Changing the Way Government Works – the Victorian Government Commitment
| The Victorian Government is committed to open, accountable democracy. The Premier, the Hon. Steve Bracks, has said that genuinely democratic governments are required to place greater emphasis on establishing a true democratic partnership between the people and their institutions. These views are outlined in Growing Victoria together: a vision for Victoria to 2010 and beyond.1 It states that a vibrant democracy is achieved through greater public participation and more accountable government. One of GVT’s measures of success is that more Victorians from all backgrounds will have the opportunity to have a say on issues that matter to them. This requires a commitment to greater flexibility and innovation in, and by government. One of the challenges ahead is for a greater diversity of Victorians to be more actively involved in decision-making. This can be achieved through appropriate engagement to increase participation in decisions that affect Victorians and their local community from an environmental, social, economic and cultural perspective. For government, the challenge is to extend the capacity to listen closely to interest groups, as well as to those who may be under represented in current decision-making. Longer term results may be enhanced by including a diversity of views from a range of interests. Another challenge for government is to support communities to build their capacity to more actively participate in development of our shared future. To this end, government is also making a commitment to community strengthening, something that is explored further in section 3.5. The Victorian social policy document A fairer Victoria for all: creating opportunity and addressing disadvantage 2 provides a framework for addressing disadvantage and lack of opportunity. It is one of the many government mechanisms to foster the strengthening of communities, particularly those groups who have traditionally been less involved in decisions affecting their local and broader community. Government is committed to a future in which all Victorians are living sustainably within their natural and built environments. In addition to economic and social policy directions, Securing our water future together 3 is another demonstration of the important relationship between the environment and people. Many contributors are needed to work towards such a complex, multi-dimensional aim. Productive and effective relationships spanning the diversity of community and the breadth of Victorian Government departments are needed for the Victorian community to achieve its sustainability goals. This journey will require a commitment from staff and managers, a willingness to challenge current practices, a desire to learn from each other and to listen to a diversity of opinions, to ensure that Victorians do have the opportunity to be heard on issues which matter to them. |  |
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Victoria’s Diversity
| Understanding the diversity and dynamism of the Australian and Victorian population is fundamental in developing capability to engage the community in the delivery of its vision for sustainability. An ageing population, increasing cultural diversity, lower birth-rates, higher education rates, significant change in religious affiliations and increased participation of women in labour markets; coupled with the ongoing, rapid rate of technological change, present challenges and opportunities for decision-makers. It is important to be aware that there will be diversity within the commonly used community or social categories. For example, not all men will share the same view on an issue and neither will all Muslim women. In addition, any individual may be described by more than one of these categories; for example, a female may be young, from Sudan and have a physical disability. The following snapshot of information from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2001 Census illustrates the diversity of Victorian communities and highlights the need for effective engagement by government. |  |
Total population of Victoria
- 4,612,097.
- 0.6% of the total Victorian population (25,078) are Indigenous Australians.
- 52% live outside of the Melbourne metropolitan area compared with 27% of the non-Indigenous population.
- 57% are under 25 years of age compared with 34% for the total population.
- 2.9% are over 65 compared with 12.6% for the total population.
Birthplace
- 24% of Victorians (1,083,048) were born overseas in 233 different countries.
- 44% of Victorians were either born overseas or have at least one parent born overseas.
- 72% of those born overseas were born in non-English speaking countries.
- 72% of Victorians follow 116 different religions.
- 21% of Victorians speak a language other than English at home, comprising 180 different languages and dialects.
- 34% of the population is under 25.
- 19% of Victorians (932,000) are between the ages of 12-25.
- 74% of all young Victorians live in metropolitan Melbourne.
- The population is ageing. Currently, 17% of the population is 60 years of age or over. This will grow to nearly 25% in 2021.
- The number of seniors in rural Victoria will grow twice as rapidly as those in metropolitan areas in the next 20 years.
- 51% (2,365,889) of Victorians are female and 49% (2,246,208) are male.
- Women comprise 54.3% of Victorians with Bachelor degrees, and 38.5% of Victorians with postgraduate degrees.
- There were 55,100 female apprentices and trainees in training as of 31 March 2004, comprising 41.1% of the total number of apprentices and trainees.
- Victorian women's average weekly earnings are 20% lower than those of Victorian men.
- 18.7% of Victorian women and 17.2% of Victorian men (395,300) have some form of disability that is considered profound, severe, moderate or mild.
- There are an estimated 150,000 people with severe or profound disabilities in Victoria.
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1 State Government of Victoria (2005) Growing Victoria together: a vision for Victoria to 2010 and beyond, State Government of Victoria, Melbourne
2 State Government of Victoria (2005) A fairer Victoria: creating opportunity and addressing disadvantage, State Government of Victoria, Melbourne
3 State Government of Victoria (2005) Securing our water future together, State Government of Victoria, Melbourne