Community Strengthening Conference
Building Stronger Communities Conference
State and Local Governments Working Together to Build Stronger Communities, released on 19 September 2005, summarises the proceedings of a conference held on 13 May 2005.
The conference focused on the actions necessary to fundamentally change the way government works with local communities across Victoria.
These actions were identified in the Actions for Community Strengthening with Local Government strategy paper released in April 2005.
The conference was attended by more than 240 senior delegates representing 64 local government areas as well as state government departments, business and the community sector.
The program of discussions and workshops detailed the actions needed to fundamentally change the way government works with local communities across Victoria.
A highlight of the program was an issue-rich panel discussion featuring Professor Mark Considine, Professor Bill Russell and Kerry Thompson, CEO of Maribyrnong City Council, interacting with the event’s MC, Lynne Haultain [NCI12], and members of the audience.
The conference reinforced the shared understanding of the importance of a partnership between state and local government in delivering better outcomes for Victorian communities. It recognised the strengths of local councils – such as local knowledge, experience in delivering local services, democratic accountability and expertise in bringing public, non-government and private service provider’s together.
The State Government wants to ensure all Victorians have an opportunity to share in the benefits of the State’s past five years of growth that, if invested wisely, will make Victoria an even better place to live and raise a family.
Community strengthening & the role of local government
A discussion paper on the role of local government in community strengthening, prepared by the Director of the Centre for Public Policy, Professor Mark Considine, was launched on 26 February 2004.
The paper was prepared as part of the Local Government’s Role in Community Strengthening Research Project, which aims to help local government in Victoria build stronger communities that improve the capacity of people to actively engage in a wide variety of social, economic, cultural, recreational, learning and civic activities.
Building Connections
Building Connections – Community Strengthening and Local Government in Victoria was released in August 2004 as part of the Local Government’s Role in Community Strengthening Research Project led by Prof. Mark Considine.
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