City of Casey: A Snapshot

January 2008 Casey

Table of Contents

The City of Casey...... 3

The City of Casey Population...... 4

A Snapshot of the City of Casey Community Services Division...... 5

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The City of Casey

The City of Casey is a municipality of 395 square kilometers on the outskirts of in the Southeast Growth Corridor. The City of Casey covers Melbourne's south-eastern growth corridor and has five distinct geographic regions: 1. The foothills, made up of Lysterfield, Harkaway and Narre Warren North, is mainly used for grazing, horse agistment and regional open space. 2. The main residential and commercial sector is around the Princes Highway and the South Highway corridors. There are two regional shopping centres, at Narre Warren-Fountain Gate and Cranbourne, as well as sub-regional centres at Endeavour Hills, Hampton Park and Berwick Village. 3. The urban growth area covers the areas immediately to the south, east and west of Cranbourne. This is Melbourne's vibrant south-eastern growth corridor, characterised by strong building activity and rapid population growth. 4. The farm, around Clyde, Five Ways, Devon Meadows and Pearcedale, is mainly used for market gardening, flower growing and grazing. 5. The bay, on the southern border, is home to the picturesque coastal hamlets of Tooradin, Cannons Creek, Warneet and Blind Bight and contains extensive coastal reserves and forms a link between the popular tourist destinations of and Phillip Island.

There are 23 suburbs and townships within the municipality with geographic diversity including mountainous, coastal, urban and rural. By its very nature, service supports must have flexibility in meeting the diversity of needs.

One of Casey's best-known activities is horse training and racing. Cranbourne is one of the largest training centres in Australia, with nearly 6000 Cranbourne-trained horses starting in meetings around Australia in 1995-96. The Cranbourne Racing Complex is host to three racing codes, turf, harness and greyhounds. Each has its own track and training facilities.

Running parallel with Casey's population growth has been an expansion of the City's retail services, ranging from small convenience stores to regional shopping centres of Cranbourne Park and Fountain Gate at Narre Warren. Fountain Gate, run by the Westfield shopping centre operator, is about to undergo a major expansion. Development proposals include a David Jones department store and a Village Cinema multi-screen complex. Westfield says Fountain Gate is set to become the premier shopping centre in Melbourne's south east.

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The City of Casey Population

The City of Casey is characterized by size, growth and diversity. With a current population which stands at more than 215,000 people and is currently growing by more than 80 families each week, Casey is ’s most populous municipality. The City of Casey is the fastest growing municipality in Victoria and expects the population to peak at approximately 350,000 in two to three decades. This will make Casey the same size as the current population of our National Capital, Canberra. In 2001, 50,351 Casey residents were born overseas, representing 28.7% of the total population, and at the 2006 Census, this percentage was 30.4% of the population was born overseas, and 22.1% were from a non-English speaking background, compared with 29.0% and 22.0% respectively for the Melbourne Statistical Division.

Casey has Australia’s highest number of people aged less than 25 years, with a current youth population of approximately 51,518 and projected to climb to over 60,000 by 2011. This demographic includes Casey’s preschool population that is larger than any other local government area in Australia and a population of over 25,000 5-11 year olds, significantly larger than the Melbourne Statistical Division.

The 2006 population aged 70 plus years (those who generally have the highest support needs) in the Casey municipality was over 11,000. This age group will see a 190% increase over the next 20 years, with an estimated population projection of 22,850* in 2021 (DOI projections).

Table 1 – 2006 ABS Census

Casey Age Cohorts

64 & over 0-4 year olds

5-9 year olds

50-64 year olds

Total Young People (10-25)

35-49 year olds

26-34 year olds

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Casey City Council

City of Casey Organisational Structure

CHIEF EXECUTIVE

DIRECTOR DIRECTOR DIRECTOR DIRECTOR COMMUNITY CORPORATE INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING & SERVICES SERVICES SERVICES DEVELOPMENT SERVICES

MANAGERS MANAGERS MANAGERS MANAGERS MANAGERS ADMINISTRATION ENGINEERING BUILDING SERVICES COMMUNICATIONS ARTS & LEISURE CONTRACTS & & ENVIRONMENT CHILDREN’S PURCHASING CITY LIVING HUMAN RESOURCES SERVICES CUSTOMER SERVICE PARKS AND COMMUNITY CARE & FINANCE RESERVES PLANNING ORGANISATIONAL HEALTH PROMOTION INFORMATION STRATEGY COMMUNITY TECHNOLOGY ROADS AND STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT PROPERTY RATES & CONSTRUCTION DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY SAFETY VALUATIONS & SUPPORT TRANSPORT YOUTH & FAMILY SERVICES PARKS & RESERVES

The City of Casey is required to produce an annual business plan which guide key functions such as resource allocation, work and service planning, and key priorities. Council has also adopted, and is in the process of reviewing C21 which is a long term strategic document which outlines the future vision for the City of Casey into the year 2021.

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A Snapshot of the City of Casey Community Services Division

Community Services

Community Director Personal Assistant Planner Jennie Lee Vivien Thompson Brendan Ball

Manager Manager Manager Manager Manager Manager Leisure Children’s Community Community Youth Community Robyn Bowen Services Care & Development & Family Safety & Support Collette Health Janette Green Services Caroline Bell McMahon Promotion Lee McIntosh Sophia Petrov

Following a restructure in 2006, the City of Casey Community Services Division is divided into six departments. A brief description of each department is listed below.

The Community Services Division comprises nearly 500 staff, amounting to around 350 EFT Council Officers.

The Community Services Division has developed a suite of policies and strategies to inform the planning and implementation of programs, services, activities and events: • Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Policy • Access and Equity Policy • Advisory Committee Policy • Ageing Positively Grants Policy • Aquatics Development Strategy • Arts and Cultural Initiative Grants Policy • Arts and Cultural Policy / Strategy • Casey Public Health Plan 2002 - 2008 • Child Friendly Community • Child Minding Centres Policy • Community Bus Public Policy Objectives • Community Development Principles • Community Grants Policy • Community Safety Strategy 2006 - 2011 • Community Transport Policy • Delivery of Children's Services Policy • Doveton and Eumemmerring Community Plan • Drug Action Strategy • Events Grants Program Policy • Family and Children's Services Strategy • Family and Children's Services Strategy - Summary Report

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• Financial Hardship Policy • First Aid Training Grants Policy • Gaming Policy 2005 (Electronic Gaming Machines) • Health and Safety Policy • Joint Development and Use Policy • Leisure Services Public Policy Objectives • Leisure, Open Space and Equestrian Strategy Documents • Minor Capital Works at Community Facilities Policy • Municipal Emergency Management Plan Policy • Municipal Fire Prevention Plan • Neighbourhood House and Community Learning Centres Policy • Neighbourhood Watch Grants Policy • New Community Organisation Seeding Grants Policy • Opportunity Shops Policy • Pre School Enrolment Policy • Public Art Policy • Road Safety Strategy 2006-2011 • Signage at Safety House Policy • Youth Strategy 2001 - 2011

The City of Casey is host to Australia’s largest Family Day Care scheme, Victoria’s largest Maternal and Child Health service, and is cluster manager for over 35 kindergartens.

In relation to community infrastructure, the City of Casey manages Myuna Farm, Wilson Botanic Park, and is home to the Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne. The City of Casey has built the leading edge Casey Aquatic and Recreation Centre, and is currently constructing the Cranbourne Aquatic Recreation Centre at a cost of approximately $37,000,000, which will contain a host of world’s best practice water saving and recycling methodologies.

Casey Fields, a 70 hectare site in Cranbourne East, has been developed by the City of Casey as the premier sports facility in Melbourne's south east and features a broad range of active and passive recreation opportunities for the entire region.

There are five libraries across the City of Casey, located at Narre Warren, Cranbourne, Doveton, Endeavour Hills and Hampton Park.

Other key facilities in Casey include Casey Sweeney Reserve Tennis Centre, the Endeavour Hills Leisure Centre, the Doveton Pool in the Park, the Casey Indoor Sports Centre, The Factory (performing arts rehearsal space), the Balla Balla community centre, the Berwick Leisure Centre, the Old Fisherman’s Cottage, The Shed (indoor youth centre), Casey Junior Road Education Centre, and the Old Cheese Factory.

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