The successful motions related to improving information technology for customer service, general valuations, unfunded superannuation liability, road reserves owned by VicRoads, Tax deductibility for election expenses and building and planning fees.

Councillor Alex Makin, Council’s representative on the MAV, said the State Council Meeting provided an opportunity for each member council in Victoria to submit motions which have significance on a state level for all Victorian municipalities.

“The motions presented are viewed as being of significance across the Victorian Local Government sector, including the Maroondah community,” Cr Makin said.

“Council has a proven record of leading the way in highlighting issues faced by the Victorian Local Government sector. This is reflected by the favourable response to previous motions submitted by Maroondah and passed, often with unanimous support, at the MAV State Council Meeting,” Cr Makin said.

“At its meeting of Monday 18 April, Council approved eight motions to be submitted to the MAV State Council meeting which was held on Thursday 26 May,” Cr Makin said.

“The motions were developed by Council following interaction with the community in the form of various forums, consultation and strategies,” Cr Makin said.

Of the eight motions presented by Council, six were carried.

The motions carried included:

• That the MAV State Council calls of the State Government to remove the requirement for Local Government to have superannuation cash backed, given the inconsistency between the three tiers of government and given that both state and federal governments carry these amounts on their balance sheets as unfunded liabilities.
• That the Municipal Association Of Victoria State Council calls on the State government to extend the frequency of general valuations from two to three years.
• That the MAV State Council calls on the State Government to abolish the prescribed Statutory Annual Increments for both planning and building fees and enable Councils to set their own fees.
• That the MAV State Council calls on VicRoads to review current funding allocated for the maintenance of arterial roads and associated infrastructure, roadsides and central medians, and if necessary advocate for increased levels of funding.
• That the MAV convene a working party comprising of Councillors and Information Technology Officers to explore the technological opportunities to provide a one stop shop customer service approach for Local Government communities.
• That the MAV State Council writes to the Australian Tax Office seeking an urgent review of the current ceiling of $1000 for election expenses that can be claimed by candidates for Council elections.

- ENDS –

This evening, Eastern Volunteers held a function to officially thank its business and government partners with their assistance. This included the sponsors of the Annual Fun Run that was held in March, as well as the Multicultural Festival, which will be held again this October.

The function included video presentations from the two public events, highlighting the strong community participation with Eastern Volunteers and the benefits provided to sponsors in supporting these activities.

The 2010 Eastern Volunteers Multicultural Festival:

Click here to view the embedded video.

The 2011 Eastern Volunteers Annual Fun Run:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Further partnership opportunities exist throughout this year, including the Business Booster Breakfast on the 8th of August and the Eastern Volunteers Multicultural Festival, which will be held on the 9th of October.

For further information please visit www.easternvolunteers.org.au.

This year I was invited to speak at the launch of National Reconciliation Week and the copy of speech is provided within this post:

Maroondah City Council, in the spirit of reconciliation, acknowledges that we are meeting on the land for which the Wurundjeri people have been custodians for many centuries, and on land which the Indigenous Australians have performed age old ceremonies.

We accept, respect and have shared with the Wurundjeri people in their customs of welcome.

The Wurundjeri people support the coming together of all people, respecting their individuality, to focus on a unified and cohesive nation.

Welcome to Maroondah City Council’s National Reconciliation Week Celebration here at Maroondah Federation Estate.

On behalf of Maroondah City Council I would like to welcome:

• Aunty Doreen Garvey-Wandin, Wurundjeri/Wandoon Elder
• Cr Ann Fraser
• Reg Edwards, the Indigenous musician you have had the pleasure of hearing upon your arrival here today.
• Kutcha Edwards who will be speaking and performing accompanied by Alistair McLean to close today’s proceedings

We gather here today to mark National Reconciliation Week. Commencing on the 27 May, the anniversary of the 1967 Referendum, and running until ‘Mabo Day’ the 3 June, this significant Week offers people across Australia the opportunity to focus on reconciliation, to hear about the culture and history of Australia’s Indigenous people, and to explore new and better ways of meeting challenges in our communities.

The 2011 theme for National Reconciliation Week is “Let’s Talk Recognition!”. This theme has been designed to encourage Australians ‘to join a national conversation about the value of recognition’ through events such as this.

I would like to invite the community to participate in the Indigenous cultural awareness training that will be conducted later in the week here at Maroondah Federation Estate. I encourage everyone to get involved and attend if possible, as it is a great way to learn more about Indigenous culture and to join with other members of the community to celebrate reconciliation. If you would like more information, please take a copy of the program or sign up for the session over at the the main counter. Visitors are also encouraged to view the indigenous art works from the Maroondah Council Collection that have been placed on display in the foyer.

I would also like to thank everyone here for supporting National Reconciliation Week, and in particular Maroondah Movement for Reconciliation members for their support with promoting this year’s program. I hope that today’s experience has highlighted the importance of Reconciliation within our community.

It is now my pleasure to welcome Kutcha Edwards to the stage, and to invite you to enjoy light refreshments including a range of Indigenous foods following this event.

The MAV holds two State Council meetings each year, where Councils are able to propose motions and debate the direction of the organisation. This session Maroondah proposed eight motions, of which six were supported by a majority of representatives.

Motions adopted at the MAV State Council meeting help shape the direction of the organisation, with the MAV being responsible for the implementation of these items.

This afternoon I was invited to participate in a panel session on social media to discuss my experiences in utilising social media within community organisations. The panel explored the usage of social media tools, including Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and LinkedIn to reach volunteers and encourage community participation.

It is important that social media is used to complement other forms of marketing and communication that are undertaken by an organisation. The benefits of social media are best realised that they are used in conjunction with other forms of marketing, ensuring a consistent approach in reaching potential volunteers and promoting the organisation.

Resourcing is also an important consideration when utilising social media. Given that most community based organisations work within considerable resource constraints it is imperative that social media is utilised efficiently and effectively. Fortunately social media tools, like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Youtube can be integrated ensuring a consistent and easy to maintain presence across these networks. Furthermore, new website content can be integrated with these tools extending the reach of a website and providing further content for social media.

Social media networks do need to be maintained and kept up-to-date with new content, integrating these tools and combining them with website updates ensuring an active presence and multiple opportunities to engage people via these networks.

The session was well attended, with excellent questions from attendees and I commend Volunteering Victoria for organising a dedicated session on social media. Community organisations can clearly benefit from social media tools if utilised effectively and integrated to provide a consistent and efficient marketing approach.

Maroondah Councillor Alex Makin said the choir was started in 2010 to give people with limited or no speech the opportunity to experience something positive and joyful with their voice.

“The members of the choir may not be able to speak, but they still have the ability to sing. This is the reality experienced by a number of people living with aphasia,” Cr Makin said.

“The idea for the choir was first raised during Stroke Week 2008. After hearing that several people in Maroondah were living with aphasia, Council took the first tentative steps towards the formation of a choir,” Cr Makin said.

“With the help of a number of external organisations, the choir has gone from strength to strength, with more than 20 members now meeting every week at Maroondah Family Church in Ringwood East,” Cr Makin said.

“The choir has a qualified music therapist of Yooralla working alongside the participants to ensure they are getting the most out of the experience,” Cr Makin said.

Cr Makin said making a documentary about the choir was one more way to spread the word about aphasia and the benefits of the choir.

“The $20,000 to make the documentary will allow the participants to share their journey with Stroke a Chord, and highlight the positive health benefits that being part of the choir has had for stroke survivors and their families,” Cr Makin said.

“I have been lucky enough to meet a lot of the participants since the choir began, and the documentary will allow these people the chance to let them share their voice with the world again,” Cr Makin said.

“Seeing the positive changes in the mental and physical health of the participants will hopefully inspire other people with aphasia to consider becoming part of a community activity,” Cr Makin said.

The Stroke a Chord initiative is a partnership between Council, Yooralla, Royal Talbot Hospital, University of Queensland, Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Croydon Stroke Support Group and Melbourne University.

Yooralla’s Eastern Region Communication Service speech pathologist Bronwen Jones said the participants were excited about sharing their story as part of the documentary.

“The choir has been such a terrific success, and everybody who has had something to do with it has just been blown away by the personal stories of these participants,” Ms Jones said.

“These people have got very little speech, so we thought being in public would be confronting. But when they perform they turn into show ponies,” Ms Jones said.

“They really have blossomed, they have been filmed for the Today show and recorded for ABC radio’s Life Matters program. They are all keen to share their stories and show people that there is life after stroke,” Ms Jones said.

Filming for the documentary is expected to start in July, with production expected to take about six months.

Stroke a Chord will perform publically for the first time at 2pm, Saturday September 17 at Karralyka Theatre, Ringwood East. For more information or to purchase a ticket visit www.strokeachord.com

Maroondah Councillor Alex Makin said the annual State Emergency Services FloodSafe Week, Monday 30 May to Friday 5 June, encouraged people to get involved and learn more about protecting themselves, their homes and their businesses during floods.

“Floods cause more damage in terms of dollars and lives lost, per year, than any other natural hazard in Australia,” Cr Makin said.

“The rain fall which hit Victoria in late 2010 and February 2011, and the flooding which occurred as a result, is a prime example of the importance of ensuring your property is able to cope should we be faced with this level of rain fall again,” Cr Makin said.

“Research that was conducted following the September 2010 floods in Victoria shows that 31 per cent of people living in the affected areas did not know their homes were prone to flooding and 35 per cent said they had not prepared for floods at all,” Cr Makin said.

“However a well prepared community can reduce flood damage by up to 80 per cent, which is why Council is supporting the SES FloodSafe Week and urging residents to take appropriate steps to ensure their property is in the best condition possible to prevent, or at least minimise, the impacts of flooding,” Cr Makin said.

“Council is also doing its bit to ensure that the Municipality’s storm water drainage network is able to cope if the storms continue to worsen,” Cr Makin said.

“In the event of a flood Council’s operations team will conduct initial investigations to determine whether there is a blockage or other issues associated with Council’s stormwater pipes which may have contributed to localised flooding,” Cr Makin said.

“If no issues are found the matter is referred to Council’s engineering and infrastructure team, for further investigation, which will include assessing the capacity of the system,” Cr Makin said.

“Since the recent floods, investigations into Council’s stormwater drainage system has increased and Council is currently reviewing whether or not it needs to change the way the stormwater drainage network is designed and managed,” Cr Makin said.

“Council has a responsibility to property owners to ensure that the Council owned and operated drainage system is clear and functioning so it can capture any stormwater,” Cr Makin said.

“In times of excessive rainfall Council also needs to ensure that designated overland flow paths can handle the excess stormwater and work effectively to prevent properties from being flooded,” Cr Makin said.

“Council’s underground stormwater drainage system has historically been designed to a capacity of a one in five year magnitude storm, which is consistent with the industry standard” Cr Makin said.

“In the event of a storm of greater magnitude, the excess water is generally handled by designated overland flow paths which are created along drainage gullys, creeks or other low land points, during the initial developments stage of housing estates,” Cr Makin said.

“Council’s engineers are currently putting together a program to undertake detailed catchment analysis and flood mapping of the municipality which will help to determine appropriate solutions to stormwater management and may lead to improvements to underground pipe systems and overland flow paths to capture stormwater more effectively,” Cr Makin said.

“Investigations of the stormwater network and the associated improvement works is focussed on areas of land which were severely impacted during the recent flooding, with areas with property inundation taking precedence,” Cr Makin said.

“Council in conjunction with the SES is developing a Maroondah City Council Flood Emergency Plan which will assist in the identification of flooding risks and indicate suitable measure which can be undertaken to reduce and manage the risk of flooding,” Cr Makin said.

“Council working alongside the community to maintain Council-owned infrastructure and residential properties is the best way to ensure we are prepared in the event of heavy rainfall, and hopefully minimise the impacts of major flooding in the future,” Cr Makin said.

The best way to prepare for floods is to:

• Learn the risk for your home and/or business
• Prepare an emergency kit
• Put together a home or business emergency plan
• Keep a list of emergency numbers near your telephone
• Check your insurance policy
• If a flood warning is issued, listen to your emergency broadcaster for advice and check your neighbours are aware of the situation
• NEVER walk, ride or drive through floodwater. Driving through floodwater is the number one cause of death during floods
• NEVER allow children to play in floodwater. This is the number one cause of death during floods for children and teenagers

Throughout FloodSafe Week, SES volunteers will be running events in and around Maroondah. For more information or to learn about preparing a home emergency plan or home emergency kit, visit www.ses.vic.gov.au

- ENDS –

This morning guests heard from Greg Fordham, the Managing Director of Airbiz, an Australian based international consultancy that provides advice on aviation and airports. Greg discussed how he incorporates volunteering as part of his team building strategy, providing an opportunity for staff to partner with a community organisation.

The corporate volunteering program was designed to not only benefit the community organisation, but also to improve morale and enhance team building. Greg discussed some recent examples of the work undertaken by his team, including support for people affected by the recent Victorian Bushfires.

Greg’s discussion clearly highlighted how businesses and community organisations can both benefit from a partnership that delivers mutual value through support and team building.

The next Eastern Volunteers Business Booster Breakfast will be held on Wednesday the 8th of August, for further details please visit www.easternvolunteers.org.au.

Volunteering is a measure of the vibrancy and success of our community and I encourage people to consider how they can volunteer for the many community organisations that exist within Maroondah.

On the 13th of May, along with Cr Natalie Thomas, I attended the Young Leaders Presentation Evening providing an opportunity to congratulate the participants who completed the Young Leaders Program. The Young Leaders Program is a week-long course operated through EVs Youth Centre, which promotes leadership qualities for Year 10 students within Maroondah.

I would like to congratulate the participants for their dedication and for completing the course. I trust that the skills they have learnt will be useful in their future education, employment and employment endeavours.

The program covers public speaking, confidence and teamwork, with the aim of developing leadership skills. At the end of the course the participants organise a presentation evening, which includes the presentation of certificates from Council.

This evening I was invited to speak about the program and to formally congratulate the students for their completion of the course. The speech delivered during the presentation is available within this post:

Good evening and welcome to EV’s Youth Centre, I would like to congratulate once again the participants of the Young Leaders program, as well as the parents, teachers and schools that support these students and this program.

Maroondah City Council, in the spirit of reconciliation, acknowledges that we are meeting on the land for which the Wurundjeri people have been custodians for many centuries, and on Land which the indigenous Australians have performed age old ceremonies.

I would also like to welcome our fellow Council colleague, Cr Natalie Thomas, who will be assisting in the presentation of certificates this evening.

I would like to congratulate all the Young Leaders for their efforts throughout the entire week and for tonight’s presentation. Well done for accepting this challenge with such enthusiasm. I can see that this experience has been a positive one and hope you can now confidently implement your learning into everyday life, and develop as young leaders in our community.

I’d like to also take this opportunity to specifically thank the following teachers and participating schools for seeing the potential in their young leaders and their willingness to work with the wider community and give opportunities like this to their students;

• Sharlene Agnew –School Wellbeing Coordinator at Ringwood Secondary College,
• Gary George –Leadership Coordinator at Norwood Secondary College,
• Assistant Principal John Baston at Croydon Secondary College,
• Dean Hewitt – Year 10 coordinator at Heathmont College,
• Lauren Moulynox – Year 10 coordinator and Jo Kirby -School Wellbeing coordinator at Maroondah Secondary College,
• Heather Ruckert –Year 10 coordinator at Tintern Schools,
• Ann Adams – School wellbeing coordinator at Parkwood Secondary College,
• David Hurley – Year 10 coordinator at Luther College,
• Daniel Wightman –Year 10 coordinator at Aquinas College

I would also like to acknowledge the efforts of Council’s Youth Services Team who have worked hard putting this program together, including facilitating the program and ensuring tonight’s event runs smoothly.

Young Leaders is one of many great programs and events run by Council’s Youth Services Team, so please take the time to speak with a team member later tonight if you would like any further information on the great services they provide.

Congratulations Young Leaders of 2011. I wish you all the very best for the future, and hope you enjoy putting what you have learned from this week into practice!