FAIR

Diversity in all its forms is one of Moonee Valley’s greatest strengths as a community. It supports social and economic wellbeing and contributes to our thriving, creative and safe neighbourhoods. To harness its full potential and avoid misunderstanding, prejudice and injustice, we will continue to foster opportunities for cross cultural understanding and celebration.

We know some residents face barriers to participating in the community or experience social or economic inequality because of their age, race, employment or disability status. These groups are known as target populations, and are given greater attention in the Council Plan to promote inclusion and reduce the disadvantage they experience.

Some residents experience multiple barriers at once, which may mean they have a unique and compounding experience of injustice. An example may be a young person from a culturally and linguistically diverse background who is living with a disability. This is often referred to as ‘intersectionality’. This plan encourages us to consider an intersectional lens with service delivery, projects and partnerships.

What does Council do?

“We run programs, events and support services for young people aged 12 to 25.”

“We celebrate how diverse Moonee Valley is. We support our most vulnerable people.”

The circumstances of how we grow, live, work and age are important factors which influence our health, as do the social determinants of health which include income, education, employment and social support. The importance of health is highlighted by our MV2040 vision for a healthy city.

There is a strong link between health and social disadvantage. In general, the higher a person’s socio-economic position, the healthier they are. Some health inequities are linked to forms of disadvantage such as poverty, discrimination and inadequate access to support. There are some community members in Moonee Valley who experience higher levels of disadvantage and this plan uses a human rights focus to address and eliminate preventable factors which contribute to health inequality.

We acknowledge that climate change is the biggest threat to our community’s wellbeing. Working to reduce inequality will help to strengthen our community’s resilience and address the chronic stressors that make community members more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Council’s MV2040 Action Plan –Green details our actions relating to climate change.

What does Council do?

“We uphold local laws to keep our community safe and orderly.”

“We help to keep our community healthy. We provide free immunisations and oversee food safety.”

“We support local families, parents, babies and children in our community. Our Maternal and Child Health Nurses and free services keep families healthy and connected, including those who might need extra support.”

Working within each of the 13 neighbourhoods is central to achieving a fairer city. Our aim is to address the specific needs of each neighbourhood, by strengthening our understanding of their unique characteristics and strengths. Working with communities, we will provide tools to create meaningful change at the local level. This requires agile partnerships with our community, organisations, community, health and social services and non-profits.

Community hubs provide important services to the community as well as opportunities to connect and celebrate. We will work with organisations and communities to deliver services in existing, new and upgraded hubs – both Council and non-Council operated. They will become the hearts of our neighbourhoods.

What does Council do?

“We support older adults, people living with a disability and carers to have healthy, active and independent lives.”

“We provide child care to help our families and give our kids the best possible start in life.”

“We research who lives in our community and what you need. We work to make sure you feel included, healthy and safe in Moonee Valley.”

In developing MV2040 we sought extensive community involvement to understand the lived experience of inequality and social exclusion. There is a visible trend in Australia towards reshaping how local government works with communities to realise better social outcomes. Many councils are now adopting a focus on community development and applying neighbourhood or place based approaches to planning, delivery and engagement.

Research and practice indicate that by increasing social connections, civic participation and social cohesion in communities there are a broad range of positive health, social and economic outcomes. Council's decisions and actions impact on the lives of all people who live, work and study in Moonee Valley. Citizen participation in decision making can influence not only the planning and delivery of Council services, but also inform many of the determinants of health and wellbeing.

We will continue to work together and encourage our communities to create change by promoting community leadership, and empowering community members to have a voice and influence in designing solutions to address inequality.

Housing is a human right and plays an important role in ensuring our community is healthy, connected and thriving. Moonee Valley is growing and changing and many people are priced out of housing in the municipality. As our community changes, we need the right housing types (including social housing), sizes and price points across our neighbourhoods to encourage people to stay connected to their communities.