Our role

The Constitution Act 1975 establishes Local Government as an essential tier of government, consisting of democratically elected councils with the functions and powers that the Parliament considers are necessary to ensure the peace, order and good government of each municipal district.

The Local Government Act 2020 (the Act) sets out the role and powers of councils in Victoria and a series of principles to guide how councils should exercise those functions and powers. Since receiving royal assent on 24 March 2020, the Act has slowly replaced the Local Government Act 1989 (the LG Act 1989). However, parts of the LG Act 1989 remain in force until further notice.

Consistent with the Act, Council’s primary objective is to be accountable, transparent, collaborative, efficient and engaged with the community. We are responsible for setting our strategic direction, establishing and guiding policies, setting service delivery standards and monitoring our performance. We govern for and on behalf of the community. Our role includes:

  • providing good governance for the benefit and wellbeing of the community;
  • complying with relevant law when making decisions and acting;
  • giving priority to achieving the best outcomes for the community, including future generations;
  • promoting the economic, social and environmental sustainability of the municipal district, including mitigation and planning for climate change risks;
  • engaging the community in strategic planning and strategic decision-making;
  • pursuing innovation and continuous improvement;
  • collaborating with other councils and governments and statutory bodies;
  • ensuring the ongoing financial viability of Council;
  • taking into account regional, state and national plans and policies in strategic planning and decision-making; and
  • ensuring transparency of Council decisions, actions and information.
Democratic Governance

Electoral representation

Glen Eira consists of three wards — Camden, Rosstown and Tucker — each of which has three Councillors. At the time of the 2020 Local Government election, there were more than 34,000 people enrolled to vote in each ward.

The Victorian Electoral Commission must conduct an electoral representation review at least every 12 years. The last review was in 2011 and resulted in minor boundary changes between Camden and Rosstown. The current boundary took effect for the 2012 Council elections.

The last general election was held on 24 October 2020. Victorian councils held general elections on that date for a four-year term. The election was conducted by the Victorian Electoral Commission, by postal voting in accordance with Ministerial direction.

Our nine Councillors are elected to represent all residents and ratepayers in the municipality. Their roles and functions include:

  • participating in the decision-making of Council;
  • representing the interests of the community in that decision-making; and
  • contributing to the strategic direction of Council through the development and review of key strategic documents, including the Glen Eira Council Plan.

In performing their role, each Councillor must:

  • consider the diversity of interests and needs of the community;
  • support the role of the Mayor;
  • act lawfully and in accordance with the oath or affirmation of office;
  • act in accordance with the standards of conduct; and
  • comply with Council procedures required for good governance.
Delegations

Not all decisions are made at Council Meetings. Operational decisions are either delegated by Council to staff or to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), who may subdelegate them to other staff. This ensures we carry out our activities effectively and efficiently. The CEO has statutory responsibility for managing our day-to-day operations.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT 2020

The Act provided for a staged rollout of its reforms until 30 June 2022. The operation of the Act is underpinned by overarching and supporting principles that a council must give effect to and consider in the performance of its role.

Council met all the implementation milestones associated with the Act, including:

  • adoption of a Community Vision, Council Plan, and Budget;
  • adoption of a Financial Plan, an Asset Plan, a Revenue and Rating Plan;
  • adoption of a Workforce Plan;
  • adoption of policies in relation to complaints, community engagement, public transparency, Councillor gifts, Councillor civic support and expenses, procurement, recruitment and, CEO employment and remuneration;
  • adoption of an Audit and Risk Committee Charter and Governance Rules; and
  • preparation of annual reports.

Our engagement with community

We are passionate about our community and welcome new ideas, thrive on strengthening relationships, and strive to better understand our community’s needs in future planning and decision making. To this end we endorsed a new Community Engagement Strategy 2022–2026, which outlines our approach to connecting with our community. We recognise the key to successful engagement is our productive and collaborative partnership with stakeholders and our community.

In 2021–22 we continued to utilise online engagement resources due to the restriction imposed by COVID-19 lockdown measures and to accommodate the needs of cautious community members, as restrictions began to ease. As the year wore on, we noticed a greater willingness to engage in face-to-face forums once again, however, hybrid approach to engagement is likely to remain for some time to ensure all members of the community can access the information they need.

The Strategy is available on our website.

We conduct engagement when there:

  • is significant change to services and facilities, such as the redevelopment of a local park;
  • are changes to the existing amenity or characteristics of an area, such as safe cycling routes;
  • is a change in strategic direction, such as the Council Plan;
  • are considerable budget implications, such as the redevelopment of a library;
  • are controversial or sensitive matters, such as an environmental issue; and
  • are key emerging issues, such as community gardening.

Tools we use to engage with the community and encourage participation include:

Community Voice — an online engagement group made up of a representative sample of 529 residents who agree to be consulted about key projects, issues and topics on a regular basis. Throughout 2021–22, Community Voice members participated in five surveys.

Have Your Say — a community online portal where community members can contribute ideas, provide feedback and exchange views with others on key decisions and priorities in Glen Eira. Each project page can contain key dates, questions, discussions, documents, photos and relevant project information.

Community meetings, workshops, telephone and paper-based surveys, questionnaires, focus groups and one-on-one personal interviews.

We promote community engagement activities and how to provide feedback in our monthly Glen Eira News, community engagement e-newsletters, other Council e-newsletters, website, brochures, social media channels, fete boards and letters.

We undertook 27 community engagement activities in 2021–22. We had 5,519 responses to consultations and Community Voice surveys and polls.

Our community engagements were on the following topics:

  • Bailey Reserve Community Outdoor Fitness Facility
  • Boyd Park Playground Upgrade
  • Caulfield Park Entrance Upgrade
  • Centenary Park Playground Redevelopment
  • Community Safety Plan 2022–2025 (stages one and two)
  • Community Voice (August, October, December, February, and May)
  • Developing Glen Eira’s Asset Plan
  • Domestic Animal Management Plan 2022–2026
  • Draft Caulfield Structure Plan
  • Draft Community Engagement Strategy 2022–2026
  • Draft Glen Eira Housing Strategy (stage one and two)
  • Draft Public Toilet Plan 2022–2027
  • Elsternwick Cultural Precinct – design consultation
  • Glen Eira Multi-deck Car Parks (stages one and two)
  • Glen Eira’s Placemaking Framework (stage one)
  • Integrated Water Management Plan | Dhumbali W’urneet Gadhaba
  • Living and Ageing Well in Glen Eira
  • Mackie Road Reserve Masterplan
  • Our draft Circular Economy Plan for Glen Eira
  • Packer Park Playground Upgrade (stages one and two)
  • Philanthropic Partnership Policy
  • Prioritising the budget
  • Proposed Budget, Financial Plan and Revenue and Rating Plan
  • Proposed Smoke-Free Zones Local Law
  • Smart Cities Roadmap
  • Smoke-free Zones in Glen Eira
  • Waste Champions Program for shared bins

For more information visit the Have Your Say Glen Eira page on our website.

Council Meetings

Council Meetings were held virtually from 20 July 2021 to 23 November 2021 due to the pandemic. In person meetings resumed in December 2021. The form in which the meetings are held is dependent upon COVID-19 restrictions and current requirements of the Local Government Act and Regulations.

Ordinary Council Meetings are generally held every three weeks on Tuesday evenings, with Special Council Meetings held as required. Meetings are held in the Council Chamber at the Glen Eira Town Hall, with all meetings livestreamed and placed on Council’s website within 48 hours. For more information visit Council Meeting webcast on our website.

Meetings must comply with the Governance Rules adopted by Council on 11 August 2020. They were developed in accordance with the Local Government Act 2020 and the Local Government (Governance and Integrity) Regulations 2020. The meetings must also comply with the Council Meeting Procedure Local Law that was reviewed and adopted in 2019. The agendas consist of reports independently prepared by staff members and include recommendations for Council to consider.

Councillors must disclose if they have a general or material conflict of interest on any item to be discussed at a Council Meeting. Once a Councillor declares a conflict of interest, the Councillor must leave the meeting and cannot be present for the discussion or voting on that matter.

Public participation ceased from July to November 2021, due to COVID-19 temporary measures being in place. Exceptions to this were consideration of items listed in an agenda that included hearing submitters in accordance with Section 223 of the Local Government Act 1989. Public participation is once again available for you to address in Ordinary Meetings under clause 30 of the Governance Rules, except for the period that COVID-19 temporary measures are in place. Information on public participation and the adopted guidelines are available on the Meetings and agendas page on our website.

You are welcome to submit questions to the Ordinary Meetings, under clause 30 Written public questions to Council and the associated guidelines.

Councillor attendance at Council Meetings

July 2021 to June 2022

There were 16 Ordinary Meetings and four Special Meetings.

CouncillorOrdinary Meetings

(16 held)
Special Meetings

(4 held)
Term of office
Cr Tony Athanasopoulos11 (16)0 (4)1 July 2021–30 June 2022
Cr Anne-Marie Cade16 (16)4 (4)1 July 2021–30 June 2022
Cr Margaret Esakoff15 (16)4 (4)1 July 2021–30 June 2022
Cr Jim Magee16 (16)4 (4)1 July 2021–30 June 2022
Cr Sam Parasol16 (16)3 (4)1 July 2021–30 June 2022
Cr Sue Pennicuik3 (3)1(1)3 May 2022–30 June 2022
Cr Neil Pilling6 (11)2 (3)1 July 2021– 29 March 2022
Cr Li Zhang15 (16)4 (4)1 July 2021–30 June 2022
Cr Simone Zmood16 (16)3 (4)1 July 2021–30 June 2022
Cr David Zyngier16 (16)3 (4)1 July 2021–30 June 2022

Election of mayor and deputy mayor

We elect our Mayor and Deputy Mayor for one-year terms. On 3 November 2021, Tucker Ward Councillor Jim Magee was elected Mayor and Tucker Ward Councillor Li Zhang was elected Deputy Mayor.

The Mayor performs ceremonial duties, chairs Council meetings and is the principal spokesperson for Council. The Mayor has a range of responsibilities under the Local Government Act 2020, including leading engagement with the community on the development of the Council Plan. The Mayor also assists Councillors to understand their role, promotes behaviour consistent with the Councillor Code of Conduct and, subject to the Governance Rules, has the power to direct a Councillor to leave a Council Meeting if their behaviour prevents Council from conducting its business.

COUNCILLORS’ CODE OF CONDUCT

Councillors were sworn in at a Special Council Meeting held on 9 November 2020. Following the resignation of Cr Pilling on 29 March 2022, Cr Sue Pennicuik was elected via a countback undertaken by the Victorian Electoral Commission. Cr Pennicuik was sworn in on 3 May 2022. At the time of being sworn in Councillors agree to abide by the existing Councillor Code of Conduct. On 3 November 2021, Council adopted a revised Councillor Code of Conduct in accordance with the Local Government Act 2020. Its purpose is to help our Councillors meet their responsibilities. It sets a range of standards to ensure their conduct is legal, ethical and appropriate at all times.

The Code of Conduct states that the conduct of our elected representatives directly affects our performance and community wellbeing. Therefore, the community is entitled to expect that:

  • We conduct business with efficiency, impartiality and integrity.
  • Our Councillors obey the spirit and letter of the law, in particular the provisions of relevant statutes, regulations, local laws and instruments.
  • Responsibility to the community always takes absolute priority over Councillors’ private interests.

Councillors sign a written agreement to obey the Code of Conduct when they take an Oath or Affirmation of Office at the start of their term and each time the Code is reviewed.

COUNCILLORS’ ALLOWANCES AND SUPPORT

Under the Local Government Act 2020, the Minister for Local Government may request the Victorian Independent Remuneration Tribunal review and make a determination on the value of the allowance payable for the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Councillors taking into account the Category of the Council.

On 7 March 2022, under section 23A of the Victorian Independent Remuneration Tribunal and Improving Parliamentary Standards Act 2019 (Vic) a determination was made setting a base allowance for each Council member. The determination was to take effect from 18 December 2021 and applied retrospectively.

The current allowance for our Council is $35,972 for Councillors, $59,659 for the Deputy Mayor and $119,316 for the Mayor. A superannuation payment of 10 per cent is paid in addition to the allowance amounts listed above. Allowances are fully taxable.

Our Mayor and Councillors get support from a secretariat, which processes community correspondence, co-ordinates meetings and supports Mayoral and civic functions.

COUNCILLOR EXPENSES

Under Section 41 of the Local Government Act 2020 (LGA 2020), we must reimburse Councillors for expenses they incur while performing their duties. We must also adopt and maintain a policy for reimbursing Councillor expenses. This provides guidance for the types of expenses we must reimburse, and for the resources that allow the Mayor and Councillors to perform their duties. The Councillor Civic Support and Expenses Policy was reviewed and adopted by Council on 7 June 2022. The review was to consider and incorporate any additional information required under the new Local Government Act 2020.

The 2021–22 details are set out in the following table:

COUNCILLOR COUNCILLOR ALLOWANCES**PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTTRAVEL*EXPENSES TO SUPPORT THE PERFORMANCE OF THE ROLETOTAL ALLOWANCES AND EXPENSES
Cr Tony Athanasopoulos$37,272 $1,834$39,106
Cr Anne-Marie Cade$37,272$3,162$54$522$41,009
Cr Margaret Esakoff
Mayor 2020–21
$62,990$291-$819$64,100
Cr Jim Magee
Mayor 2021–22
$95,952$2,196$98,148
Cr Sam Parasol$37,272-$966$38,238
Cr Sue Pennicuik****$6,382--$1,279$7,661
Cr Neil Pilling***
Resigned effective 29 March 2022
$27,380$506$27,886
Cr Li Zhang
Deputy Mayor 2021–22
$51,313-$449$51,762
Cr Simone Zmood$37,272$2,40931$704$40,416
Cr David Zyngier$37,272$240$1,178$38,690
CATEGORY TOTAL$430,377$6,102$85$10,453$447,016

*No car mileage expenses were incurred.
**Includes 9.5 per cent superannuation.
*** Councillor Neil Pilling resigned from his position as Councillor effective 29 March 2022.
**** Councillor Sue Pennicuik was declared elected on 3 May 2022 due to vacancy caused by Councillor Neil Pilling.

Councillor membership of committees

COUNCIL COMMITTEES

We operate several committees that make decisions under our delegation (Special Committees) or offer advice and recommendations to Council on specific issues (Advisory Committees). We’re also represented on external bodies that serve the community. We regularly review Councillor membership on committees.

SPECIAL COMMITTEES

We have no Special Committees at present.

ADVISORY COMMITTEES

The role of an Advisory Committee is to make recommendations for Council to adopt.
Advisory Committee meetings are meetings where a quorum of Councillors is present, with or without community members in accordance with the Terms of Reference for that Committee.

The following Advisory Committees and representations are in place.

ARTS AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE

(new membership as of 24 November 2021)

Role: to make recommendations for our arts and culture programs.

Current composition: Cr Margaret Esakoff, Cr Li Zhang, Cr Anne-Marie Cade and
Cr Sam Parasol

Number of meetings held during 2021–22: 3

CEO EMPLOYMENT MATTERS ADVISORY COMMITTEE

(membership as of 3 November 2021)

Role: to assist Council to fulfil its responsibilities in relation to employment matters of the Chief Executive Officer, as outlined in Council’s CEO Employment and Remuneration Policy.

Current composition: Cr Jim Magee, Cr Margaret Esakoff, Cr Simone Zmood and
Cr Tony Athanasopoulos

Independent Chair: Dr Kathy Alexander

Number of meetings held during 2021–22: 2

CITIZEN OF THE YEAR ADVISORY COMMITTEE

(new membership as of 3 November 2021)

Role: to make recommendations for recipients of Citizen of the Year, Young Citizen of the Year and Community Group of the Year.

Current composition: Cr Jim Magee, Cr Anne-Marie Cade, Cr Neil Pilling (1 July 2021 – 29 March 2022) and Cr Sue Pennicuik (appointed on 17 May 2022)

Community members: One previous recipient of a Glen Eira Citizen of the Year award and one previous recipient of a Glen Eira Young Citizen of the Year award

Number of meetings held during 2021–22: 1

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE

(new membership as of 3 November 2021)

Role: to make recommendations about how we consult with residents, ratepayers and other stakeholders, ensuring maximum participation, communication and value to the community.

Current composition: Cr Simone Zmood, Cr David Zyngier and Cr Tony Athanasopoulos

Independent representatives as of 6 April 2021: Jacinta Smith, Noe Harsel, Ethan Mileikowski, Brad van Delft, Karyn Seigmann and Brenna Dempsey

Number of meetings held during 2021–22: 3

COMMUNITY GRANTS ADVISORY COMMITTEE

(new membership as of 24 November 2020)

Role: to support and help not-for-profit community-based groups to meet community priorities and to strengthen our community. To also make recommendations about the suitability and distribution of community grant funding with respect to applications and agreements.

Current composition: Cr Li Zhang, Cr Sam Parasol, Cr Neil Pilling (1 July 2021 – 29 March 2022) and Cr Sue Pennicuik (appointed on 17 May 2022)

Number of meetings held during 2021–22: 9

ELSTERNWICK CULTURAL PRECINCT ADVISORY COMMITTEE

(new membership as of 24 November 2020)

Role: to ensure an integrated and collaborative approach to the design of the Elsternwick Cultural Precinct, Selwyn Street and the memorial structure for Holocaust survivors.

Current composition: Cr David Zyngier, Cr Tony Athanasopoulos, Cr Anne-Marie Cade and Cr Sam Parasol

Independent representatives: Jewish Holocaust Centre; Jewish Culture and Arts Precinct; Jewish Museum of Australia; Sholem Aleichem College; Classic Cinema; The Community Security Group Victoria; Professor, Fine Arts, Monash University Kathy Temin; Woolworths; 19 Selwyn Street; Elsternwick Traders’ Association

Number of meetings held during 2021–22: 6

GLEN EIRA BUSINESS AND ECONOMY ADVISORY COMMITTEE

(new membership as of 12 October 2021)

Role: to provide support, including identifying services and opportunities to benefit local businesses and to develop relationships and collaborate between various business sectors.

Current composition: Cr Anne-Marie Cade, Cr Sam Parasol, Cr Margaret Esakoff, Cr Tony Athanasopoulos

Independent representatives: to be appointed

Number of meetings held during 2021–22: 2

GLEN EIRA MULTICULTURAL COMMITTEE

(new membership as of 17 May 2022)

Role: to provide feedback and advice to Council on activities, engagement and communication strategies with people and communities from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Current composition: Cr Simone Zmood, Cr Tony Athanasopoulos, Cr Li Zhang and Cr David Zyngier

Independent representatives: To be appointed

Number of meetings held in 2021–22: 0 (new committee)

GLEN EIRA YOUTH ADVISORY COMMITTEE

(new committee established 6 April 2021)

Role: To provide feedback and advice to Council on matters impacting young people in the development of initiatives, strategies and plans.

Current composition: Cr David Zyngier, Cr Li Zhang and Cr Tony Athanasopoulos

Independent representatives appointed 29 June 2021: Akiva Kaltmann, Alex Swieca, Audrey King, Claire O’Brien, Elianna Ben-David, Emily Qiao, James Hoenig, Jonah Roseby, Lucia Bekinschtein, Maria Haywood, Monique Andelic, Peninah Silverstein, Romilly Miller and Sahiti Ravi

Number of meetings held between 2021–22: 6

LOCAL LAWS ADVISORY COMMITTEE

(new membership as of 24 November 2020)

Role: to provide a forum for investigation and recommendations concerning current and potential Local Laws and associated issues.

Current composition: Cr Margaret Esakoff; Cr Anne-Marie Cade, Cr Neil Pilling (1 July 2021 – 29 March 2022) and Cr Sue Pennicuik (appointed on 17 May 2022)

Number of meetings held during 2021–22: 3

OPEN SPACE, SPORT AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE

(new membership as of 24 November 2020)

Role: to provide advice and make recommendations about open space, sport, recreation and leisure activities. This includes a review and consideration of current and future needs for recreation and leisure facilities, open space and unstructured recreation. The Committee will respond to strategic opportunities and review the policy and strategy.

Current composition: Cr Jim Magee, Cr Simone Zmood, Cr Sam Parasol and Cr Tony Athanasopoulos

Number of meetings held during 2021–22: 2

STRATEGIC TRANSPORT ADVISORY COMMITTEE

(new membership as of 24 November 2020)

Role: to provide advice and make recommendations about strategic transport planning. This includes: the development of an Integrated Transport Strategy; knowledge of emerging transport initiatives; ideas for urban design initiatives; advice on significant State Government projects; and advice on our advocacy and recommendations on policy issues where appropriate.

Current composition: Cr Simone Zmood, Cr David Zyngier, Cr Jim Magee and Cr Tony Athanasopoulos

Independent representatives as of 16 March 2021: Declan Martin, Mark Wallace, Monica Quing, Noam Shifrin and Pete Canny

Number of meetings held during 2021–22: 0

SUSTAINABILITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE

(new membership as of 24 November 2020)

Role: to make recommendations about environmental sustainability. This includes sustainability advocacy on behalf of the community, responding to strategic Council and/or sector issues and opportunities and policy development.

Current composition: Cr Simone Zmood, Cr Li Zhang , Cr David Zyngier, Cr Neil Pilling (1 July 2021 – 29 March 2022) and Cr Sue Pennicuik (appointed on 17 May 2022)

Independent representatives: Lindsay Donde, Judy Glick, Diana Prapas and Sophie Vidinovski

Number of meetings held during 2021–22: 3

Other committees with Councillor representatives

AUDIT AND RISK COMMITTEE

(new membership as of 11 August 2020)

This Audit and Risk Advisory Committee was revoked by Council on 11 August 2020. A new Audit and Risk Committee was established under subsection 53(1) of the Local Government Act 2020.

Role: to report to Council and give advice and recommendations on issues that are relevant to our Charter. This will facilitate our decision-making and help us carry out our responsibilities.

Delegates: Cr Margaret Esakoff, Cr Sam Parasol
Substitutes: Cr Jim Magee, Cr Neil Pilling (1 July 2021 – 29 March 2022) and Cr Sue Pennicuik (appointed on 17 May 2022)

Independent representatives: Lisa Woolmer (Chair), Craig Geddes and Menchi Schneier

Number of meetings held during 2021–22: 5

Our Audit and Risk Committee comprises independent representatives who receive the following remuneration:

Lisa Woolmer (Chair) $10,784 p.a. (excl. GST) (appointed until 1 January 2022)
Menchi Schneier $9,226 p.a. (excl. GST) (appointed until 1 January 2023)
Dr Craig Geddes $9,226 p.a. (excl. GST) (appointed until 1 January 2024)
EASTERN ALLIANCE FOR GREENHOUSE ACTION

Delegate: Cr David Zyngier
Substitute: Cr Simone Zmood

MUNICIPAL ASSOCIATION OF VICTORIA

Delegate: Cr Anne-Marie Cade
Substitute: Cr Margaret Esakoff

METROPOLITAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT WASTE FORUM

Delegate: Cr Simone Zmood
Substitute: Cr David Zyngier

METROPOLITAN TRANSPORT FORUM

Representative: Cr Tony Athanasopoulos
Substitute: Cr David Zyngier

Compliance

Public transparency

Council is committed to transparent decision-making. We make our information available to members of the community in accordance with our legal requirements. We are also committed to diversity and inclusion, and we take steps to make sure our information is understandable and accessible for everyone.

You can access a range of documents and publications on our website in accordance with Council’s Public Transparency Policy.

Documents that must be made publicly available include:

  • the agendas and minutes for Council Meetings (except if the agendas or minutes relate to parts of meetings that have been closed to members of the public under section 66 of the Act);
  • Council-adopted policies and strategies including the Council Plan, Community Vision;
  • a summary of personal interests under section 135 of the Act;
  • registers of gifts, benefits and hospitality offered to Council staff (with names removed);
  • registers of interstate travel undertaken by Councillors or Council staff;
  • registers of donations and grants made by Council;
  • registers of leases entered into by Council;
  • register of delegations;
  • register of authorised officers;
  • register of election campaign donations; and
  • any other registers or records required by the Act or any other legislation.

Registers made available on our website include:

  • planning register under section 49 (1) of the Planning and Environment Act 1987; and
  • Classified Tree Register.

We keep a statement setting out the types of documents we hold, what we do and how you can access information about us. This statement is available on our website.

Council Policies

During 2021–22 Council adopted the following revised or new policies.

  • Advocacy Policy
  • Complaints Handling Policy
  • Councillor Code of Conduct
  • Councillor Communications and Media Protocol
  • Council Operated Early Learning Centres Enrolment System Policy
  • Donations for the Provision of Park Benches Policy
  • Health Records Policy
  • Impounding of Animals Policy
  • Kindergarten Central Registration Scheme Policy
  • Method of Issuing Parking Infringement Notices Policy
  • Patrolling of Green Traffic Signs Policy
  • Parking Infringement Appeal Policy
  • Philanthropic Partnership Policy
  • Procurement Policy
  • School Crossing Supervisors Policy
  • Smoke-Free Zones Policy
  • Residential Care Services for Older Persons Policy
  • Residential Aged Care Accommodation Bonds or Refundable Accommodation Deposits Policy
  • Independent Living Units for Older Persons Policy
  • Fees for Independent Living Services Policy
  • Residential Aged Care Liquidity Management Policy
  • Road and Reserves Discontinuance and Sale Policy
  • Single-use Plastic Free Policy
  • Integrated Planning and Reporting Policy

For more information visit the Policies, strategies and plans page on our website.

Requesting information from Council

If documents aren’t available for public inspection or on our website, please contact Council. You can also seek to access them under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act). The FOI Act gives the public the right to seek access to our documents.

There are a number of exceptions and exemptions to this right, in order to protect public interests and the private and business affairs of community members.

Our documents may be available outside the Freedom of Information process.

If you have a question about access to documents, please contact our Freedom of Information Officer at foi@gleneira.vic.gov.au before lodging a formal request.

Freedom of information requests

You can request documents under the FOI Act online or in writing. Please send written requests via email to foi@gleneira.vic.gov.au (marked for the attention of our Freedom of Information Officer) or via mail to:

Freedom of Information Officer
Glen Eira City Council
PO Box 42
Caulfield South Vic 3162

Your request must specify the documents you need or, if you’re unable to do so, give enough detail to allow us to find the document. It should indicate what access you need (eg. view the original document under supervision or get copies) and include your name, address and phone number.

You must also include the prescribed fee with your application. Other charges may also apply under the Freedom of Information (Access Charges) Regulations 2014. Information about making an application is available on our website.

Freedom of information requests received 2017–18 to 2021–22
Details2017–182018–192019–202020–212021–22
Total number of new requests5145575449
Requests determined not to be Freedom of Information Act requests981060
Access granted in full1110161315*
Access granted in part1261187*
Other71113712*
Access denied in full41338*
Requests still under consideration**4501210
Requests withdrawn44458*
Number of decisions referred to the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner61616
Appeals lodged with VCAT10100

*These figures include the outcome of those requests reported as being still under consideration in the 2021–22 reporting period.

PUBLIC INTEREST DISCLOSURES

The Public Interest Disclosures Act 2012 (PIDA) formerly called the Protected Disclosure Act 2012 encourages and facilitates the disclosure of improper conduct by public officers, including our officers or Councillors. It protects people who disclose information and has a framework for investigation and rectifying action.

As required by the PIDA, we adopted a policy and procedures for public interest disclosures. You can download a full copy of the policy and procedures from our website or get a copy from our Service Centre.

Our procedures outline how to disclose improper conduct or detrimental actions by us, our staff or our Councillors. You can make disclosures about us or our staff to our Public Interest Disclosures co-ordinator or directly to the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC), the Ombudsman, the Victorian Inspectorate or the Chief Commissioner of Police. A disclosure about a Councillor must go to IBAC or the Ombudsman. Councils, Councillors, our employees or the public can make disclosures.

We are committed to the PIDA’s aims and objectives. We:

  • do not tolerate improper or corrupt conduct by employees, officers or Councillors;
  • support disclosures that reveal corrupt conduct, substantial mismanagement of public resources and a substantial risk to public health and safety or the environment; and
  • will protect people who make disclosures from reprisals and give natural justice to the subject of the disclosure.

During 2021–22, we received two disclosures that we reported to IBAC, pursuant to the provisions of the PIDA. IBAC determined that one disclosure did not qualify as a public interest disclosure. IBAC has not made a determination regarding the second disclosure at the time of preparing this Report.

Statutory reporting

Local Government Performance Reporting Framework

For the year ended 30 June 2022

All councils must comply with the Local Government Performance Reporting Framework, which sets out our reporting requirements across four areas:

To compare our results against other Victorian councils, visit the Know Your Council website.

Discrimination and Equal Employment Opportunity Program

We value diversity and do not tolerate any discrimination in the workplace. We have equal opportunity policies and procedures, including anti-discrimination, which we communicate to all employees.

Our Equal Employment Opportunity Program includes online and face-to-face training and a contact officer network. The Program aims to protect existing and prospective staff from experiencing workplace discrimination. It also ensures we promote equal employment opportunities and comply with federal and state laws, in particular the:

  • Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic);
  • Racial and Religious Tolerance Act 2001 (Vic); and
  • Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006.

We ensure employees get information and online or face-to-face equal opportunity training at their induction and during their time with us. Training relates to the avoidance and notification of harassment, discrimination, vilification, bullying and occupational violence.

We also appoint Equal Employment Opportunity officers to confidentially help and support staff members who believe they have experienced workplace discrimination or harassment. If a complaint arises, we deal with the issues quickly and confidentially through an internal investigation process. This year, we also introduced a standalone Sexual Harassment Policy in accordance with best practice and audit guidelines.

Our staff did not raise any discrimination or harassment matters with external bodies in 2021–22.

Workplace diversity update

We have launched the Gender Equality Action Plan 2022–2025 to demonstrate our organisational commitment to gender equity and to ensure we continue our journey to be an equitable workplace for people of all genders.

The Action Plan was guided by the State Government’s Gender Equality Strategy, Safe and Strong and meets the requirements of the Gender Equality Act 2020.

The Action Plan sets out three strategic directions and outcomes for the next four years to address the barriers and opportunities central to improving gender equality at Glen Eira.

These strategic directions express our commitment to:

  • improve the gender composition of Council;
  • provide a safe and inclusive workplace; and
  • reduce the gender pay gap.

With a focus on these three strategic directions, we will work towards becoming an organisation that leads the way on gender equality.

Our workforce tables
Full-time equivalent (FTE) workforce by contract, gender and division 2021–22*
 Casual FemalePart-Time FemaleFull-Time FemaleCasual MalePart-Time MaleFull-Time MaleTotal
DivisionCountFTECountFTECountFTECountFTECountFTECountFTECountFTE
City Management--106.602121--10.8013134541.4
Community Wellbeing8415.24246150.837979122.193521.571313469281.82
Community Assets and Leisure21224.77189.96353511814.7495.43105105497194.90
Corporate Services10.492719.75353572.6853.613939114100.54
Planning, Place and Sustainability202.593415.463537373.91216.544848197113.50
Total31743.10335202.5920720617423.517137.952182181,322732.14
*Part-time and full-time includes permanent and temporary staff.
Workforce by age, gender and contract 2021–22*
 Full-TimePart-TimeCasualTotal
AgeFemaleMaleFemaleMaleFemaleMale
< 302522129157105330
30–508598138127120424
> 509798185508949568
Total207218335713171741,322
*Part-time and full-time includes permanent and temporary staff.

Family Violence Prevention Action Plan update

The Community Wellbeing Plan 2021–2025 was adopted by Council in October 2021 and included Council’s commitment to eliminating family violence and gender inequity in all its forms. Priority Six: Promote Respect, Care and Equity in the Plan presents objectives that supersede the Family Violence Prevention Action Plan 2019–2021. Specifically, the actions take a primary prevention approach to eliminating family violence against women and children, recognise the importance of gender equality, establish partnerships and collaborations, and use evidence, research, and policy to inform our work and our community.

Our work in 2021–22 included:

  • delivering an information campaign that addressed ageism to protect and respect older people in our community;
  • establishing a school-based program that builds the capacity of young people to identify healthy and unhealthy behaviour traits in relationships;
  • participating in 16 Days of Activism – a world-wide campaign for family violence prevention; and
  • delivering information campaigns to promote family violence prevention and respectful relationships in our community.

Innovation and transformation

Our vision for Glen Eira Council is to be an agile, responsive and service-led organisation, which can anticipate and respond to the challenges and opportunities we encounter. Our goal is to equip our people with the right tools, data and information to drive new ways of working, and to enable an empowered culture that will support new ways of thinking and continue to improve our customer experience.

To be fit for the future and the evolving needs of our customers and community, our Transformation program encompasses a range of projects and initiatives, guided by these six drivers:

Build the right capabilities and culture — develop the right skills and culture among our people and leaders, bringing together policy and delivery to enable services to be delivered in a learning and iterative environment, focused on outcomes for citizens.

Co-design services with our customers to be a customer-centric organisation, developing processes that are human-centered, simple, consistent and timely.

Digital by default — continue to enable seamless digital services and transform the way Council operates, from front-end to back-office, and automate our processes where feasible to do so.

Be data driven — make better use of data to gain new insights to drive and enable transformation across our own services and with our partners be they government, community or private sector organisations.

Integrated planning and reporting</strong >— establish an Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework to enable effective strategic planning for services that are consistent, sustainable, measurable and align with community expectations.

Be service led — redesign how we think about our services and how we offer them to the community. Continually review how we make decisions about the right mix of and appropriate levels of service.

Net cost of services we delivered 2021–22

The downloadable PDF table indicates the services we provided to the community in 2021–22 and how they performed against our Budget.

The table describes each activity, including the people or sections of the community who received the services. A range of factors influence the net cost of services, including community demand, government policy, expected grant income and other factors that we can’t always regulate.

Privacy policy and disclosure
Privacy

We value your right to privacy and we’re strongly committed to protecting your rights. We must adhere to privacy laws when collecting and handling your personal information and dealing with things like complaints and submissions.

We comply with our obligations under the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (PDP Act) and the Information Privacy Principles in relation to all personal information we collect.

For more information download our Privacy Policy.

Privacy breaches

We identified 10 data breaches involving our email system in 2021–22. In each instance, Council responded to the breach promptly and in line with its Data and Privacy Breach Response Procedure. We assessed the necessary steps to take and which affected individuals should be contacted and sought the assistance and guidance of the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner (OVIC) where appropriate.

Our prompt response to each incident and compliance with internal breach processes resulted in no complaints being received by us or OVIC regarding the data breaches. We have taken further actions to reduce the possibility of further breaches by implementing procedural controls where warranted and providing additional staff training.

We received one privacy complaint in 2021–22, which was referred to the OVIC. Following further communication with the complainant, facilitated by OVIC, the privacy complaint was withdrawn.

Requirements under Carers Recognition Act 2012

We’ve taken a range of measures to comply with our responsibilities under the Carers Recognition Act 2012 (Act).

Externally we promoted the principles of the Act to people in care relationships and the wider community. We did this by displaying printed material, distributing posters at our venues and linking from our website to the My Aged Care website.

Internally, we promoted the principles of the Act to our staff, agents and volunteers through induction and training programs. These programs applied to staff working in Home and Community Care, and volunteers working directly with the community.

We have reviewed and modified our policies, procedures and support systems to recognise carers and provided extra activities and resources to recognise the importance of the care relationship.

DISABILITY ACTION PLAN

We embrace and celebrate our diverse community and support our residents to be healthy, inclusive and resilient.

The priorities and strategies contained in the Community Wellbeing Plan 2021–2025, guide our efforts to meet the requirements of the Disability Act 2006 and support people with disabilities to enjoy good health, wellbeing and participation.

The Plan adopts a whole-of-Council approach focused on building a community that is accessible and inclusive to people of all-abilities. We aim to be a community where all people can feel welcome, supported and connected, and which values the diverse needs of its members.

A key principle of the Plan ensures our disability access and inclusion planning underpins every action so we consistently cater for people of all abilities and create a community where everyone feels welcomed, supported and connected.

Through our Community for All Abilities program, Council supports inclusion of people with a disability through employment opportunities, strengthening disability confidence and capacity building of local businesses, volunteering organisations and carers.

Council also acknowledged and celebrated International Day of People with Disability in December 2021 with an online music event.

Together with our partner organisations and agencies we will continue to work towards improved, access and inclusion, in supporting good health and wellbeing outcomes for our community.

For more information, visit our Disability and accessibility page on our website.


Domestic Animals ACT 1994

Under the Domestic Animals Act 1994 we must prepare a Domestic Animal Management Plan (DAMP) every four years and evaluate its implementation in the Annual Report.

Performance indicators

We continued implementing our Domestic Animal Management Plan (DAMP) 2022–2026. The DAMP provides a strategic framework that delivers an action plan over a four-year period. It outlines our approach to manage domestic animals in relation to registration of cats and dogs, the promotion of responsible pet ownership, address nuisance, identification of cats and dogs, cat overpopulation and euthanasia rates, aims to minimise the risk associated with dog attacks, and encourages effective management of declared dogs.

Council has met or exceeded its targets in all but two of the nine performance indicators in 2021–22, with the achievement of some impacted by the challenges presented by COVID-19 restrictions.

The cat registration target was not met. However, cat registration numbers have been relatively stable over the past 12 months. We continued to remind pet owners via SMS if they had not renewed their pet registration.

The cat and dog de-sexing target was not met in 2021–22. Due to the pandemic and associated restrictions, owners had difficulties taking their pets to the vet for the procedure. Therefore, we have fallen short of the target for both cats and dogs.

Our industry leading cat reclaim/return rate continues to be well above target and continues to increase. This has been a strong focus of ours over the past few years and is a positive outcome to close out Council’s Domestic Animal Management Plan 2017–2021. Our success includes cats that have been sold or adopted. We acknowledge the exceptional work our current pound provider (RSPCA) does in reducing the euthanasia rates by selling or adopting such a large number of cats.

Domestic Animal Management Plan — performance indicators

The following table provides an assessment of the year ending 30 June 2022:

 IndicatorTarget
(%)
2017–18
(%)
2018–19
(%)
2019–20
(%)
2020–21
(%)
2021–22
(%)
2021–22
Actual
1Dog registration rate:
(per cent dogs registered/estimated dog population)
85899197929813,375/14,000
2Cat registration rate:
(per cent cats registered/estimated cat population)
858078.58277824,900/6,000
3Enforcement success rate:
(per cent successful prosecutions/total prosecutions)
1001001001001001008/8
4Dog return/reclaim rate:
(per cent total dogs reclaimed-returned/total dogs impounded)
(includes adopted/sold dogs)
9094.198989399100/101
5Cat reclaim/return rate:
(per cent total cats reclaimed/total cats impounded)
(includes adopted/sold cats)
2073.98385964944/89
6Domestic animal business compliance rates:
(registered/compliant)
931001001001001008/8
7Dog desexing rate:
(per cent dogs desexed/actual registered)
70808178.4608011,079/13,375
8Cat desexing rate:
(per cent cats desexed/actual registered)
809494.489.476974767,4900
9Infringements versus official warnings rates:
(per cent of infringements/warnings)
< 404339.454644732/67

To download the Plan, search Domestic Animal Management Plan 2022–2026 on our website.

Food Act 1984

We did not receive any ministerial directions under the provisions of section 7e of the Food Act 1984 during 2021–2022.

Planning and Environment Act 1987

For the 2021–22 year, the following information about infrastructure and development contributions is disclosed.

East Village Development Contributions Plan
East Village is a 25-hectare site, located on the corner of East Boundary Road and North Road in Bentleigh East and was previously zoned for industrial and commercial uses. The plan is for the former industrial area to transition into a bustling hub of innovative jobs, open space and diverse housing. Some existing businesses will remain on the site.

To support this transition, a Development Contribution Plan is used to facilitate the collection of payments towards necessary infrastructure such as roads, drains and community facilities. The East Village Development Contributions Plan is part of the Glen Eira Planning Scheme. It is the only area of Glen Eira that is affected by a Development Contributions Plan. Limited work has occurred on the site (there has been the construction of a state government school). There have been no levies collected by Council to date.

Road Management Act 2004

We did not receive any ministerial directions under the provisions of the Road Management Act 2004 during 2021–2022.

Contracts

During 2021–22, Council did not enter into any contracts;

  1. valued at $150,000 or more for services or $200,000 or more for works of a kind specified in section 186(5)(a) and (c) of the Local Government Act 1989, as applied until 3 November 2021 when Council’s new Procurement Policy was adopted.
  2. valued at $300,000 or more for works or services of a kind specified in section 108 (a)(b) of the Local Government Act 2020 as applied from 3 November 2021 when the Councils new Procurement Policy was adopted.

OR

During 2021–22, Council did not enter into any contracts valued over the Council’s public tender thresholds of a kind as specified in section 186(5)(a) and (c) of the Local Government Act 1989 and in section 108 (a)(b) of the Local Government Act 2020.