Introduction to Local Government

About the Workshop

The Introduction to Local Government course provides an overview to Local Government and the important role it plays.

The workshop has been specifically designed for people who are new to Local Government or those who want to improve their knowledge of Council governance.

Delivered by former Council Chief Executive Officers who understand the sector and the complexities faced by people working in it, participants will walk away feeling more confident in their knowledge and understanding of the Local Government landscape.

For further information or to talk about a tailored session for your Council, contact us at [email protected].

Upcoming Workshops

In-person LGPro Docklands:
Full day workshop including multiple case studies and full catering

May 17 LGPro Docklands Register Here
Jul 12
LGPro Docklands  Register Here 
Sep 12 LGPro Docklands  Register Here 
Nov 15 LGPro Docklands
Register Here
 

 

Regional Delivery for Surrounding Councils:
All the benefits of the above full day workshop but at a neighbouring council to save on travel.

Jun 7  Bendigo Bank Theatre at the Capital  Register Here
Jun 21  Warrnambool City Council Offices Register Here


 
Online:
Half day virtual workshop including one case study.

Apr 27  Online  Register Here
Jun 20 Online  Register Here
Aug 15
Online
 Register Here
Oct 19 Online
 Register Here
Dec 5
Online
 Register Here
 
 
On Demand:
Access an on-demand portal for self-paced learning including closed captioning.
Note: portal accessible for eight business days.

Anytime   Online    Register Here  

 

Your Facilitators

Melanie Fleer

Melanie has worked in Victorian local government for over 20 years, including 15 years in leadership roles spanning the areas of communications, governance, legal, marketing, risk, property and customer service. She holds a Bachelors in Public Relations, and Graduate Diploma in Group Facilitation. Melanie has worked at Brimbank City Council Maribyrnong and Darebin councils and she now works as a governance consultant to the local government sector.

Janet Cribbes

Janet Cribbes has a career spanning three decades, working in State government, community services, the private sector, Local Government and more recently Not for Profit. Janet specialises in governance, ethical and authentic leadership coaching and mentoring in the non for profit and Local government agencies. Her community engagement saw her elected to Port Phillip Council in 2004 to 2008 with one term as mayor in 2008. Public life has many rewards and challenges, having a sense of humour is great life skill. Following Council, Janet went to establish and manage the Community Bushfire Recovery Service after the Black Saturday 2009 Bushfires, on behalf of the Archdiocese of Melbourne delivered through CatholicCare.  Janet is currently a director and co-chair on a not-for-profit Board and Chairs 2 other not for profit Board.

Julie Reid

Julie has 33 years’ experience working in Local Government, including large Councils in the UK, rural Councils in New South Wales and Victorian Councils, and has recent experience in State Government. This diverse experience has seen her contribute to governance, planning, urban design, sustainability, economic development, building, waste, capital works delivery, community engagement and more. Julie’s recent career highlights include working as Executive Director of Local Government Victoria in the Department of Jobs Precincts and Regions and as the first female CEO at the City of Kingston. Julie also spent 10 years at an executive/director level leading city development and engineering/infrastructure portfolios at Whitehorse and Greater Dandenong City Councils.

She is a qualified Master of Planning and has a Graduate Diploma in Management and Bachelor of Arts (Urban Studies). Julie launched her own consultancy business in June 2022 to continue assisting Local Government into the future.

Allison Watt

Allison is a senior Local Government professional with a strong background and experience in strategic communications, governance, council business, corporate planning, risk management, advocacy and other functions over a 25-year career. She is a former journalist, editor, sub-editor and proofreader and after 15 years in suburban newspapers entered local government to work in corporate communications in the late 1990s. Allison has worked for 25 years in the sector, in various senior communications and governance roles at Brimbank, Nillumbik, Moonee Valley and Macedon Ranges Councils.
Allison has a Graduate Diploma in Communication from Victoria University; an International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) Certificate and a Certificate in Governance and Risk Management from the Governance Institute of Australia
 

John Nevins

John has a broad employment background in Victorian; Public Transport, Public Service and Local Government. Starting in Local Government in the era of Local Government reform under the Kennett Government John held senior Local Government leadership positions for 25 years until semi-retiring in 2019 after 14 years as Chief Executive Officer of the City of Kingston. Since then, he has engaged in Local Government interim executive and consultancy undertakings, is on the Advisory Board of a digital technology business and is an Independent Member of the Bass Coast Health and Snowdome Foundation (a charity focused on funding research into blood cancer) Finance Audit and Risk Committees. 
John describes his strengths as corporate and operational leadership, financial acumen, and leading positive organizational development. John has an Economics Degree, a Graduate Diploma in Public Policy and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Caz McLean

For over 20 years, Caz has worked in education, policy, the performing arts, community services, management consulting, strategy and transformation, one of the biggest lessons she has learnt is that people impacted by change must be involved in designing solutions together. Her experience has resulted in designing and delivering sustainable and innovative strategies and services in the local government and business sectors. She is always curious and eager to learn, and this fuels her passion for finding new and better ways of doing things to increase efficiency and effectiveness, while also providing a better experience for the customer, the community, and organisations.
She has Masters Degrees in Policy and Human Services, Strategic Foresight and Business Administration, the highlight of which was being one of six students selected by Northeastern University in Boston to attend a summer semester to study strategic and ethical leadership in July 2018.

 
 




We are committed to keeping all workshop participants safe and we thank you for your support and understanding in these changing times.
We are taking safety at our workshops seriously and have implemented COVIDSafe measures to promote the health and wellbeing of attendees and staff.

Current measures we have in place include:

  • Room capacity limits to respect physical distancing requirements
  • Hand sanitizer stations to help stop the spread
  • Face masks are available at reception
  • Increased anti-bacterial cleaning procedures to help stop the spread
  • COVIDSafe signage to remind attendees and staff how to keep each other safe

All participants are required to respect and follow COVIDSafe procedures, including staying at home if feeling unwell. If you are feeling unwell with COVID symptoms, please email [email protected] to discuss workshop transfer. Refunds are not available.


Register online below

 
Skip to search results
 
Additional Image
Introduction to Local Government - On Demand

When: July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023
Additional Image
Not open for public registration. Please note, all public registrations will automatically be cancelled.

When: March 24, 2023
Where: Cobram
Additional Image
Not open for public registration. Please note, all public registrations will automatically be cancelled.

When: June 6, 2023
Additional Image
Please note this is a public regional workshop and will be held in Bendigo

When: June 7, 2023
Where: Bendigo, VIC
Additional Image
When: June 21, 2023
Where: Warrnambool, VIC
Additional Image
When: July 12, 2023
Where: Docklands, VIC
Additional Image
When: September 12, 2023
Where: Docklands, VIC
Additional Image
When: November 15, 2023
Where: Docklands, VIC


PROUD SPONSOR

Course Details

  • ONLINE
    Duration:
    3 hours
    Time: 9.30am - 12.30pm
    Price*: $214 (inc. GST) for non-members / $150 (incl. GST) for LGPro members

 

  • FACE TO FACE
    Duration: Full day with catering
    Time: 9:30am to 3pm
    Price*: $268 (inc. GST) for non-members / $187 (inc. GST) for LGPro members

 

  • ON DEMAND
    Duration: ~1 hour
    Time: Self-paced
    Price*: $171 (inc. GST) for non-members / $107 (inc. GST) for LGPro members

*Prices are valid until 30 June 2024



Member prices are valid for the following individual LGPro Memberships:  LGPro Fellow, Professional & Young Professional Members.

More information

For further information email [email protected] or phone (03) 9268 6400

Cancellation Policy: LGPro is a member, not for profit association and all money generated is used to develop quality professional development activities and services. Our events and programs are budgeted on a minimum number of attendees so providing us with sufficient notice regarding non-attendance is imperative to the success of all our events. Where a substitute delegate cannot be appointed, the following will apply for any cancellations:

7+ business days prior the workshop: full refund and/or transfer available
6  business days prior the workshop: no refund available, however substitute participants are welcome.
A substitute delegate is encouraged to attend in place of a cancellation.

All cancellations and substitutes must be received in writing by LGPro.
* Transfers to the next available program intake are subject to any applicable fee increases.

LGPro's full cancellation policy.