Legislative environment

We operate and deliver services under, and in accordance with, more than 80 different pieces of Victorian primary legislation and the regulations made under those Acts. 

We have highlighted some key Acts, particularly where there has been a change over the course of the year. 

In October 2021, we adopted our Moreland Community Vision 2021-31 and Council Plan 2021-25.

The community vision and council plan came from our Imagine Moreland program. This program was a 4-stage engagement program that helped develop these two plans as well as our 10-year Financial Plan and 10-year Asset Plan (including our Community Infrastructure Plan). 

We reviewed our Governance Rules. Following the review, much of the content was recommended to stay the same. We asked the community for feedback on some revisions to the rules and adopted the final rules on 8 December 2021. 

We adopted our Domestic Animal Management Plan 2021-25 on 10 November 2021. This was after seeking community feedback from 10 September to 8 October. 

We reviewed our road management plan, after an intensive internal consultation process, and a summary report of the findings and proposed amendments were presented to the Council. We adopted our Road Management Plan 2021 on 13 October 2021. 

Audit and Risk Committee

Our Audit and Risk Committee is a key part of our governance. It strengthens our risk and financial management. It also ensures we keep improving how we work.

This committee meets 4 times a year. It has 4 independent members and 3 councillors.

You can read more about the committee, its members and what it does in our Major committees pdf. In this document, you can also find out more about all the issues discussed on this page.

Freedom of Information

The Freedom of Information Act 1982 gives you a legal right to access certain council documents. You can read more about how you can access information through Freedom of Information (FOI) on our Freedom of information page.

In 2021-22, we received 24 FOI applications (down from 29 in 2020-21).

Many other requests for information did not become FOI applications. This is because we were able to provide the information outside of the FOI process.

Your privacy

Responsible handling of personal information is a key part of good governance. We are committed to protecting every individual’s right to privacy.

Our privacy policy was recently reviewed and tested. The updated policy was authorised and implemented on 7 January 2022.

You can request that we correct inaccurate, incomplete or out-of-date personal information. Our Privacy Officer manages complaints about how we handle personal information. We will investigate your complaint and provide you with a response.

You can also complain to the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner (OVIC). During 2021-22, there was 1 complaint referred to us by OVIC. This complaint was still pending at the time that this annual report was finalised.

Whistleblower legislation

The Public Interest Disclosures Act 2012 supports people making disclosures that are in the public interest. It encourages and facilitates disclosures of improper conduct.

We did not receive any disclosures during the 2021-22 reporting period. Whistleblowers can contact our Public Interest Disclosures Coordinator on 9240 1111.

Governance and management checklist

This lists all the policies and guidelines that help us with the governance of the organisation. The checklist says what the policies and guidelines do and when they were last reviewed.

You can download our Governance and management checklist for 2021-22 to find out more.

Statutory information

We were not the subject of any Victorian or Federal Government investigations during 2021-22.

We are committed to open and transparent governance. You can inspect the following documents at the Coburg Civic Centre, 90 Bell Street, Coburg:

• details of councillor or staff travel
• agendas and minutes of ordinary and special meetings held during the year, also available on our Council meeting minutes and past agendas page
• register of delegations
• details of all leases involving land which were entered into by Council as lessor
• a register of authorised officers
• donations and grants made by Council in the previous 12 months.

You can contact us to find out more using the details on our Contact us page.

Commitment to human rights

We are committed to upholding the basic rights and freedoms of all Victorians. These are set out in the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006.

It requires governments, councils and other public authorities consider human rights when they:

• make laws
• develop policies
• provide services.

We conducted human rights charter assessments on all new or revised policies, strategies, plans and programs in line with charter responsibilities. Human rights charter training and other inclusion and diversity training are now embedded into our training calendar, ensuring we are an inclusive organisation. 

We reviewed our advisory committee and reference group structure and reconvened human rights-related committees and reference groups to guide the human rights policy and associated plans and strategies. We recruited more than 50 community members with diverse lived experience across these groups. For the first time, a First Nations advisory committee and LGBTQIA+ reference group was established. 

Infrastructure and development contributions

We must report to the Minister for Planning on development contributions. You can download the Report of the full development contributions for 2021-22 to find out more.

24

Freedom of Information applications in 2021-22

29

Freedom of Information applications in 2020-21

0

government investigations during 2021-22

0

public interest disclosures