Councils operate within laws set by the Victorian government. Their powers and responsibilities mainly come from the Local Government Act 1993 and associated regulations.
The role of the councillors is to set the council’s strategic direction and to make final policy decisions. Council meetings are held at least ten times a year to discuss issues and make decisions on behalf of the local community.
All councillors must complete training in topics such as meeting procedures, planning legislation financial issues codes of conduct and conflicts of interest.
a) What can I do if I have a Problem with Council?
Many problems can be resolved at an early stage by speaking to the appropriate staff member at the council. As locally elected, autonomous bodies it is important that council staffs are given every opportunity to resolve concerns directly with the parties involved.
- If you are not satisfied with the response from council staff, you should contact your local councillor/s.
- If you are still not satisfied, you should contact your state member of parliament.
There is also additional processes available for complaints at: https://knowyourcouncil.vic.gov.au/guide-to-councils/consultation-and-complaints.
All local councils in Victoria are independent corporate bodies, so the minister for Local Government and the department of Local Government do not have the authority to direct local councils in their day to day decision making or review the planning, resources allocation or enforce decisions made by them.
b) How to Have Your Say in Local Government?
Attend Council Meetings – Councils are required to have meetings, but when they meet varies between councils. Anyone can attend council meetings, whether it is a meeting of the whole council or one of council’s committee. A council must give public notice of the times and places of these meetings. For details you can check your council’s website, your local newspaper, notice boards at council chambers or libraries, or by contacting your council.
Many councils set aside time at the beginning of meetings for members of the public to speak. You may need to let your council know if you want to do this. Agendas and business papers which set out what will be discussed at a meeting must be made available at the council’s offices and at the meeting before it starts. If you want to take away copies of the agenda and business papers, you are entitled to do so but you may be charged for photocopying.
There are times when parts of a meeting may be closed to the public. These times are limited to the reasons set out in section 10A of the Local Government Act 1993 but the spirit of the Act is to make sure that council and committee meetings are as open as possible. Reasons for closed meetings can include discussions around:
- The personal hardship of a resident or ratepayer, because this would be an invasion of privacy if discussed in public
- Employment matters involving a particular member of the council staff
- Confidential commercial information
Participate in Council Committees – Councils often establish committees to help them develop various plans and policies, and these include members of the community. What these committees deal with varies from council to council. If you want to find out about or participate in these committees, you should contact your council.
Look at Council Documents – Members of the public are entitled to have access to a number of council documents. In general, access to council records is free, although you may have to pay reasonable photocopying charges. The Public Officer of your council can be contacted to assist in viewing any council documents.
Public Access to Correspondence and Reports – A council and a committee of which all the members are councillors must, during or at the close of a meeting, or during the business day following the meeting, give reasonable access to any person to inspect correspondence and reports laid on the table at, or submitted to, the meeting. This section does not apply if the correspondence or reports relate to a matter that was received or discussed, or were laid on the table at, or submitted to, the meeting, when the meeting was closed to the public.
Plans and Policies – Councils may prepare a number of plans and policies such as environmental management plans, cultural plans, and crime prevention or community safety plans which may impact on your club. Information about these may be included in the council’s management plan or annual report or on their website. You can also contact your council for more information.
c) Council/Life Saving Club Relationships
The secret to a good council and surf club relationship is communication. The building of relationships and networking with council staff and councillors is essential to gaining productive results and favourable decisions.
Local councils are faced with a demanding challenge of limited funds and greater wants within the community. The groups that are highly visible and engaging to the staff and councillors will get the attention.
Council must be made fully aware of the advantages to the community of having strong healthy surf clubs. Clubs need to be in touch with councillors and staff on a regular basis outlining the work they are doing, and the benefits that the community receives from their actions.
In matters relating to buildings and other areas which may have an effect on other clubs, the council should be approached on a united front by a senior body of clubs and or by a facilities representative from LSV (which may also include members of the LSV Facilities Development Committee). This will give the clubs a much stronger position, and the council will not be able to downgrade the benefits that the club receives from council.
References
Local Government Victoria
https://www.localgovernment.vic.gov.au/
Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV)
https://www.mav.asn.au/
Consumer Affairs Victoria
https://www.consumer.vic.gov.au/