LGPro 2019 Awards for Excellence Recognition Year Book by LGPro VIC

We share your

commitment to excellence. For 50 years, McArthur has been committed to delivering the highest levels of service to LOCAL GOVERNMENT across Victoria and Australia-wide.

Like you, we share the same commitment to excellence in everything we do including: • Executive Recruitment • Permanent, Temporary and Contract Recruitment • HR/Management Consulting: – Performance Management – Organisational Design and Development – Talent Management – Remuneration Advice – Staff Engagement – Learning and Development – Succession Planning – Outplacement

McArthur is proud to be associated with such high achievers, and we congratulate all Winners and Finalists in the 2019 Awards for Excellence. With your talent and dedication, the future of Local Government is definitely in safe hands.

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CONTENTS MESSAGE FROM LGPRO PRESIDENT.........................................................................................................2 AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE JUDGING PANELS...........................................................................................3 2019 WINNERS & FINALISTS.....................................................................................................................4 INNOVATIVE MANAGEMENT INITIATIVE.......................................................................................................9 SERVICE DELIVERY INITIATIVE..................................................................................................................13 SPECIAL PROJECTS INITIATIVE................................................................................................................17 COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS INITIATIVE...................................................................................................23 COMMUNITY ASSETS & INFRASTRUCTURE INITIATIVE – $2 MILLION & UNDER...........................................29 COMMUNITY ASSETS & INFRASTRUCTURE INITIATIVE – OVER $2 MILLION................................................35 SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVE......................................................................................................................41 DIVERSITY & INCLUSION..........................................................................................................................47 INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVE.................................................................................55 YOUNG ACHIEVER...................................................................................................................................61 2018 SALLY ISAAC MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND AWARD....................................................................72 2018 LGPRO CORPORATE & COMMUNITY PLANNING AWARD...................................................................73 2018 LGPRO AGED & DISABILITY SERVICES AWARDS ..............................................................................74 LGPRO EMERGING LEADERS PROGRAM (ELP)..........................................................................................78 LGPRO EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP PROGRAM (XLP).....................................................................................80 2019 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CALENDAR....................................................................................81

MESSAGE FROM THE LGPRO PRESIDENT

I am pleased to present the finalists and winners of our 2019 Awards for Excellence in this special publication which also features other LGPro award winners and program graduates. As LGPro president, and on behalf of your Board, it is important that we take time to highlight, reward and celebrate both the exceptional and everyday achievements of people working in our sector with great pride. The diversity of innovative programs and projects nominated in our 2019 awards is nothing short of amazing and I congratulate each and every person involved. From idea, to strategy to implementation, our Local Government employees lead and deliver for the betterment of our communities and we celebrate with you. We always receive an excellent standard of nominations for our Awards for Excellence, now in the 15th year, and this year is no exception. I congratulate all winners, finalists and those who were nominated in the 2019 Awards for Excellence for the outstanding contribution you are making to our sector and I urge you to continue the fantastic work. This year we have added Indigenous Community Partnership Initiative as a new category to our awards, and I was thrilled to see the high standard of entries received in this new category, one which is of great and growing importance as we collectively work towards reconciliation and recognition. I would like to thank the judges who willingly gave up their time to adjudicate the ten award categories. A great deal of care is taken when forming the judging panels to ensure those deliberating have the technical knowledge and expertise required. I would also like to thank the Councils that have given their staff the opportunity to participate on these panels and contribute to the professional development and capacity building of our sector. I also congratulate the other LGPro award winners and finalists and program graduates featured in this publication. Please make some time to read about these outstanding projects and to consider adapting them for your own Council. To each and every one featured here, you do yourselves and your Councils proud. Well done!

Justine Linley LGPro President Chief Executive Officer Ballarat City Council

THE 2018 LGPRO AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE ARE PROUDLY SPONSORED BY:

(Publication sponsor)

AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE JUDGING PANELS

2019 CATEGORY JUDGING PANELS Innovative Management Initiative Cameron Gray, Ballarat City Council (Chair) Sharon Morrison, Loddon Shire Council Daniel Freer, Kingston City Council Steven Burgess, Whittlesea City Council Service Delivery Initiative Birgit King, Yarra Ranges Council (Chair) Debbie Bach, Northern Grampians Shire Council Glen Reddick, Warrnambool City Council Zoe Blakeney, Murrindindi Shire Council Special Projects Initiative Brendan McGrath, Rural City of Wangaratta (Chair) Lidia Harding, Mitchell Shire Council Ross Goeman, Monash City Council Tammi Rose, Hobsons Bay City Council Community Partnerships Initiative Liana Thompson, Whittlesea City Council (Chair) Eric Braslis, Golden Plains Shire Council Scott Walker, Banyule City Council Keri Kennealy, Manningham City Council Community Assets & Infrastructure $2 million & under Chris Leivers, Yarra City Council (Chair) Marilyn Kearney, Boroondara City Council Philip Warner, Whitehorse City Council Andrew Mason, Corangamite Shire Council

Community Assets & Infrastructure over $2 million Steven Abbott, Greater Bendigo City Council (Chair) Shweta Babbar, Glen Eira City Council Alan Clark, Rural City of Wangaratta Sustainability Initiative Kathy Hynes, Banyule City Council (Chair) Peter Utri, Warrnambool City Council Andrew Day, Manningham City Council Mozma Tate, Casey City Council Diversity & Inclusion Julie Reid, Greater Dandenong City Council (Chair) Tanya Clark, Knox City Council Andi Diamond, Monash City Council Steve Fuery, Bass Coast Shire Council Indigenous Community Partnership Initiative David Preiss, LGPro (Chair) Shona Stewart, Whittlesea City Council Tanya Vernes, Department Environment, Land, Water and Planning Shane Charles, Melbourne City Council Young Achiever Rebecca McKenzie, Glen Eira City Council (Chair) Marcus Ballard, Monash City Council Lisa Ippolito, Hume City Council Mark Florence, Indigo Shire Council

2019 WINNERS & FINALISTS INNOVATIVE MANAGEMENT INITIATIVE

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS INITIATIVE

WINNER

> Glen Eira City Council, imagination@work

> Maroondah City Council, Maroondah Hoarding and Squalor Network

HIGH COMMENDATION > Gannawarra Shire Council, Gannawarra Shared Services

FINALISTS > Casey City Council, Simply Brilliant Internal Communications Campaign

SERVICE DELIVERY INITIATIVE WINNER

FINALISTS > Greater Bendigo City Council, CityStudio > Warrnambool City Council, Beers + Ideas > Whittlesea City Council, Whittlesea 2040 Vision Development

COMMUNITY ASSETS AND INFRASTRUCTURE INITIATIVE $2 MILLION AND UNDER

> Maribyrnong City Council, Risk Based Assessment Application Process for New Food Businesses

WINNER

HIGH COMMENDATION

> Glen Eira City Council, Digitising high priority transactions

> Ganawarra Shire Council, Kerang CBD Upgrade

FINALIST

FINALISTS

> Mitchell Shire Council, Robotics Community Program

> Ballarat City Council, City Oval Redevelopment

> Maribyrnong City Council, Braybrook Park Playspace

> Maroondah City Council, Ringwood Lake Park Playspace

SPECIAL PROJECTS INITIATIVE WINNER > Greater Shepparton City Council, Shepp Square

HIGH COMMENDATION > Banyule City Council, Homefront Project

FINALISTS > Casey City Council, Casey Sings > Maroondah City Council, BizHub Coworking Space

> Melton City Council, Bridge Road Regional Playspace

COMMUNITY ASSETS AND INFRASTRUCTURE INITIATIVE OVER $2 MILLION WINNER > Mildura Rural City Council, Mildura Riverfront Stage 1 Development

HIGH COMMENDATION > Casey City Council, Bunjil Place

FINALISTS > Hobsons Bay City Council, Activating the Western Section of Altona Beach > Melton City Council, Pride of Melton

SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVE

YOUNG ACHIEVER

WINNER

> Gannawarra Shire Council, Sustainable Gannawarra

> Sara Merkus, Casey City Council

FINALISTS

> Melbourne City Council, Melbourne Renewable Energy Project > Surf Coast Shire Council, Plastic Wise Policy for Events and Markets > Wyndham City Council, Wyndham Solar City

> Matthew Swards, Ballarat City Council

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION WINNER

> Sarah Lyons, Casey City Council > Kate Eichler, Maribyrnong City Council > Abby McCarthy, Knox City Council > Bryony Davies, Knox City Council > Samantha Bender, Mitchell Shire Council > Arvind Kolluru, Yarra City Council

> Maribyrnong City Council, Bandmates Victoria

HIGH COMMENDATION > Moyne Shire Council, Early Years Kindergarten Inclusion of Anaphylaxis Children

FINALISTS > Bayside City Council, Bluff Road Estate Community Engagement Project > Ballarat City Council, Gender Equity Strategy and Action Plan > Ballarat City Council, Active Women and Girls Strategy > Melton City Council, Interfaith Strategy

INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVE WINNER > Casey City Council, The Strong Culture; Good Health School Holiday Program

FINALISTS > Darebin City Council, Darebin Aboriginal Maternal Child and Health Initiative > Glen Eira City Council, Relationships for Reconciliation Partnership Initiative > Horsham Rural City Council, Horsham Rural City Council Reconciliation Action Plan > Wyndham City Council, Wyndham Aboriginal Community Centre and Integrated Family Centre 5

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INNOVATIVE MANAGEMENT INITIATIVE

Initiatives that demonstrate new ways of leading, facilitating, administering, controlling or ensuring a particular outcome is achieved and that make positive changes to the management of organisations, processes, practices or projects.

JUDGING CRITERIA > Transferability > What makes the initiative unique > Demonstrated leadership > Effectiveness of the initiative > Achievements of the project versus its intention

WINNER > Glen Eira City Council, imagination@work

HIGH COMMENDATION > Gannawarra Shire Council, Gannawarra Shared Services

FINALIST > Casey City Council, Simply Brilliant Internal Communications Campaign

WINNER

INNOVATIVE MANAGEMENT INITIATIVE

GLEN EIRA CITY COUNCIL

IMAGINATION@WORK imagination@work is an ideation platform designed by Glen Eira City Council to increase engagement by empowering staff to actively influence how the organisation grows and evolves. During a time of transformation, the focus was on developing an innate culture of innovation, process improvement and change. This was supported by launching a platform to encourage staff to submit, discuss and vote for ideas that aimed to improve both the employee and the customer experience. Chief Transformation Officer, Shweta Babbar recognised a need for staff to have more input into organisational change. “A lot of different business areas were reaching out to us saying they had some great ideas but didn’t know where to share them. imagination@work has addressed this and contributed to a large increase in our staff morale and subsequent service delivery,” she said. Innovation is often historically led by top levels of management, but this project opens up innovation to the entire organisation. To help drive the organisation-wide vision and imagination, Glen Eira recognised that successful leaders can help drive innovation via their people. The result was an outcome of unexpectedly high quality ideas benefiting the individual, the organisation and the community. It is an exemplary example of cross functional collaboration and a drive to innovation and improvement. A feature of this project is its ability to collaboratively lift the organisation vision, introducing new ways of thinking and embracing ambiguity. The platform creates dialogue and gives business units exposure to some of the hidden challenges their colleagues are facing.

Transparency was an important factor in the process. The platform includes a running tally of project progress, how ideas are being implemented, and when. Ideas were selected by a voting process that included a celebration of some of the most innovative ideas at the Greatest Hits Roadshow. Phoebe Hanna won the People’s Choice Award for her idea for a Planning Activity Monitor. “Winning the People’s Choice Award on the day was obviously a great feeling and amazing recognition of all the hard work put in by my team members. But it’s fantastic that all the ideas showcased on the day have gone forward to be further developed and implemented in their own ways,” Phoebe said. By creating an open source platform, and documenting concepts and lessons learned, Glen Eira has established a program that can be shared across other Councils to benefit communities across Victoria. Many of the ideas put forward through the project are also sharable considering Councils often grapple with similar issues. The initiative proved to be extremely successful with staff sharing 76 ideas that generated more than 700 votes. Of those ideas submitted, more than 95% have been assessed to be implemented. This project is opening the door to innovation and contributing to a more community focused, inclusive and efficient organisation. The ability for this initiative to grow is part of its design. As the Council learns from its use the project can evolve it to become even more effective for its purpose.

HIGH COMMENDATION INNOVATIVE MANAGEMENT INITIATIVE

GANNAWARRA SHIRE COUNCIL

GANNAWARRA SHARED SERVICES The Shared Services initiative saw Gannawarra Shire Council share resources to assist Buloke Shire Council to set up the Confirm asset maintenance management system within its organisation. This involved Gannawarra Shire’s GIS Assets Officer, Laura O’Dwyer spending two days per week for nine months on site at Buloke. Overall, the Shared Services project is an excellent example of smaller Councils working together to share resources while bringing greater benefits to their respective communities through improved processes and efficiencies. The initiative’s objectives included: • Setting up the Confirm system for Buloke Shire Council, including re-mapping all roads and undertaking data cleansing • Setting up and customising the Confirm system to suit Buloke Shire Council’s needs • Training staff in how to use the system • Providing greater efficiencies and compliance by updating processes, including transitioning from a paper based system to a fully digitalised system. The introduction of the Confirm system has had an immediate impact at Buloke Shire. This includes transitioning from a paper based system to a fully digitalised works management system to provide improved processes and greater efficiencies within the organisation.

For Gannawarra Shire, the initiative has further provided its GIS Assets Officer with leadership and training skills, including the ability to train Gannawarra Shire staff in the newer version of the system. When the Confirm system was first introduced to Gannawarra, the efficiencies the system provided, in terms of hours saved, is equivalent to 2.5 effective full time (EFT) staff. The main barrier to the Shared Services initiative was the requirement of Gannawarra Shire’s GIS Assets Officer to spend two days per week on site at Buloke for nine months and two weeks full time towards the conclusion of the project, putting additional strain on Gannawarra’s infrastructure team. However, the benefits outweighed these barriers, resulting in a highly efficient digital asset management works system for Buloke Shire and the upskilling of both Buloke and Gannawarra Shire staff. This initiative can readily be replicated by other Councils. It does require negotiation and leadership to ensure integrating the Councils’ service delivery does not adversely affect their communities. However, the advantages of the initiative are the numerous benefits it provides Councils and their ratepayers. The project has demonstrated how small rural Councils can work in partnership to create efficiencies and improve service delivery and gain expertise, despite limited financial and human resources. Working together on collaborative projects is the way of the future for smaller rural Councils which often have limited resources and continue to search for ways to ensure they can deliver quality, efficient services to their communities.

FINALIST

INNOVATIVE MANAGEMENT INITIATIVE

CASEY CITY COUNCIL

SIMPLY BRILLIANT INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS CAMPAIGN Prior to the establishment of its Internal Communications Team, Casey City Council had no uniting overarching message for its 1,500 plus staff to drive communications or to provide a reference of alignment with the Council Plan.

• Passport to Bunjil Place App – gamification was used to get staff participating in challenges to drive engagement, compliance requirements and move related tasks. A storytelling approach led by ‘a change is as good as a holiday’ seeded in a new mindset

The City of Casey Internal Communications Team delivered on objectives set by Casey’s executive leadership group and exceeded on deliverables during this eight month, two stage program to create an overarching campaign that would launch the new Casey culture of excellence for all staff across all locations.

• In the Loop – a fortnightly e-newsletter became a crucial communication channel to consistently share key information.

The launch of Simply Brilliant has provided an avenue to enable a culture of recognition and acknowledgement across the organisation. Simply Brilliant has set up the organisation to deliver consistent internal messaging by demonstrating examples of the level of brilliance that can be achieved. The Internal Communications Team outlined two core objectives of the program – to develop and implement an effective internal communications program in the five month lead up to the relocation to Bunjil Place (from June to October 2017), and to develop and implement an effective communications program beginning from the day of relocation to Bunjil Place (October 2017).

• A storytelling manifesto articulating where Casey staff had come from and what was next • A new philosophy of ‘keep it simple’ and ‘make it brilliant’ changing how staff thought about the bigger picture and their role • Key message superpowers promoted around the workplaces to highlight new expected behaviours of: 1. Brilliant – not perfect, 2. Keep it simple, 3. Walk in our customers’ shoes, 4. We’re in it together, 5. Speak up, 6. Find a way • Characters created to take on the personas of each superpower versus success stories from staff across varying locations to celebrate and reflect on simple solutions and brilliant ideas.

The following programs were implemented to deliver on the strategic objectives:

Casey’s Simply Brilliant campaign is considered inspirational by staff and innovative by visitors.

In the lead up to the move:

The internal communications program encompasses a multitude of organisational wide projects to enable the Casey workforce to raise capability, so the Council Plan can be implemented now and until 2021.

• Executive Management Team (EMT) Forum – a new monthly channel where all staff were invited to come along to hear the organisational priorities from members of EMT and ask questions in a face to face environment. The forums were strategically developed to be engaging using multiple tools to share videos and sneak peaks

From the move – Simply Brilliant: launched once the app was no longer relevant, featured:

The long term outlook indicates a direct benefit from creating a new culture of excellence which will see greater productivity, an increase in customer delivery through shared accountability, smarter use of resources, staff initiating continuous improvement and overall improvement in customer satisfaction.

SERVICE DELIVERY INITIATIVE

Initiatives that demonstrate best practice, or the pursuit of excellence, in the delivery of a service to the community or a specified target market, that is able to be continued on an ongoing basis.

JUDGING CRITERIA > Demonstrated delivery outcomes and benefits > Effectiveness of the initiative > Uniqueness or defining features > Measurable outcomes > Cost benefit and financial sustainability > Effectiveness for specific client/target group(s) > Impact on target group

WINNER > Maribyrnong City Council, Risk Based Assessment Application Process for New Food Businesses

HIGH COMMENDATION > Glen Eira City Council, Digitising high priority transactions

FINALIST > Mitchell Shire Council, Robotics Community Program

WINNER

SERVICE DELIVERY INITIATIVE

MARIBYRNONG CITY COUNCIL

RISK BASED ASSESSMENT APPLICATION PROCESS FOR NEW FOOD BUSINESSES Maribyrnong is transforming at a rapid rate and has a strong ‘foodie’ culture. Its attraction as a restaurant/eatery hot spot created a resourcing challenge for Council’s Environmental Health Team. To maintain the health of diners and the City’s reputation, Council reviewed its food safety compliance rates for food businesses in 2015. It found compliance was decreasing and businesses had gaps in their food safety knowledge. This resulted in increased inspections and an increase in workload for the team. Furthermore, there was a projected increase in new food business expected to open, therefore flagging the need for improved Council support. To increase food safety compliance rates, Council worked closely with businesses on an education campaign. The aim was to provide increased guidance on food safety matters, while assessing the applicant’s food safety knowledge from the beginning of the application process and providing a one stop shop on food safety compliance. This instilled a food safety culture that increased food safety compliance rates and reduced follow up assessments, leading to reduced food related incidences and ultimately safer food for the community. Council encouraged businesses to take part in the process by offering applicants a free meeting and by creating a supportive and transparent environment where their proposal could be discussed at ease. Outcomes for the applicant resulted in less costly structural reworking at fit out due to upfront advice, businesses adopting a food safety culture, a reduction in food related incidences and number of inspections to achieve compliance. This all resulted in safer food for the community.

The one hour pre application meeting covers Council’s registration process – fees, processing times; structural compliance – layout, proposed equipment; food safety requirements – food hygiene training, food processing, allergens and food safety program requirements. This gives applicants a comprehensive outlook of what’s required of their business across all aspects of service delivery from a food safety compliance perspective. Applicants are provided with Council’s comprehensive New Food Premises Information Kit as a guidance document and importantly applicants have a single a point of contact to assist them throughout their application process. Once the application is submitted a comprehensive assessment report is provided to the applicant as a guide for setting up their business. Feedback from businesses and organisations have been overwhelmingly positive. Initially, applicants were reluctant to attend a meeting due to time constraints and perceived issues the meeting may raise. However, when Council discussed how they would ultimately benefit from a face to face meeting, applicants were more eager to attend. No additional Council resources were available for the development and implementation of the new process and the team worked tirelessly to ensure its implementation and success. The model of this initiative has already been duplicated as part of Council’s Concierge program and incorporated across the organisation. It can also be utilised by all Victorian Councils. Although a new approach, it is a program that has no impact on budget, but significant impacts for customers and substantial food safety outcomes.

HIGH COMMENDATION SERVICE DELIVERY INITIATIVE

GLEN EIRA CITY COUNCIL

DIGITISING HIGH PRIORITY TRANSACTIONS The digitisation of Glen Eira City Council’s high priority transactions project saw the delivery of 14 transactions that were mapped, improved and available online all within 12 months and without any investment in procuring new digital systems. It was unique as it not only transformed the front end for customers and the back end processes for staff, including system enhancements, but brought these two stages together for seamless end to end transactions. The project successfully enhanced Council’s service delivery by providing customers with the option to complete high priority transactions online, proving it’s worth by the instant uptake of the digital offerings by the community. By digitising high priority transactions, Council wanted to leverage its existing technology, as well as review and redesign its services. It used lean methodology and tools such as process mapping and journey mapping. One of the main outcomes was to improve the customer experience. Glen Eira City Council CEO, Rebecca McKenzie believes the Digitising High Priority Transactions project has been a key element of Council’s commitment to transforming the customer experience at Glen Eira. “We wanted to make it easier for our residents to do business with us, at a time and place that suited them. The take up has been phenomenal and we have seen our online engagement numbers rapidly increasing, even without overt advertising. The back office has benefitted too, as we have digitised the whole end to end process, resulting in internal efficiencies that can be redirected into frontline service delivery,” Ms McKenzie said.

The Council had a clear vision for this project, it didn’t want to translate complex paper based processes into complex digital transactions. Based on this approach, the Council delved deeper into the entire process from both customer and staff experiences. One of the high priority transactions to benefit was the Land Information Certificate process. Chief Financial Officer, John Vastianos credits the integration of certificate requests from Landata and SAI Global directly into Pathway (Council’s Property Management System) as a real saving. “Processing time to administer these certificates has been reduced by more than half with the process now being made completely paperless. A great example of digital by default,” he said. The Innovation and Continuous Improvement team responsible for delivering this project was a newly formed team, bringing together staff from different departments. However, they were required to continue their day to day tasks too. It soon became apparent that additional resources were needed. To overcome this, a secondment program was adopted, providing development opportunities to staff and enabling the project to be delivered. This digitisation project enabled Council to develop the close loop initiative and it recently won the Infor Public Sector 2018 Award for Innovation and Excellence which was an Australian and New Zealand award. Furthermore, this initiative is now being trialled by other Councils showing the work on this project is both scalable and transferable. Glen Eira City Council is very proud of the realisation of this project. In the last 12 months, it has received more than 38,000 transactions online and 64% of all these can be attributed to the additional 14 online processes.

FINALIST

SERVICE DELIVERY INITIATIVE

MITCHELL SHIRE COUNCIL

ROBOTICS COMMUNITY PROGRAM Mitchell Shire Councilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Robotics Community Program builds on the model of a library as a community hub by offering programs on site to people from diverse age groups and backgrounds. The program encourages people to try new activities, to learn new skills and to interact socially with new people. It provides an opportunity for anyone across the Shire who is interested in learning and developing technical skills in the area of robotics and coding to participate in free, user-friendly educational sessions. The program is multi-generational but the primary users have been children, youth and people with a disability. The program aims to promote opportunities for learning, trying new activities and engagement. Participants in the four week program not only learn new skills or continue to develop their knowledge of robotics and coding, they also have had opportunities to achieve socially. Teenagers who participate in the program are often disengaged and find it hard to communicate socially. The outcome of the program provides the opportunity for youths to meet new people, to interact in a social situation, to build their interpersonal communication and to engage with others on different levels, as well as learn new skills. When working with people with a disability, the program assists individuals with fine motor skills movement and dexterity and supports opportunities to use cognitive skills to learn and problem solve. When teaching the Robotics program at senior citizens classes, it has been observed that the connection between grandparents and their grandchildren through learning a new skill in robotics, has provided positive family engagement.

Numerous thank you cards and emails have been received from schools and students in appreciation of the Robotics Program. Libraries have become much more than a place to borrow books. They are often a safe haven for people who are vulnerable, isolated or disengaged. People attend libraries to use technology, to research, to interact with people and to have a safe, quiet space. The Robotics Community Program builds on the model of a library as a community hub by offering programs on site to people from diverse age groups and backgrounds. The impact of the program has been a more confident and engaged community who are excited about learning new skills, who are willing to share their knowledge and experience and who are more connected to people and services. The program can also be offered under an outreach model and has been undertaken in partnership with local schools. This has built strong relationships between the school and the libraries, as well as encouraging children and young people to have a greater integration with local services. The Robotics Program is a long term investment for the Mitchell Shire community. With the strong interest shown by community groups and schools in the Shire, this program will go on to achieving future success and innovative robotics to the growing population.

SPECIAL PROJECTS INITIATIVE

These are exceptional and one off initiatives. They must assist the community and be over and above Councilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s day to day activities.

JUDGING CRITERIA > Demonstrated delivery > What makes the initiative exceptional or special > Measurable outcomes > Cost benefit > Effectiveness for specific client/target group(s) > Outcomes in terms of benefit

WINNER > Greater Shepparton City Council, Shepp Square

HIGH COMMENDATION > Banyule City Council, Homefront Project

FINALISTS > Casey City Council, Casey Sings > Maroondah City Council, BizHub Coworking Space

WINNER

SPECIAL PROJECTS INITIATIVE

GREATER SHEPPARTON CITY COUNCIL

SHEPP SQUARE For two weeks in April 2018 Greater Shepparton City Council took over Federation Square and it was renamed Shepp Square!

• Drive visitors to the region and position Greater Shepparton as a visitor destination

The Shepp Square exhibition style event provided the opportunity for Melbourne to directly experience all the great things about Greater Shepparton with the aim of attracting visitors, investment and new residents to the region.

• Attract investment and relocation to the region

It was a great opportunity for Greater Shepparton City Council to showcase the Greater Shepparton area to a broad audience. “This event created activity and opportunities for new business in our local economy,” said Carl Hainsworth, President of Shepparton Chamber of Commerce and Industry. This was the first time such an event had been undertaken by a Council and Fed Square. It was a truly unique activity that saw a community immobilised and moved to Melbourne for a two week period. Shepp Square featured several precincts and experiences including a pop up bar, a Farmers Market, children’s playground and stage entertainment, a Business & Lifestyle Hub, Greater Shepparton: Greater Living, Greater Investment Seminars, a Shepp Square VIP Evening and a Shepp Square Expat Evening hosted by the Committee for Greater Shepparton. The overall aims of Shepp Square were to: • Provide the opportunity for Melbourne to directly experience Greater Shepparton • Provide Greater Shepparton businesses with a point of sale opportunity in Melbourne and to gain exposure to new markets

• Create a high impact marketing activity that would yield numerous results • Change the perception of, and educate people about Greater Shepparton. Outcomes were immense including: • More than 38,000 people visiting the Shepp Square exhibition • Businesses establishing new clients and having new points of sale • Greater Shepparton negotiating a $20 million business deal • Two new businesses looking at establishing themselves in Greater Shepparton • An increase in visitors to the region • Shepp Square was an exhibition style event showcasing all things “Greater Shepparton”, so it has provided the Council with an eventing model that can be transported anywhere. This was a truly unique event and a bold and brave undertaking by Greater Shepparton City Council and its community. The event was also a first for Federation Square which is now using the model to attract new commercial partnerships. It’s an out of the box approach to marketing a regional area to the Melbourne market. It’s also a cost effective approach to marketing that enabled direct, targeted engagement with audiences.

HIGH COMMENDATION SPECIAL PROJECTS INITIATIVE

BANYULE CITY COUNCIL

HOMEFRONT PROJECT The Homefront Project was initiated to replace the much loved, but time worn, chainsaw carved cypress sculptures in Greensborough War Memorial Park. Rather than simply replicating the original sculptures, the opportunity was taken to achieve a number of objectives including: • Educate the broader community about the impact of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder on our service men and women, their families and communities • Provide a safe context for veterans to share their stories and opportunities for them to link with support services • Create a new series of sculptures which reflect the stories and diverse service histories of veterans, their families and communities. These were achieved through a number of project elements which have generated the following significant outcomes: • A design consultation process resulting in the collection of many veteran home coming stories and experiences of readapting to civilian life. (Outcomes – belonging, appreciation) • A project website (homefrontsculpture.com.au) which documents the project and remains a permanent home for the written stories and filmed interviews collected, as well as providing an educational resource. (Outcome – insight) • A beautiful and moving Ceremonial Fire event which cremated the original sculptures and created the physical and emotional space for the new designs. (Outcomes – belonging, enrichment) • A stunning and awe inspiring set of eight new sculptures which reflect the stories collected, and expose experiences often unspoken, including experiences of women in service and at home, Vietnam Veterans, and aboriginal soldiers. (Outcomes – belonging, enrichment, insight).

Maintaining the strong connection of the local community to the sculptures and the park has been a major objective of the project. The gradual deterioration of the original sculptures had generated criticism of Council so to turn this around to the high level of acceptance and positive comment regarding the new sculptures has been a major achievement. Celebrating the stories of local veterans makes the new sculptures unique and strengthens the sense of place, particularly for both local residents and veterans, as well as visitors to the park. The sculptures have reached high aesthetic and conceptual standards without losing connection to the stories. This has heightened the sense of pride of the community in their park. It is hoped the park will become a safe and welcoming place for the local veteran community, where their ongoing challenges are acknowledged but their strength and resilience are celebrated. Whilst it is too early to assess this desired outcome, the initial response to the sculptures and the stated intent of the RSL makes it a strong likelihood. The Homefront project is a great example of the positive outcomes that can be achieved when time and resources are devoted to consultation, engagement and artistic solutions to complex problems. What started as a decommissioning process filled with many obstacles and strained relationships has delivered outcomes well beyond community expectations and with long lasting results, not to mention a series of striking and beautifully executed sculptures which are conceptually and aesthetically rich and will stand testament to service men and women for many years.

FINALIST

SPECIAL PROJECTS INITIATIVE

CASEY CITY COUNCIL

CASEY SINGS Casey Sings was a community mass Choral Performance held on 2 December 2017. It culminated 12 months of preparation and joyously celebrated a coming together at the newly opened Bunjil Place, contributing towards the entertainment precinct’s vision to become the heart of the community. Seven choirs each performed two chosen pieces to an audience of 700, and then almost 200 members of the choirs came together, conducted by Jonathon Welch AM. The grand finale featured a composition created specifically for the event by Deborah Cheetham AO titled ‘Beneath the Wings of Bundjil’. Casey City Council is committed to community development principles that provide a framework for working with the Casey community. These principles include collaboration, capacity building, equity and responsiveness. With funding from Creative Victoria and the City of Casey, Council delivered an arts performance that successfully met all objectives of the project, also delivering on Council’s strategic goals. Stakeholder engagement was the key to success, achieving goals to connect in a meaningful way which enabled decision making, planning and delivering a common goal. Strengthening relationships between Council and it’s performing arts community was achieved, as was inter community relationships that brought together like minded, but different choir groups for a shared experience. Accolades go to 20 young Aboriginal students who embraced learning under the tuition of Deborah Cheetham AO. They allowed themselves to try new things as they rehearsed, and then performed as a small group before joining with the mass choir. Two participants were subsequently invited to join Short Black Opera’s nationwide group, acknowledging the depth of talent they hold.

Praise must also be extended to the almost 200 local choir members who planned, rehearsed and committed to a project to bring the community great joy with their gift of music. Given that Bunjil Place was under construction during most of the planning and rehearsal stages, challenges related to planning logistics in an unknown, new space. Barriers were met with clear communication and planning between Council and stakeholders. To deliver a sustainable project, budget support for this creative project could enable a celebrated annual event, utilising and supporting the existing work achieved by local choir groups. Engaging a visiting conductor (Jonathon Welch AM) to bring these groups together to learn and perform a shared piece of music was a fantastic way to foster collaboration between groups. Council is immensely proud of the work achieved, raising the performing arts profile and supporting the Bunjil Place vision to become the heart of the community throughout and upon completion of the project. The vision for this project was to bring the arts community together, to create a sense of pride and belonging in a brand new regional arts entertainment precinct, and to create the vision of Bunjil Place as the heart of the community. For those sitting in the audience at Bunjil Place Theatre listening to the mass choir concert, the magic of the moment as the grand finale, composed by Deborah Cheetham AO, ‘Beneath the Wings of Bundjil’ was performed exceeded all initial expectation of the program.

FINALIST

SPECIAL PROJECTS INITIATIVE

MAROONDAH CITY COUNCIL

BIZHUB COWORKING SPACE Based at Realm in Ringwood, BizHub is owned and operated by Maroondah City Council. It is the first coworking space within a Local Government library, learning and cultural centre. Launched in October 2015, the 262 square metre coworking space provides a digitally-enabled coworking environment alongside a suite of additional services including a concierge led business assistance model, education and training programs and flexible meeting spaces. Council’s Business & Activity Centre Development team is co located alongside the space to nurture businesses and provide guidance. The BizHub Coworking Space is a key innovation of Council providing a tangible contribution to the local economy by assisting businesses to grow and build a robust and resilient economy, with strong employment opportunities and improved prosperity for the municipality and the eastern region. Demand for the project was identified through the Maroondah Business Analysis in 2012, which showed that 29% of Maroondah’s home-based businesses would like to expand. Of these, 92% would like to expand into commercial premises. The step to typical commercial accommodation presented home based business with significant barriers. Recognising this, Council canvassed alternatives that would provide a low cost, accessible alternative. A proof of concept model was tested prior to opening at Realm with an agile business model evolving in response to market demand since its inception.

The Coworking space has redefined the way Council engages with businesses, by removing service access barriers including a deliberate disregard for municipal boundaries and a customer centric non-government approach. It has also provided professional, affordable, accessible shared workspaces for businesses that reduce costs, feelings of isolation, increases networking opportunities, and provides access to information, mentoring, training, assistance and resources in real time. Membership of the space has grown from one to 114 financial members in its first three years of operation, and more than 650 businesses have utilised the BizHub Coworking Space or its facilities. Since the opening of the BizHub Coworking Space, extensive interest in this model has resulted in approximately 30 tours of Realm and the BizHub Coworking Space by Councils from across Australia, interested in learning from Maroondah’s experience and adapting the model into their service delivery. Maroondah Council has pushed the boundaries of what Council does by looking to the private sector for best practice and integrating this into a local business community context. This initiative required a significant leap from Council’s usual way of doing business and providing Council services. The project brought with it the requirement for significant cultural change at both a team and organisational level, along with a reframing of service delivery. But the continued success of the Coworking space speaks for itself, with Council looking to expand the offerings further in the coming years.

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COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS INITIATIVE

Initiatives that demonstrate a commitment to working with and/or in the community to achieve positive outcomes.

JUDGING CRITERIA > Impact on broader sector > Transferability > Complexity of outcomes and number of partners involved > Effectiveness of collaborative effort > Leadership demonstrate

WINNER > Maroondah City Council, Maroondah Hoarding and Squalor Network

FINALISTS > Greater Bendigo City Council, CityStudio > Warrnambool City Council, Beers + Ideas > Whittlesea City Council, Whittlesea 2040 Vision Development

WINNER

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS INITIATIVE

MAROONDAH CITY COUNCIL

MAROONDAH HOARDING AND SQUALOR NETWORK Solving complex issues related to hoarding cannot be done in isolation, by one single agency or one single level of government. So, in 2014 Maroondah City Council and the Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services Board (MFB) started the Maroondah Hoarding & Squalor Network (MHSN) to support agencies and community groups confronted with hoarding and squalor. Prior to the network being formed, emergency services and service providers in Maroondah had been working independently with community members living in hoarding and squalor. The support was not consistent and each organisation had no idea what the other offered or who was working with which client. A multi-disciplinary approach to dealing with this complex mental health issue has proved much more effective. The objective of the network was to establish a strong working relationship between the relevant services that work with clients with hoarding disorder. It meets quarterly and provides members with an opportunity to develop relationships, share skills and knowledge, and establish positive collaborative outcomes. Outside of the formalised meetings, network members are also working together on individual cases. This is continuing to strengthen the working relationships and helping to identify future opportunities or gaps in service provision to the community. In its first 12 months of operation, the network created stronger working relationships between members and improved access to services and streamlined processes. The service to the community has improved as providers now have a better understanding of what each does and how they can work together to assist community members.

A major achievement has been the development of the MHSN website which is the only website of its kind in Victoria, and only of one of three in Australia, solely dedicated to hoarding and squalor. Launched in May 2018, the website is an innovative and collaborative approach to support community members and their families and friends with hoarding and squalor issues. It has helped to raise awareness of the condition and available avenues of assistance. Feedback from attendees at the website launch highlighted that it was an excellent source of information for people with hoarding behaviours. Since going live, the website has had more than 3,000 hits with most users looking at the “Where can I find help?” page. Maroondah is working with other Councils in Victoria interested in establishing their own networks. Representatives from other Councils regularly attend the network meetings to gain information about how it is run and what it is achieving. Network members then follow up with discussions regarding how a network could be established in their own Local Government area. To further expand the network reach and assist more communities outside of Maroondah, a Victorian domain name has been registered to enable the content to be broadened for use across Victoria if further funding can be obtained. The Maroondah Hoarding and Squalor Network and related website is already changing people’s lives. Thanks to the website not only are more people seeking assistance, but the network is also working better together to ensure residents receive faster more tailored assistance to their needs.

FINALIST

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS INITIATIVE

GREATER BENDIGO CITY COUNCIL

CITYSTUDIO CityStudio is at the forefront of a global shift that takes university students outside the classroom and into the City, its workplaces and the community to problem solve and co-create solutions to key civic questions, challenges or opportunities facing the community.

Students presented their project findings and proposals to an audience of around 80 locals and the media, in a public showcase event in the Council Office Reception room at the end of the program.

Using One Planet Principles to explore big themes through a local lens, CityStudio’s five week immersive program provides practical learning experiences to help students get jobs and engage in their City’s future development. Bendigo, through this partnership with La Trobe University, is the first Council in Australia to implement this highly successful program which originated in Vancouver.

Senior CityStudio Lecturer at La Trobe University, Dr Marcus Morse, said: “the students have embraced the challenge and learnt many new things about co-designing solutions, working in interdisciplinary teams, and preparing ideas for public presentation.”

In a congratulatory letter to Council, Gregor Robertson, Mayor of City of Vancouver remarked that “since the launch of CityStudio Vancouver seven years ago, students have worked with staff to contribute well over 120,000 hours of public sector innovation, experimentation and project demonstrations to our key strategic plans. I am confident that the same can be true in Bendigo, where CityStudio can add momentum to the City’s innovation, planning and engagement work.” A key element of the CityStudio program is that Council articulates the problem and dialogue between the City and the university, then refines it into an accredited subject as part of a student’s course. In June 2018, after six months preparation Council launched the CityStudio model with 16 La Trobe University students from 12 disciplines, two campuses and a mix of ages to reimagine the Bendigo Creek. The students formed four teams under the overarching theme of Creeks Connecting Communities. Council’s Regional Sustainable Development Manager, Trevor Budge said the students had come up with some exciting ideas for Council to consider. “It is great to have some new approaches and concepts for the Bendigo Creek, which is linked to so many different stories and uses over time,” Mr Budge said.

The Head of La Trobe University Bendigo Campus, Robert Stephenson said the initiative was a tremendous opportunity for the university to highlight the skills being developed by its students and the impact they could have in creating the future of Bendigo. “Additionally, it gives students the opportunity to work on a project in diverse teams, replicating the sorts of environments they will be working in after graduation. Ideas developed, and subsequently implemented, will also create a legacy of their work in the City.” Evaluation of the program showed that relationships developed were one of the most valued aspects of the project with the students successfully consulting and engaging with many in the Bendigo community, including indigenous communities, schools and international CityStudio networks. Reimagining the Bendigo Creek has recently received funding and is now a major project being led by Greater Bendigo City Council, assisted by the CityStudio groundwork and momentum. Overall, the CityStudio approach to relationship building has the capacity to garner broader community engagement and government support for future Council and stakeholder programs in Bendigo and beyond. To learn more visit https://drive.google.com/ open?id=1L8P3BR54aD3W3wHo3C1DMhRArG9Pjqty

FINALIST

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS INITIATIVE

WARRNAMBOOL CITY COUNCIL

BEERS + IDEAS Beers + Ideas is a placemaking initiative and collaboration between Warrnambool City Council, a local graphic designer/ placemaker and the Warrnambool community that empowers local people to carry out placemaking projects in the City.

The initiative is unique as it gives all the power on the decisions made to the community, they have full control over which projects are implemented thus creating an incredible sense of ownership and pride among residents as they see the project come to life.

It aims to inspire a sense of fun and possibility by simplifying the process of bringing these projects to life and believes that improving public spaces will make Warrnambool a more lively and engaging place to be, a place that the community is proud of and connected to, a place to share unique and positive experiences; and a place where everyone wants to be.

The act of giving the community total control over their public places is very powerful and leading to a City that is building a shared wealth.

Beers + Ideas has worked because it involves total collaboration and consultation between the public coordinator, Council and the community. It has inspired the community to collectively reimagine and reinvent shared public spaces and to work together to articulate, plan and deliver a vision for a better place. More than 420 people attended four Beers + Ideas events. At each event attendees make a $10 donation at the door which provides them with a drink and a vote. During the night a range of local placemaking ideas are pitched by members of the community who are willing to project manage their idea. Those attending vote for the idea they most wish to see delivered in the Central Business District (CBD). The idea with the most votes wins the money raised at the door and for the first year this amount is matched by Council which also fast tracks any approvals or permits required to ensure the smoothest process in making their idea come to life.

The Placemaking movement in Warrnambool now has a strong following and is creating a place where people want to be. The Beers + Ideas concept was developed with the knowledge that placemaking is a key element in ensuring that a City remains competitive and creative in global and local markets. There was a desire for the Warrnambool community to build on their sense of place and to realise important flow on benefits. In the projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s development phase it became clear that for Beers + Ideas to succeed, the placemaking had to be a community driven process. A local graphic designer was approached to become the face of the project, with the idea of attracting a new, different clientele of people to the event: young, professional, innovative, artistic and entrepreneurial. In giving ownership and leadership to this cohort it was considered that Beers + Ideas would develop a reputation that would attract more people who wanted to see Warrnambool evolve with a vibrant, prosperous city centre that was a great place to live and work, play and learn.

FINALIST

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS INITIATIVE

WHITTLESEA CITY COUNCIL

WHITTLESEA 2040 VISION DEVELOPMENT In 2040, the population in the City of Whittlesea will be close to 400,000. To cast a vision for the municipality at that time, the Council and community joined hands to understand the opportunities and challenges of the municipality in 2040, and to identify the community aspirations based on what the community love about their local area and their hopes for their local area by 2040.

• Satisfied community members with the Council’s efforts to hear their voice and community desire to contribute to the realisation of the vision • Database of community members who want to be part of the realisation of the vision

This strength based approach and engagement with more than 4,500 residents led to development of a new vision of the municipality, Whittlesea 2040: A place for all (www.whittlesea.vic.gov.au/whittlesea2040).

• New vision launch in October which included a five day exhibition. The exhibition display was a way of reporting back to community and promoting the new vision. It also thanked the community and showcased the contributions received for the time capsule initiative

The Whittlesea 2040 Project was an innovative project to develop a long term vision for the municipality that articulates the shared aspirations of the community and Council to ensure that Whittlesea is a great place for all to live now and into the future.

• The time capsule project which engaged community groups and residents who sent messages for 2040 which are stored in a uniquely crafted box as way of communicating with local communities.

Partnerships with a range of community organisations and leaders led to hearing the voice of more than 4,700 community members representing all places, ages, abilities and diversities across the municipality.

The new vision will provide overarching directions for all of Council’s work in aiming to achieve the Whittlesea 2040 vision: A place for all. All future plans, policies and strategies including the Council Plan, business and service planning and future local community plans will align with the Whittlesea 2040 Vision.

The project overcame many barriers within a very short time to reach out to so many residents with a number of tailored approaches including: • Valuable partnerships and networks established with local community organisations and community groups • The broad cross section of the community reached and engaged in the project in three months • Development of a database of more than 4,000 community responses on their love and hopes, which is vital for future projects • Key word testing workshops held with community groups directly influenced wording of vision, goals and key directions and to ensure the vision was clear and resonated well with community

Progress will be measured using priority indicators and will be reported to the community. Transferability of this project is demonstrated by proven community engagement models for achieving participation from a broad cross section of community, effective ways of reporting back and creating legacies for community (e.g. time capsule), and successful data management with a database of 4,700 responses. The hallmark of the project was the strong partnerships and the solid foundation that it has created for the community and Council to work together to realise the vision.

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COMMUNITY ASSETS & INFRASTRUCTURE INITIATIVE – $2 MILLION & UNDER

Initiatives that maximise benefits to the community and showcase partnerships in the development and management of community assets that are a new, one-off activity of a capital nature. This category comprises two sub-categories: • Projects $2 million & under • Projects over $2 million. This section profiles projects that are $2 million & under.

JUDGING CRITERIA > Project outcomes > Innovative features > Cost benefits > Complexity of implementation > Leadership demonstrated > Transferability

WINNER > Maribyrnong City Council, Braybrook Park Playspace

HIGH COMMENDATION > Ganawarra Shire Council, Kerang CBD Upgrade

FINALISTS > Ballarat City Council, City Oval Redevelopment > Maroondah City Council, Ringwood Lake Park Playspace > Melton City Council, Bridge Road Regional Playspace

WINNER

COMMUNITY ASSETS & INFRASTRUCTURE INITIATIVE – $2 MILLION & UNDER

MARIBYRNONG CITY COUNCIL

BRAYBROOK PARK PLAYSPACE The Braybrook Park playground in the City of Maribyrnong is a vibrant regional playspace which was rebuilt to replace Braybook’s much-loved Aeroplane Park which tragically burnt to the ground following an arson attack in December 2015. The new playspace retains the themes of flight, travel and journey to create a rich multi sensory and physically challenging playspace for all ages. It had to overcome negative perceptions of safety to create a robust and vandal resistant playground that was also inviting and joyful. The result is a safe and inclusive gathering space heavily used by this highly diverse community.

Complementing the playspace are extensive sheltered picnic facilities providing for large family and community gatherings. These social spaces recognise and cater for the diverse family groups which make up the Braybrook community and encourage them to use the park.

The project is the result of extensive engagement with the local community and many park users to understand their needs. The destruction of the original playground was a blow to the community, but the reconstruction also provided the opportunity to build a playspace which is substantially safer and more vandal resistant than the original.

The park is heavily used by many families and children on all days with Braybrook Hub staff reporting a dramatic increase in activity compared to the original playground. Council has also received positive community feedback on both the engagement process and the playspace itself, with many indicating that they have a strong sense of pride in their park.

The new playspace is a much more open and inviting space which has resulted in an exceptionally high level of use by many in the community.

This was a highly collaborative project, involving many teams within Council, the Braybrook Community Hub and its service partners, Footscray Police and the Victorian Government through a $205,000 grant from the Community Safety Infrastructure Fund.

The project is a bespoke playspace, drawing on the theme of flight to provide an exciting multi sensory space. The special custom designed play elements include a four metre high aeroplane fuselage incorporating climbing nets and ropes and 30 metre long wings containing banks for swings. The aeroplane sits on a runway, giving strong context to the site, and is anchored by an air traffic control tower overlooking the space with high slides. References to elements of travel, journey and movement were achieved through integrated public art elements such as the folded steel paper aeroplanes which spin in the wind. Movement through the space incorporates music, maths, multiple languages and court layouts to foster active play.

The design reflects the diverse Braybrook community by carefully layering educational and cross cultural elements. Multilingual script across the site provides an indication of the community’s rich cultural mix, while the artwork elements incorporate graphics to overcome language barriers.

The intensive consultation with the community has led to a playspace that is well loved and used by locals and visitors. The carefully designed space inspires park users to learn, explore and play through physical challenges and sensory experiences. The quality of space demonstrates Maribyrnong City Council’s commitment to enhancing the health and wellbeing of our community.

HIGH COMMENDATION COMMUNITY ASSETS & INFRASTRUCTURE INITIATIVE – $2 MILLION & UNDER

GANAWARRA SHIRE COUNCIL

KERANG CBD UPGRADE This exciting project involved using innovative urban design to revitalise the Central Business District (CBD) of the small rural community of Kerang. The construction works not only aimed to enhance the aesthetic appearance and functionality of the Kerang CBD, but to support local businesses and increase the competitiveness of the town as a location for investment and activity. The works included: • Implementation of traffic calming measures on the approach to Victoria Square • New paving along the kerb side, complementing paving to Victoria Square • Construction of custom timber bench seats and other street furniture • Installation of raised grass and garden pods with raised concrete edges • Installation of in ground and above ground lighting • Construction of a raised platform to unify the area’s heritage buildings • Removal of outdated street furniture and inappropriate existing planting • Implementation of new canopy vegetation • Upgraded planters with new timber and/or metal planters to complement street furniture • Provision of extended outdoor dining • Upgraded and enhanced garden bed planting at roundabouts.

The creation and maintenance of an attractive, legible and coherent public realm aimed to help redefine perceptions of the town, while encouraging complementary private sector investment in the presentation of town centre businesses. Through its clear design lines, the area not only achieves its goal of being visually appealing, but provides improved safety for pedestrians and drivers, including better area lighting. The upgrade has also removed many grade changes, making the CBD more accessible to all community members, including those with disability. The upgrade inspires gathering at key locations, through several “green pods”, accompanied by bespoke street furniture providing areas for rest and relief. These were shaped through observing pedestrian movement within the area, including street crossing points and pause points. The resulting upgrade has enhanced the appearance and functionality of the CBD, thereby supporting local businesses and fulfilling the aim to attract new investment to the area. The project also provided an opportunity for Council employees and local contractors to improve their skills, with elements of the project requiring specialised processes, materials and equipment, such as the area’s drivable paving. Council staff were also able to utilise a range of practical skills, including creating modern timber street furniture which they built in house. Extensive community consultation undertaken over an 18 month period was integral to the project. Council demonstrated it had listened to the community’s concerns regarding the project’s original design, incorporating feedback and ideas into subsequent final designs. Feedback from the community, businesses and visitors regarding the upgraded CBD has been overwhelmingly positive.

FINALIST

COMMUNITY ASSETS & INFRASTRUCTURE INITIATIVE – $2 MILLION & UNDER

BALLARAT CITY COUNCIL

CITY OVAL REDEVELOPMENT The City Oval Redevelopment included a major reconstruction of the sports field and upgrade of the field lighting to AFL semi professional standard. The primary objective was to significantly increase the carrying capacity and functionality of the sports field for year round activities due to the increasing level of AFL participation in Ballarat. The project resulted in providing greater access for the reserve’s tenant clubs (Redan Football Netball Club and Ballarat Football Umpires Association), as well as enabling the facility to host an increased number of community events during the summer months. Ballarat City Council’s approach to the investment in major oval redevelopments was strategic. Other objectives of the project were to remove the fire track and turf cricket wicket from the reserve to enable the facility to function as a more flexible events space for the municipality during the summer tenancy period (October – March) given its appealing aesthetics, central location (close to the CBD) and connections to public transport. The project was also part of an approach to redevelop public, Council owned facilities to enable clubs to compete at their home venues. This has provided clubs with greater social and financial benefits through a boost in their membership. The redevelopment included a number of distinguishing features but importantly none of these detract from the heritage significance of the site including the heritage listed grandstand. New features complement existing ones, not only through the considered design (positioning and alignment of the oval and lighting poles), but through further activation of the site following the redevelopment.

It has enabled greater exposure of the heritage facilities to a broader audience. Damian Linton, President of Redan Football Netball Club, gives a glowing report of the works: “the ground redevelopments at City Oval represented the start of a fantastic new era for Redan Football Netball Club,” he said. “Surface conditions in the past were extremely poor, often preventing our teams from training and forcing the relocation of matches to alternative venues. As a community club, this came at high cost to our modest resources and stretched volunteers to the limit. The ground redevelopment in conjunction with facility improvements at Western Oval (including a new netball court and kitchen/canteen) has created a healthier and more cohesive club, with the confidence that we can provide for future growth,” Mr Linton said. “One significant effect of redevelopment has been the growth of females playing football at our club. We now have four female teams – a level of participation that we would have seriously struggled to attract and support through the old facilities,” he said. One of the major positives is that the facility was able to cope with this level of increased activity in only a six month period. A further review will take place once the first 12 months have passed to understand the true percentage increase in activity that has been achieved for Ballarat City Council’s investment. Further reinforcement that the project was a success has come through the outstanding condition of the ground at its completion and the fact that no match or training session had to be cancelled or relocated due to poor or unsafe conditions of the playing surface. This is the first time in many years this has been the case.

FINALIST

COMMUNITY ASSETS & INFRASTRUCTURE INITIATIVE – $2 MILLION & UNDER

MAROONDAH CITY COUNCIL

RINGWOOD LAKE PARK PLAYSPACE The Ringwood Lake Park playspace attracts hundreds of visitors daily, making it the most utilised park in Maroondah. In 2015, it was identified that the playspace needed to be redeveloped, with a focus on accessibility. To ensure the community would embrace the new playspace they were engaged extensively throughout the design. This resulted in a state of the art playspace that includes rope courses, balance platforms, natural sand and water areas, creative play for all abilities and animal sculptures to fuel children’s imagination. Accessibility features include a wheelchair accessible carousel, wheelchair access into the tree canopy and a Liberty Swing. Council was conscious of the fact that the original playspace was highly valued by the community and it would need to deliver something that they would embrace. With this in mind an innovative community engagement approach was adopted working with toddlers, primary school children and visitors who were invited to the park over two sessions to provide their feedback.

The design theme was also based on native fauna and flora of the site, along with the original Sandy Creek, which once flowed through the park. A strong design focus was placed on accessibility, with all pathways now being fully accessible, a carousel catering for wheelchairs, wheelchair access into the tree canopy play area and the existing Liberty Swing was retained and relocated to integrate with other swings sets. While Council expected accessibility of the playspace to be a key attraction for park users, it under estimated the appreciation of local and regional families. Having a playspace that is fully accessible, and provides children with a disability the opportunity to participate in all play elements, has seen parents and carers drive from outside the municipality to visit the park. Council has received significant positive feedback from users, including one parent who commented: “being able to have a child with a disability play alongside other children with no barriers is a joy to see.”

Children were invited to be detectives and explore the area with a wizard and an elf who led them through the site. The children’s ideas were incorporated into a concept plan used for a second stage of engagement, creating a strong sense of local ownership for the project.

From the moment the construction fences were removed there were hundreds of families exploring the new playspace. It doesn’t matter what time or what day you visit the park, there are children of all ages enjoying the various creative and challenging play elements.

This extensive community consultation was fed into the final design which is incredibly innovative, providing for climbing, adventure elements, swinging, gliding and sliding, and including tree canopy and forest floor trails that flow between existing trees.

This is proof enough for Council that the redevelopment is a success. Assessments of the site have also found that not only are more people visiting the park, but that people are staying for longer periods of time than before.

During the consultation the community sent a strong message that they loved the green, bush like setting of the park, so every effort was made to retain and highlight the tree canopy. This included using large natural wooden posts and positioning the equipment within the existing clearings.

FINALIST

COMMUNITY ASSETS & INFRASTRUCTURE INITIATIVE – $2 MILLION & UNDER

MELTON CITY COUNCIL

BRIDGE ROAD REGIONAL PLAYSPACE The Bridge Road Regional Playspace has delivered an inclusive, all ages and abilities playspace that integrates with the surrounding natural context while capturing views to the You Yangs. It was designed with input from children of all ages, their parents and guardians. It includes a range of equipment that children, regardless of ability, can play on together, accessible picnic tables and barbecues, as well as shelters and toilets. The playspace has been designed to integrate with future development on its neighbouring site, and has become a well used and loved asset of the community. Council’s objective was the early delivery of an inclusive all abilities playspace that provided opportunities for social interaction in an emerging community in City of Melton’s growth areas. The playspace is significant in its size, type and infrastructure, but mostly in providing opportunities for all children, of all ages to play together with a focus on inclusiveness. No other playgrounds of this type and scale exist within the municipality, and as a result it has been a big drawcard for local families and those from the broader area. The playspace expresses a natural character inspired by the neighbouring Toolern Creek utilising natural materials, native and indigenous plants. It has also provided a social space for Melton’s west, having play, picnic, shelter and toilet facilities in the one location. It has created excitement among the existing and emerging community, encouraging them to be physically active, social and connected to their community.

Some of the innovative features include its accessibility and use of work by indigenous artists. The majority of the playspace is accessible via wheelchair and the equipment is inclusive focused rather than disability focused to avoid segregation and isolation and to promote collective play. Indigenous artists were enlisted to contribute to customising pieces throughout the space. They etched stone to encourage movement in the flow of water from the playground water pump into other sections. Barriers to the project centred around changing the mentality of what constituted accessible play equipment, however the support of the Disability Advisory Committee helped to navigate these obstacles. There were also concerns regarding children’s safety and the incorporation of tactile and natural elements, but thorough consultation provided evidence to justify these aspects of the design. Through the design process Council was able to balance the needs and wants of parents and children. Overall, undertaking thorough consultation was difficult as the local community is still being established, but it was critical to the space’s success. The community engagement methodology used could easily be adopted by other Councils or organisations because it used different approaches to appropriately engage with different age groups, but also incorporated inclusive and accessible play. The Bridge Road Regional Playspace has created a new standard of play for the municipality, demonstrating that the City of Melton has first class facilities equivalent to anywhere in Melbourne.

COMMUNITY ASSETS & INFRASTRUCTURE INITIATIVE – OVER $2 MILLION

JUDGING CRITERIA > Project outcomes > Innovative features > Cost benefits > Complexity of implementation > Leadership demonstrated > Transferability

WINNER > Mildura Rural City Council, Mildura Riverfront Stage 1 Development

HIGH COMMENDATION > Casey City Council, Bunjil Place

FINALISTS > Hobsons Bay City Council,

Activating the Western Section of Altona Beach > Melton City Council, Pride of Melton

WINNER

COMMUNITY ASSETS & INFRASTRUCTURE INITIATIVE – OVER $2 MILLION

MILDURA RURAL CITY COUNCIL

MILDURA RIVERFRONT STAGE 1 DEVELOPMENT The Mildura Riverfront Precinct is a key strip of land between the Mildura Central Business District (CBD) and Australia’s mightiest and longest river, the Murray. Following more than a decade of planning, feasibility and business case developments, with extensive community consultation, Mildura Rural City Council established a broad vision for both public and private redevelopment, into distinct precincts, defined under three interconnected themes – river life, environmental management and the industrial and social landscape. These themes are activated through a series of interconnecting projects linking the CBD to the riverfront, through development of specific cultural, commercial, retail, residential, transport, tourism and parkland components. Located in the north-west corner of the state, Mildura is a key regional city for Victoria, with traditionally strong historic links with the agricultural sector. However, the region has been subject to a range of emerging issues affecting the regional economy and the social fabric of the community. The CBD had few activities for locals and tourists to visit or meet, exacerbated by the trend of retail investment moving to outer suburban areas, poor existing linkages to the disconnected riverfront precinct (caused by a railway line running between the two, which inhibited further commercial development), together with few people living in, or near the CBD. This project developed innovative approaches and strong partnerships that aligned local, State and Federal Government policies and priorities to adopt a creative model, enabling design flexibility that truly rewrote the rules on activation. The establishment of an Aboriginal Reference Group to work on integrating important indigenous components throughout the design was a unique initiative that drove the authentic nature of the project.

This included a welcome to country feature, wayfinding markers symbolising boundary trees, scar tree sculpture and a replicated fish traps design for the children’s waterplay area. The first stage development of this significant project has contributed to increasing tourism visitation, spend and length of stay in the region by providing substantial improvements to and creation of, new public use open space areas. The project has improved social inclusion and engagement and influenced community health and wellbeing through provision of new community facilities, activated through a series of interconnecting links from the Mildura CBD to the Riverfront Precinct, featuring specific cultural, commercial, retail, residential, transport, tourism, and parkland components. It has created jobs and is the catalyst to unlock further private sector investment to enhance Mildura’s future economic sustainability. The project has carefully integrated these elements to successfully connect people and place to their environment, which in turn has driven community behaviours towards improved liveability and contributed to building community capacity. The project is a strong contributor to the region’s values and sense of identity and respects its history, landscape and diverse cultures of its people. The project forms part of Mildura’s Future Ready Strategy designed to create up to 1,000 jobs and inject $400 million into the northwest economy to strengthen future investment and support the regional growth future of Victoria. The $19.2 million stage 1 of the $222 million State project formally opened in November 2017 and has been overwhelmingly embraced by the community, with significant increases in activation of events, recreational activities and public usage.

HIGH COMMENDATION COMMUNITY ASSETS & INFRASTRUCTURE INITIATIVE – OVER $2 MILLION

CASEY CITY COUNCIL

BUNJIL PLACE Bunjil Place is the City of Casey’s vibrant new entertainment and community precinct. It brings together a diverse mix of facilities including an outdoor community plaza, theatre, studio, function centre, library, gallery, a Council Customer Service Centre and office space, community meeting rooms and café, all in one location. Bunjil Place extends beyond the building, from the glass façade of the impressive foyer, across the landscape to the memorial grove, children’s playground, Casey Aquatic Recreation Centre and surrounds. It provides a variety of exciting entertainment options and activities, enabling visitors to create their own experience and engage in arts, culture and community events. Casey’s extraordinary growth exposed a need for increased arts, cultural and community facilities and this drove the development of Council’s largest ever infrastructure project. Council’s vision was: “to create an inviting central heart for the community, that celebrates participation belonging and civic pride”. The plan was to bring arts, leisure, entertainment, library and civic facilities together in one convenient location that would respond to a critical community need for infrastructure and participation opportunities, service a rapidly growing population, attract visitors to the City and create efficiencies for Council. On 28 October 2017, just over four years after it was announced, Bunjil Place opened and more than 35,000 visitors streamed through the door the first weekend, far exceeding Council’s estimate of 20,000. The building design is innovative and truly unique. Bunjil Place’s striking architecture and name were inspired by stories of Bunjil (also referred to as ‘Bundjil’) the ‘creator’, from our First Nation’s People.

Bunjil Place provides quality facilities that did not previously exist in the region. It is a safe, accessible and contemporary environment for formal and informal community interactions and active and passive pursuits which generates positive social and economic impacts. The variety of offerings brings new opportunities for residents to participate in arts, culture and community life close to home. These localised experiences are especially important for residents who previously lacked access and therefore, opportunity. Since opening, Bunjil Place has welcomed approximately 1.3 million visitors through its doors. It has become a premier destination drawing people to the City and is well positioned to boost Casey’s investment attraction profile and economy. Additionally, Bunjil Place has brought many staff together into an efficient central civic hub that is shared with the community. This move has encouraged Council to shift to a contemporary flexible working environment, leading the Local Government sector in work practices that result in better outcomes for the community. Casey City Council took on the responsibility to develop this critical regional infrastructure where other government or private organisations were not able or willing to do so. Bunjil Place is the first facility of its kind, bringing together creativity, entertainment and community in a way that is unparalleled in Australia. It provides residents with access to facilities that did not otherwise exist, as well as new opportunities and experiences that residents had to leave Casey to enjoy. It is fast becoming a landmark for Casey, boosting community engagement, and civic pride, attracting visitors and enhancing the City’s profile.

FINALIST

COMMUNITY ASSETS & INFRASTRUCTURE INITIATIVE – OVER $2 MILLION

HOBSONS BAY CITY COUNCIL

ACTIVATING THE WESTERN SECTION OF ALTONA BEACH The area west of the Altona pier was under utilised because of poor access, lack of sand, and infrastructure in poor condition. This project has activated this section of the foreshore with the construction of a new beach, playground, public toilet and access ramps. The $2.7 million project was technically complex, requiring political, organisational and technical leadership. It employed innovative design principles and materials that future proof it against rising sea levels out to 2070. The outcome was a significant improvement in recreational opportunities and general amenity of the area and a useful template for future bayside projects. The project aimed to: • Encourage visitors by activating the under-utilised 1.5 kilometre section of Altona Beach west of the pier to Apex Park • Reduce crowding and pressure on the eastern section of Altona Beach by making the full length of available foreshore more attractive to beachgoers • Enhance the overall amenity of Altona Beach with a well managed, maintained, safe and protected foreshore that offers a variety of recreational opportunities • Future proof the foreshore to reduce the impact of rising sea levels, storm surges and erosion by strategically locating foreshore access ramps in response to anticipated 2070 sea levels. Outcomes include activation of the area evidenced by an increase in visitors due to the enhanced amenities. The project created a one kilometre stretch of usable beach, reinstated 10 metres of bluestone seawall to assist with sand retention and developed new facilities including a pedestrian access ramp to the beach

with a viewing platform and tiered seating, playground, public toilet and picnic area at Ransom Reserve and improved vehicle access. The success of this project has been its concerted, innovative and strategic approach to integrate individual elements holistically rather than in isolation. Innovative features include the use of construction materials such as the ‘glow in the dark’ access ramp landing platform at Correa Street. Barriers and obstacles included obtaining the necessary environmental approvals given the high conservation values of the area including the close proximity to a Ramsar site, and overcoming the lack of trust in the community about Council’s beach management and planning processes. The project was designed with long term sustainability in mind, including the need to mitigate against predicted 2070 sea levels. All of the newly constructed beach related assets are safe, durable, and future proofed against climate change. Ongoing collaboration with the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, including shared learning and implementation of best practice management, will also assist in sustaining the project outcomes long term. The initiative involved multi disciplinary teams working together with Councillors, community and government to activate the western section of Altona Beach through foreshore enhancements and new infrastructure that would withstand long term sea level rise. Innovative design and construction techniques were used to ensure the safety, durability and visual amenity of the project. The community was engaged in a way that generated much needed trust in Council’s ability to manage the project and the foreshore long term. The project resulted in a template that can be transferred to future bayside and coastal projects Australia wide.

FINALIST

COMMUNITY ASSETS & INFRASTRUCTURE INITIATIVE – OVER $2 MILLION

MELTON CITY COUNCIL

PRIDE OF MELTON Pride of Melton was a $13.1 million project to revitalise and transform the Melton Town Centre into a vibrant, attractive, pedestrian accessible and safe precinct.

• Consolidated car parking that is designed to be suitable for events

The project has strengthened the town centre by making clear pathways to encourage people movement, creating spaces that enable both passive and organised uses, and facilitating opportunities for local businesses to engage in streetscape trade.

• Public access WiFi.

The outcome is a first class, people focused space that attracts all ages and abilities, encourages the stimulation of local businesses, and enhances community pride. The Pride of Melton project set out to deliver a busy, vibrant and safe Town Centre that would increase local employment, social interaction and community connection. The revitalised precinct provides much improved pedestrian and bicycle access, retail and service opportunities, spaces for events, play, relaxation, socialisation, performances, outdoor dining and a safer precinct for all. It is a place for all ages, cultures, residents and visitors to enjoy. The project was financed by Federal, State and Council funding and has delivered many innovative features including: • Interactive public art and street art by renowned industrial artists Anderson Hunt and graffiti artist Phibs (Tim De Haan) • Architecturally designed taxi shelter • Courthouse Café deck • Amphitheatre upgrade • Fully controlled public lighting that can change colours and project images to suit seasons and events • Public lawn extending the forecourt of the library into the street that provides opportunities for events

• New public toilets

The rejuvenation of the town centre has already seen an increase in retailer investment with five business updating their shop fronts and 11 new businesses opening in the town centre. In addition, there is an enhanced sense of community pride and connection, with many people enjoying the public spaces each day. One of the obstacles the project team overcame was the lack of a functioning trader group operating in the area. To overcome this, the Place Manager established the Town Team, a group of traders that represented a cross section of business owners and operators which proved to be key to the project’s success. Through the Town Team many new initiatives were put in place to complement the overall goals of the project. With the completion of the project, Council now turns its attention to activation. A calendar of events has been established to continue to activate the whole precinct, drawing visitors to enjoy the rejuvenated space. This project is the first of its kind for the City of Melton and is an outstanding example of successful Local Government collaboration. Council teams have found balance in not only each discipline’s needs, but the needs of the community to create a wonderful, multi functional community space. The combined efforts of Council officers across many departments to plan, consult, design, procure and construct has resulted in a vibrant town centre that residents of the City of Melton can be proud of.

Reviving our social and economic wellbeing through investment in four major projects: • Mildura South Regional Sporting Precinct • Mildura Motorsports & Community Precinct • Mildura Riverfront Redevelopment – Stage 2 • Return of Passenger Rail Services

www.mildura.vic.gov.au/MFR

$88 million initial investment 1,000 new jobs $400 million economic output Improved health and wellbeing We’re currently seeking expressions of interest to be part of the Mildura Motorsports & Community Precinct.

SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVE

Initiatives that demonstrate excellence in the delivery of environmentally sustainable processes or projects which provide programs and developments that meet the needs of the present without compromising future generations.

JUDGING CRITERIA > Complexity of funding > Measurable sustainability outcomes > Size of project and innovativeness > Cost benefits of the initiative > Impact of the initiative

WINNER > Gannawarra Shire Council, Sustainable Gannawarra

FINALISTS > Melbourne City Council, Melbourne Renewable Energy Project > Surf Coast Shire Council, Plastic Wise Policy for Events and Markets > Wyndham City Council, Wyndham Solar City

WINNER

SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVE

GANNAWARRA SHIRE COUNCIL

SUSTAINABLE GANNAWARRA Gannawarra Shire Council’s sustainability program is leading the way in innovation and practices, both through local initiatives and an ambition to become Victoria’s solar energy capital. These projects are having a huge impact economically for this rural Council, with new jobs being created and financial benefits for many local businesses. Gannawarra Shire Director Infrastructure and Development, Geoff Rollinson says the Shire is committed to reducing its carbon footprint, while pursuing sustainability initiatives. During the past five years, Council has introduced a number of energy and sustainability projects across the Shire. These include: • Installation of roof-top solar, retrofitting lighting to LED and installation of HVAC timers in Council owned buildings leading to a reduction in the use of power, reducing Council’s carbon footprint while producing significant cost savings • Changing 80W mercury vapour streetlights to an LED alternative resulting in 60% less power being consumed • Introduction of a green waste collection, increasing the recycling rate and further diverting waste from landfill • Development of a joint venture solar array to trial an irrigation pumping system to reduce costs and environmental impacts of diesel engines • Purchase of solar arrays from the Bendigo and Ballarat solar trial sites and installation at the Kerang library. Local investment by Council in sustainability initiatives (Council buildings, streetlights, green waste, etc.), has had positive financial impacts for the Shire, providing savings for ratepayers, while also contributing to the lessening of Council’s overall carbon footprint.

The significant investment of large scale solar within the municipality further supports renewable energy targets and aligns Council to the sustainability principles highlighted in its Council Plan. In the early days it was difficult to gain support as few people understood what Council wanted to achieve and why. Undeterred the Council continued its drive to develop the large scale solar industry in its municipality, looking at the examples in Europe of how it could change and better use renewables. As a small rural Council with limited funds and resources, it had to find an alternative way to make these large scale solar projects happen. To this end, the Council became investment ready, in identifying and mapping transmission infrastructure along with suitable properties. Council’s sustainability program continues to be implemented with the next stage of rooftop solar installations to occur in the coming year. Additionally, its green waste program continues to ensure diversion of waste from landfill and a reduction in contamination of recycling. Gannawarra Shire is considered to be a trailblazer in this industry development and its process is simple and effective and is being shared with many municipalities and community groups. Many small rural communities struggle to remain sustainable with declining populations, declining rate revenue and a lack of jobs. By Gannawarra Council investing in sustainability initiatives and securing large scale solar farm investment, it has added diversity to its economy and created new jobs and business potential. The Council’s success provides incentive for other small rural Councils to diversify and secure investment to strengthen their local economy providing benefits into the future.

FINALIST

SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVE

MELBOURNE CITY COUNCIL

MELBOURNE RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECT The project, led by Melbourne City Council, has united 14 universities, cultural institutions, corporations and Councils to combine their purchasing power to source energy from Pacific Hydro’s 80 MW wind farm that’s being built at Crowlands, near Ararat. “As the first group in Australia to implement a renewable energy power purchasing agreement we’re immensely proud of what we’ve achieved. From negotiating the complexity of 14 partners in one buying group to seeing the construction of the wind farm bring over 140 jobs to regional Victoria, there is much to celebrate,” the Deputy Lord Mayor said. The Cities of Melbourne, Moreland, Yarra and Port Phillip have adopted Zero Net Emissions goals for their organisations and the municipalities they serve. Local Government leadership in decarbonising electricity plays a critical role in achieving these targets. However, cities on their own, lack the necessary levers to directly determine their electricity mix. In response, the Melbourne Renewable Energy Project (MREP) developed a model to drive investment in new renewable energy generation. By partnering with other large energy customers – including cultural institutions, universities and corporations – the group demonstrated a new, innovative model that can be replicated in a wide range of sectors. This will increase the speed of the transition to a renewable energy supplied grid and play a key role in achieving zero net emission targets. The MREP project, conceptualised, facilitated and led by Melbourne City Council, identified that Local Governments and large energy customers could use their combined purchasing power to provide sufficient revenue certainty to enable the construction and operation of a large scale renewable energy project.

The project resulted in the construction of a new 39 turbine 80 MW capacity wind farm at Crowlands near Ararat. The wind farm will abate almost 264,000 tonnes of CO2 annually, powering the equivalent of 48,000 homes. Electricity will be supplied to project partners through a price competitive retail contract alongside a contract for Large Scale Generation Certificates. The customer group contributed their expertise in developing the tender specification and process. Working together, the project has turned organisational goals into concrete action by combining the energy needs of the partners to provide sufficient guaranteed demand to enable the development of a new renewable energy generation facility. From the outset, Melbourne City Council, as the project lead, was committed to ensuring the project could be readily replicated by other large energy customers. This was important to achieve the City’s objective of decarbonising the electricity supply. To this end, a comprehensive renewable energy and procurement guide was produced and released in conjunction with the official launch of the project. The guide lays out the circumstances, resources and tools necessary for other large organisations to replicate renewable PPA contracts. It enables customers to construct a business case and provides practical steps to progress from project inception to close. The project did achieve more than just new renewable energy and significant reductions in participants’ greenhouse emissions. The model itself has been recognised as a game changing procurement model which provides an example of how relatively small consumers, can take control of their electricity supply.

FINALIST

SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVE

SURF COAST SHIRE COUNCIL

PLASTIC WISE POLICY FOR EVENTS AND MARKETS Surf Coast Shire’s Plastic Wise Policy was implemented to demonstrate leadership and commit Council to reducing or eliminating single use plastic at events and markets in the Shire. Passionate community groups were vital to both the development and ongoing implementation of the policy. The policy, believed to be the first of its kind in Australia, aims to eliminate single use plastic items at events, markets and organised sporting activities held at all sites owned and managed by Council. Since its adoption in 2016, the policy has driven significant behaviour change. Many local market and event organisers have demonstrated their passion and commitment to reducing the environmental impacts of their events. The Great Ocean Road Coast Committee (GORCC), responsible for managing the majority of coastal reserves in the Shire, also adopted the policy. This joint approach, coupled with community support, has been key to its success, setting consistent expectations for organisers and attendees at events held within the Shire. Introducing the policy has led to increased use of ‘bring your own’ and reusable options (such as bags, water bottles, containers and coffee cups), increased recovery of compostable food and packaging, reduced litter in the environment, and reduced waste being sent to landfill. It has also contributed to Surf Coast Shire building a reputation for hosting a diverse range of sustainable events. With the Plastic Wise Policy in place, in 2018 the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach achieved its highest level of waste diverted from landfill (65%) and Torquay’s Nightjar Festival turned 65-70% of its waste into compost.

Plastic Wise Torquay, Plastic Wise Winchelsea, Lorne Goes Plastic Free and other community groups have also been working with local businesses and traders groups to extend the reach of the Plastic Wise Policy beyond markets and events. Since the policy was introduced, there has been many developments in food packaging, such as the availability of bioplastic products. Waste management has also changed, and both of these offer benefits and complications. Overcoming confusion about plastic products, labelling and alternatives has been a big challenge, and led to Council producing the Plastic Wise Guide for Markets and Events. The guide has been a well received support to event organisers and community groups to assist them in navigating the complexities of avoiding single use plastic. Other Councils across Victoria and New South Wales have been in touch with the Shire as they look at developing their own Plastic Wise policies and Surf Coast has been happy to share its experiences of developing and implementing the policy. The Council is excited to see how broadly this will help in reducing plastic litter and pollution. Plastic pollution continues to be a global issue and one that Surf Coast Shire Council and its community are committed to acting upon. With a passionate and active community, and a Council that is committed to helping their community and environment to thrive, the Plastic Wise Policy has been a fantastic initiative that enables Council and the community to work together and support each other in reducing the use of single use plastics.

FINALIST

SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVE

WYNDHAM CITY COUNCIL

WYNDHAM SOLAR CITY Wyndham Solar City is a three year project designed to reduce the City’s energy use and greenhouse gas emissions through the large scale roll out of Solar Photovoltaics (PV) across Council’s community buildings.

This project has also had a powerful impact in building community support for renewable energy, via direct engagement with more than 200 user groups and the opportunity to connect with the millions of visitors who use these facilities.

The project included the trial of a number of battery technologies to see how they can be used across many different types of Council buildings to further reduce reliance on the grid.

Through the use of best practice technology, site monitoring systems and comprehensive management plans, Wyndham City has also delivered on project goals for long term system productivity and maintenance, ensuring that the solar systems will continue to benefit the community in the future.

The Wyndham Solar City project will offset 52,900 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions and save more than $4 million in energy costs during its 20 plus year lifetime, diverting critical funds to invest in sustainability projects and community services. Wyndham is one of the fastest growing municipalities in Australia, with a population of 243,034 forecast to more than double by 2036. This rapid growth presents a range of environmental challenges including rising energy demands, greenhouse emissions and risks to the region’s iconic natural landscapes. Wyndham Solar City is designed to address these challenges and to sustainably manage growth by reducing the City’s energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. As a result of this ambitious project more than 1.825MW of solar (more than 7,000 panels) have been installed across 35 community buildings including swimming pools, sporting grounds, community centres, kindergartens, libraries and municipal offices.

Wyndham City is a founding member of the Victorian Government’s collective climate change program TAKE 2, with the Wyndham Solar City project demonstrating Council’s commitment to help achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Delivery of this ambitious project was achieved hand-in-hand with the community, the result of close collaboration with centre committees, sporting clubs and user groups. As well as engaging directly with centre users, the project now provides an opportunity to connect with the more than three million people who visit these buildings each year, including the use of real time solar monitoring displays for key sites. With systems now installed across Council’s largest energy users including the City’s Civic Centre, indoor and outdoor swimming pools the project future proofs these assets for the next generation to enjoy.

The 52,900 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions the project will offset and the more than $4 million in energy costs it will save in its lifetime will allow funds to be diverted to invest in sustainability projects and community services. That’s the equivalent to an annual energy offset of 500 households each year.

Bandmates Victoria is an initiative delivered by Maribyrnong City Council and funded by VicHealth in Victoria. Bandmates Victoria matches people with disability and or mental health issues who are over 18 with a Volunteer to see live music.

Program aims: · Matching Bandmates and Volunteers · Recruiting and training Volunteers · Industry development of music venue and festival staff

Contact us: 0409 841985 bandmatesvic@maribyrnong.vic.gov.au Maribyrnong.vic.gov.au/bandmatesvic facebook.com/bandmatesvic @bandmatesvic

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

Council achievements and outcomes that acknowledge, support and celebrate diversity and inclusion in relation to internal practices and those within the broader community context.

JUDGING CRITERIA > Commitment to diversity and inclusion > Capacity for establishing and maintaining partnerships > Establishment of cross functional working relationships > Influence on innovation > Outcomes achieved within the organisation > Benefit to broader community

WINNER > Maribyrnong City Council, Bandmates Victoria

HIGH COMMENDATION > Moyne Shire Council, Early Years Kindergarten Inclusion of Anaphylaxis Children

WINNER

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

MARIBYRNONG CITY COUNCIL

BANDMATES VICTORIA Bandmates Victoria is an innovative project taking action to improve and promote health and wellbeing outcomes for people with disability and or mental health issues through providing a project that engenders individual choice and control.

Victoria, and representatives from Moreland, Maribyrnong, Melbourne, Darebin, Yarra and Port Philip City Councils. It monitors the project’s outcomes and provides leverage into live music venues through established networks and relationships.

Allowing these people to choose the music they want to see and when they want to see it builds capacity to develop social networks and promotes independence and confidence.

The reference group is made up of representatives from live music venues, people with disability and or mental health issues, live music industry stakeholders, Bandmate Volunteers and young people and provides guidance in the project’s objectives and outcomes.

Through the Bandmates Victoria program young people (over 18 years of age) with disability and/or mental health issues are matched with volunteers so that they can experience live music events together. Bandmates Victoria is underpinned by the following aims: • To match Bandmates and volunteers • To train volunteers • To provide Melbourne venues with disability awareness training. The project was developed by lead partners Maribyrnong City Council and Arts Access Victoria after repeated requests by people with intellectual disability and or mental health issues who wanted the opportunity to attend live music without being in a group or accompanied by support workers or parents. After completing substantial research the lead partners recognised the need to develop a program to fit within their organisational commitments, the Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities and the important context of the Melbourne music scene. A substantial component of the Bandmates Victoria project is the governance structure comprising the steering group and the reference group. The steering group comprises members of peak industry organisations Arts Access Victoria and Music

People with disability and or mental health issues are entitled to the same rites of passage as others. This type of project has not previously existed because of the perceived understanding of risk in live music events, festival and concerts including; late night activity, alcohol use, inaccessible venues, lighting and noise. Disability groups have been traditionally opposed to engagement in these types of activities. Using a localised approach, the Bandmates Victoria project has provided a number of significant service improvements for residents, businesses and Council. By working with music industry stakeholders, venue and festival promoters, disability organisations and individuals from diverse backgrounds, they have been able to create an inclusive environment which has strengthened positive relationships across this variety of different stakeholders, and encouraged new perspectives on disability. Bandmates Victoria’s core principle is to change perceptions through education, awareness and visibility of people with disability and or mental health issues. Participants in the project enjoy increased social activity and connectedness, build relationships and improve their capacity for independent decision making which leads to better health and wellbeing outcomes.

HIGH COMMENDATION DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

MOYNE SHIRE COUNCIL

EARLY YEARS KINDERGARTEN INCLUSION OF ANAPHYLAXIS CHILDREN In 2017, when staff at Moyne Shire Council’s Port Fairy Community Services Centre became aware that Katie, a beautiful spirited five year old girl with severe and life threatening allergies, was enrolled at their centre they sprang into action.

to minimise and treat any mild/moderate allergies, confident in their training and knowledge. This meant that Katie could continue her learning and engagement in the program when any issues arose.

The educators spent the six months prior to Katie starting at the centre preparing the environment and developing plans to ensure she would enjoy an inclusive environment where she would be safe, healthy and have the opportunity to learn like every other child.

Educators worked tirelessly to ensure Katie could participate in all aspects of the program at both a group and individual level. From an organisational level, moving forward, the kindergarten program at the Port Fairy Community Services Centre now has more extensive systems and plans in place to ensure that any child with allergies can be accommodated and included in the program.

From the beginning the educators understood the importance of a collaborative approach, sharing everyone’s knowledge and experience. Meetings were held at the kindergarten to discuss and formulate ideas on how best to provide a safe, inclusive environment for Katie. They also met with Katie’s parents to gain a thorough understanding of what her allergens were, what her reactions looked like and what the best way of treating them were moving forward. Educators brainstormed ideas on how they could adapt the program and the indoor/outdoor environment to ensure her safety and promote optimal learning. In consultation with the family, detailed plans and procedures were developed and a working timeline was put in place to ensure that everything was acted on and completed prior to Katie commencing. This included an extensive risk minimisation plan along with a detailed action plan highlighting roles and responsibilities in the event of an anaphylactic reaction. The extensive forward planning and operational procedures put in place led to a positive outcome for Katie during her time at kindergarten. Not only did she end the year without having a severe anaphylactic episode, but the educators were able

Annual Anaphylaxis training funded by the Moyne Shire will continue to keep educators informed on current practice and will improve long term outcomes for families and children. In April 2018, the educators of the Moyne Shire Port Fairy Community Services Centre were awarded the Allergy and Anaphylaxis Australia ‘Be a M.A.T.E’ (make allergy treatment easier) award after being nominated by Katie’s family who described the educators as “exceptional, committed, and extremely well prepared” to cater for her inclusion. The award recognised the centre for promoting respect for those living with the risk of anaphylaxis, implementing manageable allergen minimisation strategies, demonstrating quality care and knowledge, increasing awareness of allergies and what can be done to support those living with them, understanding the needs of those living with food allergies, communicating on behalf of those who live with the risk of anaphylaxis, encouraging open communication on food allergy needs, and improving the quality of life of someone with allergic disease in some way.

FINALIST

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

BAYSIDE CITY COUNCIL

BLUFF ROAD ESTATE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROJECT The Bluff Road Estate Community Engagement Project addresses the needs of people experiencing socio economic disadvantage and their inclusion in society. It focuses on engaging residents living in public housing to address their identified needs, including social engagement and access to support services. The Bluff Road public housing precinct was identified as the best location for the project as it demonstrated a greater need with no community space onsite, resulting in minimal community service provision and minimal opportunities for positive social interactions. This particular location is ranked in the highest decile of disadvantage on the Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA). A sample of 30 residents completed a survey in which the following key wellbeing needs were identified: safety and conflict between residents, social isolation, infrastructure improvements and a lack of accessibility to or engagement with service providers. By bringing services and supports to the estate, Council and its partners are able to assist the community to meet its needs and engage residents to ensure that they are a part of the wider community. Activities that have been delivered include: • Leasing a residential unit from the Department of Health and Human Services to create a safe, supportive and neutral engagement space • Providing social groups and workshops to develop skills including, breakfast and school lunch making, Maternal and Child Health Clinic, Library Outreach and adult art classes • Hosting regular BBQs and social lunches to provide the opportunity for residents to connect with each other and local services • Developing a monthly community newsletter to build regular communication

• Facilitating a Resident Advisory Group to build the capacity of residents and develop a sense of empowerment in working collaboratively for a common goal. These activities have resulted in: • A total of 180 residents attending the BBQ social activities • Around 190 residents participating in individual programs and workshops • Fifteen residents are now actively engaged in the Resident Advisory Group. Within an estate that has significant reports of anti social behaviours and previous negative service experiences, it has taken time to develop trust. As resident resistance was identified as a project risk, strategies have been implemented to work with these concerns. At times this is done on an individual level, with staff speaking directly to residents and talking through their concerns and they are also addressed through the resident advisory group and the community newsletter. This project would not have been possible without strong internal and external collaborative work and a commitment to working with residents on the public housing estates, through at times, very challenging circumstance. The Working Group has been operating for more than three years, with the project being delivered over the past 12 months. Lessons from the project could be utilised by other Local Government organisations aiming to improve their engagement and service delivery to people living in public housing. The project is an innovative approach to coordinated service provision for a marginalised community. By having an ongoing presence on the public housing estate and building trust, Council has been able to demonstrate excellence in innovative engagement processes and excellence in service delivery to ensure access to the hard to reach in the community.

FINALIST

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

BALLARAT CITY COUNCIL

GENDER EQUITY STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN Ballarat City Council has positioned itself as a leader in the gender equity space through the launch and implementation of its Gender Equity Action Plan. With a strong female CEO and Mayor, the organisation is uniquely placed to lead change within Ballarat and further afield.

including sessions on Gender Equity 101, Introduction to Prevention of Violence Against Women, and How to be an Active Bystander. The participation in these sessions was split evenly between men and women, an excellent result given that on average men usually access double the training hours of women.

CEO, Justine Linley said that as a woman of influence in the community and as someone with the opportunity to effect real change, she is working to lead an organisation where every woman feels equal and has equal opportunities to be her best and progress.

Taking on board the issues raised across the organisation, increasing awareness through targeted training and the establishment of a Gender Equity Committee has resulted in the development of the Gender Equity Action 2018-2020 which is focused on addressing the underlying structural foundations of gender inequality and tackling the embedded gender stereotypes and structural power imbalances.

“The Gender Equity Strategy and Action Plan are designed to help us address the barriers and behaviours that impact gender equity and improve attitudes towards women,” she said. Ballarat City Council is at the beginning of establishing a new cultural norm called the Ballarat Way of Working (BWOW) which is all about how staff connect and integrate, learn and perform, communicate and celebrate, and ensure that the work being undertaken is strategic and sustainable.

By embedding gender equity in the fabric of the organisation, Ballarat City Council will ensure sustainable practices exist, are managed, and are recognised through the achievement of the following desired outcomes: • The City of Ballarat workplace is a sector-wide gender equity leader

With a vision to be an organisation that is bold, vibrant and thriving, the Gender Equity Strategy of 50/50 by 2020 (if not, why not?) and the supporting Action Plan is part of a suite of projects designed to establish the new organisational norm.

• The City of Ballarat boasts a gender-balanced workforce composition and pay equality

The organisation recognises that gender inequality is a significant underlying cause of violence against women and children. The Gender Equity Action Plan is assisting Ballarat City Council to address barriers and behaviours that impact gender equity including gender pay gaps, barriers to leadership, glass ceilings, everyday sexism, and improve attitudes towards women.

• The City of Ballarat applies bias-free practices when assessing its talent pool

The awareness raising component of the program commenced with training in late 2017 and early 2018 which saw 453 staff participate in more than 1,000 hours of gender equity training

• The City of Ballarat has zero tolerance for everyday sexism and all staff are empowered to address it

• All women are supported to succeed at the City of Ballarat. Ballarat City Council is leading the way in its internal practices which can only result in better services and a more prosperous community as diversity is leveraged to ensure all can contribute equally.

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DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

BALLARAT CITY COUNCIL

ACTIVE WOMEN AND GIRLS STRATEGY Ballarat City Council’s 2018 Active Women and Girls’ Strategy has created equitable opportunities for female participation in sport by committing to creating opportunities to participate in the various aspects of the sporting environment. With a focus on participation, culture, environment, infrastructure and media action, Ballarat has supported women and girls in structured and unstructured physical activity, leadership opportunities and governance roles within sporting environments and clubs. Through its 2018 Active Women and Girls Strategy, Ballarat City Council is well on the way to creating equitable female participation opportunities in sport. It addresses the areas of gender equity, ethnicity, personality, class and job orientation, and leadership pathways and representation to encourage a change in attitudes, environments and culture, as well as to establish equality in sport and active recreation The strategy promotes action on a range of opportunities across various aspects of the sporting environment. It encourages greater participation outcomes in both sport and physical activity, as well as greater diversity and representation of women on boards and in other local leadership positions. The launch of the strategy has caused a dramatic increase in media coverage and good news stories highlighting local female champions both in print media and via social media including Ballarat City Council’s own channels and also those of Sport and Recreation Victoria, Ageing Victoria websites, 3BA Radio and ABC Radio.

Ballarat City Council itself now has a greater understanding of where women and girls fit in sport and recreation in the local context from an organisational perspective. This means that staff across all departments are able to actively interpret and implement the actions within the strategy bringing life and commitment to it. There is increased support from executive management and Council to continue to grow the brand that is Active Women and Girls, and the ability to deliver the actions and outcomes. This means that staff across all departments are able to actively interpret and implement the actions within the strategy, bringing life and commitment to it. The Active Women and Girl’s Strategy has four key pillars – participation, culture and environment, infrastructure and media action. All four have been aligned to a community ambassador who strategically and practically represents that pillar. Council has created a community liaison committee that works with Council to ensure the actions from the strategy are delivered as described within the strategy and to ensure Council represents the broader community in its implementation. The opportunity now exists for the community to be represented and heard via Council’s Active Women and Girls community reference group. This reference group has given the community the ability to positively contribute to the implementation of the Active Women and Girls Strategy and have their own voice on behalf of the different communities and networks they represent. Ballarat City Council acknowledges Moreland City Council’s metropolitan Women in Sport Strategy. It believes it is the only regional municipality to have a dedicated Active Women and Girls strategy at present. VicHealth’s ‘This Girl Can’ campaign has also been a key motivator in the delivery of this strategy.

FINALIST

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

MELTON CITY COUNCIL

INTERFAITH STRATEGY Melton City Council’s Interfaith Strategy guides the Council’s direction in serving increasingly diverse fath communities. It aims to work towards an inclusive community that embraces and values faith diversity and promotes interfaith harmony and religious pluralism. The strategy 2018/21 provides a direction for Council’s work in the interfaith area concentrating on the key focus areas to augment Council’s capacity to meet the growing needs of people’s faith through the lenses of interfaith dialogue and religious pluralism by building relationship, capacity, collaboration and partnership. Based on data from the ABC Census 2016, the municipality presents a higher level of religious adherence than Greater Melbourne, with 68.9% of the City of Melton population professing a religious affiliation, as opposed to 60.1% in Greater Melbourne. A growing number of people practicing Hinduism and Sikhism exist in the municipality. Sri Durga, one of Australia’s biggest Hindu temples, Sri Murgan, another Hindu temple, and Khalsa Shaouni, a Sikh Gurdwara are located in the municipality. The municipality also currently has the following faith-based schools: Al Iman College, (Islam); Australian International Academy, (Islam); Heathdale Christian College, (Christian); Catholic Regional College, (Catholic); Melton Christian College, (Christian); Gilson College, (Christian). The strategy was developed in response to a number of key actions in the Melton Intercultural Plan 2017/2021 to provide a safe and nurturing environment for the community to work on the principles of social cohesion to achieve social harmony.

One of the key objectives of the strategy is to support the Melton Interfaith Network (MIN) which aims to promote positive interaction, understanding and relationship building amongst various faith and intercultural communities in the City of Melton. The MIN was established in 2013 and its vision is to achieve a cohesive, embracing and harmonious community. The network attracts many faith and diverse community groups including the Baha’i, Christian, Hindu, Islamic, Zoroastrian and Sikh. Council actively seeks opportunities for partnership to implement interfaith projects in collaboration with MIN. Council also works towards building the capacity of MIN by providing leadership training in the areas of interfaith and religious pluralism. Council has signed a Memorandum of Understanding as part of its Interfaith Strategy. A snapshot of MIN’s recent activities in partnership with Council are the Connecting Melton Community Dinner, Iftar dinners, bus tour of places of worship and the network collaborates with Council to celebrate Refugee Week and Harmony Day. Melton City Council’s Interfaith Strategy 2018/21 provides a direction for Council’s work in the interfaith area. Melton is one of Australia’s fastest growing municipalities offering enviable and unique urban and rural lifestyles. The work in the interfaith and intercultural space is extremely important to make sure its growing community feels welcome and belonged as they make the City of Melton their home.

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INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVE

An initiative or program, implemented in conjunction with the Indigenous community that has contributed towards enriching a community or municipality, delivered through an effective or innovative approach.

JUDGING CRITERIA > Effectiveness of the initiative > Evidence to demonstrate how the successful approach was adopted > Transferability > Outcomes achieved within the organisation and in the community > Benefit to the organisation, Indigenous community and broader community

WINNER > Casey City Council, The Strong Culture; Good Health School Holiday Program

WINNER

INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVE

CASEY CITY COUNCIL

THE STRONG CULTURE; GOOD HEALTH SCHOOL HOLIDAY PROGRAM The Strong Culture; Good Health Holiday Program provides culturally responsive, no cost activities to engage Aboriginal youth in positive social, physical and recreational activities whilst providing effective service referral and advocacy pathways. Messages around protective factors promotes individual and community resilience to improve cultural safety experiences for young people. It strengthens their connection to the community, culture, positive social norms and healthy behaviours. This unique project conducts a holiday program to help bring about and maintain strong culture, good health and general wellbeing for Aboriginal young people within the Casey community. The program is strengths based and demonstrates how culture is an attribute which plays a protective role in the lives of young people and assists in more effectively reducing risk. The Strong Culture; Good Health Holiday Program addresses boredom and disengagement and promotes healthy behaviours and positive lifestyle choices. Connection to community and culture is seen as a protective factor for Aboriginal children. It is inclusive of young people in Out of Home Care, with significant attendance. The program has extended beyond its intended goals to include additional extension programs including the basketball program with VicPol and increased participation of the Murray River Marathon (VicPol). Engagement with youth on the program has seen 196 young people participate across the first three years which was well beyond expectations. Short term funding restrictions has been one of the major barriers to the program, restricting long term planning and at times limiting attractive activities. The program was initially funded through Koolin Balit Aboriginal Health Strategy (DHHS),

however this funding stream has now ended so Council has taken over funding of the program. The team responsible for running the program are Aboriginal staff who have extensive networks and are known to the community and young people. The young people themselves are actively involved in planning and evaluation of the program. The Strong Culture; Good Health Holiday Program is localised, which is significant to its success. Given the large numbers of Aboriginal young people living, studying, working and visiting Casey and surrounding areas, there is a clear need for a range of youth services that offer choice to meet the diverse needs of this target group. The program is unique, with no other like it in the southern region. It has been hugely successful in engaging young Aboriginal people, many of whom have not engaged with any other service before. Partnerships with The Dandenong and District Aborigines Co-operative and Victoria Police are invaluable to the success of the program. Links with Councilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s youth services and the broader health services system ensures that the program has strong referral pathways embedded for the benefit of all participants. The delivery of Strong Culture; Good Health Holiday Program is a remarkable achievement for Casey City Council and the community and responds to a demonstrated need where young people can feel safe and where Aboriginal young people can strengthen their connection to community, culture and country. The establishment of the Strong Culture; Good Health Holiday Program has, and will continue to result in a large number of short, medium and long-term positive outcomes for the Casey community.

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INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVE

DAREBIN CITY COUNCIL

DAREBIN ABORIGINAL MATERNAL CHILD AND HEALTH INITIATIVE The Aboriginal Maternal and Child Health Initiative is the result of Darebin Council and Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA) partnering to provide a high quality, integrated and culturally responsive model of support to Aboriginal children and their families accessing the Councilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s maternal and child health (MCH) service. The aim is to provide an integrated and flexible service that is culturally safe, culturally secure and to keep Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents and families engaged with MCH and immunisation services. This initiative enabled multiple entry points into the Maternal and Child Health service increasing accessibility and providing early intervention and support. It leveraged on existing specialised services such as VACCA services, family services, community health and hospitals to provide a wrap around service to Aboriginal children and their families using the universal service platform. A key component of the initiative was the cultural training provided by VACCA to the maternal and child health nurses to increase their knowledge, skills and confidence in engagement, cultural interpretation, and Aboriginal child rearing practices and working with Aboriginal families. Training was provided by VACCA and included a Cultural Activity Day with Yarn Strong Sista. A project worker skilled with working with Aboriginal families was employed to develop an integrated approach by establishing networks to ensure effective and coordinated services for Aboriginal families and children at the local level with clear pathways built into existing services and linkages.

The aim was to eliminate a siloed approach to service delivery and facilitate service delivery that is integrated and coordinated. Practices were developed to ensure a family receives the service they require regardless of the entry point, the service is culturally safe and the family and practice promotes sustained engagement. The maternal and child health nurses were provided with a mentor through VACCA to ensure each family was provided with unique practice that was culturally appropriate and safe. A parenting program jointly facilitated by a maternal and child health nurse and VACCA connected and built awareness of services to Aboriginal families. The outreach component of the initiative has enabled referral pathways to be developed and relationships formed. One of strengths of the initiative is its flexibility, which will allow it to evolve, form and address barriers that arise. However, this flexiblity has made it difficult to keep to time frames, in particular to those relating to the evaluation. The gains of the initiative are embedded in the service approach and discussed and shared in networks and meetings with Councilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s partners across the state. This project is a new initiative and partnership that focuses on developing solid foundations to ensure Darebin Councilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s maternal and child health service, including the nurses, have the adequate knowledge to provide a service that is culturally safe and secure to enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families access and remain engaged with the service. The strategies used have been evaluated and can be replicated within any other service or program. Additionally, an important component is the relationships that are formed and the practices developed to sustain the partnerships.

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INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVE

GLEN EIRA CITY COUNCIL

RELATIONSHIPS FOR RECONCILIATION PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVE Glen Eira City Council’s Relationships for Reconciliation Partnership Initiative is focused on building an organisation that exemplifies cultural safety and inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The partnership ensures that the Traditional Owners of Glen Eira are appropriately recognised, celebrated, acknowledged and respected. By focusing on developing a committed partnership with the Boon Wurrung Foundation at the centre of leadership and decision making, Council has effectively embedded recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identity, history, art, culture, health and wellbeing outcomes across Council programs, services and events. The Relationships for Reconciliation Initiative has developed meaningful, committed and supportive relationships with Glen Eira’s local Traditional Owners and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.

The partnership has promoted knowledge and understanding of the significant history and role of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Glen Eira community today. This is significant in an urban community context that has little documented history of Aboriginal life. The initiative has had a substantial impact on the Council as an organisation with evidence emerging that messages of reconciliation are spreading more broadly to the Glen Eira community reaching community members from early childhood right through to older adults. The partnership has been created through shared commitment and ownership of working on building a reconciled and unified community together.

A signed Memorandum of Agreement between Council and the Boon Wurrung Foundation cemented the commitment to a collaborative relationship that has embedded ongoing cultural guidance and leadership in progressing Council’s reconciliation journey.

Glen Eira City Council’s Relationships for Reconciliation Partnership Initiative has demonstrated commitment and integrity in developing meaningful and sustainable relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on progressing reconciliation.

This has resulted in strengthened partnerships across several Council departments including libraries, arts and culture, family children and youth services, history and heritage, and people and culture.

It has supported and enabled Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and community members to be at the centre of decision making and leadership. It is creating a culturally safer Glen Eira that delivers a range of exciting and innovative initiatives and events that acknowledge and celebrate its community’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and heritage.

A significant enabler was the establishment of a Reconciliation Advisory Group that included six Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members and a range of community leaders. Each played a critical role in Council’s reconciliation journey.

The Boon Wurrung Foundation has supported Council by showing the way to celebrate and raise awareness of culture and history through significant Aboriginal days and at events.

FINALIST

INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVE

HORSHAM RURAL CITY COUNCIL

HORSHAM RURAL CITY COUNCIL RECONCILIATION ACTION PLAN Through the development of the Horsham Rural City Council Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) Council had the opportunity to engage and work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, communities and organisations to develop actions that will contribute to ‘Closing the Gap’ through the key areas of relationships, respect and opportunities. Council plays an important role in ‘Closing the Gap’ through improving outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through the services it provides and a broader planning, advocacy and facilitation role. Horsham Rural City Council’s vision for reconciliation is to create an improved understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures, hopes and future aspirations by fostering strong, respectful, inclusive and meaningful relationships in its communities. In support of this vision Council’s commitment for reconciliation includes: • Developing an environment which fosters mutual respect, inclusiveness, equity and social justice with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples • Strengthening collaboration, including provision of culturally sensitive awareness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ heritage • Forging respectful relationships designed to contribute to ‘Closing the Gap’ on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education, health, cultures, languages, social justice and employment. As an organisation, Horsham Rural City Council values strong community participation in developing key directions and priorities.

By actively embracing opportunities to work with, employ, celebrate and partner with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the organisation will be richer as will its wider community. The Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) was developed by the Aboriginal Advisory Committee with input from all Council business areas including the Mayor, Councillors, CEO, Directors and Community Services and Planning Department staff. They all provided ideas for inclusion and are all committed to working towards positive reconciliation outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, families, young people, organisations and businesses. The broader community was also given an opportunity to provide feedback on the draft RAP by attending community information sessions. Council engaged an Aboriginal consultant, Karen Milward, to work with the Aboriginal Advisory Committee to ensure culturally appropriate mechanisms were developed to support the needs, ideas and opportunities identified by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their communities. The committee actively participated in and guided the development of actions in the RAP. The obstacles relating to completion and implementation of the action plan included delays in signing off the RAP with Reconciliation Australia and the significant time frame between the Reflect RAP submission and the RAP endorsement. With the RAP, Council has commenced the process of seeking an improved understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures, hopes and future aspirations through fostering strong, respectful, inclusive and meaningful relationships within their communities. The development of the RAP has challenged Council to reflect on what reconciliation means and what is required to put it into action.

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INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVE

WYNDHAM CITY COUNCIL

WYNDHAM ABORIGINAL COMMUNITY CENTRE AND INTEGRATED FAMILY CENTRE From a great community generated idea in late 2013, to a $13.2 million facility well and truly under construction in 2018, the Wyndham Aboriginal Community Centre has been developed through a strong partnership between the local Aboriginal community and Wyndham City Council. The centre, which will become the heart of Wyndham’s Aboriginal community and the heart of the local Wyndham Vale neighbourhood, is a tangible expression of Council’s commitment to reconciliation. In 2013, the local Aboriginal community in Wyndham worked with Council to hold a forum with key stakeholders to explore the aspirations and needs of this large and growing community. At that forum the community said loud and clear that they wanted a place to meet, to build community connections and to practice culture. Wyndham City Council and other partners agreed to support this vision and have worked side by side with the community ever since to establish the Wyndham Aboriginal Community Centre Committee as a representative and self determining community committee to drive the vision and work towards establishing and running their centre. This long term approach to ongoing learning and sharing risk through transformational local Indigenous partnerships is unique. This approach has been effective because it has been grounded in a commitment to self determination. Council has consistently been led by the Aboriginal community, via the Wyndham Aboriginal Community Centre Committee, in decision making around the service model, the location, the governance model, the design and even the name of the centre.

This has built confidence with the local Aboriginal community and has led to a design that is truly informed by the aspirations and needs of community. That committee has now reached the point where they are ready to become an independent organisation and Council is working with them to support their steps towards incorporation. Meanwhile, Council officers have pursued funding from three different State Government departments to support the development of the centre. Through a collaborative design process facilitated by Gregory Burgess and Gresley Abas Architects, it was decided to integrate the Aboriginal community centre with a Council early years centre and neighbourhood community centre. This has achieved efficiencies in the capital works projects, but more importantly it has enabled the strengthening of partnerships, increased cross cultural understanding and improved access to services for Aboriginal people. The centre is due to open in 2019, and Council and the Wyndham Aboriginal Community Centre Committee are currently working together to identify a suitable early years service provider to join the partnership. Although a range of different services will be provided in the centre by different organsiations, the aim is to provide a seamless and culturally safe experience for everyone who walks through the door. Council’s commitment to strong partnership and Aboriginal self determination will support this. While a unique idea such as this has its challenges, the team has embraced every opportunity to learn from the Aboriginal community and to develop services to meet their needs and aspirations.

YOUNG ACHIEVER

Nominations in the category must relate to recognisable achievements in the Local Government sector. Nominees must be up to 30 years of age, working in Local Government and have attained or achieved outstanding results.

JUDGING CRITERIA > Level of achievement > Specific contribution > Leadership qualities > Level of commitment shown to driving change

WINNER > Sara Merkus, Casey City Council

FINALISTS (LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER BY COUNCIL) > Matthew Swards, Ballarat City Council > Sarah Lyons, Casey City Council > Kate Eichler, Maribyrnong City Council > Abby McCarthy, Knox City Council > Bryony Davies, Knox City Council > Samantha Bender, Mitchell Shire Council > Arvind Kolluru, Yarra City Council

WINNER YOUNG ACHIEVER

SARA MERKUS CASEY CITY COUNCIL Sara has built an impressive list of achievements for the benefit of the organisation and the local community since joining Casey City Council in 2017. Seven months into her career at Casey, Sara was promoted to the role of Team Leader Leisure Facility Management, taking responsibility for two of Victoria’s largest facility management contracts and one of the state’s largest community farms, Myuna Farm. Over the past 18 months, Sara’s passion for healthy and engaged communities has helped achieve some great outcomes which balance and support the needs of the organisation, the Casey community and facility tenants. Sara is an ambitious individual with a ‘can do’ attitude who is passionate about providing health and wellbeing opportunities to the community through the provision of leisure facility infrastructure and programs. This was recognised by Council’s management team, resulting in a quick promotion to her current role. Since her appointment, some of Sara’s major achievements have been her leadership and invaluable input into helping Casey to achieve its biggest ever aquatics contract and assisting with the Casey Stadium becoming operational following an $18 million redevelopment and expansion. Sara’s strong collaboration focus and ability to develop relationships with key stakeholders has led to the signing of significant community agreements and the development of a range of critical infrastructure and facility management projects. She managed Casey’s biggest ever aquatic facilities tender process for its three aquatics facilities. This was one of Victoria’s biggest leisure facility management contracts and Sara led a panel through a detailed and extensive evaluation and negotiation process.

Through Sara’s leadership, industry knowledge and eye for detail, the contract will provide the Casey community with opportunities to participate in quality aquatic, health and active lifestyle pursuits suited to their needs including a range of innovative, inclusive and accessible programming. Working closely with Casey Stadium Managers at YMCA, Sara was responsible for seeing the stadium become operational following the major redevelopment. In the first 12 months after the redevelopment, the facility has received more than 650,000 visits. Sara’s customer first approach and focus on partnerships with community organisations has resulted in a range of inclusive and health and active lifestyle accessible programs that support the needs of Casey’s diverse and ever changing community. Her strong partnership with YMCA was also crucial in achieving a good outcome and resolving a long, drawn out process. Council officers had been working with key sporting associations for over two years with the aim of agreeing to terms as primary tenants of Casey Stadium. Sara stepped in to assist and was able to break down the barriers and shift the negative communication into a positive, proactive relationship. This resulted in the signing of the contracts, providing a great outcome that will benefit the Casey community. While only new to a supervisor role, Sara’s leadership qualities have shone through over the past 18 months. She demonstrates excellent communication and listening skills, involving her team and external partners in the decision making process when considering, or before implementing, change. Sara has helped shift her team and the organisation’s mindset in terms of contract management. What previously was a transactional based approach, with strained relationships, poor communication and a lack of trust, is now strong, respectful and effective.

FINALIST YOUNG ACHIEVER

MATTHEW SWARDS BALLARAT CITY COUNCIL Matt was born and raised in Ballarat and has a real passion for his community. At every opportunity he finds a way to put “Ballarat on the map” – sometimes literally!

• Transforming and designing Council services for people, taking the organisation on a journey from business orientated service transformation to human centred design.

After starting as a GIS officer at Ballarat City Council in 2008 at the age of 19, Matt is now the Manager of Business Improvement, leading a team of industry experts and supporting improvement and innovation activities across all areas of the organisation.

Matt is a dynamic, future focused, young leader who is committed to supporting and working with people at all levels of Ballarat City Council to make it the best organisation it can be.

Establishing the new Business Improvement department at Ballarat City Council, Matt is driven and determined to see large transformation for the organisation in order to ensure there is a customer first approach. He shows tremendous leadership qualities through not only the way he manages his staff day to day, but also in how he approaches all his relationships across the organisation and externally. Some of Matt’s recent achievements include: • Successfully obtaining Launch Vic funding to implement StartUp Ballarat! • Founding member of Victoria Open Council Data working group • Coordination of an Open Data pilot resulting in more than 50 datasets being made available, facilitating open and transparent Government to the community • Supporting the White Ribbon and Gender Equity Action Plan development and implementation • Supporting, sponsoring and participating in GovHack Ballarat for the past five years • Governance and implementation of the Ballarat Digital Services Strategy 2016-2020

He is instrumental in enabling staff to embrace change and better practice and has implemented initiatives big and small that have delivered positive outcomes to the Ballarat community and increased public value. Cameron Gray, Director Innovation & Organisational Improvement said: “Matt has a passion for digital transformation, in particular Smart Cities and all its possibilities, that is contagious. He brings concepts and ideas to life easily and makes tangible connections for all. He is also a terrific coach who encourages others to reach their potential. The future is his for the taking!” Julie- Ann Zajac, Executive Manager People & Performance said: “Matt is passionate about collaborating, sharing knowledge and data, and thinking big about how to revolutionise Local Government for the digital future – and the result is he is having a major impact on making Ballarat a much better place for everyone.” James Guy, Executive Manager, Economic Partnerships said: “Matt puts his heart and soul into his role, his staff and the City of Ballarat. He is well respected and well liked by staff at all levels of the organisation and has achieved an enormous amount in his short career.” Matt is the first to celebrate other staff’s achievements and so it is fitting to be able to recognise Matt as the Young Achiever he is.

FINALIST YOUNG ACHIEVER

SARAH LYONS CASEY CITY COUNCIL An ideas driven, dynamic arts professional, Sarah was tasked with the significant role of developing audiences for Melbourne’s newest public art gallery which is part of the major $125 million cultural precinct Bunjil Place at the City of Casey. She has been instrumental in welcoming more than 50,000 visitors across just eight months. Sarah designed and delivered 65 programs with 5,131 people participating. Initiatives such as the youth led Arts Agitators program and participatory projects for children have successfully engaged audiences under the age of 25 who are known across the industry as some of the most challenging to connect with. As part of the Bunjil Place Gallery team and within a short period of nine months, Sarah introduced a diverse range of learning programs that have engaged with 17 schools and 1,244 students from a cross section of the City of Casey community. The first exhibition, Designing Bunjil Place, introduced the Casey community to Bunjil Place, the architects and construction team. To engage families and young audiences, Sarah initiated and collaborated with Marimba Primary School and Tiny Empire Collective to produce a film interviewing primary school students on their expectations of Bunjil Place, and their desires for future architecture and building in the City of Casey. In addition, she developed a children’s exhibition space called Archi-KID that invited families to build and draw imaginary buildings. A total of 2,172 visitors attended the exhibition over the opening weekend, with the majority being first time visitors to an art gallery. This was a much loved and vital component of the exhibition space, which assisted in creating a welcoming and calm environment for families to explore.

Alongside the gallery programming, Sarah, in collaboration with the Casey City Council Youth Team, conceived and delivered the Emergent: VCE Graduate exhibition in February 2018. This was an incredible undertaking engaging with senior schools across the region, identifying two youth curators and overseeing the delivery, installation and de-installation of student’s work for the exhibition. The Arts Agitators program, a youth led program for 15-25 year old creative people from the City of Casey, gives young people who are passionate about the arts the opportunity to develop and deliver art based projects. Participants are mentored by artists, gain exposure to the industry and can use the arts to express their views about social and political issues. At the centre of Sarah’s practice is a commitment to empower young people and to give them the skills and confidence required to present their creative work and develop their own voice. Sarah is dynamic, and her enthusiasm and interest in championing young people’s ideas has resulted in her developing a strong network of young people across the community. She leads by example, always operating with strong ethics and respect. The Bunjil Place Gallery would not have the engagement and participation without Sarah’s hard work. She has created a sense of connectedness for hard to reach pockets of the community. She has made a difference to the lives of local youth who were searching for something to be passionate about. Sarah also works tirelessly to engage new audiences and maintains a creative and moralistic approach while breaking down barriers.

FINALIST YOUNG ACHIEVER

KATE EICHLER MARIBYRNONG CITY COUNCIL Kate came to work at Maribyrnong City Council from the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra bringing with her skills in marketing and digital/social media management that have resulted in her making a significant contribution to her team and the organisation.

Not one to sit by, Kate has recently organised social media training for the public affairs team with a view of ensuring content does not become stale and the team is kept up to date with the latest trends in an ever changing industry.

She took on an immediate leadership role in the delivery of improved social media and digital outcomes, introducing new tools to increase the public affairs team’s responsiveness to social media and taking the initiative to develop a communications strategy to raise awareness of Council’s three community centres and increase attendance.

Clean, modern and fresh design collateral is another passion of Kate’s and she has guided staff to ensure they consider elements such as clarity and the use of effective imagery when producing materials. She is often sought out for assistance in developing design materials, particularly when they are being produced internally.

These are examples of Kate’s excellent customer service and commitment to producing quality outcomes for staff and the broader community.

Kate has the ability to juggle various projects at one time, using her initiative to prioritise issues that are time critical. She shows great political acumen and is able to work with an array of stakeholders.

Kate manages a broad communications portfolio but always finds time to assist her colleagues by picking up additional projects, working strongly as an individual and contributing to the development of the team. She is highly efficient, has a solution orientated attitude and is continually seeking new and improved ways of working and doing things. Although Kate manages the communications for an array of ongoing annual programs and events, she is always looking to improve her messaging and reach from the previous year. Kate attends any meeting with fresh, creative ideas. Her passion for utilising digital and social media channels has provided Council with new opportunities and avenues to better serve the community.

One of Kate’s strengths is her ability to take stakeholders on the journey with her when she is seeking to implement change. In particular, she has a very open communications style that ensures internally all staff are not only supportive of the changes she is making, but are part of the implementation process. Kate is an enthusiastic and effective communications professional who is a valued member of the Public Affairs and Community Relations team at Maribyrnong City Council. She has a warm, friendly manner and on a personal level has provided a vibrancy to the team. Kate has the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines, work effectively under pressure and is able to manage her workload whilst achieving positive outcomes for her clients. Kate is a young talent within the Local Government industry who has a successful career ahead of her.

FINALIST YOUNG ACHIEVER

ABBY McCARTHY KNOX CITY COUNCIL A passion for supporting communities, talent for telling stories and enthusiasm for driving dynamic campaigns were the three key attributes that Abby brought with her when she joined Knox City Council early in 2018. With several years’ experience in the community sector, Local Government presented an exciting new challenge for Abby to work on large scale projects that engaged even bigger, more diverse communities. Abby joined Knox’s communications team soon after the introduction of a new business partnership model. Through this, she was appointed to the Engineering and Infrastructure directorate which was new territory for Abby, who had mostly worked in the community service delivery space and on behavioural change campaigns. Regardless, she responded to the challenge with enthusiasm, flexibility and an open mind. In her first few weeks, Abby delivered one of Knox’s largest community consultation campaigns for the Knox Regional Sports Park draft Masterplan. The campaign, ‘Don’t sit on the sidelines’, included the coordination and delivery of an online survey, media releases, signage, posters and social media content. Across four weeks, it received more than 1,500 individual responses from a diverse range of stakeholders, setting a record for the most responses to any online consultation at Knox. Abby closely analysed the consultation data in order to provide other Council officers with clear and measurable insights to the community’s take on the project. Within months, Abby delivered two campaigns of similar scale: consultations on the future of the much loved Knox Community Gardens and on the proposals for a new Dog Park.

In each of these, she rigorously evaluated the campaigns to improve her strategic approach time and time again. Staff from all levels of the Engineering and Infrastructure directorate have commended Abby for providing high quality communications service and advice, which has helped them to achieve strong positive project outcomes. As a skilled storyteller with a firm understanding of what works in the digital space, Abby has been instrumental in identifying engaging stories to share with the community on social media. In recent months, she has played a key role in facilitating the development of content about everyday projects that matter to the community, including the construction of new footpaths, maintenance of roads and the care of local trees. While the overall production of content is certainly a team effort, Abby’s proactive approach and the strong relationships she has built with Council officers have enabled her to deliver these unsung success stories to a highly receptive and engaged online community. Abby calmly takes on responsibilities outside of her regular duties. In September, she played a critical role in organising a public outdoor event to celebrate the completion of a $3.4 million streetscape project in Bayswater. While event coordination is not strictly part of Abby’s position, she was well placed to take on the task and identified this as a valuable opportunity for Council to strengthen its strategic relationships with its project partners. Abby displays strong leadership qualities, giving credit to her teammates for their joint successes.

FINALIST YOUNG ACHIEVER

BRYONY DAVIES KNOX CITY COUNCIL Since joining Knox City Council in 2014 as the Health Administration/Program Support Officer, Bryony Davies has been passionately driving process and business improvements for immunisation and health services programs. Bryony’s improvement initiatives have transformed Council’s registration processes for food and health businesses, as well as brought about paperless processes to the suite of services provided by Knox Council’s Environmental Health officers. The major achievements Bryony has delivered for Council include: • Streamlined procedures, redesigned forms and the coordination of Council’s annual registration process for more than 1,200 food, health and accommodation businesses that have resulted in both administrative efficiencies, as well as an improved customer experience • Developed and introduced procedures to maximise the functionality of Councils’ new document management system, to transform the health compliance team into a paperless office • Planned, organised and designed a promotion campaign for additional free childhood vaccination sessions, in response to the State Government 2018 winter flu program. In response to the State Government announcement to fund free childhood influenza vaccines for winter 2018, and with short lead times, Bryony took the initiative to plan and organise a program of 10 additional vaccination sessions to support the Knox community.

Only weeks into delivering the program, the Government announcement of a national shortage of flu vaccines had the potential to derail Knox’s winter flu vaccination program. However, Bryony showed initiative and tenacity to source vaccines from interstate to ensure Knox could deliver on its 2,164 scheduled flu vaccinations. The success of the 2018 flu vaccination program was an impressive 220% increase in flu vaccinations compared to the previous year, which went a long way towards protecting the health of the vulnerable community within the Knox municipality. Bryony’s role as the Health Administration/ Program Support officer requires her to assist in the provision of a range of administration functions but her contribution and effort goes far beyond this. She has taken the lead role regarding establishing the procedures; initiating and driving change across Council’s health compliance and immunisation programs over the past four years. During this time, Bryony has acted in the Immunisation Administration Lead role on several occasions – assuming the responsibilities for the planning and overall administration of Knox City Council’s Immunisation program. She has also taken on co-administrator responsibilities for Council’s online immunisation booking system.

In addition to the logistics involved in organising venues to complement limited staffing availability for the additional sessions, Bryony took the creative lead to design and organise postcards and other high impact and low cost ways of promoting this important service to protect the health of this vulnerable segment of the community.

FINALIST YOUNG ACHIEVER

SAMANTHA BENDER MITCHELL SHIRE COUNCIL Samantha is a valued staff member at Mitchell Shire who is committed to bringing awareness to the needs of people who are vulnerable and disenfranchised and who do not always have the ability or confidence to have their own voice. She has championed the needs of people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds, people with a disability, culturally diverse communities and those who suffer widespread gender inequality. Samantha has worked with colleagues to ensure they consider the needs of the diverse Mitchell Shire community in their planning and decision making and has developed positive relationships with key stakeholders and service providers. A very committed, confident and articulate staff member, Samantha takes on a leadership role in the championing of social justice and human rights across the organisation and community. She has been integral in leading the organisation in the recognition of the needs of those members of the community who are marginalised, disadvantaged and disengaged. Through her work on raising awareness of the Social Justice Framework, all program areas across the organisation now ensure they engage positively with the community on all new initiatives and consider the needs of marginalised community groups such Aboriginal people, people with a disability and people who identify as LGBTI in all community and service planning processes. Samantha has recorded a number of key achievements in the area of social justice across Mitchell Shire including: • The Mitchell Shire Council resolution to permanently display the Aboriginal flag • Implementation of the Wallan Multicultural Food Truck Festival in 2017 and 2018

• Implementation of the Listen, Learn and Lead Gender Equity project assisting Mitchell Shire Council to better understand and support gender equity at all levels across the organisation • Bringing awareness to family violence and its impact on community • Organising an annual event to acknowledge and celebrate the International Day of People with a Disability • Organising the inaugural Homelessness Roundtable • Establishment and administrative support for the inaugural Mitchell Shire Social Justice Framework and Committee. Samantha has been instrumental in creating opportunities for new stakeholders and partners to contribute to the work of the new Social Justice Framework including the engagement of community voices in the actioning of this framework. She has an innate commitment to championing the needs of disadvantaged and marginalised groups within the community and ensuring that opportunities to increase participation, engagement and access to services are increased through partnerships with key stakeholders across the community. Social Justice is an important issue in all communities. Samantha has worked with key stakeholders and service providers across the Shire to ensure greater access to services that support people with a disability, with mental health issues and who are at risk of homelessness. She has also raised awareness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, cultural diversity and gender inequality to work towards the elimination of prejudice and disadvantage. Samantha is a champion of fairness and equity across the Shire.

FINALIST YOUNG ACHIEVER

ARVIND KOLLURU YARRA CITY COUNCIL Arvind is regarded as a technical specialist who has single handedly inspired those around him by leading by example and sharing knowledge. He is a quiet achiever who has consistently displayed the values not only of Yarra City Council, but of a great team mate who demonstrates integrity, respect, innovation, accountability, sustainability and teamwork. Arvind displays each of these attributes daily in his work and in his interactions with other people. He has become an enabler not only of management to achieve their vision, but of individuals at all levels. His introverted leadership style reminds us that leadership is not about authority and dominance, but of empowering others to be their best in a transparent and respectful way. In early 2018, Arvind developed a mobile application to allow the service improvement team to capture detailed data on all of the outdoor services delivered to the Yarra community. He not only built the application, he developed and delivered a targeted training program to improve the computer literacy of outdoor staff at Yarra’s City Works depot to enable them to understand and be part of the solution. Arvind applied and tested his data and analytical skills to develop new insights into Council’s services. His commitment to working through the solution together with his leadership, technical skills, vision and respectfulness towards all staff, has enabled Council’s City Works team to realise their vision of delivering the best city services to the community.

Arvind’s motivation in this project was also about his enjoyment in assisting and being able to quietly influence through the power of his insights. His patience and leadership was instrumental in empowering Council’s field crews to utilise mobile technology and in giving them the gift of computer literacy. Many of the field crews had previously lacked computer literacy which resulted in them fearing the use of technology. Arvind has introduced an appreciation of organisational data at Yarra City Council. Data is now being seen as a valuable asset to be used to gain insights into services. These insights have allowed senior leaders to approach the improvement of services in new ways which have delivered positive outcomes to the community. With limited resources, Arvind has been able to utilise existing systems that traditionally would not have been used. This has allowed Yarra to maximise the utilisation of its resources at minimal cost. One instance where real change was delivered was through graffiti management. Arvind led the deployment of mobile devices to field crews who had traditionally been sceptical of technology. He followed this up with intensive training and then communicated findings from the data in a way to allow the crews to buy into the solution. This work empowered Yarra’s senior leaders to make significant change in how graffiti management is now carried out in Yarra. Arvind’s work to date is transforming and inspiring the people around him. His advanced data analytics and statistical skills have caught the attention of all individuals across the organisation. He continues to be a role model for everyone in Yarra City Council and proves to others that being shy, supportive, respectful and innovative can also drive you forward in your career. He is inspiring people and teams to learn more and to be their best.

iFerret enables staff to quickly and easily search email, network drives, corporate systems, archive information and more

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Trial options available

Contact iPLATINUM to discuss your organisational needs W www.iplatinum.com.au E info@iplatinum.com.au T 1300 Ferret

Bayside City Council offers a modern, environmentally friendly work place and the opportunity to contribute to the local community. We’re an equal opportunity employer committed to an accessible and safe working environment that embraces and values diversity and inclusion, fostering an engaged and skilled workforce.

Unlocking the Secrets to Improved Productivity and Effectiveness Productivity Training & Coaching (Time Management) Email & Task Management with MS Outlook (Office 365) Microsoft OneNote Training for Digital Note-Taking

If you’re looking for your next opportunity, or want to find out more about the work that we do, then please head to our jobs and careers page at bayside.vic.gov.au/ jobs-and-careers

Personal Effectiveness Coaching

The Local Government Productivity Specialists CONTACT GEOFF PRIOR

P (02) 6056 8887 E gprior@lingfordconsulting.com.au

1554

www.lingfordconsulting.com.au

AWARDS

2018 SALLY ISAAC MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND AWARD WINNER

Winning the 2018 Sally Isaac Memorial Scholarship Award has given Lauren Watt from Surf Coast Shire the much needed encouragement to continue to take on new challenges and follow her passion to deliver positive environmental and social outcomes in her local area. Lauren has worked at Surf Coast for six years and is currently Coordinator Environmental Sustainability. In her time at Surf Coast, she has made her mark creating award winning community projects within the Emergency Management Department including The Fire Game which educates the community on bushfire safety and has received key industry accolades.

OTHER 2018 SALLY ISAAC NOMINEES

Lauren quietly goes about her work building resilience across the local towns, engaging and empowering the community to build more capacity. She has developed a great network with professional stakeholders in external Government agencies, in particular with emergency services and has contributed to community life by initiating innovative ways of educating communities on disaster preparedness.

> Silvia Garrett, Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor,

“I think this award is so important as it helps to recognise, share and celebrate the work being done in Local Government, in particular, recognising and supporting young women,” Lauren said. Lauren plans to use the $10,000 scholarship to undertake a Graduate Certificate of Sustainable Regional Development. “This study will be a great opportunity to immerse myself in current academic perspectives on climate adaptation planning and policy, as well as broaden my depth of knowledge in Natural Resource Management and regional development. This will enable me to effect greater influence within Council and deliver great outcomes for our local environment and community,” she said.

> Morsal Bashir, Communications Officer, Monash City Council > Tania Canas, Arts Director, RISE Refuge > Clare Douglas-Haynes, Acting Manager – Animal Shelter, Ballarat City Council Melbourne City Council

> Jessie Holmes, Director Community Development, Buloke Shire Council

> Aiya Idris, Community Development Youth Program Officer/ Business Support Officer, Moonee Valley City Council

> Elma Khan, Community Development Program and Administration Officer, Moonee Valley City Council

> Julie McLaren, Curator, Ballart Art Gallery, Ballarat City Council > Kimberly Pellosis, Community Member > Charlotte Roberts, Creator/Facilitator, The Musical Body program > Teneille Summers, Preventing Violence Against Women Officer, Darebin City Council

> Andrea Szymanski, Coordinator Open Space and Landscape Design, Knox City Council

> Carlee Vandenberg, Coordinator Early Years Integrated Services, Knox City Council

> Michelle Kearns, Waste Education Officer and Community Development Officer, East Gippsland Shire Council

Sally Isaac Award winner, Lauren Watt (centre) with Sally’s parents, Shane and John Isaac.

2018 LGPRO CORPORATE AND COMMUNITY PLANNING AWARD

BOROONDARA CITY COUNCIL AND CARDINIA SHIRE COUNCIL WERE JOINT WINNERS OF THE 2018 CORPORATE AND COMMUNITY PLANNING AWARD. BOROONDARA CITY COUNCIL Boroondara won the award for the Integrated Planning Framework for Boroondara. In December 2017, the Council adopted the Boroondara Community Plan 2017-27 which sets out the 10 year vision for Boroondara’s future based on the values, aspirations and priorities important to the community. To ensure integration of the plan’s vision, strategic objectives and strategies within Council, an integrated planning framework was developed. This framework, guided by the Boroondara Community Plan, represents an exciting change which was needed to ensure the Council was implementing the community’s priorities.

From left, Rachel Ind and Nicole White from Boroondara Council with Alex Kerr Grant from the sponsor, CAMMS and LGPro CEO, David Preiss.

CARDINIA SHIRE COUNCIL Cardinia’s successful project, the Cardinia Shire’s Liveability Plan 2017-29, is the municipal public health and wellbeing plan and provides the framework to enhance the liveability, health and wellbeing of the Shire over 12 years. The plan represents an innovative planning approach which sees the integration of a liveability paradigm within public health planning and provides a clearer line of sight between the work Council does on the ground and key priority outcomes for Cardinia. It seeks to keep people well by strengthening the relationship between local land use planning, social planning, public health planning and community development to ensure residents get the best possible outcomes with limited resources.

From left, Alex Kerr Grant from CAMMS, Pieta Bucello from Cardinia Shire Council and David Preiss, LGPro CEO.

AWARD NOMINEES > Baw Baw Shire Council, Significant Tree Register > Buloke Shire Council, Building Buloke 2030 > Casey City Council, Council Action Plan 2018/19 and Community Taskforce

LGPRO THANKS THE SPONSOR OF THE 2018 CORPORATE AND COMMUNITY PLANNING AWARD 73

2018 LGPRO AGED & DISABILITY SERVICES AWARD WINNERS

OUTSTANDING PROGRAM/PROJECT – GRANT BASED (FUNDED BY AN EXTERNAL GRANT)

WINNER

LATROBE CITY COUNCIL, CONNECTING SENIORS PROJECT During community consultation for its Positive Ageing Strategy/ Action Plan 2017-2021, Latrobe Council discovered that many older members of their community had tried to access social groups but had felt unwelcome. Many seniors said they felt rebuffed and ignored and they had lost the courage to return or try again. Fearing these people would become socially isolated and lonely, Council established a Welcoming & Age Friendly Program Advisory Committee which had face to face meetings with more than 50 community groups to learn what makes a club welcoming and age friendly.

Once this was determined Council developed a training program for local clubs wanting to become accredited Welcoming & Age Friendly Clubs. To date, 28 clubs and groups have gained accreditation, with another 32 waiting on the next training session. The second part of the program aims to re-engage socially isolated individuals back into the community by referring them to accredited clubs where they know they will be welcomed and accepted.

From left, Helen Smart from sponsor, Mecwacare and Helen Taylor and Christy Hoiles from Latrobe City Council.

FINALISTS > Cardinia Shire Council, Cardinia Age Friendly Alliance – Prevention of Elder Abuse Project > Maribyrnong City Council, Bandmates Victoria

LGPRO THANKS THE SPONSOR OF THE 2018 AGED & DISABILITY SERVICES AWARDS

OUTSTANDING PROGRAM/PROJECT – NON GRANT BASED (FUNDED AND RESOURCED BY A COUNCIL)

WINNER

MAROONDAH CITY COUNCIL, PATHWAYS FOR CARERS Maroondah Council’s Pathway for Carers is a program that offers carers an opportunity to connect with other carers, local service providers, Council staff and guest walkers in a relaxing and supportive environment. Participants can take a walk through nature and enjoy a coffee together in a cafe afterwards. The environment established by Pathway for Carers enables carers to have a deeper connection, share key learnings and understanding in addition to providing exercise.

Pathways for Carers enhances mental health and physical wellbeing combining walking and talking. The walking component allows for discussion and the opportunity to be completely heard as there are no distractions. This provides a platform for carers to establish supporting networks and to access much needed support services. The Council staff involved are also able to share their wealth of knowledge with participants.

From left, Helen Smart from sponsor, Mecwacare and Kim Henderson, Fiona Burridge, Jack Mulholland and Mel Spencer from Maroondah City Council.

FINALISTS > Darebin City Council, Darebin NDIS Transition Project > Darebin City Council, Service Review Panel > Hume City Council, Build the capacity of the Hume community to prepare for transition to the NDIS

> Maribyrnong City Council and Brimbank City Council,

> Maroondah City Council, Active and Healthy Ageing Pet Therapy Pilot Project

> Melton City Council, Melton GO! Arty > Nillumbik Shire Council, Intergenerational Cooking Project > South Gippsland Shire Council, Diversity Awareness

Shared Service Model – Delivered Meals

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LGPRO PROGRAM GRADUATES AND PARTICIPANTS

EMERGING LEADERS PROGRAM (ELP)

LGProâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) provides a unique year of leadership focused experiences and activities designed to develop and inspire emerging leaders in Local Government in Victoria who want to take the next step into management and senior leadership roles. Candidates from across the State are selected to participate in the program each year. Participants are selected from a mix of professions, locations, age groups and gender.

2018 ELP GRADUATES Debbie Allum

Mel Elkin

Ram Kamalanandan

Kate Shearer

Kingston City Council

Monash City Council

Mornington Peninsula Shire

Moreland City Council

Zoe Blakeney

Kim Fitzgerald

Melanie Kerr

Mark Stahel

Murrindindi Shire Council

Moira Shire Council

Whitehorse City Council

Mornington Peninsula Shire

Georgie Christopher

Tori Hayat

Ellen Kessler

Ben Thomas

Monash City Council

Glen Eira City Council

Brimbank City Council

Rural City of Wangaratta

John Ciavarella

Aaron Huttig

Karen Milner

Danielle Thompson

Ballarat City Council

Mildura Rural City Council

South Gippsland Shire Council

Ben Devanny

Mel Jeffery

Shayne Price

Michelle Tipton

Greater Bendigo City Council

Maroondah City Council

Whitehorse City Council

Frankston City Council

Karen Dunstan

Anita Johnstone

Jessica Sayers

Paula Yorston

Macedon Ranges Shire Council

Melbourne City Council (previously Port Phillip City Council)

Banyule City Council

Loddon Shire Council

2018 ELP graduates.

2019 ELP PARTICIPANTS Stephen Coulthard

Emily Fothergill

Rob Sampson

Tom Arnold

Banyule City Council

Boroondara City Council

Maroondah City Council

Rural City of Wangaratta

Christian Thomas

Leanne Johnson

Charmaine Calis

Wendy Ollington

Baw Baw Shire Council

Greater Dandenong City Council

Mildura Rural City Council

South Gippsland Shire Council

Keira Lee

Teneille Summers

Simon Carson

Hannah Rowlands

Baw Baw Shire Council

Darebin City Council

Moira Shire Council

Whitehorse City Council

Stuart Hansen

James Roscoe

Stephen Meloury

Elinor Porat

Borough of Queenscliffe

Glen Eira City Council

Moreland City Council

Yarra City Council

Wambui Thirimu

Kristian Cook

Heath Gillett

Jessica Baillie

Brimbank City Council

Glen Eira City Council

Mornington Peninsula Shire

Yarra Ranges Council

Shannon Maynard

Andrea Szymanski

Dominque Trickey

Cardinia Shire Council

Knox City Council

Mount Alexander Shire Council

Matthew Swards

Leanne Manton

Ballarat City Council

Macedon Ranges Shire Council

Helping create productive, healthy & safe places to work. Productivity Matters' team of health, safety and ergonomics specialists work with local government authorities across Victoria, helping to facilitate changes that create a more productive, healthier and safer workforce. We deliver customised, proactive solutions for each workplace. Since our inception in 2012, Productivity Matters has assisted local government authorities with:

Ergonomics Advisory

Workplace Ergonomic Strategies, Ergonomics "Train the Trainer", Vehicle Ergonomics (including Fleet Review and Commercial Retrograde Fit Out to reduce risk to end user).

Mental Health Wellbeing & Strategy

We work with Local Government to assist them in formulating strategies in Mental Health and Wellbeing to frontline employees. We complete risk assessments of front line workers and then provide policy and procedure development and training support to ensure these risks are reduced.

OHS Advisory

We provide support to Local Government, assisting them with gaps in WHS team resources and providing specialist advice for specialist topics. For example, providing strategies to reduce risks to lone front line workers (e.g. Maternal Health Nurses).

Training

We have provided over 1000 sessions of training to local government on topics including Risk Assessment, Executive OHS Obligations, Dealing with Aggressive Customers and Manual Handling Risk Assessment. Our training is customised to each Local Council's specific requirements. Productivity Matters congratulates the winners of the LGPro Awards for Excellence 2018. T 03 8415 1451 E info@promatters.com.au W productivitymatters.com.au

LGPRO EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

XLP is designed to help senior executives working in Local Government to expand and develop their skills and knowledge to assist them to become confident and capable leaders in the sector.

Proud sponsor of XLP in 2018

2018 XLP GRADUATES Sheena Frost

Lisa Knight

Bernie O’Sullivan

Joseph Tabacco

Casey City Council

Mount Alexander Shire Council

Greater Bendigo City Council

Banyule City Council

Warren Groves

Samantha Krull

Gerardine O’Sullivan

Dalene Voigt

Northern Grampians Shire Council

Glen Eira City Council

Boroondara City Council

Indigo Shire Council

Errol Lawrence

Faith Page

Jane Waldock

Graeme Harrison

Colac Otway Shire Council

South Gippsland Shire Council

Yarra City Council

Horsham Rural City Council

Stuart McConnell

Jenny Scicluna

Brett Walters

John Hausler

Murrindindi Shire Council

Cardinia Shire Council

Port Phillip City Council

Macedon Ranges Shire Council

Kevin O’Brien

Gareth Smith

Marnie Williams

Nigel Higgins

Horsham Rural City Council

Colac Otway Shire Council

Mornington Peninsula Shire

Maribyrnong City Council

Angela Hughes

2018 XLP graduates.

Macedon Ranges Shire Council (previously Monash City Council)

Elizabeth Hunter Melton City Council

Anthony Judd Buloke Shire Council

Simon Kinsey Whitehorse City Council

2019 XLP PARTICIPANTS Stacy Williams

Hannah Yu

Felicity Leahy

Shivaun Brown

Gannawarra Shire Council

Buloke Shire Council

Darebin City Council

Murrindindi Shire Council

Rebecca Stockfeld

Michael Dugina

Daniel Hogan

Sam Romaszko

Central Goldfields Shire Council

Greater Geelong City Council

Brimbank City Council

Melton City Council

Narelle Klein

Steve Coldham

Jo Smale

Lili Rosic

Wodonga City Council

Casey City Council

Darebin City Council

Port Phillip City Council

Debbie Wood

Sarah Brindley

Matt Kelleher

Yasmin Woods

Greater Bendigo City Council

Rural City of Wangaratta

Nillumbik Shire Council

Baw Baw Shire Council

Shweta Babbar

Nigel Brown

Sharon Houlihan

Phillip Carruthers

Glen Eira City Council

Whitehorse City Council

Wellington Shire Council

Borough of Queenscliffe

Anthony Traill

Lucas Gosling

Ross Goeman

Roger Verwey

Port Phillip City Council

Yarra City Council

Monash City Council

Hobsons Bay City Council

James Kelly Banyule City Council

OTHER EVENTS

FORUMS

AWARDS

CONFERENCES & SEMINARS

2019 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CALENDAR

Connect with us at

LGProVIC

CONFERENCES/SEMINARS

IMPORTANT DATES

INFORMATION

Annual Conference

Wednesday 20 & Thursday 21 Februray

The LGPro Annual Conference is the largest specialist conference for people working in the sector. The theme for 2019 is The new 3Rs - Respect, Relate and Resilience

Social Media Conference

Wednesday 8 May

For Local Government professionals using social media as an engagement tool

Customer Service Conference

Thursday 15 August & Friday 16 August

This conference and award is held biennially for staff working in Customer Service roles in Local Government

Aged & Disability Services Awards Dinner & Seminar

Thursday 12 September

A one day seminar for all Local Government staff working in the areas of Aged & Disability Services

Corporate Planners Network Conference

Friday 25 October

For Local Government staff working in the areas of Corporate, Community and Social Planning

AWARDS

IMPORTANT DATES

INFORMATION

Sally Isaac Memorial Scholarship Fund Award

Nominations open: Wednesday 20 March Nominations close: Monday 6 May

A $10,000 educational scholarship open to all women aged 35 years and under who have demonstrated achievements in improving community life

Customer Service Award

Nominations open: Monday 29 April Nominations close: Friday 14 June

This biennial award recognises an individual or team initiative that has improved Customer Service within a Council

Aged & Disability Services Awards

Nominations open: Monday 20 May Nominations close: Monday 29 July

To celebrate the success of individuals and teams working in the Victorian Local Government Aged & Disability Services sector

Awards for Excellence

Nominations open: Monday 12 August Nominations close: Monday 21 October

Celebrating the success of individuals and teams working in Local Government in Victoria. The winners will be announced at the LGPro Annual Conference Dinner held in February

Corporate and Community Planning Award

Nominations open: Monday 15 July Nominations close: Monday 2 September

Open to teams and individuals working in the Victorian Local Government Community Planning sector with a focus on initiatives that demonstrate excellence

FORUMS

IMPORTANT DATES

INFORMATION

CEO Forums

Thursday 28 March Thursday 8 August Thursday 24 October

Consultation forums are held three times a year to address topical issues from a Chief Executive Officer perspective. Invitations are sent to CEOs directly

Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Professional Development Forum

Thursday 25 July

The forum addresses the issues, opportunities and challenges facing women in the sector

OTHER EVENTS

IMPORTANT DATES

INFORMATION

Australasian Management Challenge

Wednesday 8 & Thursday 9 May

A team development program that produces real, relevant and enduring outcomes for people and teams working in Local Government

Young Professionals Series

Thursday 14 March Thursday 13 June Late August TBC Thursday 5 December

Events targeting, but not exclusive to Local Government professionals under 36, irrespective of their position, discipline, band, level and status

Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Network Dinner

Thursday 25 July

Networking opportunity for women working in Local Government

Member Event

Thursday 5 December

An opportunity for Members to network and farewell Chief Executive Officers leaving the sector

03 9268 6400

www.lgpro.com

03 9646 0469

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Proceeds from all LGPro activities are used exclusively to provide services and programs that benefit our members and the Local Government sector as a whole.

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