By Callum Ludwig
Yarra Ranges Council have finalised what issues of state and national significance in the shire can be put forward for consideration at the upcoming Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) State Council and Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) National General Assembly respectively.
The next State Council meeting, one of two each year, will be held on 16 May and the National General Assembly will take place from 24 to 27 June.
Ryrie Ward Councillor Fiona McAllister proposed an amendment to the motion following the submission of Yarra Ranges resident Wendy Wright to add a new advocacy point about clarifying what cost the new Emergency Services Levy (replacing the Fire Services Levy) will have on ratepayers.
Cr McAllister said there are a number of issues put forward, and whilst she’s never overly confident that they will deliver action, it does mean that the voice ofthe community can be heard at a state level and national level.
“The issues that we raise are diverse, and some do get resolved in partnership with our fellow councils around Victoria, and you’ll see in the report in front of us, certainly the one around the new levy, but there’s everything from issues that we struggle with on a regular basis,” She said.
“There is also a motion this time around actually asking for greater transparency from the MAV, and what they actually do with our motions and the actions that they take, and the results that they deliver,”
“I know they certainly do raise these issues, but they get put up for a reason, because they’re things that matter to our community, and we need either answers or action.”
The following are motions Yarra Ranges Council are putting to MAV alongside Ms Wright’s submission:
Improved communications with Local Government on resolution timeframes for locally reported road hazards and issues
Improved clarity on Small Second Dwellings in the State Planning Scheme
Local Government Financial Sustainability Framework
Financial viability and workforce planning of Maternal & Child Health as State co-funded services
Consideration be given to flexibility measures and alternatives for Victorian glass recycling services
Improved transparency of MAV advocacy arising from motions passed at State Council
For the ALGA, Yarra Ranges Council wants to advocate for National Tertiary Education Partnership Planning.
Cr McAllister said the National Congress (ALGA) is a trickier one.
“The ALGA is the coming together of all local governments from across Australia, we’re an eclectic bunch tackling many similar issues in our community, financial sustainability is pretty much number one, but everything that’s delivered is supporting local community, and sometimes finding common ground is not as easy as it would seem,” she said.
“But you’ll notice that we do have one motion up around National Tertiary Education Partnership Planning, which was a great idea suggested in terms of supporting, I was going to say consolidated, a partnership approach with it, tertiary education providers locally and community to support tertiary education,”
“So it could be a bright idea that gets picked up, probably will get support, but again, this gives us an opportunity to have a voice nationally to progress issues that matter for our community.”
Yarra Ranges Council’s motion also proposed outcomes they’d like to see as a result of their advocacy to the MAV and the ALGA:
MAV work with the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) to create an issue resolution portal that can communicate with Councils on hazard resolution done by VicRoads
MAV work with the DTP clarify planning legislation on small second dwellings and tiny homes, such as through the state planning scheme
MAV pursue recommendation 8 of the Local Government Funding and Services Inquiry to establish a financial sustainability framework in conjunction with the local government sector
Conduct a review of the Local Government Maternal & Child Health (MCH) Service due to the change in the employment market following the Nurses and Midwives (Victorian Public Health Sector) Single Interest Employer Enterprise Agreement 2024-28 being adopted.
MAV advocate to the Victorian Government to improve the flexibility of the state’s glass recycling service, expand the Container Deposit Scheme to include glass bottles and invest in greater recycling infrastructure
MAV provide regular reporting and updates to member councils on their advocacy and outcomes
The ALGA facilitate a national conversation about strategic satellite university campuses or tertiary learning hubs in available outer urban and regional areas.
Billanook Ward Councillor Tim Heenan said it can be a real struggle to understand the state government and their announcements can be left to council staff to try and figure out where to go with it.
“We understand where we can go most of the time, but when we’re getting continual statements coming out every week or every month in the last few months and not understanding where we stand,” he said.
“I look at the one on small second dwellings, by God, we need some more dwellings in Yarra Ranges, we’ve got people that are homeless or people that are on teetering on the borderline of becoming homeless,”
“These statements get said as a throwaway line by the state government and we’ve got to pick up the burden and the ratepayers pick up the burden…it does depend on getting more money coming into Yarra Ranges Council, you cannot burden the ratepayers with what state government expects us to do.”
