Mansfield Shire Council speaks up for community at MAV State Council

Mayor Cr Steve Rabie and CEO Kirsten Alexander were in attendance when the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) State Council met last month to discuss matters including planning, waste and emergency services funding.

Delegates from councils across the state endorsed a number of motions with strong support. Several of the motions call upon the Victorian Government to act on issues that directly affect the Mansfield Shire community.

Mayor Cr Steve Rabie said working with other council is vital to strengthening Mansfield's advocacy. 

“It’s vital for a small council like Mansfield to meet with like-minded councils from across the state, to ensure our voice is heard," he said.

Motions of particular importance to Mansfield Shire:

Development Facilitation Program (passed with more than 80% support) 

Delegates called on the MAV to advocate for the State Government to pause, review and reform the Development Facilitation Program. The motion seeks greater community consultation and transparency, including published assessment criteria and reasons for decisions. 

This follows Council adopting an advocacy position, earlier in 2026, enabling the CEO and Mayor to advocate against the DFP. The position was taken under the strong belief that the planning pathway removes the power of local government to consult with the community or to make decisions on behalf of the community while also removing rights of review at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).  

Mandatory glass bin requirements (passed with 97% support for advocacy against mandatory purple bin) 

Delegates called on the State Government to commission an independent review of the draft Household Waste and Recycling Service Standards 2024 and the associated draft Circular Economy regulations which mandate a separate purple glass bin. 

They also called for increased investment in, and a wider scope for, the Container Deposit Scheme in line with Council's adopted position to advocate for an expansion of the Container Deposit Scheme. 

This motion is in line with Council's adopted advocacy position of calling upon the Victorian state government to review and amend the new waste service standards to mitigate the negative impacts on local governments.

Mansfield Shire Council, and the majority of councils at the MAV State Council, believe that a separate glass recycling bin should no longer be mandated, given the successful Container Deposit Scheme (CDS) already diverts most glass, making a fourth bin costly, inefficient, and largely redundant.

State Emergency Service funding (passed with 100% support) 

Finally, delegates called on the Victorian state government to fully fund SES facilities and operations. 

The Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund (ESVF) was established to fund emergency services and financial contributions from all councils have significantly increased representing a significant cost-shift by the state government onto councils and ratepayers.

Mansfield Shire has paid $4.1 million this financial year to the state government for the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund (ESVF), this reflects a significant burden on ratepayers.

“The strength of support for the motions passed at the recent State Council meeting shows how widely the concerns being voiced in Mansfield Shire are shared. Our community expects planning decisions, essential services and infrastructure funding to be fair, transparent and properly resourced,” Mayor Cr Rabie said.

The Municipal Association of Victoria is the peak body for Victoria's 79 councils.