Thank you to everyone who shared their feedback.

We've heard from over 3,500 community members and organisations.

The Panel has completed its deliberations marking a significant milestone in shaping our city's future

  • The Panel was made up of everyday residents representing Darebin's diverse community.

  • It built on the extensive feedback received from over 3,500 community members during our broad engagement phase.

  • 10,000 random invitations were distributed to residents to ensure the Panel reflected the diversity of the Darebin community

  • around 40 members were randomly selcted from the list of respondents using specialised software, matching the demographic makeup of Darebin as closely as possible

The Panel undertook the important task of providing recommendations to Council to help make tough decisions in the face of financial constraints.

Like many councils, Darebin is grappling with challenges like rate capping and rising costs and cannot continue to deliver everything it does today.

Starting with a review of our 20-year Community Vision, the Panel assessed whether it still resonates with community aspirations and identified where refinements were needed. They then worked to identify core community priorities for the next four years, drawing on community feedback and diverse perspectives from guest speakers and their own lived experiences.


From these priorities, the Panel developed recommended focus areas where Council can have the greatest impact on community wellbeing.

They also provided recommendations on guiding principles to help Council make fair and equitable decisions about services, assets, and financial planning.


RESULTS

Broad engagement in numbers

  • Five engagement methods

    • targeted engagement
    • online survey and quick poll
    • in-community Pop Ups
    • Community Satisfaction Survey
    • drawing competition
  • 3,475 people and organisations reached in total

  • Number of responses

    • 123 submissions to a drawing competition
    • 665 to online surveys and quick polls
    • 705 participants in 9 in-community Pop Ups
    • 976 participants in 80 in-community targeted workshops
    • 1006 respondents to the Community Satisfaction Survey.


Who we heard from

  • General community members and the harder to reach community members we would not usually hear from, including:

    • Multilingual, multicultural communities
    • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members
    • Families
    • Young people
    • People with disability
    • LGBTIQA+ community members
    • People who are underhoused or facing housing crisis
    • Peak bodies, service providers and organisations supporting community members across these areas.

What you told us

  • The Darebin 2041 Community Vision

    65% of respondents strongly agreed

    24% did not have an opinion

    11% strongly disagreed


  • Top Priorities for Council Plan

    Parks and Open Spaces

    Environment and Climate Emergency

    Families Youth and Children

    Facilities Infrastructure and Maintenace

    Diversity and Inclusion

  • Top Health and Wellbeing Issues

    Cost of living

    Mental Health

    Gender inequality and family violence

    Community safety

    Housing affordability

PROJECT

Our Vision. Our Plan. Our Darebin.

In 2021, we joined forces with our community to develop Darebin’s 20-year Community Vision, Council Plan 2021-25 (incorporating our Health and Wellbeing Plan), and other important forward-looking strategies.

In 2024, we’re reviewing the Vision to ensure it continues to resonate with the community in Darebin. We want you to tell us if it still feels right or if we need to shift our focus.

We're also creating our next four-year Council Plan - our promise to the Darebin community. With a strong emphasis on health and wellbeing, this plan will be shaped by your priorities, needs, and values, and will guide our long-term financial planning.

Economic pressures impacting Council's financial sustainability mean we must ensure we deliver the projects and priorities that matter most to our community, while managing our budget responsibly.

Timeline

  • Timeline item 1 - complete

    Broad community consultation

    15 July - 1 September 2024

  • Timeline item 2 - complete

    Reviewing feedback

    September - November 2024

  • Timeline item 3 - complete

    Community panel meets

    November 2024

  • Timeline item 4 - active

    Drafting documents

    February - April 2025

  • Timeline item 5 - incomplete

    Public exhibition of the updated Community Vision, Council Plan 2025-29 and other strategic documents

    May 2025

  • Timeline item 6 - incomplete

    Council adopts final documents

    June 2025

Contact Us

Name Kassia Gibbs - Coordinator Corporate Strategy
Phone 8470 8888
Email ourdarebin@darebin.vic.gov.au

Your personal details are collected so that the Council can provide you with an opportunity to participate in this project - Our Darebin. Please note postcode is mandatory in line with our Community Engagement Policy. All other fields are optional. Please refer to our Privacy Policy for more information.

Language Support Services

  • Multilingual Telephone Line 8470 8470

    Call us to speak in your language

National Relay Service

ONLINE

Click the dots to read about our areas of work and tell us what we should prioritize in the survey below.

Darebin 2041 Community Vision:

Got 5 seconds? Answer this quick question

Do you agree with the Darebin 2041 Community Vision?

This poll has concluded.

  • Yes
    59% (134 votes)
  • No
    21% (48 votes)
  • I don't know
    20% (45 votes)
Total Votes: 227

IN PERSON

Speak to us face-to-face

Share your feedback with us at one of the Pop Ups in the community

Saturday 20 July 2024 10:00 am to 01:00 pm

Rucker’s Hill, Northcote

South Ward

Tuesday 23 July 2024 10:00 am to 02:00 pm

Indoor Sports Stadium (O week), Latrobe University, Bundoora

North East Ward

Friday 26 July 2024 01:30 pm to 04:30 pm

Broadway, Reservoir

North Central Ward

Thursday 1 August 2024 02:00 pm

All Nations Park, Northcote

South Central Ward

Saturday 3 August 2024 10:00 am to 01:00 pm

Regent Street Village, Reservoir

West Ward

Sunday 4 August 2024 11:00 am to 02:00 pm

Edwardes Lake Park, Reservoir

North West Ward

Friday 9 August 2024 01:00 pm to 04:00 pm

Preston Market, Preston

Central Ward Preston

Sunday 11 August 2024 10:00 am to 01:00 pm

Darebin Parklands, Alphington

South East Ward

Sunday 18 August 2024 10:00 am to 01:00 pm

AH Capp Reserve, Preston

South West Ward