Gavin W. Email & Phone Number

I am passionate towards innovating Council services to better align with the needs of the community. This not only improves the organisations performance but delivers a range of social benefits for established and emerging communities. I have developed a unique suite of skills in leveraging how policy, strategy, good planning and governance can all be balanced to support effective delivery of services, infrastructure and outcomes for Council and the community.Most Local Government areas will continue to grow and face challenges with imitations in revenue and funding streams. Partnerships both internal and external are key to leverage these pressures to find common solutions to effect greater positive change.Specific skills in my Local Government career have included Statutory & Strategic Planning, Scheme Amendments & Social Planning, Public Health & Health Promotion, Community Infrastructure, Governance, Community Planning and Economic Development. I have extensive experience in preparing social and economic impact assessments, developing social policy and working with the Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan, Gender Equity and Community Vision.Formally project managed a 9 South-East Melbourne Council research project in partnership with Victoria Police and Ambulance Victoria which aimed to better understand and address the cumulative impacts from various forms of licensed premises in triggering increases in Family Violence. Have recently completed a Regional Infrastructure Needs Assessment for the Cloverton MAC, with the work receiving a range of nominations and awards at the 2024 NGAA Congress and the 2024 PLA Congress.Former Chair (current member) of the Local Government Alcohol & Other Drugs Forum (LGAODF) at the Municipal Association of Victoria.Current member of the Local Government Working Group on Gambling (LGWGOG) at the Victorian Local Government Association.I am Interested in researching further the correlation between developing communities, their infrastructure needs and the unintentional social and economic pressures that can evolve in growth and interface Council areas along with the role planning has in dealing with these broader issues.I believe it is our role to create more liveable places which promote strong and resilient outcomes and for or our communities of the future, together we can be the real agents of change !