Case study: Boroondara Reconciliation Strategy 2022-26
The Boroondara Reconciliation Strategy 2022-26 was developed to formalise our commitment to reconciliation in Boroondara. It represents a significant step on our reconciliation journey and builds on the reconciliation initiatives we were already implementing.
How we developed our strategy:
- Listening to local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and organisations to understand the role we can have as a Council, and our community can play in the reconciliation process.
- Asking for feedback from the broader community, local community service providers and local organisations to help us understand their views and ideas about how to be involved and progress reconciliation locally.
We agreed to a collective vision for reconciliation: to create a welcoming community where the histories, cultures, knowledge, achievements, and aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are acknowledged, respected, considered, and celebrated.
The Boroondara Reconciliation Strategy was adopted in March 2022 by Council and formally launched on 2 June 2022 during National Reconciliation Week.
Theme 7 performance
Below is a breakdown of the strategic indicators, progress of initiatives and other service performance indicators for this theme. You can find out more detail about these indicators and previous year’s results in the full report.
You can also read through our continuous improvement initiatives, community engagement, and benchmarking activities for this theme in the full report.
Strategic indicators
In many cases our strategic indicators saw either consistent or improved results in FY2021-22. The strategic indicators that met or exceeded the forecasts include the following.
Satisfaction with the overall performance of Council:
71 (out of 100)
Satisfaction with informing the community:
65 (out of 100)
Current assets compared to current liabilities:
213.89%
Number of transactions initiated via our website:
105,037 transactions
Satisfaction with community consultation and engagement:
59 (out of 100)
Percentage of freedom of information requests responded to within prescribed timeframes:
100%
Number of cyber security incidents that compromise user data:
0
Access to Council’s website (percentage of time available)
99.95%
Some indicators did not meet our forecast this year, these include the following.
Satisfaction with making community decisions
61 (out of 100)
This is only a slight reduction from last year (62) but continues to be one of our lowest performing service areas as community expectations are higher. This is consistent with what is being seen at the metro and state level.
Satisfaction with customer service
72 (out of 100)
This is not a significant decline from last year (75) and was consistent across the state and metro level. Our customer service rating is in line with the Metropolitan group and significantly higher than the State-wide average for councils.
Percentage of adopted capital projects completed at the conclusion of the financial year (based on most recent amended budget)
78%
We saw multiple issues that inhibited the delivery of capital projects, including Planning - Service Brief, design changes or scope changes needing additional consultation, weather, building permit delays, delays from other Authorities, budget increases requiring approval, COVID-19, availability of contractors, and supply chain delays).
Number of calls abandoned when customers are trying to reach Council’s customer service
4.3%
This may have been impacted by resource shortages due to COVID-19 and increased call volumes from severe weather events. This has been addressed through reliable workforce planning and contingency programs.
Progress of initiatives in the Budget
All initiatives for this theme were completed in the FY2021-22. This includes:
- engaging with strategic procurement aggregators and other Councils to explore collaborative contract opportunities
- developing and implementing a new Council Plan 2021-2025
- undertaking customer experience benchmarking to inform improvements to service delivery and the ease in which customers can transact with us
- developing a chat bot capability on our City of Boroondara website.
We also completed the following major initiatives:
- Conduct a review of the Community Engagement Policy with further community consultation to ensure we are meeting the community’s expectations on how we engage with them.
- Ensure we operate within a financially sustainable framework through preparation of the Budget 2022-23 (plus 3 subsequent financial years) in-line with statutory requirements, and submit for consideration by Council.
- Adopt the refreshed Boroondara Community Plan 2021-31 to meet the needs of the community now and into the future and set the long-term strategic direction and vision for Council.
- Introduce an Enterprise Booking Tool enabling online ticketing, registrations, and online bookings to provide the community with an easy-to-use event and booking system for Council facilities.
Other service performance indicators
The following other service performance indicators and measures are based on the FY2021-22, unless stated otherwise. You can find out more detail including how these indicator results were calculated in the full report.
Governance
Council decisions made at meetings closed to the public
FY2021-22: 4%
FY2020-21: 4%
Satisfaction with community consultation and engagement
FY2021-22: 59 (out of 100)
FY2020-21: 59 (out of 100)
Councillor attendance at council meetings
FY2021-22: 98%
FY2020-21: 98%
Satisfaction with Council decisions
FY2021-22: 61 (out of 100)
FY2020-21: 62 (out of 100)
Cost of elected representation
FY2021-22: $53,352 per councillor
FY2020-21: $47,095 per councillor
This reflects a change to the Local Government Act 2020 and an increase in allowances made by the Victorian Independent Remuneration Tribunal No 01-2022 in accordance with section 39 of the Local Government Act 2020. The current increase applied from 18 December 2021.