The Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) is the legislated peak body for representing the local governments in Victoria.

Aims

The overall purpose of the MAV is to represent the interests of the 79 local governments in Victoria. Its stated roles are to support councils and

councillor A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries. Canada Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...

s, provide a platform for advocacy, and promote the role of

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...

. The organisation also provides services to its member councils. These services include joint procurement, insurance, and policy advice.

History

The Association was created in 1879 to represent the interests of local governments in Victoria. The ''Municipal Association Act 1907'' of the

Parliament of Victoria The Parliament of Victoria is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Victoria that follows a Westminster-derived parliamentary system. It consists of the King, represented by the Governor of Victoria, the Legislative Assembly and ...

formally recognised the organisation as a peak body, primarily for the purpose of creating the Municipal Officers Fidelity Guarantee Fund.

1994 council amalgamations

During the amalgamation of local councils in Victoria in the early 1990s, the MAV campaigned against the compulsory competitive tendering introduced for the 78 new councils created after the process, arguing that it had significant impacts on both council employees and residents. Following the amalgamations and return of democratic government in 1996/97, the MAV ran a number of programs to monitor and support councils restructuring in the new process. This included the Step Asset Management Program, which eventually assessed a large number of primarily rural councils as being financially unsustainable.

2015 Victorian Auditor-General's Report

In February 2015, the Victorian Auditor-General published a report into Local Government Victoria and the MAV on the effectiveness, efficiency and economy of the support provided to councils. It found serious structural and

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deficiencies in the MAV, prompting significant media coverage on its findings. The report questioned many aspects of the organisation's operations, including value for money of its procurement activities and lack of public accountability. The report's conclusions prompted Frankston City Council to leave the MAV in August 2015. It rejoined in August 2017 after a new council resolution was passed. Many other councils expressed similar concerns and considered ceasing their memberships, including the

City of Monash The City of Monash is a local government area in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne with an area of 81.5 square kilometres and a population of 200,077 people in 2016. Demographics Monash has a diverse pop ...

, the

Shire of Mitchell The Shire of Mitchell is a local government area in the Hume region of Victoria, Australia, located North of Melbourne. It covers an area of and, in June 2018, had a population of 44,299. It includes the towns of Broadford, Kilmore, Seymour ...

, and the

City of Boroondara The City of Boroondara () is a local government area in Victoria, Australia. It is located in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. It was formed in June 1994 from the amalgamation of the Cities of Kew, Camberwell and Hawthorn. It has an area of . ...

. Councillors from the cities of Yarra and

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

also expressed concerns over the report. Boroondara later withdrew its representation from the Association after a lengthy and public court battle with the

City of Darebin The City of Darebin is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, in the northern suburbs of Melbourne. It has an area of and in June 2018 Darebin had a population of 161,609. Municipal offices are located at 350 High Street, Preston. Dar ...

, citing issues presented in the Auditor-General's report. The MAV's initial response to the report disputed some of its key conclusions, including the premise that the MAV could be subject to the direction of the state government. However, following the appointment of a new board in March 2015 and a motion from the State Council in early 2016, independent auditors and consultants through

Ernst & Young Ernst & Young Global Limited, trade name EY, is a multinational professional services partnership headquartered in London, England. EY is one of the largest professional services networks in the world. Along with Deloitte, KPMG and Pricewaterh ...

and

Deloitte Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (), commonly referred to as Deloitte, is an international professional services network headquartered in London, England. Deloitte is the largest professional services network by revenue and number of profession ...

have been appointed to oversee the implementation of the report's recommendations.

Structure

Board

The Board of the MAV is made up of councillors from its members’ councils. It consists of 12 members elected by councils in each region and a directly elected president. Elections are conducted once every two years.

State Council

The State Council operates as the governing body of the Association. It is made up of single representatives from all member councils who formulate, debate, and vote on the operations of the MAV. This includes association rules, policies, and strategic planning.

Members

All Victorian local governments are members of the MAV. The City of Frankston withdrew in 2015 but rejoined in August 2017 after a new council resolution was passed. The City of Boroondara resolved to withdraw its representation to the Association in December 2016, preventing Cr Coral Ross from contesting the presidency of the MAV. Cr Ross was later elected president of the MAV in 2019.