A broad, Banyule-wide engagement program took place from 29 April to 23 June 2024. As part of Council’s place-based approach to planning, the engagement was organised around and conducted within Banyule’s seven precincts.

970 people participated in variety of engagement activities including:

• 590 people completed our precinct-level surveys
• 290 people visited one of our 10 pop-up conversations across Banyule
• 90 people participated in one of our 4 Community Vision workshops and focus group.

Engagement questions related directly to precinct-specific data taken from Living in Place and Health and Wellbeing survey data collected from 1,345 survey participants in 2023.

What we heard

For a snapshot of what we heard during community engagement, go to the 'What you told us' tab below.

You can also view data specific to your precinct by clicking through to your precinct on the map below, or take a look at the full survey and pop-up findings report and workshop findings report

The Process

We did our research and then checked in with the community on our findings. You told us your thoughts on precinct priorities, concerns and projects. We took this to the ThinkTank for further consideration and deliberation. Find out more about ThinkTank session outcomes. Council will draft the documents for presentation back to the community in March 2025.

We know that Banyule's suburbs and people are diverse and that different places have their own character, needs and priorities. That's why, as part of Banyule Futures, we focussed the conversations on Banyule's seven precincts to improve our understanding of what's important locally, and whether what we understand aligns with people’s experience.

Surveys and pop-up conversations

There is a full report of the broad engagement findings, you can view precinct level data by going to the 'Banyule precincts' tab and clicking on the map.

Across the findings key Banyule wide themes were identified.

Community Vision workshops

The purpose of the focus group and workshops was to gather community members’ thoughts on whether the descriptions under each of the six Vision themes continue to reflect where the community wants to be in 2041.  Attendees received a participant pack and were asked to consider the following question for each of the theme descriptions:

Should anything be added to strengthen the theme description or reflect changes since it was written in 2021?

A detailed summary of what we heard and suggested to the six themes can be found in the findings report. A number of common ideas came up across most or all of the themes discussed.

Banyule Futures is about working with the community to plan for the next four years.

The project seeks to harness local wisdom to make recommendations to Council on local priorities and where to focus the budget and resources. Specifically, community insights will help with:

• Council's big picture for the next four years (2025 to 2029) - the Council Plan
• how to fund Council's work and what to prioritise - the Financial Plan
• how to best manage our buildings and assets - the Asset Plan
• what's needed to improve the community's health and wellbeing - Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan (MPWHP).

Council Plan

Banyule's four-year is developed using deliberative engagement principles.

The Council Plan includes actions and services to help Council achieve Banyule's Community Vision 2041, and covers everything from delivering community events, community services, strategies and supporting the reduction of waste and carbon emissions.

Financial Plan

The Financial Plan helps to ensure long-term viability and sustainability of Council

It supports the achievement of our Community Vision 2041 and establishes investment and spending thresholds to ensure that we have sufficient funding to maintain our assets and deliver the services the Banyule community needs.

All efforts to manage Council's finances aim to deliver Banyule's Community Vision 2041 and Council Plan.

Asset Plan

The Asset Plan is about managing community assets in a way that balances budget, safety and the right level of service.

Considerations in developing the Plan include availability of funding, evolving community needs and aspirations, the age of assets, increasing flood and drought events and changing regulations.

Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan

Banyule Futures will also help Council develop its next Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan (MPHWP) 2025-2029.

This MPHWP is Council's commitment to better health and wellbeing outcomes for the Banyule community. It will include health and wellbeing priorities, things that influence our health and wellbeing outcomes and the important work of Council's partners in helping to make people healthier.

Principles of inclusion, accessibility, equity, and social justice will underpin the development of the MPHWP.

On these pages you'll find information about how health and wellbeing is experienced across Banyule's precincts, among certain community groups and how we're faring against the ten Victorian health and wellbeing priorities outlined in the Victorian public health and wellbeing pan 2023-27. You'll also find the Banyule Population Health Profile, a comprehensive resource outlining health and wellbeing trends across Banyule and the role of Council.