Moorabool Council is calling on the state government and peak local government bodies to boost professional development opportunities for councillors amid concerns ratepayers are footing the bill for mandatory training.
At its Wednesday 4 February meeting, council supported a motion requesting officers write to Local Government Minister Nick Staikos, Eureka MP Michaela Settle, Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) president Cr Jennifer Anderson and chief executive Kelly Grigsby, and Victorian Local Governance Association (VLGA) president Dr Josh Fergeus and chief executive Kathryn Arndt.
The motion urged the state government, MAV and VLGA to provide increased professional development and training opportunities for councillors to reduce the financial burden on councils and ratepayers.
Cr Rod Ward said he’s witnessed a major reduction in the number of opportunities offered by specialist bodies to councillors to sharpen their skills.
“Five years as a councillor now and I’ve seen a significant reduction in the training and professional development opportunities offered by MAV and the VLGA to the point where councils are now hiring or contracting specialist bodies,” he said.
“We pay significant fees to be members of those organisations and we would like to see an increase in the professional development and training opportunities for councillors.”
The call follows increased mandatory training requirements for councillors under the Local Government Act.
The updated framework requires new councillors to complete induction training within four months of taking their oath, while mayors, deputy mayors and acting mayors serving more than a month must undertake mayoral training within one month of election, with all councillors also required to complete annual professional development.
Key focus areas include governance and integrity, understanding the Local Government Act 2020, ethical conduct, conflict of interest, fraud reporting, community representation, decision-making leadership and communication.
On behalf of Mr Staikos a Victorian government spokesperson said “Victorians expect their councils to maintain high operational standards, and this requires ongoing access to professional development and training.”
Ms Settle reiterated the same message.
“Good governance is a critical component of any successful local government and their ability to meet the needs and expectations of their residents and ratepayers,” she said.
VLGA chief executive Kathryn Arndt said training had been broadened in response to feedback.
” In response to feedback from the sector, we have broadened the way we provide training for councillors to reduce costs and improve efficiency through a one-hour online CPD Essentials program,” she said.
“We have also applied a ‘Council Financial Sustainability Price Ceiling’ to a recent Expression of Interest process for prospective facilitators to keep professional development costs as low as possible.
“The VLGA continues to lobby the State government to support the sector through funding for professional development and support for councillors in an increasingly complex environment.”
The MAV were contacted for comment.
