Valley View April May 2013
Message from the Mayor
Welcome to the new issue of Valley View magazine.
The last two months have been extremely busy. Our summer events program was very popular with thousands of people flocking to Queens Park for a glorious day at the Moonee Valley Festival. The Moonee Valley Leisure Challenge and Fun Run attracted record numbers, as did the Mediterranean Fiesta. Thank you to everyone who made it along to these events and helped make them such a success.
On 17 March, Council supported community groups to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the renaming of the Maribyrnong River. It was a wonderful event with participants re-enacting the scene of 100 years ago. I was honoured to be involved in this celebration.
Council and Vic’s Flicks recently screened the first in a series of classic movies from the golden age of Hollywood. This initiative provides an enjoyable outing to residents who are aged or have a disability and their carers. I hope many of you have a chance to enjoy a great movie – see page four for details.
As part of International Women’s Day I was proud to host a lunch with my fellow Councillors to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of women. 2013 is a big year for women in local government in particular. Council, for the first time in history, has elected its youngest female mayor (me!) and has a majority of female Councillors. Also, all western region Mayors are women, so there was much to celebrate!
Recently, I travelled to Canberra with a delegation of CEOs and Mayors from the western region. It was a great opportunity for myself and CE Neville Smith to meet with senior ministers first hand and talk to them about issues that directly relate to Moonee Valley. I look forward to positive responses from our discussions, as it was certainly a worthwhile and timely visit.
In April we recognise ANZAC Day and I hope many of you are able to participate in this important and significant day. Youth Week also occurs in April and Council has a great program of events for our younger residents to get involved in.
It is a busy and important time for Moonee Valley as Council is in the process of developing documents that will play a strategic role in determining Council’s direction for our city.
We’re asking for the community’s contribution to the ‘big three’ – our four-year Council Plan, review of the Moonee Valley Planning Scheme, and our new Health and Wellbeing Plan. These three documents set the focus for everything Council does and we’re keen to have as much community input as possible. Visit mvcc.vic.gov.au/big3 to have your say.
In April we will release Council’s draft 2013/14 budget for community feedback. Thanks to everyone who submitted their ideas and thoughts during our initial consultation on the budget earlier this year and I urge you all to provide your feedback on the draft.
I have enjoyed meeting many residents at my first two ‘Meet the Mayor’ sessions, which will continue every month until November. A wide range of issues and concerns have been brought to me and I welcome participation in these sessions. See page three or mvcc.vic.gov.au/ conversations for locations and times.
Lastly, the Essendon Historical Society has launched an appeal to raise $250,000 in order to restore the Moonee Ponds Courthouse. The heritage-listed building, at the corner of Kellaway Avenue and Mt Alexander Road, was built in 1890 and is an important part of Moonee Valley’s history. There are many ways you can get involved, so for more information visit their website.
Cr Narelle Sharpe
Moonee Valley Mayor
Council meeting dates
Public Forum
Tuesday, 16 April
Ordinary Council Meeting
Tuesday, 23 April
Public Forum
Tuesday, 21 May
Ordinary Council Meeting
Tuesday, 28 May
Public Forums start at 6pm. Ordinary Council Meetings start at 7pm.
From 27 March, access to the Civic Area for Public Forums and Council Meetings will be through the Pascoe Vale Road entrance.
Meet your Mayor
Do you have a question, idea or issue that you would like to discuss with Mayor Cr Narelle Sharpe? Maybe you have feedback on Council’s services, programs and strategies?
In February, Cr Sharpe kicked off her monthly community conversation sessions, which will take place until October. She will stop by various locations across Moonee Valley, including Niddrie Library, Avondale Heights Library and Learning Centre, Flemington Library, Sam Merrifield Library, Flemington Community Centre and Ascot Vale Neighbourhood Centre.
Whether you’re a resident, business owner, someone who studies or visits Moonee Valley, all are welcome to drop in for an informal chat with the Mayor.
Cr Sharpe is looking forward to meeting people and listening to what they have to say. “I’m a big believer in community engagement and hearing from residents first-hand. As an elected representative, it’s important for me to have a clear understanding of the issues that are impacting our residents.”
For a list of dates and locations, visit our website or call Council on 9243 8888.
Children’s programs in 2014
Children develop and learn much faster in the first five years of life than at any other time.
Three-year-old programs and four-year-old preschool (previously known as kindergarten programs) provide children with an environment in which this development can be encouraged and stimulated. Children’s programs give your child the opportunity to develop social, emotional, cognitive, physical and language skills, which are vital in later learning.
Council’s registration process for three-year-old programs and four-year-old preschool in 2014 opens on Thursday, 18 April.
Come along to a preschool information session being held to help families better understand the registration process.
All you need to know about preschool
Date: Wednesday, 17 April
Time: 7pm to 8.30pm
Venue: Clocktower Centre, 750 Mt Alexander Road, Moonee Ponds
Please RSVP to 9243 8888 or by Thursday, 12 April.
More information about the registration process can be found online at our website or by calling Council on 9243 8888.
Community safety
The safety and wellbeing of the Moonee Valley community is a priority for Council.
Safety is also an identified priority for the community itself. Consultation undertaken for Council’s vision Moonee Valley Next Generation 2035, as well as our annual community survey, confirms that living in a safe community is a matter of high importance for residents.
You should be able to go about your daily activities in Moonee Valley and be confident that you will be safe. Council works toward this community safety objective in many ways. Key priorities are identified in Council’s Community Safety Program 2011-14 and our annual Community Safety Action Plan. We run a number of programs that can assist you to remain safe including our community safety register, and road safety program. Our website also provides information about community safety, including safety barrier requirements for pools and spas.
Safety-minded people recognise that they have a responsibility to take steps to ensure their own safety. In any activity, your personal safety and the safety of family and friends should always be your priority.
Be alert and make good decisions that enable you to enjoy yourself and stay safe.
Your personal safety is improved when you are aware of your surroundings, know how to avoid risks, have access to reliable information and have prepared strategies to stay safe.
Safety Victoria’s website is a comprehensive source of health and safety information to help you avoid risks, or to prepare for and deal with safety issues should they threaten or arise.
Visit their website for tips and information about a variety of safety issues including emergency preparation and recovery, safety for children and safety in the home.
Council Plan
From the end of April to the end of May, you will have the opportunity to comment on the draft Council Plan. The Council Plan is a strategic document that outlines what Council will focus on over the next four years.
The draft Council Plan we have drawn up is in line with the community aspirations as defined in the Moonee Valley Next Generation 2035 Community Vision and took into consideration the challenges that we are facing in our local area, community sentiment as well as trends in population, transport and housing.
The draft Council Plan outlines the key projects and activities that Council has identified will make a big difference to the local community.
It also lists the services that we commit to provide and presents the issues we want to advocate on. The plan includes measurable outcomes and provides details on how we’re planning to deliver and fund these projects and services.
The draft Council Plan will be made public at the end of April. We will then invite the community to send us comments until Tuesday, 21 May:
· by email to
· by post to Moonee Valley City Council, PO Box 126, Moonee Ponds VIC 3039
Visit Council's website for more information
Draft Council budget on consultation
Councillors are working with Council staff to develop a draft budget for 2013/14 which allocates the money required to meet community needs and deliver vital services.
Thanks to all community members who took the time to tell us their ideas for new community programs, events and other new initiatives they’d like to see happening in Moonee Valley during our initial consultation in January and February.
The resulting draft budget will be made available for community feedback from Wednesday, 24 April to Tuesday, 21 May.
Residents will be able to view the draft budget at on our website, at all five libraries and at the Civic Centre, 9 Kellaway Avenue, Moonee Ponds.
During the consultation period, submit your comments by email to or by post to Manager Finance, PO Box 126, Moonee Ponds, VIC 3039.
The final version of the budget is due to be adopted in June. For more information about the draft budget call 9243 8888 or visit Council’s website.
Enjoy classic movies
Council’s Aged and Disability Services department, in partnership with Vic’s Flicks, will hold monthly classic movie screenings until November.
Thursday, 18 April – Many Rivers to Cross
Thursday, 16 May – How Green Was My Valley
Thursday, 20 June – The Adventures of Don Juan
Thursday, 18 July – Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
We will be seeking suggestions for movies screened from August to November.
Time: 1.30pm
Venue: Burley Griffin Community Centre, Park Drive, East Keilor
Screenings are free for Moonee Valley residents who are aged and/or have a disability and their carers.
Bookings are required, as spaces are limited – please contact Council’s Healthy Ageing Officer on 9243 8712 to book at least one week prior to the screening.
Transport services, carer support and community meals are also available upon request for a fee. Two weeks’ notice is required to book these services.
For more information, visit our website or call 9243 8712.
Healthy places, healthy people
Council is close to completing the first phase of the development of the Moonee Valley Public Health and Wellbeing Plan for 2013-17, or the Health Plan in short.
The legislative requirement to develop a new Health Plan every four years is a good opportunity to take stock of the health and wellbeing of our community. Over the past few months, we have analysed local health and demographic data to understand trends and challenges specific to Moonee Valley.
The health and wellbeing of individuals and communities is often determined by the social, natural, built and economic environment that surrounds them – so we also considered a number of factors such as employment rate, gaming, air and water quality and perceptions of safety. This all contributed to the development of the Moonee Valley Health Profile, which will be available on our website shortly.
As we gathered this information, we also engaged with health providers, groups and the wider community to discuss what we can do as a community to maintain or increase our health and wellbeing.
We will now work to develop a draft Health Plan. We will identify actions to enable people living, working and visiting Moonee Valley to achieve maximum health and wellbeing. Collaboration will be key – Council can do a lot but to achieve our high aspirations we will need to partner with other agencies and service providers.
We anticipate that we will be in a position to present you with the draft Moonee Valley Public Health and Wellbeing Plan in July 2013, which you will be invited to consider and comment on.
For more information, visit our website.
Planning Scheme Review
The planning scheme is another major strategic document that focuses on ensuring Moonee Valley has healthy places and healthy people. The planning scheme guides how we use and plan out the land which can contribute to creating healthy places. For example the planning scheme:
· guides where and how people use and develop their land
· provides guidelines for the protection of significant vegetation, rivers and heritage places
· guides how we plan out our suburbs to drive outcomes like more people using sustainable transport and improved economic development
· guides how and where we need to accommodate population growth and change
The planning scheme guides all of Council’s decisions on planning and development in the local area. The scheme includes a combination of both State and local planning policies. Our local policies need to align with State Government objectives but can be more defined to pick up issues and challenges specific to Moonee Valley.