The City of Casey’s revised Good Governance Framework was unanimously approved by the councillors following the 15 July council meeting.
Aimed at strengthening transparency, accountability, and decision-making processes across the council, its adoption reflects the recommendations from the Shape Your City 2024 community consultation period.
It also incorporates governance reforms in the wake of IBAC’s Operation Sandon, which scrutinised decision-making in Casey throughout the years.
Casey’s Mayor, Stefan Koomen, said that as new councillors, one of their key priorities has been to ensure “good governance, transparency, and proper processes, especially after the well-known issues of the former council”.
“This framework is a significant step in embedding these principles in everything we do as a council, and rebuilding the confidence and trust of our residents after a challenging period for our community,” he said.
Koomen also added that councillors were delighted to work through and pass what he described as a milestone document, and that the group sees it as a “line in the sand” for ensuring that Casey is “a benchmark for councils across Victoria”.
Manager of Communications and Corporate Governance, Chloe Casey, said during the meeting that the framework, originally written in 2021, “has become a key document to support good governance practices across the organisation”.
“Although not legislated, this framework is seen as best practice across the sector and enables our community to better understand the mechanisms and commitment to governance,” she said.
In length, she added that the revised framework includes the following key changes: added leadership and accountability, including the council’s case management function, and added transparency to the framework relating to officers and councillors’ decision-making.
It also included conflicts of interest and publicly available documents, adding internal systems, processes and culture for external and councillor communications.
Community engagement was another highlight, where there was an update to the legislative requirements for publishing personal interest returns to the framework, as well as new reviews of practices such as delegation reviews and authorisation reviews.
Casuarina Ward councillor Kim Ross said that Shape Your City emphasised the fact that transparency was, and is, an integral factor for the community, especially when it comes to improving connection to the council.
Questions and overall discussions were extensive, with Ross, alongside Deputy Mayor Melinda Ambros, Cr Gary Rowe (mover), Cr Jennifer Dizon (seconder), Cr Carolyn Eaves, and Cr Lynette Pereira speaking to the importance of the motion.
Council officers detailed on the agenda that the goal is to embed good governance in everyday operations, not just through compliance but through fostering a culture of ethical conduct and responsiveness to the community.
According to Koomen, a good example of the council’s commitment to transparency and good governance practices was the new interactive insights web page, which is currently live on the council’s Open Data Exchange.
“This web page includes information on council decisions, how councillors voted on a particular issue, and council meeting information,” he said.
“The Open Data Exchange is easy to use and is an essential platform for fostering openness, accountability and trust between the local government and the community.
“By having access to this information, community members will stay informed about council activities, enabling them to actively participate in local governance.”
Since endorsed, the revised and updated framework will guide the council’s operations through to 2029, receiving regular reviews to ensure legislative adherence and best practice among the whole council group.
