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What you need to know

Community Vision, Council Plan and Health Plan 2021 – 2025

Our blueprint for the next four years building a healthy city.

The MV2040 Strategy

Council works with the community to understand the vision for the future. This vision becomes a north star to guide all of Council’s planning. In particular, it forms the anchor for the Council Plan and Health Plan, which outline the key priorities for the term of a Council.

The MV2040 Strategy represents the community vision and outlines how the vision can be achieved in the longer term, and the Council Plan and Health Plan outline the priorities actions over the shorter term. The two documents work together to help us achieve the outcomes required to build a community we want to live, work and play in.

Council is embarking on a refresh of the MV2040 Strategy and the development of a number of important plans, including a new Council Plan and Health Plan. We want to make sure MV2040 still aligns with the communities vision for the future. Resetting the community vision will help us to set our priorities and focus our activities to ensure we are taking steps to help build a future that everyone is proud of. Visit our Your Say page to share your thoughts on your vision for the decades to come.

Community Vision

Our community vision for Moonee Valley in 2040 (MV2040) is a great place to live, work and visit, strengthened by a network of 20-minute neighbourhoods.

Our vision statement was refreshed in 2021, to include addressing climate change and recognition of our diverse community.

You can learn more about our community vision and what we have planned to improve the health, vibrancy and resilience of our city over the next 2 decades by taking a deep dive into our MV2040 strategy.

Council Plan

The Council Plan sets our strategic direction and focus for what we aim to achieve during each 4-year Council term.

Each part of our Council Plan aligns with our community vision and long-term Strategy, MV2040.

It details how we will implement our MV2040 vision, and will guide us as we work to build a healthy city that is fair, thriving, connected, green and beautiful.

Health Plan

The Municipal Health and Wellbeing Plan outlines actions to enable people living in our city to achieve optimum health and wellbeing.

For the second time, we integrated our Municipal Health and Wellbeing Plan into the Council Plan, as part of our commitment to our community vision of 'A healthy city'.

Scroll to learn more about how we're tackling inequity, and prioritising health and wellbeing for all our populations below.

Exec Helen circle

A message from the CEO

Helen Sui - Chief Executive Officer

“After unprecedented disruption and accelerated change, there has never been a more critical time for strong foundational planning as we look to the future. On behalf of Moonee Valley City Council, I am extremely proud to present our foundation for the next four years: the Community Vision, Council Plan and Health Plan 2021–25.”

Council has a lot of planning documents. Where does this one sit?

Click the image to enlarge it

Not sure what Council does? It’s more than just rates, roads and rubbish!
Keep scrolling to find out how the Council Plan is built into the way we work every day.

Learn about our city

Our municipality, Moonee Valley

Here are some ways you can learn more about the City of Moonee Valley, what Council does and who makes up our community:

  • If Moonee Valley were 100 People, what would it look like? We've created an infographic to show you. Scroll down to the flip book to take a look now!
  • What does Council do? It's definitely more than rates, roads and rubbish. 
  • Understand our diverse community by reading our community profile.
  • Interested in economics? Dive into the Moonee Valley economy profile.
  • Populations are set to continue rising. Find the stats for our city with our population forecast.
  • Affordable housing is an important part of our MV2040 vision. Read our housing analysis to learn more. 

Our role as Council

To achieve our Council Plan there are a number of roles we play, including:

  • Provider – takes full responsibility for funding and carrying out services.
  • Partner – funds and carries out services in formal partnership with other organisations.
  • Funder – funds other organisations to carry out services, for example through grants and service delivery contracts.
  • Regulator – has statutory responsibilities and directs these activities as required.
  • Monitor – gathers information on activities and checks against progress.
  • Facilitator – encourages others to be involved in activities by bringing interested parties together to progress identified issues.
  • Advocate – promotes the interests of the community to other decision-making bodies, for example State and Federal Governments.

Our services

The extensive range of services we provide to the community form the foundation for delivering the Council Plan.

The bulk of our operations consist of 26 services. Click on the MV2040 themes below to see the full list and descriptions of Council services.

Fair – Qeente boordup
Animal management We protect the health and welfare of domestic animals, especially dogs and cats. We support pet owners to care for them appropriately, and protect community safety.
Children and family servicesWe provide services to help families and children have the best start towards positive life-long outcomes. We support families to be healthy and connected, and assist those who need extra support.
Civic servicesWe help ensure our organisation is transparent, inclusive, fair, meets legal requirements and our community's vision and needs. We host civic events and ceremonies to proudly celebrate and recognise community members.
Community development We improve community connection and cohesion, so more people can participate actively and confidently in everyday life. We run programs and services with target population groups at our community hubs. We advocate for social equity across the city and partner with others to help achieve these goals.
Community facilities and property managementWe provide public facilities and community spaces, including for community hire. We make sure our facilities are clean, safe, accessible and fit for purpose.
Community information, education, advocacy and
engagement		We provide relevant, up-to-date and accessible information about our services and activities. We share information about topics of community interest and our organisation's performance. We encourage our community to share their views to help guide our work and work with them to identify and define their greatest needs. We raise these with other Councils and State and Federal Governments to get the best outcomes.
Home care and community support We make our city more accessible and age-friendly, so people of all ages and abilities are respected and supported. We help older adults, people with disabilities and their carers to enjoy active, healthy and independent lives.
Public health and safety We work to keep our community healthy and safe. We provide information, advice and public safety programs, and investigate problems that impact on community health and wellbeing. We help respond to emergencies and support the community when they happen.
Reconciliation We acknowledge and respect the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung as the First Peoples of the land and waterways of our city. We work to promote and protect their culture and heritage through projects, events and programs. We consult, collaborate and partner with Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Elders, respected peoples and local Aboriginal networks.
Youth development We support, empower and advocate for young people aged 12-25. Together we run programs, events and activities to increase their engagement and participation in decision-making and community life. We build their skills, connection to the community and resilience.

Thriving – Bandingith
Arts and cultureWe celebrate our community's rich culture and bring it to life through
diverse professional and community theatre, music, visual arts, arts
programs, festivals and events. We provide venues and creative spaces
for the community to use, connect and enjoy.
Economic and business developmentWe help to create and activate vibrant places and spaces that residents
want to visit. We contribute to the development of a thriving local
economy by providing services that support local businesses to prosper.
Leisure, sport and recreationWe help keep our community moving, exercising and playing. We help
provide accessible, purpose-built facilities like leisure centres, pools,
sports fields, pavilions, golf course and driving range, public exercise
equipment and more. We provide support, programs and services to
keep people active and healthy.
LibrariesWe help keep everyone in our community reading, informed and
connected. We give everyone opportunities to access learning, social
activities and digital technologies. We run libraries that are the heart of
our communities.

Beautiful - Nga-Ango Gunga
Building services We make sure publicly and privately owned buildings, structures and
pools are safe. We uphold safety and amenity laws and standards. We
provide information and advice to residential and commercial
owners/occupiers of properties and buildings.
Neighbourhood and street cleaning We provide a clean and healthy environment for our community to enjoy
safely. We clean streets and keep public spaces free of graffiti.
PermitsWe make sure rules and laws are followed to help keep our community
safe. We give residents and local businesses permissions to help them
build and maintain their homes, run businesses and events and more.
Statutory planning We work to make sure development and growth in our city is
appropriate, so our community has comfortable and enjoyable places to
live, work and visit. We provide advice to help limit the impacts of
development, investigate problems and enforce rules and laws.
Strategic land use planning We make plans so land across our city is used in the best possible way
to meet community needs, now and in the future. We work to create 20-
minute neighbourhoods, where residents have appropriate housing,
facilities and services close to where they live. We work to protect the
environment, heritage and the things that make our neighbourhoods
unique.

Green – Wunwarren
Environment and sustainabilityWe work to create an ecologically healthy and environmentally
responsible city. We deliver environmental sustainability programs and
policies, and increase Moonee Valley’s biodiversity. We work to tackle
climate change, and support the organisation and community to reduce
carbon emissions.
Parks, gardens and open space managementWe keep our city green and leafy. We look after the trees in our streets,
our local parks, gardens, playgrounds, nature reserves and other green
spaces for our community to enjoy.
Waste and recycling We keep Moonee Valley clean and tidy. We manage rubbish collection
and services for reusing, recycling or disposing of unwanted materials.
We reduce landfill by providing green bins for food and organics
recycling.

Connected - Yanoninon Maggolee
Traffic, transport, pedestrian and drainage networkWe help our community walk, cycle, drive and use roads around our city
safely. We want transport to be convenient, accessible, environmentally-friendly
and available to everyone. We help provide and maintain local
walking and cycle paths, roads, drains and transport routes.

Our health and wellbeing commitment

We take a holistic view of health, aligned with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities’ understanding that health and wellbeing comprises the way in which individuals and the whole community experience physical, mental and spiritual, emotional and social wellbeing.

We are committed to promoting diversity, social inclusion, integration and collaboration in local communities and neighbourhoods, firmly grounded in social justice principles including human rights, access, equity and participation.

The Moonee Valley Health and Wellbeing Profile 2021 presents data on the many factors that influence our health and wellbeing, known as the 'social determinants of health'.

This includes research on:

  • demographics
  • individual lifestyle behaviours
  • living and working conditions
  • neighbourhood and environmental factors
  • health and wellbeing conditions

It also examines the impact of COVID-19 on the health and wellbeing of our community. This data helped inform the Community Vision, Council Plan and Health Plan 2021-25 and is useful while we are planning for the future, to make sure that no one in our community is left behind.

How we are tackling inequity

Prioritising our target populations

Central to MV2040 and our Council Plan is the recognition that some of our community members experience disproportionate levels of disadvantage.

We know that it is only through tackling inequity that we can reduce barriers and allow all community members to live full and healthy lives. 

Equity is about reducing the differences in health and wellbeing experienced by different groups and communities, so that everyone has the same opportunity to feel included and able to participate in community life.

Council must be proactive in reducing health, social and economic inequity between groups and communities.

This plan, including all its strategies and initiatives, prioritises and targets those who are likely to experience the greatest inequities in health and social outcomes.

These target populations include:

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
  • older people
  • culturally and linguistically diverse
  • people with disability or mental illness
  • people living on low and/or insufficient incomes
  • carers
  • homeless people and/or those in housing stress
  • lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender diverse, intersex, queer, asexual and all other identities (LGBTIQA+)
  • young people
  • socially, locally and technologically isolated people
  • children of all ages, with special attention to the first thousand days (pregnancy to two years)
  • people at risk of exclusion due to reasons that may include family violence, pay inequities, unemployment, gender stereotypes, being single parents, divorced or widowed.

Summaries of this Plan have been translated into Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Somali, Turkish and Vietnamese. An Accessible Word document version, for people who use screen readers to listen to text, is also available.

Our resilient organisation

Delivering our community vision

In addition to our many services listed, Council has a set of core corporate services that support Council staff, teams and management to meet our commitments and obligations. These services make sure we are a resilient organisation that is sustainable, innovative, engaging and accountable.

Our finances We deliver annual financial and monthly management reporting on performance against our budgets and meet legislative requirements for transparency and accountability. We manage accounts receivable, accounts payable, and rate revenue.
Our PeopleWe support managers and staff to do their jobs to their best ability. We ensure we have the right people in the right jobs to support and give value to our community. This includes providing employment-related advice and management of the employee lifecycle including recruiting, hiring, onboarding, training, and offboarding.

How to read the plan

These keywords will help you understand how all the elements of the plan work together.

Council Plan strategies

The strategies contribute to addressing our city’s health and wellbeing needs and are structured according to MV2040 themes. These strategies will also help us recover from the COVID-19 pandemic over the next 4 years. These strategies address the priorities the community has asked us to focus on throughout our engagement activities.

Council Plan initiatives

The initiatives to achieve each strategy will be developed and reviewed annually. These are specific actions we will work on each year to deliver on our 4-year strategies.

Integrated strategic indicators

The Plan identifies strategic indicators (PDF, 793KB) that are guided by frameworks, including the Victorian Public Health and Wellbeing Outcomes Framework. These integrated indicators allow Council to measure progress against the Council Plan strategic objectives and the longer-term MV2040 strategic directions.

Our 2021-25 Council Plan Strategies

The Council Plan outlines 21 strategies that we will focus on over the next 4 years. Each year, we will create an annual plan showing the initiatives we will deliver over the next 12 months that will help us achieve our strategies.

 

F1. Celebrate Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung culture and heritage and promote social justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, by delivering the Reconciliation Plan.
F2. Promote social and cultural inclusion and support the mental health needs of our youth and the broader community, by delivering targeted initiatives and programs.
F3. Prevent violence against women and families and support those experiencing it to access appropriate help, by working with partner organisations.
F4. Support people living with a disability, the elderly and carers to have healthy, active and independent lives, by delivering the Disability Action Plan.
F5. Support local families to give children the best possible start in life, by developing and delivering a Family and Children's Framework including consideration of infrastructure needs.
F6. Provide safe, accessible and welcoming places for all to access services, by delivering environmentally sustainable community hubs.
F7. Show the community our progress towards the MV2040 strategy, by developing and delivering a reporting framework.
F8. Support young people in our city to participate in decision-making, advocacy and community life by developing and delivering a youth-led program of initiatives.

T1. Help local businesses recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, grow the local economy including a diverse night-time economy, and create more local jobs, by providing support through targeted programs and other initiatives.
T2. Support all members of the community to take part in sport and recreation, by developing and delivering sustainable facilities.
T3. Encourage our community to continue learning throughout their life, by expanding the reach of our library collections, services and programs.
T4. Support and enable local creative artists and industries, celebrate our local community and activate local spaces, by developing and delivering targeted initiatives and programs.

C1. Encourage active transport and physical activity, by providing a safe, accessible and connected network of suitable walking and cycling infrastructure.
C2. Improve sustainable and accessible transport options across the city, by strongly advocating for better access to reliable public transport.
C3. Reduce road trauma, congestion, pollution, travel times and parking issues, and increase road safety, by developing and delivering targeted solutions.

G1. Help reduce our city’s carbon emissions, by facilitating the most cost-effective, evidence-based Council and community projects, including implementing the Green Action Plan, with the Community Climate Emissions Reduction Reserve.
G2. Cool our city, by growing our urban forest and delivering integrated water management strategies.
G3. Reduce waste going to landfill, by working with community partners, other councils and the state government.

B1. Improve community access to nature by creating new parks and enhancing and protecting existing open spaces and waterways.
B2. Implement appropriate land use controls across the city, including reformed residential zones, and facilitate the delivery of a mix of housing, by continuing to develop Neighbourhood Plans.
B3. Enrich our neighbourhoods’ unique identities, by continuing to identify and protect places of local heritage significance.

  • Customers and communications
  • People
  • Systems and knowledge
  • Finance and assets
  • Governance

What we’re focusing on for 2024-25

These initiatives focus on what we are doing to deliver during this financial year. They will be supported by the services, facilities and programs that Council delivers daily to safeguard and improve the health, safety, and wellbeing of our community. Download a visual summary of 2024-25 initiatives (PDF).

The 2024-25 Initiatives represent the final year of the Council Plan and Health Plan 2021-25. A new Council Plan and Health Plan will be prepared for the Council term 2025-29.

F1.1 Celebrate the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people and their
heritage through the installation and renewal of gateway signage,
and by progressing the design of a Stolen Generations marker to
acknowledge and respect the Stolen Generations.

F2.1 Advocate for the provision of accessible mental health services for young people in our City.

F2.2 Prepare a plan to define Council’s role in supporting the mental health of our community, including by identifying key areas of need and prioritising actions.

F3.1 Prepare a plan to guide Council’s approach to the prevention of family violence and violence against women.

F4.1 Commence the development of the Disability Action Plan 2026-29 to support Council’s work in building an inclusive community.

F5.1 Progress the redevelopment of identified kindergartens and maternal and child health suites with support from the Building Blocks Partnership.

F5.2 Progress the development of an Action Plan to support the best possible life for children and families in Moonee Valley.

F6.1 Continue delivery of the Community Recovery Hubs program funded by the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments to support community recovery from the October 2022 flood event.

F7.1 Commence a review of MV2040, including a review of community profiles. Work with the community to reaffirm the vision and key priorities for the future and to foster a shared sense of neighbourhood identity.

F8.1 Deliver alcohol, drug, smoke and vape-free events and provide information on harm reduction information services and programs to young people.

T1.1 Deliver a program of arts activations in activity centres to enliven our precincts, and support safe and enjoyable night-time activity.

T2.1 Complete the Clifton Park Pavilion upgrade, delivering a multi-use facility that is welcoming to users of all ages, abilities and genders, and is 5-star Green Star accreditable.

T2.2 Progress the design of the Moonee Valley Soccer Hub opportunity.

T3.1 Progress the Ascot Vale Library redevelopment, creating a
modern, program friendly space with more meeting rooms and
larger children’s area.

T3.2 Progress the planning and design of a community hub in Niddrie, including a new library and flexible community spaces.

T4.1 Support creative artists in Moonee Valley by progressing items in Igniting Creativity 2023-27.

C1.1 Encourage walking and cycling through delivery of improvements across the municipality, such as the Moonee Ponds shared paths, enabling safe routes of travel and the opportunity to appreciate the natural environment.

C2.1 Progress opportunities for residents to have access to another mode of transport, by working with the M9 alliance of inner Melbourne councils to expand the eScooter program to Moonee Valley.

C2.2 Commence the preparation of a 10-year plan addressing the transport needs across the municipality, including active transport, public transport, and road safety, to improve the effectiveness of transport in Moonee Valley.

C3.1 Deliver traffic, pedestrian and cyclist road safety infrastructure initiatives, and complete the Newmarket local area traffic management study.

C3.2 Advocate for funding commitments to upgrade the Moonee Ponds Junction to improve safety and amenity for pedestrians, public transport users and drivers, and for the construction and
implementation of road safety improvements at the Essendon and Essendon North Junctions.

G1.1 Support the community’s use of electric vehicles by progressing the expansion of the electric vehicle charging network in Moonee Valley.

G1.2 Deliver the ‘Let’s Go Zero’ community carbon emissions program to support the community to reduce their carbon emissions.

G2.1 Further investigate options to support the health and growth of street trees through diverting stormwater to facilitate passive irrigation.

G2.2 Support achieving a 30% canopy cover across the municipality by 2040 by continuing Council’s tree planting program, and encouraging residents to plant trees on private properties.

G3.1 Increase delivery of community education and awareness programs that aim to improve community recycling, reduce contamination, and avoid waste to landfill.

B1.1 Commence the implementation of the Open Space Strategy, supporting improvement of Council’s open spaces.

B1.2 Support residents to enjoy the City’s parks and open spaces by planning for additional public toilet facilities and by progressing a Public Toilet Plan.

B2.1 Prepare a Housing Strategy to ensure the diverse housing needs of the community can be met, including consideration of social and affordable housing and homelessness, and that future growth is directed to appropriate locations supported by public transport, tree canopy and open space, shops and services.

B2.2 Advocate for a collaborative approach on development planning in Moonee Valley in response to the State Government’s Housing Statement, to ensure our future population’s needs are met.

B3.1 Progress implementation of the Moonee Valley Heritage Study 2023.

view all council plan documents

How we’ll measure our success

Our Integrated MV2040, Council Plan and Health Plan Strategic Indicators will help us measure our achievements over the next 4 years.

Fair - Qeente boordup

A city that celebrates diversity

  • Reduced economic inequality.
  • Foster respect and appreciation of diversity.

A city with a dynamic network of accessible community facilities and services

  • Increased access to services and facilities.

A city where people are healthy and safe

  • Positive mental and physical health.
  • Safe environments for children and families.

A city where residents can engage, participate and influence change

  • Increased democratic participation.
  • Increased participation in community engagement activities.

Thriving - Bandingith

A city with opportunities to learn and work

  • Increased opportunities for professional and volunteer work.
  • Increased early education participation.
  • Increased number of residents engaged in lifelong learning.
  • Reduced financial insecurity and stress.

A city that responds to a changing economic landscape

  • Sustainable local economy.

A city with things to see and do

  • Increased number and diversity of arts and cultural activities.
  • Increased range and quality of sporting facilities

A city that is technology ready

  • Utilisation of Smart City technologies

Connected – Yanoninon Maggolee

A city with streets and spaces for all people

  • Reduce road injuries and fatalities towards achieving Vision Zero.
  • Increased availability and connectivity of active transport infrastructure.

A city where sustainable transport is the easy option

  • Increased access to public transport.
  • Increased levels of sustainable commuting.

A city at the forefront of transport technology

  • Uptake of new transport technology

Green – Wunwarren

A city that rethinks waste

  • Increase waste diverted from landfill.

A city that is cool and climate-adapted

  • Increased ability for households to adapt to the health impacts of climate change.

A city that is low carbon

  • Reduced Council carbon emissions.
  • Reduced Community carbon emissions.

A city that is green and water-sensitive

  • Increased size and health of our urban forest.
  • Reduced Council water use.
  • Increased stormwater harvested for irrigation.

Beautiful - Nga-Ango Gunga

A city that fosters local identity

  • Preservation and appreciation of our unique cultural heritage.

A city of high-quality design

  • Increased accessibility of Council facilities.

A city with vibrant and safe public spaces

  • Increased safety and attractiveness of public spaces.

A city in a beautiful landscape setting

  • Increased accessibility and quality of open space.

Our visual summaries

Flip through these visual summaries, including:

  • Acknowledgement of Country & Statement of Commitment
  • MV2040 Community Vision, MV2040 strategic directions and Council Plan strategic objectives
  • Our 4-year Council Plan strategies
  • The 2024-25 Council Plan initiatives (and the initiatives for years 1 to 3)
  • Integrated MV2040, Council and Health Plan strategic indicators

From aged care to youth services and everything in between, we're here for you!

Find out more about Council

Want to check on our annual progress?
Review our achievements in the Annual Report.

View the Annual Report