The Municipal Association of Victoria held its Annual Conference in mid October, with both the State Premier and President of the MAV commending the partnership between Local and State Government.
Mayors, Councillors and CEOs attended the two day conference which was held in Melbourne.
Victorian Premier, Steve Bracks, commented on the recent challenges that were being faced as a result of changes being experienced nationally.
“Right across the State – indeed right across Australia, communities, towns, suburbs and regions are coping with social, technological and economic change,” the Premier said. “That change is bringing both new challenges and new opportunities. And Local Government is at the coal face in terms of equipping communities to face those challenges and open up those opportunities.”
President of the MAV, Councillor Brad Matheson, reported on the healthy state of the MAV and Local Government across Victoria.
“We have held on to our subscription base, not to mention consolidating our position as sector leader,” he said “We also find ourselves in a very healthy financial position, which means that we can now be more proactive and initiate campaigns on major sector wide issues without calling on our members for additional funding.”
Both the President and Premier acknowledged the commitment and achievements that evolved out of the partnership between State and Local Government in the past year.
Focused attention on Victoria’s road funding crisis has resulted in increased Federal road funding to Victoria. Under the Federal Roads to Recovery Program, this will mean an additional $250 million to Victorian Councils over four years.
The Victorian Government has also established the Local Government Consultative Council. It is a forum for discussing regional and statewide issues that affect Local Government. A further $1.3 million valuation assistance package was achieved from the State Government for 14 rural Councils.
“The Victorian Government came to office two years ago with a strong commitment to growing the whole of the State – our urban centres and our regional cities, our country towns and our remote communities,” Premier Bracks said. “It is one of the core parts of our agenda in government. And our partnership with Local Government is essential to meeting that goal.”
Another plus reported by the MAV President was the changes that were gained in environmental legislation, enabling them to secure a fairer outcome for Councils under the new public lighting arrangements. However, Councillor Matheson did comment on the State Government’s intervention into Local Government without following due process.
“The State’s lack of consultation over its plans to dismiss the Melbourne City Council inevitably created tension,” he said. “Following extensive discussions with the Minister for Local Government, I am pleased to say that the relationship is back on track and that dialogue between the State, the MAV and the sector is progressing more positively.”
