guidelines

- OHS Induction

- Confined Spaces Guidelines

- Contractor Induction

- P lant Purchase Checklist and Department Plant Register

- Important Policies You Need to Know

- Occupational Violence Guidelines

- Personal Protective Equipment - Audiometric Testing Process - Entry of A WorkSafe Inspector Guidelines - Hazard management and Reporting Guidelines - Insurance Renewal Process - Rehabilitation and Return To Work Policy • S uccessfully completed and delivered Enterprise Agreement No. 5. Enterprise negotiations commenced November 2010, with an agreement reached October 2011, endorsement by Fair Work Australia on 14 October, 2011, and it came into effect on 21 October, 2011. Enterprise Agreement No. 5 is set to expire 30 June, 2014. • C ompleted selection and training of New Contact Officers. The Contact Officers are able to provide relevant information and clarification around the employee’s options in how they wish to address issues of concern. - Two-day Contact Officer training completed undertaken in February 2012. - Six new Contact Officers added and posters updated. • I mplemented task related manual handling training videos at Parks and Gardens, Operations Depot and Community Programs

• C ontinued implementation of a simplified Risk Assessment tool. This provides a summary of the hazards associated with tasks at a glance, in order to assist service units to proactively manage their health and safety risks.

BANYULE CITY COUNCIL BEST VALUE HIGHLIGHTS 2011-2012

- IT Security Induction

- Dangerous Goods and Hazardous Substances - Parks Contractor Induction • F acilitated the adoption and implementation of Flexible Work Options guidelines - The Fair Work Act prompted a review of our policy and the flexible work options offer has been expanded to all staff, in addition to those with caring responsibilities. This is in line with our Employee Value Proposition and our attraction and retention strategies.

Key Challenges for 2012-2013 • A ddress potential impacts associated with an Ageing workforce - The demographics of Banyule’s workforce, expected retirements, reduced capacity, and difficulties attracting and retaining professional and skilled staff, combined with general labour market trends in Australia, mean that Council may face challenges to meet current and/or future demands in areas such as: - Ageing workforce and replacing the talent pool - T rade shortages – employing qualified trade staff and being seen as an employer of choice in a competitive employment market - P roviding career progression and promotion opportunities, particularly to retain Gen X and Y staff - A ttracting and retaining staff in areas of high staff turnover particularly in areas of service delivery requiring professionally qualified staff

• A ddress challenges associated with changes in Modern Awards and Agreements, including: - V ictorian Local Authorities Award (2001) is set to expire December 2013 and transition to a Modern Award. - E ducational Services - Early Childhood Assistants (Victoria) Award (1999) and Early Childhood Teachers Interim Award (1999) is set to expire in 2013 and transition to a Modern Award. - Local Government Early Childhood Education Employee’s Agreement (2009) is set to expire April 2013. • M onitor the potential impacts associated with the introduction of the Long Service Leave Regulations (2012) which came into effect in February 18, 2012. The sector has voiced concerns regarding the unintended consequences of these regulations to Local Government Victoria. The regulations are currently under review. The conditions of Long Service Leave Regulations (2002) are currently preserved in Enterprise Agreement No. 5 for the life of the Agreement.

• M onitor and respond to potential changes in Work Health and Safety legislation - significant changes to Councils ‘BeSafe’ Health and Safety management system, learning and development, and due diligence to verify compliance will need to be undertaken if Victoria adopts the “harmonised Health and Safety legislation”. • S upport the ongoing challenge of promoting a safety culture in the workplace • R eview volunteer management and determine the appropriate model for the organisation • P rovide ongoing learning and development opportunities for staff to ensure the right staff are being trained in the right skills • E valuate learning and development activities to ensure there is a return on investment • A ssist with organisational cultural development activities that foster constructive behaviour and support Banyule’s values across our large and diverse organisation.

YOUTH AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

Service Aspect Financial

Operational

Key Performance Indicator Actual Result against Council’s Budget. Customer Satisfaction with the service.

Target 2011-12/ Benchmark comparison with Inner Group

Actual 2010/11 +14.11% ($267,712 less than budgeted net expenditure of $1,896,900)

CSI 75 Health and Human Services

- Based on State Government’s Annual Community Satisfaction Surveys.

Achieve at or better than budget

Actual 2011/12 +6.32% ($111,047 less than budgeted net expenditure of $1,755,904)

Inner Group average 67* CSI score for Family Support Services (performance)

64* CSI score for Family Support Services (performance)

80% Percentage of people who feel safe in Banyule

95% Percentage of people who feel safe in Banyule

Key Highlights/Features for 2011-2012 Community Development Grants • 5 1 applications were funded through the Community Development Grants program totalling $137,769. Of these, 19 were equipment based and 32 were activity based. Heidelberg West Neighbourhood Renewal • C ouncil successfully completed Year 3 of the 4 year contract with State Government to deliver the Neighbourhood Renewal Place Manager role. • B una Reserve Community Garden was successfully established with ongoing partnership support by Council and Banyule Community Health Service. • M alahang Community Festival – community reference group partnered with Council to plan and deliver the event. There was strong resident participation in activities, stalls and volunteering on the day. •T he “Our Voice Our Community” project funded by the Federal Government completed its first 12 months of an 18 month period. The project has developed a number of community engagement activities including: Summer in the Village; Makers Market; pop up art installations at the Olympic Village shops; children’s art activities at Tarakan Housing Estate; Graffiti Expo and Safety Expo.

BANYULE CITY COUNCIL BEST VALUE HIGHLIGHTS 2011-2012

• C ommunity Volunteer celebration was held during National Volunteers Week in May 2012 in partnership with Council, Neighbourhood Renewal, the Banyule Community Health Service, Olympic Adult Education and Olympic Village Primary School. Over 100 residents attended the day •T he Neighbourhood Renewal Community Safety working group piloted safer street audits – and achieved an 80% success rate with addressing identified issues. Volunteer Celebration and Awards •T he Banyule Community Volunteers Awards and Celebration Dinner was held on 17th May 2012 during National Volunteers Week with 480 guests in attendance. A total of 50 nominations were received and a total of 16 residents and groups were recognised including two Lifetime Achievements, five individuals, two young people, five groups and two Good Neighbours. Community Safety •T he Community Safety Plan was developed and adopted by Council. It provides Banyule with clear direction and priorities for the next four years. Key goals focus on coordination, advocacy, education and primary prevention.

• W hite Ribbon Day (25 November 2011) events were held across the community and within Council, jointly supported by Council’s White Ribbon Action Team and the Banyule-Darebin Community Group. Events included an all-staff White Ribbon BBQ at Rosanna Parklands, participation in the Northern Region Leaders’ Lunch and a forum for the Northern Region White Ribbon Ambassadors. • A two year strategy focused on primary Prevention of Violence Against Women was developed by Council’s White Ribbon Action Team. Graffiti Management Strategy •T he innovative StreetArt program continued to attract an average attendance rate of 30 high risk young men per week as part of a graffiti diversion program. StreetArt aims to provide participants with new skills, opportunities for new employment/education pathways and significant psycho-social support. During the past 12 months, 5 legal murals were completed involving a total of 69 young people. • “ Adopt Your Space” – Council distributed 111 graffiti removal kits to residents, community groups and traders. Promotion of the kits has been through a targeted media campaign, attendance at the Banyule Festival, networking with the local branches of the Victoria Police, Neighbourhood Watch and promotion of the program at a Graffiti Expo at Olympic Village, and a Safety Expo at Malahang Reserve. • C ouncil was successful in securing VicRoads approval to continue the Traffic Graffix initiative, where traffic signal boxes in identified graffiti hotspot areas are painted by community artists. • C ommunity Corrections Work Team – the continuing partnership with the Dept of Justice has been successful and resulted in removal of approximately 10,289 m2 of graffiti and over 60 bags of rubbish from sites across Banyule. Council now has over 40 sites which are visited by the work team on a regular basis. Community Building / Metro Access • I n partnership with the Arts and Culture team, an Inclusive Arts Forum was delivered. This forum brought key arts and disability services together to create new partnerships and build capacity for the inclusion of people with a disability in the Arts. • I n partnership with Yarra Plenty Regional Library (YPRL), an inclusive theatre performance was delivered with the Grimstones company. This project brought together over 200 community members and celebrated the Deaf community and the language of Auslan. • M ini grants were distributed to four community organisations to host inclusive events that celebrated

International Day of People with Disability 2011. • M etroAccess has formed a range of partnerships with local community and disability services which have resulted in increased opportunities for people with a disability, including: - Y arra Plenty Regional Library Service (YPRL) working to increase access for the Deaf community through staff training, increased programming and capacity building; - B anyule Community Health Service (BCHS) working in partnership with local families to establish and support an Auslan playgroup; - D isability services - links with local Neighbourhood Houses to create inclusive programs and opportunities. Youth Services • 2 012 YouthFest – In its third year,YouthFest was held on 1st April 2012 at Macleod Park with approximately 1000 young people in attendance. Over 100 young people participated in the organising of the YouthFest, in the role of running stalls, activities and stages. There were over 15 local community agencies involved with running activities and approximately 10 other organisations provided services (eg. food, rides etc.). • J ets – Jets is a creative arts hub for young people. It has continued its significant growth over the past 12 months and partnerships have been sustained and strengthened. Participation of young people increased by 23% from the previous year. Of the 742 young people engaged throughout the year, 55% were male and 45% were female, with 22% of the total being people with a disability and 4% young people from Indigenous and or Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds. • J ets secured recurrent funding from State Government to deliver additional disability innovative respite services for young people and their families. This meets an identified service need for after school programs for 13-17 year old young people, and after hours activities for 18-25 year old young people. • C ouncil received $40,000 per annum for 3 years from the State Government’s Engage initiative to undertake the SHYNE (Showcasing How Youth Inspire and Engage) project. SHYNE aims to cast a positive spotlight on young people and will do this in a variety of mediums through videos profiling youth projects and young people, creation of training opportunities, exhibitions and consultation with young people. It builds on the Banyule 100 project, which will profile 100 significant young people and community members who have actively supported young people. In the past 12 months, 21 profiles were completed and posted on the website www.banyule100.com.

• I n partnership with the Arts and Culture team, the ‘Emerge’ exhibition was held during National Youth Week in April. Emerge highlighted the artwork of emerging young artists. The exhibition featured the works of young artists with a disability alongside their peers. Approximately 300 people attended the exhibition. The exhibition aimed to highlight the artistic talent of young people to the local community. • D evelopment of a Youth Strategic Plan, which included extensive consultations with young people and the service sector and benchmarking of youth services in a number of local government areas. The Plan provides strategic direction, key objectives and priorities for the next 3 years. • P artnerships have been a priority in the area known as postcode 3081, as the Youth Services team focuses on delivering capacity enhancing activities using a Community Development model. Relationships have strengthened between the Somali Council of Victoria and the Banyule Youth Services (BYS) with a joint youth leadership and volunteering project delivered to Somali young people. In addition, the service developed the “Build a Bike/Scooter” program delivered in partnership with Open House at the Malahang Bike Hut. • A n evaluation of the Bike Hut was undertaken with a review of activities to date, and key recommendations made for future direction. Partnerships have been strengthened with NEAMI, Open House, Exodus, Whitelion and Transitions 3081, all continuing to use the Bike Hut as a community resource. • I n partnership with the Banyule & Nillumbik Youth Services Network, the “Time Out” respite model was developed as a response to the significant research project on youth homelessness in the sub region “Wearing Out Your Welcome”. Council has provided funding to pilot the model in Banyule over the next 12 months. LINK-U youth outreach and program support • 4 ,779 contacts were made with young people in the past 12 months in street outreach. • L ink-U increased program support for a range of community events and activities including Youth Fest; Northern Skate competition, scooter competitions, several school activities and events, FIAB events; Malahang and Bike Hut activities, street art murals, etc. • L ink U received funding from Youth Connections (a federally funded education re-engagement program) to undertake a trial model of local outreach targeting ‘at risk’ young people who are disengaged from employment, education and training. The aim of the trial is to increase referrals into the Youth Connections service for the under 15 year olds.

BANYULE CITY COUNCIL BEST VALUE HIGHLIGHTS 2011-2012

Youth Services Communication •T ransition from paper version of “the LOOP”, a monthly youth information magazine, to an electronic version has been undertaken with the e-news going out to 350 young people per month (plus approximately 30 agencies and organisations). • B rochure developed on Banyule Youth Service together with a series of seven youth specific service brochures developed for young people and their families including GLBTQI, Employment Education and Training, Housing and Emergency Accommodation, Personal Support, Sexual Health & Respectful Relationships,Your Rights and Legal Information, Alcohol and other drugs. •T he Banyule Youth website has continued to grow in popularity with 12,949 visits in the past 12 months, an increase of 4,549 visits from last year. This represents an increase of 54%. •T he Banyule Youth Services Facebook Page has been successful and attracted 806 “likes”. Heidelberg West Youth Foundations Victoria • C ouncil successfully completed the Youth Foundations 3081 pilot as the auspice body after nearly four years. The initiative was successfully transitioned to a community based model auspiced by the Banyule Community Health Service. Sponsorship was secured by a number of sources, including Latrobe University, which has resulted in sustaining the project for the next three years. Contracted Youth Services • B anyule L2P Learner Driver Program – successfully completed Year 2 of the Vic Roads funded project delivered by the Banyule and Nillumbik Local Learning and Employment Network in partnership with Council and other key stakeholders, to provide 120 hours supervised driving training to disadvantaged young people. In Year 2, 17 young people obtained their Probationary Drivers Licence. An average of 46 young people participated in the program ranging from 16 – 21 years of age, logging a total of 2,184 hours of driving. The program also supports approx 25 adult mentors. Funding for the program by VicRoads/TAC has been extended for the next 3 years to June 2015. • F IAB – The FIAB committee this year delivered 5 music events in Banyule with a total attendance of over 1,500 young people. The FIAB young people’s committee is supported by the Macleod YMCA and has an average participation of between 12 to 15 young people.

Key Challenges for 2012-2013 • I nvestigate how Council can continue to effectively meet its obligations in relation to disability issues and continue to create opportunities for people with a disability in the absence of a dedicated Access and Inclusion Planner. The MetroAccess initiative has a strong community building focus, however it is limited in its capacity to support Banyule to meet its obligations in the area of Disability Planning. • W ork with relevant agencies to maintain the presence of disability services within the community - A number of major disability services in the municipality are in the process of changing the way that they deliver their services. This involves moving from larger sites running scheduled programs to offering smaller more individualised services and supports. These services will be looking to maintain their presence within the community and may require possible relocation to community spaces. • E ngage cross Council collaboration and support to effectively implement Council’s White Ribbon Action Team Strategy and year one Action Plan, focusing on Primary Prevention.

• E valuate the Graffiti Management Strategy to determine Council’s future direction. An evaluation framework has been developed to guide the process. • D etermine Council’s future and ongoing role following the completion of the Heidelberg West Neighbourhood Renewal project. The NR project will be completed in June 2013 when State Government funding ceases. Council will work in partnership with residents and key stakeholders over the next 12 months to develop strategies and determine Council’s future and ongoing role in this area. • D evelop and implement the “Time Out” youth homelessness respite pilot. Only 12 months funding is currently available and Council is working closely with key stakeholders to identify and secure funding for Year 2. • C ontinue to implement key recommendations from the Community Grants Review finalised last year. • M onitor and review the administration resources required for the growing RSL Trust Grants program.

• W ork in partnership with Workforce Development to promote the Workplace Family Violence Policy.

Notes

BANYULE CITY COUNCIL BEST VALUE HIGHLIGHTS 2011-2012