FinPro Member Update – January 2020

January 31, 2020

Presidents Message

Happy New Year! I hope you were able to have a break, recharge the batteries and were able to spend some quality time with family and friends prior to getting back to work for 2020. A big year is ahead of us, especially with the new LG Act and Council elections.

This is a terrible time for our state, and in particular the LGA’s of East Gippsland and Towong with the ongoing Bushire events. We commend the efforts of volunteers, emergency services and the responses of local government and send our heartfelt sympathy too to those affected. We will keep them in our thoughts over the days, weeks and months ahead.

The Bushfire events will have a significant impact on Local Government, both immediately and over the coming months and years. FinPro has been in touch with the affected councils, LGV, the MAV and LGPro to let them know that we are willing and ready to work with any of the councils or sector partners wherever we can to provide assistance. Anyone who has been through a natural disaster or similar will understand that it is a trying time for everyone. If you have been affected in any way please, call on a fellow member or the executive for either technical or moral support if you feel you need it; or for just a coffee and a chat. It cannot be said too often just how important it is to look after yourselves as well as looking after others!

As a small offer of support from FinPro, members from the six Local Government areas that were declared a state of Disaster (East Gippsland, Mansfield, Wellington, Wangaratta, Towong and Alpine councils) will be offered free registrations for the upcoming FinPro Seminar on Friday 21 February 2020. Further details of the seminar to follow soon.

The 2020 FinPro Executive is meeting on 31 January for a strategic planning workshop when the group will set out plans for 2020. I would be really keen to hear from anyone that has any suggestions for anything (topics, speakers, webinar topics, advocacy, timing of events, locations, communication) that you would like the executive to consider. FinPro exists for you, our members, and we want to ensure we are providing you support to make your role and your career easier. Please email or call Gab ([email protected] or 0400 114 015) or myself  ([email protected] or 0419 634 128).

Stay safe and look after each other,

Bradley

New Members

We welcome the following new members this month to FinPro:

  • Faith Page, Director Corporate & Community Services, South Gippsland Shire
  • Lorelle Logan, Senior Finance Officer, South Gippsland Shire
  • Peta Crawford, Accountant Projects, Wellington Shire Council

We congratulate:

  • James Hogan on his new role as Manager Finance at Pyrenees Shire Council – he has moved there from Moorabool Shire.

We farewell:

  • Mark McMillan, Financial Services Coordinator Mildura RCC – Left to join Lower Murray
    Water as Manager Finance.

If you have any news to share with the FinPro membership please forward this to Gab

FinPro Executive Member Profiles – new members

Nathan Morsillo

Nathan joined Greater Bendigo City Council as part of a restructure in July 2017 as Manager Financial Strategy. He is responsible for the portfolios of
finance operations, rates and valuations, project management and strategic asset management.

Nathan started at PriceWaterhouseCoopers a long time ago in Melbourne before moving to the health and NGP sectors. immediately prior to joining Local Government in Bendigo, he spent 3 years setting up the National Disability Insurance Agency in Geelong and 7 years in Alice Springs as Finance Manager of Central Land Council.

He has a passion for business partnering, people development and improving processes to better serve the community. Nathan has enjoyed chairing the Central / Northern Victorian Regional councils’ group over the last year and is looking forward to contributing as the new Local Government Act comes through. He is interested in continuing to learn and challenge the role of local government, including how to ensure financial sustainability is improved – particularly in our 48 regional and rural council areas.

Local Government Act Implementation – Project Control Board

FinPro is thrilled to be a member of the newly developed LG Act Project Control Board. The Board has been established to oversee the strategic approach to implementation of the Local Government Act 2019 (LG Act 2020) across the local government sector (if the Act does become legislation). Bradley Thomas (President) will represent FinPro on the Board and will be joined with the CEO’s of MAV, LGPro and VLGA; as well as senior members of LGV.

The board will be meeting on a regular basis during the implementation of the Act and will allow the Peak Bodies to have direct input to the roll out of the Act. We look forward to representing our members on the Board and reporting to our members.

 

LGV publications – Aggregated data / reporting on the 2019-20 council budgets

LGV have now published the latest versions of their aggregated data / reporting on the 2019-20 council budgets. These publications are available at: https://www.localgovernment.vic.gov.au/strengthening-councils/sector-guidanceplanning-and-reporting

 

Fines Reform Advisory Board

The Fines Reform Advisory board was established in October 2019 to provide the following independent advice to the Attorney-General:

  • An evaluation of whether the Fines Reform Act 2014 and related legislation are operating as intended
  • An assessment of the interdependencies between fines reform legislation, Fines Victoria’s operating model and enabling IT system to assess:
    • The effectiveness of remedial actions taken to address Fines Victoria’s issues
    • The forward plan to deliver an operating model supported by a fully function Fines Victoria IT system
    • If community and stakeholder expectations are being met.

To inform its advice, the Advisory Board is consulting with key government and nongovernment stakeholders, community members and stakeholders who have had a positive or negative experience with the fines system.

For further information or to be involved in the consultation process of this board – please find more information here.

Local Government Victoria Bulletin – Jan 2020

The following Bulletin was distributed to all CEO’s by LGV on Monday 6 January 2020:

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE UNDER DISASTER RECOVERY FUNDING ARRANGEMENTS

The Victorian Government has recently notified the Commonwealth of significant fires affecting multiple local government areas since 21 November 2019, which are eligible for financial assistance under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).

To streamline the process for claiming expenditure for this event, eligible expenditure incurred by councils providing support to directly impacted councils, can be lodged by the supporting councils as part of a claim through the ACMS. This includes establishing or the manning of Relief and/or Recovery Centres or assisting with the closing and opening of roads. Further examples of eligible expenditure as well as the supporting documentation
required to be provided when lodging a claim can be found in Fact Sheet 4 and Guideline 4 on early relief and recovery activities and counter disaster operations at the following link:

https://www.emv.vic.gov.au/natural-disaster-financial-assistance/events-post-1-november2018

Councils providing support to directly impacted councils should contact EMV on [email protected] to ensure that this support is captured and passed on to the relevant Assessor.

Those councils directly impacted by either these existing bushfires or from new bushfires occurring, should contact EMV on [email protected] to ensure that your local government area is added to the notification to the Commonwealth.

Local Government Victoria will keep councils informed of any changes in Commonwealth funding changes that impact councils.

Colin Morrison
Acting Executive Director
Local Government Victoria

Authorised by Colin Morrison, Acting Executive Director, Local Government Victoria Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Level 35, 2 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

 

PD Hours

Wanting to update your CPD Hours Register for CPA Australia or AANZCA? For a list of all the professional development events held by FinPro since 2015 please refer to our website.

 

LinkedIn

Make sure you sign up to FinPro – Victorian Local Government Finance Professionals, on LinkedIn to stay in contact with current and past members of FinPro.

FinPro Yammer Forum

Many FinPro members are part of the FinPro Yammer Forum. This online discussion platform gives an opportunity for members to raise topics for discussion, ask questions, seek out policies and also find out what is going on in the sector.

If you are not already a member of the forum, please contact FinPro and we can join you up – email gab at [email protected]

If you are a member, we encourage you to get online and seek the assistance of your fellow LG Finance Peers.

 

Thank-you to our 2019 Conference sponsors:

Platinum Sponsors – Commonwealth Bank

Gold Sponsors – LG Solutions
EFTSure

Silver Sponsors – BankWest
CT Management
Curve Securities
Genesis Accounting
Inlogik Pty Ltd
IT Vision
Laminar Capital
MAGIQ Software
Midstate CreditCollect
National Australia Bank
Recoveries & Reconstruction
TechnologyOne
Nelnet International
Westpac

Sector Partners: VAGO
LGV

Program Partner: Vision Super

Conference App Sponsor: Imperium Markets

Some of our wonderful sponsors have put together a case study showcasing what services or products they offer – to view these case studies just click on the sponsor as listed above!

Upcoming FinPro Events – Dates for your diary

FinPro Seminar

Friday 21 February 2020

Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre

Program to be available 20 Jan 2020

FinPro Conference

Wednesday 21 – Friday 23 October 2020

RACV Cape Schanck

 

To Contact FinPro:

Gabrielle Gordon
Executive Officer – FinPro
E: [email protected]
M: 0400 114 015
W: www.finpro.org.au