In opening the recent Annual Session then President, Councillor Noel Bates, said this is the first opportunity, for some time, that a Councillor dominated Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) has been able to set future directions.
He said that despite the superannuation blackhole, changes to the employment of CEOs and senior staff, funding issues and the Government tinkering with the Local Government Act, considerable recent victories have been achieved including the Government’s scrapping of rate capping.
“The task is to build on our successes,” Councillor Bates said. “What has happened in the past three years is a defining moment compared to the last 100 years. The ball is now in our court, not the State Government’s.”
During the Annual Session, Councillor Brad Matheson from Hobsons Bay City Council was elected MAV President, with Councillor Peter Watts as Vice President.
“There is a definite mood for change among member Councils,” Councillor Matheson said. “We have been elected on a mandate for change. This means reviewing the way the MAV addresses advocacy, and revising our processes and strategies.”
He said that many elected Councillors were frustrated while Commissioners were steering the MAV and its place in the Local Government landscape. Promising substantial progress and change over the next 12 months, he said the MAV Board is currently being restructured in portfolios that will line up with relevant State Government Ministries.
“We will be broadening our advocacy, not just concentrating on the Minister for Local Government,” Councillor Matheson said.
He said that the MAV will also be building stronger bridges with a range of stakeholders including the Victorian Local Governance Association (VLGA), Local Government Professionals (LGPro), the Victorian Employer Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI) and the Australian Services Union (ASU).
“Local Government has been fractured, and we tend to operate in isolation,” he said. “This has not helped local governance as the third sphere. We need to have regular communication, working in partnership and providing a united front.”
