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Establishment of the Department of Planning and Community Development

The Department of Planning and Community Development (DPCD) has been established to closely link planning with community development to build active, confident, and inclusive communities. Find out more about the new department.

A Fairer Victoria 2008

The Premier and Minister for Community Development have launched ‘A Fairer Victoria 2008: Strong People Strong Communities’. A Fairer Victoria 2008 commits over $1 billion to a range of initiatives, bringing the total investment since 2005 to over $4 billion.

A million reasons to say thank you

Speaking at a celebration for International Volunteer Day on Wednesday 5 December, Mr Batchelor thanked the estimated one million Victorians who offered their time and effort as volunteers throughout 2007. Mr Batchelor said the holiday season is a particularly demanding time of year for our emergency services and relief volunteers, who work tirelessly to help keep us safe over summer – saving lives on our roads and beaches, battling the effects of drought and protecting us from fire, floods and storms.

Volunteering has real benefits for people who volunteer as well as for the communities they live in. Whatever your age, gender, background or abilities, there are plenty of ways to help – and plenty of organisations and people who need it. To find out how you can volunteer in your community visit www.govolunteer.com.au

Victorian State Budget 2008-09

The Victorian State Budget was delivered on Tuesday 6 May and a number of major funding initiatives have been allocated to DPCD. You can find details about these initiatives at the Victorian Budget website.

Victorian Government's Action Plan: Strengthening Community Organisations

The Premier has announced that DPCD will be the home of a new office dedicated to supporting community organisations. Read more about the Victorian Government's Action Plan: Strengthening Community Organisations.

Scholarship for community sector employees

The Victorian Government is supporting leadership in the community sector by offering scholarships to community sector employees in the Executive Masters of Public Administration (EMPA) at the Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG).

The Community Sector Scholarship scheme is targeted at experienced managers in community sector organisations with a substantial relationship with the Victorian Government. The Scholarship pays for program fees and course related travel and accommodation. One of the 2009 scholarships is targeted to staff in agencies that have a funding or policy relationship with the Department of Human Services Housing and Community Building Division.

An information session (PDF 113 kb) or (Word 114 kb) for prospective applicants will be held on Friday 18 July 2008. Applications (PDF 152 kb) or (Word 330 kb) close on Friday 8 August 2008.

For more information about the Community Sector Scholarship Scheme, please consult the eligibility and selection criteria (PDF 104 kb) or (Word 100 kb) and an outline of the relevance for the ANZSOG EMPA to the community sector (PDF 109 kb) or (Word 483 kb).

For additional course information please consult the ANZSOG EMPA Student Guide, the Manager Guide and the Subject Schedule, available for download from the ANZSOG website.

New residential zones discussion paper released

The Minister for Planning has released New Residential Zones for Victoria – A Discussion Paper, February 2008. The discussion paper outlines proposals for residential zones. Read the discussion paper.

Victorian Government Indigenous Affairs Report 2006-07

On average, Indigenous Victorians die 17 years younger than non Indigenous Victorians. Closing this gap in life expectancy is at the heart of the Victorian Government’s work with Indigenous communities. The 2006-07 Indigenous Affairs report outlines what the Victorian Government has done over the last year and sets out the next steps to close the gap. Read the report.

Emergency Volunteer Support grants

Grants of up to $20,000 are now available to not-for-profit community organisations to help ease the burden on individual volunteers and recruit 400 additional volunteers across drought-affected areas in North and North West Victoria. The $1.6 million Emergency Volunteer Support Grants Package is part of the $100 million Drought Relief Package announced by the Premier in October. Grants are available to not-for-profit community organisations in the Loddon Mallee, Hume and Grampians regions. Learn more about Emergency Volunteer Support grants.

In the Community

In the Community is a series of events organised across Victoria to hear about local issues and to find out how state government can better work with communities. Register your interest in attending an event or find out more about In the Community.

Victoria's approach to liveability, participation and inclusion

Minister for Community Development, Peter Batchelor recently spoke at the Centre for Public Policy's Policy, Partnerships and Performance forum, which explored partnerships between governments, business and the community sector, and issues around participation, inclusion and performance. Read Minister Batchelor's speech (PDF 33 kb).

Towards a more inclusive Victoria

The Ministerial Advisory Committee for Victorian Communities, chaired by Joan Kirner AM, recently released a new report Social Inclusion: The next step for a fairer Victoria (PDF 359 kb).

The report provided advice to the former Minister for Victorian Communities (now Minister for Community Development) on how to best achieve a socially inclusive and economically progressive community for all Victorians. Read the Minister's response Social Inclusion - response from Minister (PDF 24 kb) or (Word 39 kb).

Community Sector Scholarship scheme

The Victorian Government is supporting leadership in the community sector by offering three scholarships a year to Victorian community sector employees to participate in the Executive Master of Public Administration at the Australia & New Zealand School of Government. Applications for the 2008 intake are now closed. Find out more about the Community Sector Scholarship scheme.

Victorian State Budget 2006 - 2007

The 2006 - 2007 Victoria Budget was announced by the Treasurer, the Hon. John Brumby MP, on Tuesday 30 May 2006. Read the Budget fact sheets for the former Department of Victorian Communities.

Moving Forward in provincial Victoria

Moving Forward is the Victorian Government's new $502 million blueprint for action and achievement that will drive growth in provincial Victoria over the next five to ten years. Find out more about Moving Forward.

Transport Connections

Meeting our Transport Challenges is the government's $10.5 billion Transport and Liveability Statement. As part of this statement, the government allocated $18.3 million over four years towards the Flexible Transport Solutions initiative, which the Department of Planning and Community Development will play a key part in delivering. The initiative includes a significant expansion of the Transport Connections program that will assist communities across the state to develop and oversee local transport solutions to meet local needs. Read more about Transport Connections.

Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages

The Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages has moved and is now part of the Department of Justice. Find out more at the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.

Web Site Updates

DPCD's websites are progressively being updated to reflect the changes following the establishment of the department. This means you will continue to see some references to the Department for Victorian Communities (DVC) as changes are being made.

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