Opportunities in this space might include:

• Plan and invest in affordable housing.
• Strengthen advocacy by building effective partnerships across the local government sector, not for profit sector, and community sector.
• Support more employment opportunities by working to break down barriers to employment and working across sectors and industries to create more jobs.
• Rebuild community participation and social opportunities for those facing unemployment by harnessing the strong sense of neighbourliness and volunteerism created during Covid-10 towards service delivery.
• Support Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people to pursue self-determination.
• Become ‘Treaty ready’ by supporting the First Nations treaty negotiation process and offering opportunities when asked.
• Engage with Resident Associations to directly reach communities who may perceive safety as an issue in their area.
• Increase opportunities for social connection through active recreation, social and organised sport to reduce isolation and loneliness.
• Work with sports clubs and organisations to ensure their ongoing viability and have flexible approaches to sport participation to engage residents who are less active.

Challenges in this space might include:

• Partnering effectively with other sectors.
• Addressing the growing social and economic inequalities in our community, which may have been worsened due to Covid-19. This is linked to lower levels of food security as well as nutrition-related health problems.
• Covid-19 has also limited the opportunity to undertake community engagement in a meaningful way, particularly with older residents who are not currently accessing services.
• Balancing long-term planning for food security with responding to community’s immediate food relief needs. The effects of climate change may also pose a risk to food supply in general.
• Growing social and economic inequalities between individuals and communities, which can create tensions and weaken social cohesion at both national and local levels.
• People foregoing participating in community life in favour of meeting essential needs (food, rent, bills) with increased financial strain on many already vulnerable communities.
• The State Government has not included Local Government in the process of creating the First People’s Assembly and has not yet provided any guidance on how this might affect Local Governments.
• Addressing participation barriers to ensure residents from priority communities can participate in and benefit from organised sport and recreational opportunities.