by Councillor Geoff Hayes
The Constitutional Convention held on 30 November 2000 at Parliament House in Melbourne was by all accounts a great success. The meeting of representatives from Local Governments across Victoria demonstrated the new and profound strength held by the community through this sphere of government.
The unity of purpose provided the vehicle to build and develop shared understandings about a range of issues, not just those related to the Victorian Constitution and the Local Government Act. Local Government in Victoria has and will continue to gain strength and respect through its own performance and self regulation.
The Constitutional Convention emerged from a desire by Local Government to be more properly recognised in the State Constitution and an election promise of the State Government to provide that recognition. What could be easier than the combination of this shared view to achieve the outcome?
The process was initiated by the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) and the Victorian Local Governance Association (VLGA).
Guidelines for the Convention were drawn up and given a trial run in October to fine tune the program. The forum, held in October, was open to all and was both educative and challenging to successfully maintain the focus of the forthcoming Convention.
One of the most valuable components of the October discussion was to get delegates thinking about the central issues and purpose of the Convention and not to be distracted by important yet peripheral concerns.
Historically, Local Government in Victoria has in the past 15 years been through a time of significant change. A number of Councils were dismissed or suspended for a number of reasons, some appropriate some not.
The lack of any good mechanism for sending a poor performing or dysfunctional Council to the polls has entrenched unnecessary insecurity that must be erased. Hence proposed changes for the Constitution.
The other significant change has of course been amalgamation. This change in the structure of Local Government, although vigorously contested at the time, has now proven to be, in the main, the most successful rebirth of community democracy we have seen since Federation.
The interest and energy surrounding Local Government in Victoria is unprecedented and the strength with which Local Government can put its view has never been greater. The challenge of the Convention was to deal with the issues in the historical framework but not to be trapped in history.
The challenge still remains to have a vision of what Local Government will look like in the future and how it will relate to both State and Federal Governments. It is now up to the MAV and VLGA to take the communiquè that has been issued by the Convention and transform the deliberations into actions that shape the future of Local Government in Victoria.
The Associations are working on a strategy to ensure further dialogue with both the Government and Opposition Parties regarding the communiquè recommendations for Constitutional reform.
This is the next watershed for Local Government. The Constitutional Convention initiative has gained and will maintain the momentum necessary for success.
* Councillor Geoff Hayes was elected in 1996 to the City of Boroondara. He was the first Mayor of the City in 1996/97. Councillor Hayes was an inaugural member of the committee that authored the Code of Good Governance and he continues this interest as part of the joint Good Governance Advisory Group.
