Annual Report 2017/18
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ANNUAL REPORT 2017–18 CITY OF BALLARAT ANNUAL REPORT 2017–18 1 ABOUT THIS ANNUAL REPORT OUR MISSION The City of Ballarat has prepared this Annual Report Working together we create a in accordance with the requirements and guidelines of the Local Government Act 1989 and the Local better future for our city. Government (Planning and Reporting) Regulations What this means: 2014 and acknowledges the legal responsibility to comply with the Charter of Human Rights and Working together – We are a conduit and are Responsibilities Act 2006 and the Equal Opportunity acting collaboratively to build strong relationships Act 2010. and alliances with those who support our belief. Create – We bring into existence, generate, produce, This report provides an account of the City of initiate, develop and shape our city. Better – We are Ballarat’s performance in the 2017–18 financial year continually improving and becoming more desirable. against the Council Plan (the framework within which We are smart, one step ahead and exceeding as a we deliver the everyday services, programs and city. Future – We achieve our vision with a long-term projects for our community) and the Budget. It is perspective. City – Our place, our community and our designed to keep residents, businesses, employees, people. stakeholders and other state and federal government agencies up-to-date on our performance and our future direction. OUR PURPOSE This document includes the following in accordance We believe in making Ballarat with statutory requirements: a better place for all. • Report of Operations: this includes highlights of the year, details about Council’s governance, What this means: management and operations, and a report on our Believe – Our fundamental cause, our reason for performance against the Council Plan and the being and what matters most. Making – We are Budget in the 2017–18 financial year. actively involved; in turn creating a positive and • Financial Statements lasting difference for our city. Ballarat – Our city, our villages, our townships, our community and our • Performance Statement people. Better – We are continually improving and How to get your copy and give feedback becoming more desirable. We are smart, one step ahead and exceeding as a regional city. Place – We Electronic copies are available on our website and are proud of our city’s beauty, identity, lifestyle and hard copies are available on request from City of the fact it is a preferred regional destination. For Ballarat Customer Service Centres. We welcome all – We are inclusive of everyone who lives, works, your feedback on this document. Details on how to invests, studies and visits our city. contact us can be found on the back cover. Front cover image: Lake Wendouree Football Club members Melinda Sands, Sophie Molan, Robyn Fraser and Tahlia Meier at Mars Stadium, Ballarat. In April 2018, City of Ballarat Council adopted its Active Women and Girls Strategy to address barriers to female participation in sport and active recreation in Ballarat. Mars Stadium was officially opened in July 2017, following an extensive redevelopment program, with the first AFL match for premiership points played at the venue between the Western Bulldogs and Port Adelaide Power in August 2017. 2 CITY OF BALLARAT ANNUAL REPORT 2017–18 We are pleased to present this Annual Report to our community. The 2017–18 Annual Report is the primary means of advising our community about the City of Ballarat’s operations and performance during the financial year. The City of Ballarat respectfully acknowledges the Wadawurrung and Dja Dja Wurrung people as the traditional custodians of the land on which we live and work. OVERVIEW OUR ORGANISATION Ballarat - a snapshot 04 Executive Leadership reporting structure 25 Fast facts 05 Staff profiles 27 A message from the Mayor 06 Equal Employment Opportunity Program 28 A message from the CEO 07 Performance highlights 08 OUR PERFORMANCE Event highlights 11 Liveability 29 Awards 12 Prosperity 38 Description of operations 13 Sustainability 41 Major capital works expenditure 14 Accountability 49 OUR COUNCIL FINANCIAL REPORT Councillors 15 Financial report 54 The role of local government 16 Performance report 102 GOVERNANCE APPENDIX Governance 17 Advisory and non-advisory committees 112 Councillor expenses, Service performance indicators 18 CONTACT Management 19 Contact information 113 Governance and management checklist 20 Statutory information 22 CITY OF BALLARAT ANNUAL REPORT 2017–18 3 OVERVIEW BALLARAT A SNAPSHOT City of Ballarat Municipality City of Ballarat’s population in 2017 was 105,328 (source: The City of Ballarat municipality covers an area of 740 ABS 2018). This has grown by 1,921 new residents since square kilometres and includes the outlying townships the 2016 estimate of 103,407 residents. This represents of Buninyong, Miners Rest, Learmonth and Cardigan continued strong population growth for Ballarat with a Village. It is part of an area of land under the traditional 1.9 per cent annual growth rate. This is a slight increase custodianship of the Wadawurrung and Dja Dja Wurrung from the 1.8 per cent average annual growth that Ballarat people and is bound by the surrounding municipalities experienced over the past 10 years. Population growth of Hepburn Shire (to the north), Moorabool Shire (to the remains a key economic driver for our city. east), Pyrenees Shire (to the west and Golden Plains (Source: ABS, Cat. No. 3218.0 Regional Population Growth, Shire (to the south). Australia, Estimated Resident Population) Locations within the Municipality Ballarat of the City of Ballarat: ‘balla’ meaning ‘elbow’ or reclining on the elbow + ‘arat’ Addington, Alfredton, Ascot, Bakery Hill, Bald Hills, meaning ‘place’: from two aboriginal words signifying a Ballarat Central, Ballarat East, Ballarat North, Black Hill, camping or resting place. Blowhard, Bo Peep, Bonshaw, Brown Hill, Buninyong, Bunkers Hill, Burrumbeet, Canadian, Cardigan, The historical spelling ‘Ballaarat’ was used in the name of the former City of Ballaarat, which was amalgamated in Cardigan Village, Chapel Flat, Coghills Creek, Creswick, 1994 with the Shire of Ballarat, Borough of Sebastopol, Delacombe, Durham Lead, Ercildoune, Eureka, Glen and parts of Shires of Bungaree, Buninyong, Grenville Park, Glendaruel, Glendonald, Golden Point, Gong and Ripon, to form the current City of Ballarat. Gong, Invermay, Invermay Park, Lake Gardens, Lake Wendouree, Learmonth, Lucas, Magpie, Miners Rest, Mitchell Park, Mount Bolton, Mount Clear, Mount Helen, Mount Pleasant, Mount Rowan, Nerrina, Newington, Redan, Scotchman’s Lead, Scotsburn, Sebastopol, Smythes Creek, Soldiers Hill, Sulky, Tourello, Warrenheip, Wattle Flat, Weatherboard, Wendouree, Windermere and Winter Valley. 4 CITY OF BALLARAT ANNUAL REPORT 2017–18 OVERVIEW FAST FACTS 2017–18 City of Ballarat 1,610 maintained: children placed into + kindergartens via City 559 outdoor 60,000 of Ballarat’s central people attended artefacts enrolment program (statues, memorials, White Night Ballarat 2018 monuments, relics, art pieces and plaques) 18,129 Cycling Australia Road Nats spectators 45,000 meals delivered to 93 sports nutritionally at-risk grounds 206,868 visitors residents to Art Gallery of Ballarat in 2017–18 325 parks 1,13 8 and reserves residents participated 407,170 in Growing Older Well visits to City of Ballarat in Ballarat consultation libraries up 11.3 per cent on 2016–17 97,297 street trees 15,500 hours of social connections 1,024km support to decrease of sealed roads 32,637 isolation of older persons eBook downloads up by 20.7 per cent 392km of unsealed roads on 2016–17 1,600 hours of respite provided to support 13,029 family carers looking Maternal and Child 266 after their loved ones Health consultations bus shelters CITY OF BALLARAT ANNUAL REPORT 2017–18 5 OVERVIEW A MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR On behalf of my fellow Councillors, I am very pleased to present this Annual Report for 2017–18. This details our major initiatives over the last 12 months to deliver on Council Plan commitments to meet the needs of the Ballarat community. In that time, we have worked hard to deliver and progress a range of key projects and initiatives, and I am extremely proud of what we have been able to achieve. A better future for our city • Delivery of our Lucas Community • Ballarat continues to add around Hub, a key community facility in 2,000 people each year. While we As we outlined in our Council the heart of Ballarat’s growth area. have planned for this expansion in Plan, this Council is committed the Ballarat West Growth Area and • Delivery of Stage One of the to driving the projects, programs Ballarat West Employment Zone, it Ballarat Link Road on time and and investment that will create a is imperative we continue to lobby on budget. Stage One provides better city for all Ballarat residents. for our fair share of investment so ready access for high performance As our city grows, we are working that our community is supported freight vehicles to the Ballarat to support the economic drivers with the necessary infrastructure West Employment Zone and and jobs for our city now and into to thrive. the future, and to ensure that our links businesses and residents in community continues to be a great Alfredton and Lucas to the Western Next steps place to live. Freeway. As we approach the forthcoming • The completion of the Mars Highlights state election in November, and Stadium redevelopment, which federal election in 2019, we will • The continued growth of Ballarat enabled the first and subsequent continue to lobby for the projects as a centre of major regional AFL matches, an AFLW pre- that are needed to support the next events. The first AFL home and season match, and which will stage of Ballarat’s growth. away match between the Western continue to be a premium venue Bulldogs and Port Adelaide for local clubs and regional clubs. I commend my fellow Councillors on Power at Mars Stadium drew their commitment to delivering the • The adoption of our Active Women an impressive crowd of 11,000 best outcomes for residents.