This Annual Report Was Prepared to Meet the Operational and Financial Reporting Requirements

September 2013

Acknowledgements

This Annual Report was prepared to meet the operational and financial reporting requirements within the Local Government Act 1989 and the Local Government (Finance and Reporting) Regulations 2004. For further information contact the Hobsons Bay City Council on 9932 1000 www.hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au

The Council acknowledges the people of Yalukit Wilum of the Boon Wurrung Country that makes up the Greater Kulin Nation as the traditional owners of these municipal lands.

The Council acknowledges the legal responsibility to comply with the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 and the Equal Opportunity Act 2010. The Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities is designed to protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens. The Charter gives legal protection to 20 fundamental human rights under four key values that include freedom, respect, equality and dignity.

Table of contents

About this report 5

A word from our Mayor 6

A word from our CEO 8

A snapshot of the year’s achievements 10

Significant events in the city 13

Summary of financial performance 14

City profile 22

Governing the city 26

Organisational Structure 34

Performance against Key Strategic Objectives 42

Key Strategic Objective 1: Civic Leadership 43

Key Strategic Objective 2: Community Wellbeing 48

Key Strategic Objective 3: Environmental Sustainability 53

Key Strategic Objective 4: A Liveable City 63

Key Strategic Objective 5: Economic Sustainability 68

Key Strategic Objective 6: Arts, Recreation and Culture 74

Key Strategic Objective 7: Quality Infrastructure and Transport 79

Corporate governance 85

Statutory information 92

Best value report 96

Community grants 106

Mayoral Program 111

Ward funds 112

Understanding the Financial Report 118

Financial Report........................................................................................................................................120

Glossary....................................................................................................................................................187

About this report

Hobsons Bay is situated on Port Phillip Bay, about 10 kilometres west of central Melbourne. Its bay frontage, quality residential areas, expanses of environmentally significant open space and major industrial complexes all contribute to the city's culture, which is strongly linked to its maritime heritage, environment, industry and lifestyle.

This Annual Report focuses on the Council’s role as a representative government for the local community. As the closest level of government to the community, the Council is well placed to understand and respond to the community’s needs and aspirations. Everything the Council does is directed at serving the community and making Hobsons Bay a better place.

Local government is accountable to the community in the performance of functions, the exercise of powers and its use of resources. The Annual Report is a key demonstration of that accountability. This report provides a comprehensive review of the Council’s operational and financial performance from 1st July 2012 to 30th June 2013 against the Council Plan 2009-2013 and the Budget 2012-2013.

The report includes:

· An overview of the Council and its performance;

· A detailed report on performance against each of the Council’s seven objectives;

· Corporate governance and statutory information, and

· A detailed financial report.

Our Vision

Working together to achieve a vibrant and sustainable community that celebrates its diversity and provides opportunities for all.

Our Values

Passion about our people, city, services and environment

Respect for each other

Integrity

Diversity in our people and environment

Excellence in all we do.

Our Objectives

The Council Plan 2009-2013 sets the strategic direction for the organisation, based on seven key strategic objectives:

· Civic Leadership;

· Community Wellbeing;

· Environmental Sustainability;

· A Liveable City;

· Economic Sustainability;

· Arts, Recreation and Culture, and

· Quality Infrastructure and Transport.

Quick facts about Hobsons Bay

· Population 88,082 with a forecast increase of

17 per cent by 2031

· Municipality covers an area of 66 sq km

· Includes 16 sq km of open space

· 31 per cent of residents born overseas

· 19 per cent of residents have a disability

· An increasing ageing population

· 39, 121 Rateable properties

· 520 kilometres of roads

· Five Libraries

· 1,500 street trees planted.

A word from our Mayor

On behalf of all the councillors, it is with pride that we provide an overview of our achievements during the past year. The past 12 months have been a time of change and growth, with a new Council, new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and a new direction, as Hobsons Bay City Council moves forward to create a vibrant city of which our community can feel proud. As the level of government closest to the community, we have and will continue to work hard to respond to community needs and support the development of high quality built, social, economic, cultural and natural environments that are conducive to wellbeing.

Three new councillors were elected in October 2012, with three multi-member wards, ensuring equitable community representation. Hobsons Bay became one of eight Victorian councils with a female majority representation. Councillors Tony Briffa, Luba Grigorovitch, Peter Hemphill and I were re-elected, with Councillors Colleen Gates, Paul Morgan and Sandra Wilson joining us for the first time. I would also like to recognise the service of former Councillors Bill Tehan, Michael Raffoul and John Hogg, I thank them for their contribution this year.

We bid farewell to CEO Bill Jaboor, who was the CEO of the Council for almost nine years, and welcomed former Director Organisation Development Chris Eddy to the helm. As the Council moved towards a new era, a new strategic plan was required. In what was the Council’s biggest and most thorough community consultation, the Community Health and Wellbeing Plan and Council Plan 2013-2017 were formed. The plans reflect the values of the community and focus on maintaining and improving infrastructure, parks and open spaces, enhancing tourism, promoting arts and culture, protecting the environment and ensuring that the community has access to Council services.

As part of our work to provide quality infrastructure to our community, we opened the Laverton Community Hub and Williamstown Library. These signature buildings at either end of our municipality will offer a range of highly valued services. The $8.6 million Laverton Community Hub will be home to community groups, health care professionals, religious organisations, social services, sporting groups and a cafe. The $8.1 million Williamstown Library features computers, iPads, a Heritage Room, self-serve checkouts, a cafe supporting people with a disability, accessible facilities, a gallery, community meetings spaces, and a range of books, DVDs and CDs.

Another important community facility, the Newport Gardens Early Years Centre, commenced construction in September 2012. This centre will meet the needs of local families and aid the eastern end of the municipality in meeting universal access for four year old kindergarten places. It will be open in early 2014.

Preparations started for the Newport Youth, Library and Seniors’ Centre, with architects invited to tender for the design of the multi-purpose facility. Meanwhile, the restoration of the Williamstown Town Hall continued, including a restored facade and historical features, refurbished Supper Room, reinstatement of the thermal chimney, a new roof, replaced flooring in the ballroom, accessible access for prams, wheelchairs, and other walking aids, and a linkway to the new Williamstown Library next door. Work will be complete by the end of 2013.

At Hobsons Bay, the environment is central to almost everything we do. Our unique location and landscape means we have a responsibility to be sustainable to ensure future generations can enjoy the lifestyle we have now. To help with this, the Council developed a Climate Change Policy 2013, Climate Change Adaptation Plan 2013-2018 and Environmental Engagement Strategy 2013-2018. The plans provide a strategic framework to manage climate change vulnerability while reducing environmental impacts of the Council and community to achieve zero net emissions by 2020 and 2030 respectively. The framework provides opportunities for public engagement, education and action. These proactive plans aim to limit our risks and safeguard our beloved coastline.

Work was also substantially completed on the Water Security Project to capture, collect and treat storm water to irrigate the Williamstown Cricket Ground, Paisley Park, and Laverton Recreation Reserve. This is a great initiative that will lower the Council’s reliance on drinking water to irrigate our local sportsgrounds, parks and reserves.

Advocacy has long been a key role of the Council as a representative government. This will be stepped up over the coming four-year Council term. We joined a delegation to Canberra to advocate for support for the western region, strengthened our lobbying activities by resolving to join LeadWest and the Metropolitan Transport Forum, and met with the Minister for Planning regarding major hazard facilities. We also supported our community through advisory committees and groups, including women, people with disability, people from multicultural backgrounds and those from the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer communities.

We will continue to create an inclusive, resilient and healthy community; a well planned, vibrant and sustainable place; quality community infrastructure and public open spaces and places, and an innovative, proactive and leading organisation.

Civic leadership, advocacy and good governance underpin everything we do at the Council and we will continue to ensure our community is proud to live, work and play in Hobsons Bay.

Finally I would like to thank my fellow councillors for their dedication towards making Hosbons Bay a vibrant and sustainable community. In addition I would like to thank our CEO, Chris Eddy, and his staff for all their hard work.

Cr Angela Altair

Mayor of Hobsons Bay

A word from our CEO

New beginnings and continual improvement have driven the Council in the 2012-2013 financial year. With a new Council, an organisation restructure and the development of the Community Health and Wellbeing Plan and Council Plan, we have a new strategic direction aligned with, and responding to, our community’s needs.

While we have to accept and confront the realities of today’s economic environment, I am absolutely confident that we have the capacity and, importantly, the people to meet these challenges head on and achieve high quality outcomes for Hobsons Bay.

To ensure that our resources are best utilised and the organisation is structured to support the delivery of the Council’s vision and objectives, the organisational structure has undergone a review. Through detailed consultation, the changes are aimed at improving cross-organisational cooperation, increasing efficiency within available resources, and further strengthening the organisation’s community focus. We will continue to streamline our operations into the next financial year to ensure we work efficiently and effectively for our community.

Along with changes within the organisation, Hobsons Bay elected a new Council, one of only eight Victorian councils to have a female majority. Following the election, the organisation facilitated the transition to a new Council, including Councillor induction sessions, planning activities and developing new values for the organisation. Key to this was engaging our staff and community to develop the Community Health and Wellbeing Plan and Council Plan 2013-2017 to guide the Council’s direction and priorities to improve the health and wellbeing of the community.

Our values will ensure we can continue to create: an inclusive, resilient and healthy community; a well planned, vibrant and sustainable place; quality community infrastructure and public open spaces and places, and an innovative, proactive and leading organisation.

On the ground, we have introduced new technology to improve our customer response time, accessibility and overall operations. These include the roll out of Phase 2 of the VOIP telephony project to more sites, such as child care centres, which will greatly assist our Customer Service team. Free WiFi was introduced to Commonwealth Reserve to give the 50,000 visitors to the popular Nelson Place precinct access to the internet. The Hobsons Bay Visitor Information Centre in Commonwealth Reserve and free internet is an additional service we can offer those who come to enjoy this picturesque location. It will also benefit the cafes and retail businesses in the area by further encouraging people to visit and spend time in Williamstown.

We also introduced a data management system to track carbon emissions and water usage to ensure we are on track to meet our environmental targets. The system calculates and monitors water usage and greenhouse gas emissions from Council buildings, fleet vehicles, electricity usage and waste sent to landfill. We aim to lead by example and are working hard towards our goal of achieving zero net emissions as an organisation by 2020.

As the tier of government closest to the community, we have stepped up our presence on social media. The Council posts content on Facebook and Twitter several times a day, which has allowed us to connect more with our community and beyond. It is a great tool not only to promote events and Council programs but to report issues, particularly through the smart phone app Snap Send Solve. These tools have been innovative for our Customer Service team and are just another way our community can raise concerns, find out information or simply contact us. We will continue to explore cost-effective ways to further increase opportunities for our community to engage with the Council.

We continue to provide a safe and flexible work place for our staff, through staff surveys, career development, the return to work and injury prevention programs and workforce management. We have also participated in the Sustainable Employment and Economic Development (SEED) project to help prepare young and disadvantaged people for employment. We welcomed several young people to short-term positions across the Council in a mutually beneficial program giving them valuable work experience and skills they may not otherwise have had access to.

I extend my thanks to the Mayor and councillors, my corporate management team colleagues and all the talented Hobsons Bay City Council employees for their efforts in meeting the challenges of the past year and the continued commitment to making Hobsons Bay a vibrant and sustainable community.

Chris Eddy

Chief Executive Officer

A snapshot of the year’s achievements

This year has seen many milestones and events that the Council and the community can be proud of. Below is a summary of just some of these achievements.

Civic Leadership

To provide high level representation, advocacy, customer service, governance and leadership while managing our financial and human resources and ensuring the integrity of systems, data and processes to benefit our community.

Key achievements

· Transition to a new Council, one of only eight with a female majority

· New CEO appointed

· Organisational structure review

· Delegation to Canberra to advocate for key issues in the western region

· Acknowledging 35 women in our community via the annual Hobsons Bay Inspirational Women’s Awards

· New workforce management plan and guidelines to build diversity of staff, active recruitment and retention.

Community Wellbeing