Mornington Peninsula Shire is committed to being a welcoming, diverse and inclusive place to live, work and play. We want to create opportunities for all residents to thrive and to reach their full potential.
To help realise our vision of a truly inclusive Mornington Peninsula, we are developing We All Belong: A Strategy for an inclusive Mornington Peninsula community.
We want to engage with residents at key life stages – children, young people and older adults – and priority population groups, including people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, people living with a disability, and LGBTIQA+ and gender diverse communities.
Once complete, the strategy will provide strategic direction for the planning, coordination and delivery of programs, activities and services that enhance wellbeing, inclusion and diversity over the next five years.
Why develop We All Belong: A Strategy for an inclusive Mornington Peninsula community?
The strategy will replace several existing and planned strategies and plans* and bring all actions for key life stages and priority population groups under one document.
By combining all these plans under the ‘one roof’, we can approach our planning and service delivery more comprehensively. For instance, instead of working across various separate strategies, we can align our efforts (where it makes sense to do so) to achieve better outcomes for our communities.
Importantly, this integrated approach also takes into account that people are multifaceted; and different aspects of a person’s identity (such as ethnicity, gender, age, and religion) can expose them to overlapping forms of discrimination and marginalisation.
The strategy will help us to meet and deliver on our various State and Federal legislative requirements, including the Disability Act 2006, Age Discrimination Act 2004, Equal Opportunity Act 2010, and Racial Discrimination Act 1975 – just to name a few.
How will the strategy be created?
We All Belong: A Strategy for an inclusive Mornington Peninsula community will be an important strategic document, so it’s critical we get it right. We’ll be consulting with Shire committees and reference groups to make sure the voice and lived experience of priority groups are captured during the development, monitoring and evaluation of the Strategy.
But we also want to hear from you:
• How connected do you feel to your community?
• What would an inclusive community look or feel like to you?
• Have you ever felt unwelcome or discriminated against?
Your feedback could help with the development of programs, services and activities that improve wellbeing, inclusion and diversity on the Peninsula.
How can I contribute to We All Belong?
To have your say, please visit:
Hardcopy feedback forms are also available on request from any of our Customer Service Centres. Or you can drop into any of our Libraries, Youth Centres or Customer Service Centres to complete and submit a feedback postcard.
Community consultation is now open and will close on 31 March 2024.
*The strategy will not replace our Reconciliation Action Plan, Gender Equality Strategy and Universal Design Policy.
