Local Government Victoria

www.delwp.vic.gov.au

Local Government Listen, Learn and Lead Gender Equity Program

Application Guidelines

Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning

© The State of Victoria Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning 2017

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. You are free to re-use the work under that licence, on the condition that you credit the State of Victoria as author. The licence does not apply to any images, photographs or branding, including the Victorian Coat of Arms, the Victorian Government logo and the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) logo. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

DisclaimerThis publication may be of assistance to you but the State of Victoria and its employees do not guarantee that the publication is without flaw of any kind or is wholly appropriate for your particular purposes and therefore disclaims all liability for any error, loss or other consequence which may arise from you relying on any information in this publication.

AccessibilityIf you would like to receive this publication in an alternative format, please telephone the DELWP Customer Service Centre on 136186, email customer.service@delwp.vic.gov.au, or via the National Relay Service on 133 677 www.relayservice.com.au. This document is also available on the internet at www.delwp.vic.gov.au.

Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning

Program description and objectives......................................................................................................................... 2

1. About the Local Government Listen, Learn and Lead Gender Equity Program........................................2

2. Who can/cannot apply?........................................................................................................................ 3

3. What types of activities might be funded?............................................................................................3

4. What are the funding details?............................................................................................................... 3

5. What is the application process?........................................................................................................... 3

6. How will applications be assessed?....................................................................................................... 3

7. What is the notification process?.......................................................................................................... 4

8. Conditions that apply to applications and funding.................................................................................4

9. Key dates.............................................................................................................................................. 4

Contents

Local Government Listen, Learn and Lead Gender Equity ProgramApplication Guidelines

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Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning

Program description and objectives

1. About the Local Government Listen, Learn and Lead Gender Equity Program

1.1 What is the Local Government Listen, Learn and Lead Gender Equity Program? Local Government Victoria has developed a Local Government Listen, Learn and Lead Gender Equity Program in consultation with members of the Gender Equity in Local Government Discussion Group and the Ministerial Women’s Roundtable.

The Local Government Listen, Learn and Lead Gender Equity Program for Victorian councils is modelled on the successful Champions of Change program. It includes the themes of stepping up as leaders, creating accountability, disrupting the status quo, and dismantling barriers.

The 13 week program supports councils in advancing gender equity and diversity in their organisation by facilitating rich discussions between Chief Executive Officers and council officers on the subject of gender equity. The aim of the program is to identify and implement strategies and actions to improve outcomes for women in leadership positions in council by: encouraging a deeper level of insight into the barriers to gender equality that need to be tackled within council organisation; informing the development or enhancement of council’s gender equity actions; and sharing insights and identifying opportunities for sector-wide action where combining efforts will lead to greater impact.

1.2 Why is the Victorian Government funding these grants?Gender equity is an important social and economic goal. Societies with greater gender equity have lower rates of violence towards women and children, and achieve better outcomes for women in terms of social, political and economic participation. 1

Organisations with greater gender equity in management and senior leadership roles outperform their counterparts in both organisational and financial performance. These organisations are considered ‘Employers of Choice’ and attract the best talent.2

Local Government Victoria’s current inhouse gender analysis revealed that, while women account for the majority of council staff (55%), this is not reflected in Council Chambers and senior management roles. Only 34% of women hold the postion of Directors compared with 66% of men.Of 277 directors in local government, female directors tend to lead more female dominated units such as (Community Services and Human Resources Unit) rather than the more male dominated, technical units in councils (such as the Infrastructure and Amenity Units). Similarly, only 16% of women currently hold the position of Chief Executive Officer compared with 84% of men. The Victorian Government is focused on improving representation of women at the senior level in both the public and private sectors as a key priority.

The Hon Daniel Andrews, Premier of Victoria announced in March 2016 that, ‘equality is not negiotiable’ and committed the Victorian Government to ensure that women are represented in public institutions.

1 Our Watch/VicHealth 2015, Change the story, A shared framework for the primary prevention of violence against women and their children in Australia, State Government of Victoria 2016, Report from the Royal Commission into Family Violence (March 2017)

2 State Government Victoria 2015, A Victorian Gender Equality Strategy Consultation Paper.

Local Government Listen, Learn and Lead Gender Equity ProgramApplication Guidelines

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Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning

All levels and sectors of government should reflect the community that they serve in order to ensure that decisions made and services provided best meet the needs of the community. As the level of government closest to the community, councils are uniquely placed to play a strong leadership role in advancing gender equity within their governance and organisational settings. This will have a strong and positive impact on both the local government sector and the broader Victorian community.

2. Who can/cannot apply?1.1 Who can apply?

Funding is available for all Victorian councils to undertake the Local Government Listen, Learn and Lead Gender Equity Program. For more detail on the structure of the program, please refer to the Local Government Listen, Learn and Lead Gender Equity Program Guide located at http://www.localgovernment.vic.gov.au/council-funding-and-grants/gender-equity

3. What types of activities might be funded?Funding must be used to support a Council Officer to undertake the role of a ‘Listen, Learn and Lead Program Coordinator’ in their municipality over the course of the 13 week Local Government Listen, Learn and Lead Gender Equity Program.

4. What are the funding details?Grants of $5,000 are available to successful councils.

5. What is the application process?Step 1: Check your eligibility.Check the information contained in this guide to see if your council is eligible to apply for the Local Government Listen, Learn and Lead Gender Equity Program. Other important information about this grant program and the application process can be found at http://www.localgovernment.vic.gov.au/council-funding-and-grants/gender-equity

Step 2: Apply online using Grants OnlineTo apply, go to https://delwp1.force.com/publicform?id=a0h0B00001Lc1cZ on the DELWP website and click on ‘Apply online’ to submit your application through Grants Online. You will receive an Application Number when you submit an application online. Please quote your Application Number in all correspondence relating to your application.

Applications close on 1 May 2017 at 11.59pm. Late application will not be considered.

6. How will applications be assessed?Eligible applications will be assessed using the criteria listed below:

1. The applicant is able to deliver the Local Government Listen, Learn and Lead Gender Equity Program by 30 November 2017.

2. The applicant is able to submit the Summary Feedback template which provides an overview of key themes arising from the sessions with staff and the program evaluation forms by 30 November 2017.

3. The applicant demonstrates readiness to act on the gender equity actions that have been identified in the Local Government Listen, Learn and Lead Gender Equity Program.

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Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning

Note: In assessing grant applications, Local Government Victoria will be seeking to ensure a representative spread of councils across the 5 comparative groupings (Metropolitan, Interface, Small Rural, Large Rural and Regional City).

7. What is the notification process?Successful and unsuccessful applicants will be notified in writing after the assessment process is completed. Unsuccessful applicants can ask for feedback on their application. Further funding rounds may be available in future years, subject to budget availability.

8. Conditions that apply to funding8.1. Funding agreementsSuccessful applicants must enter into a funding agreement with DELWP. The Victorian Common Funding Agreement will be used. It is recommended that applicants review the terms and conditions of the Victorian Funding Agreement before applying. Information about the Victorian Common Funding Agreement is available at http://www.dhs.vic.gov.au/for-business-and-community/not-for-profit-organisations/common-funding-agreement.

8.2. Legislative and regulatory requirementsIn delivering the program grant recipients are required to comply with all relevant Commonwealth and state/territory legislations and regulations, including but not limited to:

The Privacy Act 1988 (Commonwealth) The Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Commonwealth) (FOI Act) Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004

8.3. Acknowledging the Government’s support and promoting successesSuccessful applicants are expected to acknowledge the Victorian Government’s support and promotional guidelines will form part of the funding agreement. This is outlined in the Acknowledgement and Publicity Guidelines which can be found at http://www.dtpli.vic.gov.au/grants/frequently-asked-question s .

Successful applicants must liaise with Local Government Victoria to coordinate any public events or announcements related to the project, and may be required to contribute information on activity outcomes for use in program evaluation reviews or the department’s marketing materials.

8.4. PaymentsPayments will be made to successful Councils.

8.5. MonitoringGrant recipients are required to comply with project monitoring and reporting requirements as outlined in the funding agreement.

9. Key dates

Applications open on 5 April 2017Applications close on 1 May 2017Applicants notified on 8 May 2017Activities commence from 30 June 2017

Local Government Listen, Learn and Lead Gender Equity ProgramApplication Guidelines

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Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning

Activities and reports completed by 30 November 2017

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delwp.vic.gov.au

Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning

Local Government Listen, Learn and Lead Gender Equity ProgramApplication Guidelines

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