General News
5 June, 2023
Council to advocate after Go Goldfields excluded from Victorian Budget
The Victorian Budget has failed to include funding for Go Goldfields, an initiative that has worked to address social disadvantage in the shire and support positive outcomes for residents for the past 10 years. At its ordinary meeting last week...
The Victorian Budget has failed to include funding for Go Goldfields, an initiative that has worked to address social disadvantage in the shire and support positive outcomes for residents for the past 10 years.
At its ordinary meeting last week, councillors resolved to write to the State Government asking for a $500,000 allocation to continue the initiative, which seeks to address social disadvantage and ensure children get the best start to life in the shire.
The government had committed to funding for the initiative in 2010, with Go Goldfields up and running since 2011.
Central Goldfields Shire mayor Grace La Vella said it was disappointing that Go Goldfields, which has been recognised as making a difference in the community, had not been funded.
“Go Goldfields is a high priority for our council to address social disadvantage and ensure that children get the best start in life through programs that promote and support early literacy, numeracy, social-emotional skills, and overall school readiness,” she said.
“Go Goldfields has gained recognition and support from government, community organisations, service providers, and residents.
“Its success and longevity can be attributed to the strong partnerships that have been established and the commitment of stakeholders to work together towards positive social change.”
Cr La Vella spoke to Go Goldfields’ Collaborative Table shifting the focus to early childhood development with the Every Child, Every Chance (ECEC) initiative which was launched in 2020.
“Through ECEC, the Go Goldfields backbone works closely with local early childhood services, health providers, educators, parents, and the broader community to ensure that Central Goldfields children have every opportunity to grow up safe, healthy and confident,” she said.
“Go Goldfields, and the ECEC initiative, is informed by local families and research noting that any interventions to addressing disadvantage in the early years must embrace the perspective of families and that the social and service environment must be easy to navigate and support all families.
“Go Goldfields backbone plays an integral role in ensuring State led programs and services in the early years are meeting the needs and demands of families on the ground.
“ECEC provides the framework, support, and connections to ensure investments in programs and resources are effectively dispersed, promoted, and coordinated — a challenging feat in a small rural shire with multiple changing fly in, fly out services and low physical presence and high need.”
The backbone staffing for Go Goldfields refers to the team of professionals who provide the essential support and coordination needed to drive the strategic collaboration, advocacy and demonstration activities.
The backbone staff play a crucial role, according to council, in fostering collective impact and maintaining the momentum of Go Goldfields in the shire.
To date, Go Goldfields’ staffing model has been funded by the Victorian Government through Regional Development Victoria. This current agreement expires this year, with the state budget not including a new allocation to support the backbone.
Speaking during last week’s meeting, councillor Chris Meddows-Taylor said funding for Go Goldfields was a necessity.
“This (funding) isn’t even change for morning tea for the government, but for our young people this is the difference between continuing obstacles and challenges or opportunities and a lifetime of fulfilment and achievement,” he said.
“When you look at it that way there can be no choice — we must secure this funding and we must remind the government that this is the long-term commitment they made.
“This needs to happen, there is no alternative.”
Since 2020 the Go Goldfields backbone has worked with local partners and groups to develop a plan to reduce developmental vulnerability of children in the shire. This has involved:
• Place based governance — the establishment of the Go Goldfields Leadership Table, that oversees, enables, and authorises activities of the backbone and includes membership from community leaders, local executives and representatives from the State Government.
• Engagement — engagement with 574 community members and 45 stakeholders was a key foundation for the development of Every Child, Every Chance.
• Shared Strategic Vision — the Go Goldfields backbone led the development of the Every Child, Every Chance shared vision. Logic mapping workshops captured input from community, researchers, local institutions, and practitioners working with children and families in Central Goldfields for each of the five priority areas.
• Service coordination and integration — governance groups aligned to the five priority areas bring together a range of services and practitioners to collaborate and work toward the shared vision and outcomes for each area. Importantly, Go Goldfields backbone has provided a much-needed anchor in Central Goldfields for the range of activities, programs and services that support children and families, building alignment and increasing the value of and family access to these investments.
Go Goldfields has also led demonstration projects including The Nest, an inclusive space for parents and carers to come together from pregnancy to primary school, as well as a program to empower parents and communities in partnership with the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute.
Cr Geoff Lovett spoke to the historic levels of disadvantage in the shire, which he said clearly demonstrated the need for Go Goldfields’ continuation.
“In Victoria there are 79 local government areas and for some time, Central Goldfields Shire has ranked 79th on that list and I say this purely as a statement of fact,” he said.
“Council and government recognised that something needed to be done to address this situation and Go Goldfields was conceived.
“This targeted approach has seen all sectors of our community work collaboratively with a shared vision that every child be given every chance to grow up in a safe, healthy environment and from their very earliest years, come to appreciate the benefits of education and the value of learning.
“I believe Go Goldfields has won a gold medal for their initiative in delivering measurable and quantifiable educational outcomes that show marked improvement across all year levels. This is now at threat.
“Go Goldfields has been made possible by successive governments funding it through the budget, along with grants from philanthropic grants.
“We know what needs to be done but we need help.”