FAQs

Our Council Plan guides Council’s direction with a vision and mission and priority goals for Manningham to be delivered over a four year period.

Priorities are organised into themes and goals. Under each goal, actions are developed as well as measures for success. The Council Plan themes cover the areas of our community, environment, economy, places and spaces and governance. At Manningham our approach is to consider every goal from the angle of every theme. This way we can optimise the outcomes for Manningham.

Some examples of the things considered as part of each of the themes our Council Plan covers are outlined below:

Environment - things like our air, water, energy, biodiversity, climate change, waste

Places and spaces - such as buildings, housing, facilities, roads, pathways and transport, parks and open spaces, green wedge

Community - this includes community connections, learning and recreation, safety, participation, leisure and entertainment

Governance - this covers council leadership, efficiency, governance and performance

Economy - including employment, local business, activity centers and shops, tourism

The Council budgets for 2021 to 2025 are yet to be set, these will be determined in line with the new Council Plan. 

The current 2020/21 Annual Budget provides an overview of how the current Council has allocated money across key Council services.

View the Annual Budget 2020/21 services breakdown.

How do the Council’s strategic plans work together?

All Victorian Councils are required to have an Integrated Planning Framework. The Framework shows how our plans and resources work together to deliver to optimise the outcomes for the Manningham community.  

The graphic below provides an overview of the Integrated Planning Framework we follow in Manningham.

Two key strategies that will guide and manage future change across the Manningham are the Liveable City Strategy and the Doncaster Hill Strategy Review, which will replace the existing Doncaster Hill Strategy (2002, revised 2004).

The Liveable City Strategy is an aspirational plan that focusses on making public spaces attractive and functional for our community. Such spaces include streets, shopping centres, parks and footpath networks.

Doncaster Hill is a precinct that promotes higher density residential and mixed use development. Council is keen to ensure that this area is developed with high quality designed buildings and public spaces which are attractive and vibrant for residents, workers and visitors.

The community will be given the opportunity to provide feedback on both draft documents. At this stage, it is anticipated that public exhibition will occur in early 2021.

Manningham is a proudly diverse community made of people of all ages, abilities, cultural backgrounds, religions, and gender orientation. 

If you would like to know more about who we are, how we live, where we come from and what we do, visit our Manningham demographics website page. 

Our Healthy City Strategy is our Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan. It sets the priorities and actions to help improve the health and wellbeing of people living in Manningham over a four year period.

A Municipal Health and Wellbeing Plan (MPHWP) tells the community what it intends to do to improve the physical and mental health of the people who live in Manningham.

Every Victorian Local Government (council) is required to prepare a MPHWP within 12 months of a Council elections. This is required under the Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008. 

The Plan is required to ‘protect, improve and promote public health and wellbeing within the municipal district’. Manningham Council’s MPHWP, known as our Health City Strategy, is guided by data and evidence about our communities, community consultation and the success of previous initiatives.

The MPHWP:

• Takes into account data on the health status and the physical, built, social and economic factors in the municipality. 
• Identifies local goals and evidence based strategies which support people to achieve maximum health and wellbeing.
• Provides opportunity for the local community to be involved in the development, implementation and evaluation of the plan.
• Makes sure a partnership approach is undertaken to accomplish the goals and strategies to support health and wellbeing of the community in particularly among vulnerable and at risk cohorts. 

Source: Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 (Vic)s26

Our Healthy City Strategy 2021-2025 will provide strategic direction for Council and its partners over the next four years and has a plan and a State of the City profile attached to it: 

• The plan identifies the activities that will occur for the strategy to be successful.
• The State of the City profile that identifies the health status and wellbeing needs of the community

Our Healthy City Strategy 2017-2021 is scheduled to end next year and we're now planning for the development of our next four year Healthy City Strategy. 

Health is defined as ‘a complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not the absence of disease’. In comparison, community wellbeing is about the health and happiness of the community in which we live. 

Our sense of wellbeing is affected by our physical and mental health, the natural and built environments in which we live, the economy, and our ability to be involved in all parts of community life. Community wellbeing is about how all these things come together to support us to live happy, healthier and more meaningful lives.

Source: World Health Organisation

Traditional health planning uses a number of existing frameworks. These frameworks have influenced the development of Council’s Municipal Pubic Health and Wellbeing Plan, the Healthy City Strategy. These include

• Social Model of Health which defines that for maximum health and wellbeing to be achieved, the social, environmental and economic factors that affect health need to be addressed alongside the biological and medical factors. 
• Population Health Planning which supports an integrated and collaborative cross sectoral planning approach to improve the health and wellbeing of whole of populations, reduce inequities and address the needs of the most disadvantaged.
• Environments of Health Framework and Social Determinants which acknowledge that to have the greatest impact on population wellbeing, the social, natural, economic and built environments must be considered and that an integrated planning across sectors is essential.
• Health Promotion which is about strengthening the skills and capabilities of individuals to take action and the capacity of groups or communities to act collectively to influence the determinants of health and achieve positive change.
• Prevention, Protective Factors and Behaviours are required to be considered to address the risk factors resulting from the environment and individual behaviours.
• Health Equity which ensures everyone has a fair opportunity to attain their full health potential and that the needs of those most disadvantaged are considered through the action planning process.

A number of new frameworks have recently evolved to influence health planning in the future and include:

• Victorian Public Health and Wellbeing Outcome Framework is a new initiative from the Department of Health and Human Services which provides a transparent approach to monitoring and reporting progress in population health outcomes.
• Systems Thinking addresses the broad and complex issues, such as obesity, by identifying all the elements that contribute to the issue and their interrelationship. These include the individual, ecological, social and political factors.
• Collective Planning and Collective Impact is where a cross section of stakeholders work collaboratively together to solve complex social problems and seek to create impact together rather than individually. 
• Liveability in Place is a new planning approach whereby domains such as employment, food, housing, public open space, transport, walkability and social infrastructure all have a role in creating a healthier community.
• Place-Based Primary Prevention and Settings identifies and addresses the social and physical environment of a designated place or location. Consideration has also been given to settings based approaches to target interventions.

What is the Victorian Public Health and Wellbeing Plan 2019-2023?

The State Government also has a plan to increase health and wellbeing of the people who live in Victoria. The Victorian Public Health and Wellbeing Plan (VPHWP) 2019-2023 is legislated under the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008. 

The VPHWP guides the work of state and local governments, health services and providers, business and employers, and the wider community to improve the health and wellbeing of all Victorians. It outlines 10 key priority areas and Manningham Council is considering nine of the priorities, including:  

• Tackling climate change and its impact on health
• Reducing injury
• Preventing all forms of violence
• Increasing healthy eating
• Increasing active living
• Improving mental health
• Improving sexual and reproductive health 
• Reducing tobacco-related harm
• Reducing harmful alcohol and drug use

Source: Victorian Public Health and Wellbeing Plan 2019-2023 

Our Plan Manningham 2021+ community survey takes into account the nine Victorian Public Health priority areas (outlined above) as well as Council's key guiding policies and strategies and local community data to help us determine what we need to focus on to improve the health and wellbeing of residents those who live, work or play in Manningham. 

The information below provides an evidence-based snapshot of what we currently know from key health and wellbeing, climate change, housing and economic data. This will help inform the development of the Council Plan and Healthy City Strategy 2021-2025. 

The data includes information about Manningham in 2020, and how the municipal area has grown and developed over the last ten years. It looks at how Manningham is going against nine of the ten important priority areas outlined in the Victorian Public Health Plan 2019-2023. It also compares how Manningham is tracking in these areas against other Local Government Areas in the Eastern Metropolitan Region, Greater Melbourne and Victoria. 

Whilst this provides a snapshot of our community in 2020, it does not consider the impacts of coronavirus COVID-19, as the data is not yet available.

1. Tackling climate change and its impact on health
   Manningham Council as an organisation, is on track to achieve its target of a 25% reduction in carbon dioxide (CO²) emissions (2008 baseline). However, total CO² emissions for the municipality increased 3.9% (or 45,000 tonnes) from 2017/18 to 2018/19. Similarly, residential CO² emissions per capita increased (from 3.01 tonnes to 3.10 tonnes), two-thirds of which was due to increased gas consumption. 
2. Reducing injury
   In the five years from 2014 to 2018, 10 people died and 475 people were hospitalised, due to traffic accidents in Manningham. Accident victims in Manningham are more likely to be female and older in comparison to metropolitan Melbourne, and two-thirds of accidents occur on major roads. 
3. Preventing all forms of violence
   Whilst Manningham continues to be one of the safest municipal areas in Victoria, there has been a 37.6% increase in the number of crimes since 2011 (compared to Victoria at 22.4%). Manningham experiences the same types of crime as elsewhere across the state, with property and deception (scam) offences (72%) and crimes against the person (16.6%) most common. Despite having a significantly lower level of reported family violence than the Victorian average, 737 family violence incidents reported in 2019 affecting people of all ages. Those affected were primarily female, and those responsible for the violence were primarily male. People aged 45+ years account for 39% of those affected (compared to Victoria at 27%). Furthermore, the evidence suggests women with disability and LGBTIQA+ people are significantly more likely to experience family violence than the wider community.
4. Increasing healthy eating
   A healthy diet has been proven to protect us from many diseases. Half of Manningham’s population eat a good amount of daily serves of fruit, and 1 in 10 people eat a good amount of daily serves of vegetables. There has been little change in eating habits since 2011. Females tend to eat more healthily than males – with males eating proportionally less fruit and vegetables and more takeaway/snacks. Research tells us people with disability are one third more likely to purchase takeaway food or snacks at least three times per week, compared to people without disability. The proportion of Manningham residents who experience food insecurity is consistent with the Victorian average, with females twice as likely as males to experience food insecurity.
5. Increasing active living
   Active living (exercise) has been proven to protect us from obesity and disease, and supports good mental health. Half of the Manningham adult population meet the Australian Physical Activity Guidelines, and almost one in five people engage in no physical activity each week. Research also highlights people with disability are 40% less likely to be physically active than people without disability who, along with LGBTIQA+ and culturally diverse people, may be less inclined to join sports clubs and fitness centres unless it has a welcoming, inclusive culture. In the period 2014 to 2018, only one in every four young person in Inner Eastern Melbourne did the recommended amount of physical activity every day, and the proportion of young children (commencing primary school) in Manningham whose physical health and wellbeing was “on track” declined from 88.5% (2012) to 77.8% (2018). Further, about half the Manningham population is either overweight or obese. 
6. Improving mental wellbeing
   The subjective wellbeing of Manningham residents is consistent with the wider Victorian average, however research shows that LGBTIQA+ people, people with disability and people on very low incomes tend to experience lower levels of mental wellbeing. Similarly, self-reported life satisfaction in Manningham is consistent with the wider Victorian average. However young people aged 18-24 years, people with disability, people on low incomes and people from non-English speaking backgrounds reported a lower level of life satisfaction. Manningham residents report a lower incidence of depression and anxiety than the Victorian average and this is attributed to lower rates among males (although it is unclear if this is due to a under reporting). Manningham females have a higher rate of depression and anxiety than males, consistent with the Victorian average. Ninety-nine people in Manningham completed suicide in the ten-year period from 2010 to 2019, and up to 3,000 people may have attempted suicide during the same period.
7. Improving sexual and reproductive health
   Manningham’s fertility rate is lower than the Victorian average, most likely due to its older population profile. The municipality has a lower incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STI). Nonetheless, around 300 people are infected with a STI each year - the majority being younger people. Chlamydia is most common and affects males and females equally; whereas gonorrhoea and syphilis infections are almost exclusively among males. Manningham’s cervical screening participation rates are consistent with the wider Victorian average, with approximately two-thirds of women participating in the previous two years.
8. Reducing tobacco-related harm
   Smoking is the leading cause of preventable health burden in Australia, though it is less prevalent in Manningham compared to Victoria. However, research shows that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and LGBTIQA+ people are more likely to smoke, and in 2017, 8% of 16-17 year-olds in secondary school reported smoking. Australian research also suggests a higher prevalence of smoking among people from Arabic, Indian, Chinese and Vietnamese cultural backgrounds.
9. Reducing harmful alcohol and drug use
   Each year in Manningham, 10 to 20 people die due to alcohol-related causes and 400-500 people are admitted to hospital for alcohol-related reasons. People of all ages are admitted, with males more likely to be admitted than females. In 2018, more than half of young people in the Inner Eastern Melbourne region reported having drunk alcohol (more than a few sips) on at least one occasion, and 11.3%-14.8% of Manningham residents exceed the recommended daily maximum of two standard alcoholic drinks. Younger people, people with mental health problems and LGBTQIA+ people are more likely to consume alcohol at levels which exceed the lifetime risk guidelines.

Our existing Council Plan and Healthy City Strategy cover the four years from 2021 to 2025. 

• View our Council Plan 2021-2025
• View our Healthy City Strategy 2021-2025

Every four years, after an election of a new Council, a four year Council Plan and a Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan (Healthy City Strategy) must be developed and adopted by all councils across Victoria.

Your feedback as part of our Plan Manningham 2021+ community engagement will help inform these two plans and other longer term plans of Manningham Council.

Council is committed to the health and wellbeing of our community at all times. We know COVID-19 presents new challenges for all of us every day. 

Understanding the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) is another important reason we want to hear from you about your priorities for Manningham over the next four years. 

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been working hard to adapt our services and on how we deliver them to meet the changing needs in our community and environment. We want to understand your experiences and any changes to your priorities so that we can incorporate this into our future planning.

The feedback collected through the survey will be collated and analysed for discussion on potential actions for the new Council Plan and Healthy City Strategy. 

The draft plans will be made available for community feedback around March 2021 and you will be able to have your say on the draft plans on Your Say Manningham.     

To enter the prize draw for one of two $150 gift cards, complete our survey and provide your first name and email or contact number.

View the competition terms and conditions.