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Former Premier drops in to ‘Our Future Our Place’ projectFormer Premier of Victoria and current Chair of the Victorian Communities Ministerial Advisory Committee, the Hon Joan Kirner AM, visited Morwell
last Friday, 30 September. By Latrobe City Council - 5th October 2005 - Back to News Ms Kirner visited the ‘Our Future Our Place’ project in Well Street Morwell and the Morwell Neighbourhood House to find out how these two specific projects contributed to community building.
The Victorian Communities Ministerial Advisory Committee provides advice to the Minister for Victorian Communities on successful initiatives in community building including volunteering.
The committee also looks at ways to build partnerships between business and community strengthening projects; and identifies actions needed to foster a whole of government approach to supporting community building initiatives.
Latrobe City’s Chief Executive Officer, Paul Buckley, said that Ms Kirner’s visit was part of a tour of Gippsland to examine local community-based projects that contribute to strengthening and enhancing community life.
Mr Denis Moriarty, (Deputy Chairperson) Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder Our Community, accompanied Joan Kirner on the information gathering exercise.
"The ‘Our Future Our Place’ project is an innovative project involving long-term unemployed in housing construction. Forty long-term unemployed are receiving training during the first year of the project, providing them with the opportunity to gain certificate 2 and 3 in building and construction, or of proceeding on to formal apprenticeships," Mr Buckley explained.
"Talking with participants, Ms Kirner wanted to explore what worked with the project and what were the barriers that had to be overcome to succeed.
"She was also keen to note the lessons that can be applied from the experience gained in developing these projects that may be helpful to other communities," Mr Buckley said.
"Participants in the ‘Our Future Our Place’ project demonstrated the benefits of planning a project, which fostered a whole of government approach in supporting community building initiatives and the partnerships that have been created between the business community and the project," Mr Buckley added.
Following her visit to the ‘Our Future Our Place’ project site, Ms Kirner visited the Morwell Neighbourhood House.
Photo: Former Premier of Victoria Joan Kirner visited the ‘Our Future Our Place’ project site in Morwell last week.
Source: www.gippsland.com Published by: news@gippsland.com
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