Mel Yuan for Brunswick

Moreland Council’s Policies & Strategies list is extensive.  So extensive in fact, that I gave up counting when I hit 25 while still in the “Cs”.

All this policy adds up to nought if it’s not implemented.

Council needs better mechanisms to track both the delivery and outcomes of all this policy. Residents need greater transparency about whether the planned services are being delivered and more importantly, whether they meet the planned goals.

The sheer number and overlapping nature of all this policy means it is impossible for a single, consolidated view of all its conflicts, contradictions, and complementary parts. It reinforces the siloed nature of Council operations.

A great anecdote of the ridiculous outcomes this policy fragmentation can result in, is the toilets at Methven Park. During this textbook example of poor community engagement, it was revealed that there was no alignment between the Toilet strategy and the other strategies that governed the park.

I promise a single, central repository that stores all Strategy > Objective > Action > Implementation Plans. This should be visible to all Council staff, residents and ratepayers.

Senior managers would be responsible for reporting on the delivery of, and outcome metrics for, the strategies. Council would be accountable for ensuring regular and systematic harmonisation and prioritisation of strategies in advance of formal budgeting processes. Redundant and duplicated strategies should be retired. Opportunities to align, harmonise and achieve complementary and consistent outcomes should be prioritised – especially across delivery siloes.