CIV Newsletter - February 2010
Welcome to the first Community Indicators Victoria newsletter for 2010. The newsletter reports on important CIV news and shares general information. This month we are reporting on some changes to our website which will have implications for your future access to this newsletter. We aim to provide monthly newsletters in 2010.
CIV in the news
A recent article in the Domain section of The Age (21/02/10) promoted CIV as a resource for learning more about your community. Read more.
Important News: CIV Web Site Improvements
Over the next month we will be making it easier to access the wellbeing data on our web site by removing the requirement for user accounts and log in.
What about my account?
- you will still be able to create and export Live Reports
- and you will still be able to share Live Reports publically via the Report Library
- however you will no longer require a user account to create Live Reports!
- and you will no longer be able to save your Live Reports privately on the web site...
What about my existing private Live Reports?
If you have already finished using the data in your private Live Reports, and no longer need them - do nothing! They will be deleted in mid March. And if you have already shared your Live Report in the Report Library - do nothing! It will stay on the site and become available to the public. However, if you have any private Live Reports on the site which you need to keep or use, then please log in before 19 March and either share or export them.
From late March, you will find the site and data even easier to share and utilise!
Please contact us on civ-info@unimelb.edu.au if you have any further questions about the improvements.
Helen McPherson Smith Trust Funding
CIV started on a positive note this year with news that the Helen McPherson Smith Trust has provided a grant to support the work of CIV in 2010. In particular this money will go toward undertaking consultations to determine CIV user requirements for additional products, services and research. We will be inviting your participation in this process in the coming months but in the mean time feel free to email us your thoughts on civ-info@unimelb.edu.au
Updated Data Releases For Existing CIV Indicators
2010 will be a busy year for updates with the release of data from the Department of Planning and Community Development Community Strength Survey and the Department of Health Victorian Population Health Survey. We will keep you informed as this new data is available. The data update so far this year has been:
• Female Local Councillors: expressed as a percentage of all councillors, 2008.
CIV Response to the Inquiry into Local Government Performance Measurement
The Essential Services Commission (ESC) is conducting an inquiry into developing a performance monitoring framework for local governments in Victoria. The Commission released an issues paper last year and the CIV team prepared a response in November. The main argument of the response, A Local Government Reporting Framework for the 21st Century, was that community indicators, as measures of outcome effectiveness, are a critical component of a performance framework for local governments in the 21st century. Outcome measures provide vital strategic information on whether the ends, to which local governments are working, are in fact being achieved.
The Inquiry is ongoing in 2010.
Declaration of the Australian Community Indicators Summit
In July 2009, the Australian Bureau of Statistics hosted a national community indicators summit: Measuring the Progress of Australian Communities in the 21st Century. Summit delegates participated in the development of a declaration to support the progression of community indicator system development in Australia. The declaration sets out principles, issues and challenges, roles for governments and next steps. It is well worth reading to reflect on how your approach and your work contribute to the broader picture.
Tell Us Your Story
Practitioners, planners, policy makers and academics are searching the CIV website seeking stories about how community wellbeing indicators and data are being used by local communities. We are currently working on three case studies which we will publish on the website soon and we looking for more. If you would like to share your story and lessons from your experience email us on civ-info@unimelb.edu.au and we will give you a call.
