Knox 50 Final ReportFINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 7 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Purpose Purpose of this...
Transcript of Knox 50 Final ReportFINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 7 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Purpose Purpose of this...
Knox@50 Final Report March 2013
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 1
Table of Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ....................................................................................................... 3
1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 7
1.1 Purpose ................................................................................................................................ 7
1.2 Context ................................................................................................................................ 7
1.3 Past Engagement with the Knox Community ...................................................................... 8
1.4 Timeframes ........................................................................................................................ 14
1.5 Engagement Methodology ................................................................................................ 14
1.6 Council’s Engagement Policy and Framework .................................................................. 16
1.7 Governance ....................................................................................................................... 17
2 ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES ....................................................................................... 18
2.1 Community Forum ............................................................................................................. 18
2.2 Advisory Committees ........................................................................................................ 18
2.3 Focus Groups ..................................................................................................................... 18
2.4 Knox Council Staff Workshops........................................................................................... 19
2.5 Business Forum ................................................................................................................. 19
2.6 Vox Pops ‘Voice of the People’ .......................................................................................... 19
2.7 Dialogue Groups ................................................................................................................ 19
2.8 Youth Engagement ............................................................................................................ 20
2.9 Partners Forum .................................................................................................................. 20
2.10 Foothills Community Care dinner ...................................................................................... 20
2.11 Online ................................................................................................................................ 20
2.12 Postcards ........................................................................................................................... 21
2.13 Community Leadership Group .......................................................................................... 21
2.14 Quantitative Survey ........................................................................................................... 21
2.15 Customer Service Phone Poll ............................................................................................. 22
2.16 Knox Festival 2012 ............................................................................................................. 22
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 2
2.17 Stringybark Festival 2012 .................................................................................................. 22
3 ENGAGEMENT THEMES AND OUTCOMES ................................................................ 23
3.1 What are Drivers of Change and how have they been considered in the Knox@50
project?.............................................................................................................................. 23
3.1.1. Identity ............................................................................................................... 25
3.1.2. Population .......................................................................................................... 28
3.1.3. Technology ......................................................................................................... 31
3.1.4. Resources ........................................................................................................... 33
3.1.5. Governance ........................................................................................................ 36
4 TESTING AND VALIDATION ..................................................................................... 39
4.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 39
4.2 Knox@50 Survey................................................................................................................ 39
4.2.1. What the survey asked ...................................................................................... 39
4.2.2. Demographics of respondents ........................................................................... 40
4.2.3. Summary of Responses ...................................................................................... 40
4.3 Community Forum No.2 .................................................................................................... 43
4.4 Customer Service Phone Poll ............................................................................................. 44
4.5 Feedback Forms ................................................................................................................. 44
APPENDICES .................................................................................................................... 45
Appendix 1 List of Vox Pops ................................................................................ 46
Appendix 2 Focus Groups .................................................................................... 48
Appendix 3 Youth Engagement............................................................................ 50
Appendix 4 Dialogue Groups ............................................................................... 51
Appendix 5 Advertising and Mailouts .................................................................. 52
Appendix 6 Key Themes identified through Engagement ..................................... 54
Appendix 7 Meetings .......................................................................................... 56
Appendix 8 Project Team .................................................................................... 57
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 3
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In October 2011 Council endorsed a comprehensive approach to Community Engagement around
Liveability. This project emerged as a result of major community and Council concern over rate of
change particularly around housing development in Activity Centres. In response to this Council
decided that a concerted effort to better inform and receive feedback from the community about
what is driving change in our City and within our communities was required prior to making any
further decisions about key strategic policies such as the Housing Statement, a revised Community
Vision, and the development of a municipal City Plan. The Knox@50 process built on other recent,
and more specific, engagement activities undertaken by Council over the past few years.
The project was the largest and most significant community engagement project in Knox since the
development of the previous vision in 2005-2006. The Knox@50 project spanned approximately one
year beginning in January 2012 and concluding in February 2013 with a Community Forum.
Knox@50 was a highly devolved engagement process employing a diversity of techniques ranging
from vox-pops to dialogue groups and community forums. In addition to the traditional approach
which seeks to understand the aspirations of the community, the process through inquiry explored
the community’s key concerns for the future. The process asked the community (through a series of
questions) to consider the changes taking place to their family, their communities and places, and
begin to identify what was causing these changes. This was an important step to understanding the
sort of strategies required to enable our aspirational future and allows us to develop strategies
which specifically seek to influence the causes (or drivers) behind the changes we find threatening or
the ones we find to be positive and in so doing ensure that these ‘drivers’ work for our future rather
than against it.
The engagement approach included a combination of information provision, qualitative and
quantitative research and front-line community engagement. This approach is in line with the
Council Plan 2009-2013 commitment to 'partner and engage with and on behalf of our community’
and ‘Embracing and demonstrating effective governance’.
The introduction of ‘drivers of change’ was an important step in how we engaged with community
about issues affecting our City. Crucially, it ensured that we talked about the City as a dynamic and
forever changing place. This enabled conversations to be had about the changes affecting our City
and the types of responses, investment and interventions we need to influence and manage these.
Using ‘Discussion Papers’ focused on the drivers of change; we initiated a series of conversations
with the community asking them about the changes that were impacting them and their ability to
realise the future they wanted. We asked them what they felt were the key drivers behind these
changes and in turn asked them how we should influence these drivers.
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 4
Following the extensive engagement process, a small project team collated and analysed the data
collected throughout the process. Key themes were arranged under the Drivers of Change and
include the following key observations:
Identity
The ‘feeling’ of openness/’country feel’ has been highly valued throughout our
conversations with the Knox Community. This is seen to be under threat from development.
A sense of ‘openness’ is delivered through large backyards, not just formal open space (i.e.
private and public open space).
Participants identified the desire for living, working and playing in the local area (Local
Living). Some reasons for this include maintaining a village feel and know one’s neighbours;
reducing travel times, fuel costs.
The look, feel and location (character of an area) is an essential component of people’s
acceptance of or resistance to different types of housing (whilst the need for diversity is
acknowledged).
Many respondents acknowledge that housing diversity is needed in hubs/activity centres,
making a clear connection between increased density, transport options and open space.
Issues such as traffic congestion, parking, identity, design quality, ‘we didn’t move here to
live on top of each other’, distinction between Knox and inner city have been strong.
Safety has been identified as a concern in some places, where respondents said that they
felt unsafe in some areas. This is coupled with young people identifying certain places have a
‘bad reputation’ and associated shame.
Population
Ageing has been a major focus of conversations with participants, highlighting it will require
more jobs in aged services; new industries, and greater demand on services and new types
of housing.
Interestingly, young people are concerned about the potential tax burden they might carry
in the future to support the ageing population.
The importance of the provision of public transport, particularly older people, young people
and multicultural groups, has been a common issue raised, and that public transport
contributes to helping prevent social isolation, and reducing the traffic congestion and
parking burden.
Infrastructure improvements such as building a rail link to Rowville and a tram to Knox City
has been consistent.
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 5
Some participants see multiculturalism as an asset to the community; some see it as a
challenge/threat. Particular issues raised include the importance for different cultures to mix
and ‘fit in’.
Mental health has come through as a major concern in Knox, with some groups in Knox
more vulnerable, such as lone person households, which may lead to social isolation issues.
Technology
The community is aware of the benefits such as greater flexibility of employment and
connections that ever-improving communication technology brings. However, the
community is keenly aware of the downsides particularly of ‘social media’ such as the
potential for greater social isolation and young people potentially losing ‘social skills’.
The increasing social and economic divide has been identified, where some people do not
have access to or the skills to use technology (particularly the elderly), as we become more
reliant on communication technology.
Young people have identified cyber-safety as a major concern for the appropriate use of
communication technology.
The potential for an increase in the social and economic divide resulting from access to and
understanding of technology and information – particularly for the aged has been raised.
There is an awareness of the ‘waste issue’ regarding the constant upgrading of hardware
(TVs, phones, etc) and that this is not sustainable.
Resources
Food security and the need for local production and availability of food has been identified,
as well as community- based solutions like community gardens.
The desire to live locally (live, work, play, shop) has been coming through strongly. This is
associated with increased resource costs, local jobs, a self-sufficient community, as well as
being associated with ‘local identity’ and community connectedness. Technology is seen to
facilitate this (eg working from home).
People anticipate greater flexible employment in the future including working from home,
family needs, also less job security/tenure.
There is an awareness of changes to manufacturing as Knox’s industrial base, and the need
to foster innovative industries.
The need for local employment has been identified.
The potential for an increase in the social and economic divide resulting from the increased
cost of living (cost of resources) has come through.
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 6
Governance
Many participants said that the community could build its own capacity by taking care of
themselves, taking responsibility, and taking care of their community. It was highlighted that
Council could enable this by linking existing groups and services providers and enabling
partnerships.
Community groups are concerned about the increasing level of compliance/regulation they
need to deal with; attracting and keeping volunteers; and access to facilities.
Sporting clubs see themselves as playing a community strengthening role.
The potential for creating hubs has come through strongly, including places to gather which
have been identified as particularly relevant for the multicultural community, young people,
and those wanting to access technology, etc.
Transparency and trust regarding local government has been a strong theme – that is, there
is a lack of trust of Council and a view that there needs to be greater transparency.
Importantly, it is the linkages that have been identified through the drivers of change that translate
the many interconnections and interdependencies of the issues.
While it may have begun as a way to create a sustainable and acceptable housing policy, Knox@50
has evolved into a conversation between Council and the community about the changes Knox is
facing and how they can work together to deal with those changes.
The simple act of engaging with the people of Knox in a transparent and authentic way has itself
improved the relationship between Council and community, as well as increasing the level of trust.
It has also sparked an understanding among some community members that community opinions
are diverse, sustainable decision-making is complex and Knox’s future is a responsibility they share
with Council.
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 7
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Purpose
Purpose of this report is to provide a comprehensive overview of the Knox@50 Our City Our Future
Community Engagement Project that occurred throughout 2012.
1.2 Context
In October 2011 Council endorsed a comprehensive approach to Community Engagement around
Liveability. This project emerged as a result of major community and Council concern over rate of
change particularly around housing development in Activity Centres. In response to this Council
decided that a concerted effort to better inform the community about what is driving change in our
City and within our communities is required prior to making any further decisions about key strategic
policies such as the Housing Statement, a revised Community Vision, and the development of a
municipal City Plan. The large amount of information gathered in this engagement project will also
be used to inform other policies, plans and strategies.
The project occurred throughout 2012 and was the largest and most significant community
engagement project in Knox since the development of the previous vision. It required whole of
Council buy in, input and collaboration.
Objectives of the project included:
raise awareness in the community about the drivers of change facing the City of Knox to
2030 (e.g. population growth, changing household needs, neighbourhood character and
housing);
engage with diverse stakeholder and interest groups, places, needs, interests and
benefactors across the community about current issues and future aspirations for living in
Knox;
stimulate and encourage community debate and dialogue to inform Council’s future Vision
for Knox, and development of policy options.
Outcomes/benefits included:
increased awareness in the Knox community about the drivers of change facing the City to
2030;
Community capacity has been developed to enable genuine democratic engagement which
improves community understanding about key issues and drivers of change facing our City;
the partnership between community and Council has been strengthened through the
Knox@50engagement process to enable a shared Vision for the future of Knox.
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 8
Knox@50 sought to understand where we’ve come from, where we are now, and how that all helps
us to shape our future. It was an opportunity to balance the changing needs of the community and
businesses, and to celebrate and enhance what makes Knox so appealing and unique.
The data gathered from the community will help Council form the development of policy options
and further community engagement on a range of projects. Detailed outcomes from Knox@50 are
outlined in Part 3 of the report.
1.3 Past Engagement with the Knox Community
The Knox@50 project does not exist in isolation. What we have heard from the community
throughout 2012 through the Knox@50 process sits alongside other recenti, and more specific,
engagement activities undertaken by Council.
These were specific engagement activities aimed at specific parts of the community or specific
issues. Together with the messages received from the community through knox@50, they will also
be used to inform Council planning.
This section of the report provides a high level summary of the findings of key consultations
undertaken by Knox City Council over the last 18 months.
The Knox Gathering was a gathering of indigenous people with a connection to Knox, held on 6 May
2012. Attendees were asked to choose or make a card that showed what is important to them as an
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander with a connection to Knox:
my identity
belonging
family
those I love feeling happy
football and sports
our mob – having more events like this, target Knox people to be part of a Local Indigenous Network
having dreams
sport
our pride
my health
my family
connecting
our mob
feeling valued and making a contribution
The Knox City Council Multicultural Strategic Plan 2012-2017 consultation sought views from
targeted identified multicultural communities including skilled migrants and family migration (Indian,
Malaysian, Chinese-speaking communities); Afghani, Sudanese and Iranian Refugees; and
established ethnic communities, e.g. Dutch, Hungarian, and Polish.
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 9
Key issues identified include:
information, communication and engagement;
accessible and affordable public transport;
learning about cultures through a common language (English);
supporting new and established communities in Knox, including skilled migrants, access to
affordable housing, addressing disadvantage (including social isolation, lack of family
support, language difficulties, accessing services), enhancing wellbeing (including long-term
unemployment of skilled migrants, refugee trauma), and value and support multicultural
older people.
The consultation report notes that the Afghani and Sudanese refugee communities were particularly
difficult to reach. The report also notes that, anecdotally, there are Cambodian and Burmese
refugees working in Knox, who were not reached during the engagement. There was also limited
success in reaching Indian skilled migrants. The report suggests that further data be sought from
community contacts to overcome the gap.
Consultation for the Knox Liveable Streets Plan 2012-2022 and the Knox Open Space Plan 2011-
2022 took place concurrently during 2011. Three key themes emerged from the community
workshops that were held during this time:
a ‘Green and Leafy Knox’ was seen by the majority of participants as being very important
and of all the areas of consideration this was seen as the highest priority to achieve;
increasing the level of service provision was seen as important particularly in areas of
footpath connections, consistency of parks maintenance, amenity provisions such as seating
and toilets, the quality of the ‘treescapes’ and consistency around Council’s approach to
naturestrips;
attendees identified the importance of connecting the quality of open space provision to
increasing housing density.
Surveys were also conducted which found that the most common reasons people like their streets
are because their street is quiet, the trees/greenery and proximity to shops and neighbours. The
most common reasons people did not like their streets was due to speeding cars, Eucalyptus trees,
and a lack of native/indigenous vegetation.
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 10
Through community consultation for the Knox Community Safety Plan, undertaken in early 2012,
the community indentified the following as being their top safety concerns:
1 hoon driving;
2 anti-social behaviour;
3 vandalism;
4 insufficient street lighting at night;
5 graffiti.
The consultation for this plan also revealed that the community is experiencing the following issues:
young people - youth boredom, alcohol and drug abuse, lack of support, bullying (including
cyber bullying);
women - violence against women, safety in public places and the workplace, the difference
between men’s and women’s experience of safety;
public places and transport - transport interchanges and shopping centres due to the
prevalence of people “hanging around” (young people, drug affected people, etc); hoon
drivers and general speeding; safety along bike lanes and walking paths safety; increase in
trucks using Knox roads; the stigma surrounding certain areas self-perpetuating; negative
perceptions of safety compounding issues of safety; reluctance to use public transport after
dark;
families - young children at home alone when parents are working; family violence - a
prevalent, but hidden issue in Knox;
addiction – ‘culture of drinking’ prevalent in the community; alcohol and drug use in the
home compounding disadvantage; gambling (including online gambling);
health - mental health was identified as a growing community safety issue; young people
were felt to be particularly at risk;
environment - natural emergency events – floods, bushfire; damage due to trees (footpaths,
etc);
workplace issues - more than OHS - exploitation, abuse, harassment, stress; volunteer
organisations – safety responsibilities.
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 11
Consultation on the draft Knox Youth Plan was undertaken in early 2012. This consultation found
that the key theme areas of concern (and presenting issues/contributing factors) for young people
are:
support - bullying; employment; Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Queer; families; housing;
financial; building resilience; support programs; behaviour;
health - alcohol and drugs; mental health; sexual health; smoking; general health;
social activities - activities; sport; spaces; technology; perceptions of young people; arts;
cultural diversity - cultural issues including isolation; acceptance; and belonging. Cultural
engagement including social connections; understanding rights;
safety - crime; security; transport; people; general safety; cyber-safety; spaces and places;
education - schools; access to education; education opportunities; pressure (including peer,
academic and parental);
transport - public transport; roads; bike paths;
environment/open space - open spaces; built spaces; environment;
service provision - infrastructure; resourcing for services ; service delivery.
Consultation for the Municipal Early Years Plan 2011-2015 took place between October 2010 and
February 2011. Consultation activities focused on not only asking adults and professionals living and
working with children in the Knox community, but for the first time, a greater focus was also placed
on consulting with children and what sort of life and community they saw as important.
The following key themes were identified:
Individuals (adults and children) and families value strong, safe and connected communities
that have good access to appropriate services and facilities and enhance real and perceived
safety and security.
Need to build on, expand and strengthen existing collaborative partnerships and networking
opportunities.
There is a collective responsibility amongst private providers, not-for-profit organisations
and the public sector regarding enhancing access to early years services.
There is a strong service network that currently has certain gaps.
Existing and emerging issues include social and economic disadvantage, changing
demographic profile (social-economic and socio-demographic), demand for competing
financial and physical resources.
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 12
Need for access to information, knowledge and evidence in order to plan effectively for early
years services.
Need for ongoing skills transfer to build capacity for staff to respond to change.
Consultation for the Knox Arts and Cultural Plan was focussed in large part around the 2012 Knox
Festival. Community feedback identified a number of things not present in the draft, such as a
reference to the contribution the six local community newspapers make to the cultural wellbeing of
the city, and acknowledgement of the Council’s art collection. Interest in developing a strong and
well supported public art program was a popular response, as was support to find ways to identify,
support and celebrate the contribution made by individual artists, and not just groups, in the
community. In addition, respondents supported progressing the Knox Central Arts Centre and the
Ambleside Master Plan, and sought an increased level of support for community theatre groups and
artists.
The Planning Consultation Committee (PCC) offers a forum for applicants, supporters and objectors
of specific planning proposals to present their views and to explore opportunities to resolve issues,
in an informal and non-threatening setting.ii Councillors and officers attend meetings to manage the
process, facilitate outcomes and to learn more about the circumstances of a proposal and the views
of various stakeholders.
A review of PCC meeting notes from 2011 and 2012 shows that the most common concerns relating
to planning applications are:
amenity impacts including overlooking and overshadowing;
increased demand on existing infrastructure (particularly drainage);
carparking, traffic congestion and road safety;
waste collection issues;
appearance of buildings (architectural merit);
inadequate area for landscaping/site coverage/overdevelopment;
loss of neighbourhood character;
building height and bulk;
interruption of views;
vegetation removal;
increase in noise and pollution;
social issues (including increase in crime);
non-compliance with Rescode;
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 13
dwelling density and overcrowding;
impact on property values;
concerns about type of future residents.
In late 2011, a post-occupancy survey was sent to residents living in newly developed higher density
homes in Knox (61% townhouse, 36% villa, 1% apartment). Of those surveyed, 68% of people had
been living at their residence for 1-5 years.
For ‘factors influencing choice of current home’: 56% said ‘affordability’; 57% said ‘proximity to
shops’; 59% said ‘size of home’. The top two things that people would change about their home
were ‘more car parking’ and ‘more open space’.
The consistent themes for what people liked about their home were:
central and convenient location close to amenities;
size of the dwelling and outdoor space;
age of the dwelling (new, modern);
security, privacy and ‘peace and quiet’ (being away from the street).
Each year the Department of Community Planning and Development (DCPD) coordinates and
auspices the Community Satisfaction Survey throughout Victorian Local Government areas. The
main objectives of the survey are to assess the performance of councils (including Knox) across a
range of measures and to seek insight into ways to provide improved or more effective service
delivery.
In 2012 Knox City Council recorded an Overall Performance Index Score of 63. This is significantly
higher than the State-wide average for this measure of 60 and higher (although not significantly so)
than the average Index Score of 61 for the Outer Metropolitan group.
On other core performance measures (which can also be compared against all Councils State-wide
and in the Outer Metropolitan group) Knox City Council scored as follows:
76 for Customer Service
60 for Community Consultation and Engagement
59 for Advocacy
51 for Overall Council Direction
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 14
1.4 Timeframes
The Project was endorsed by Council in November 2011 and formally commenced in early 2013. The
A closing event to report findings and celebrate with the community was held in February 2013.
1.5 Engagement Methodology
Knox@50 was a highly devolved consultation process employing a diversity of techniques ranging
from vox-pops to dialogue groups and community forums. In addition to the traditional approach
which seeks to understand the aspirations of the community, the process through inquiry explored
the community’s key concerns for the future. The process asked through a series of questions the
community to consider the changes taking place to their family, their communities and places, and
begin to identify what was causing these changes. This was an important step to understanding the
sort of strategies required to enable our aspirational future and allows us to develop strategies
which specifically seek to influence the causes (or drivers) behind the changes we find threatening or
the ones we find to be positive and in so doing ensure that these ‘drivers’ work for our future rather
than against it.
The Community Engagement program aimed to:
inform, educate and raise awareness in the Knox community about the drivers of change
facing the City of Knox to 2030 (e.g. population growth, changing household needs),
specifically influences on liveability (including housing);
stimulate, enable and encourage community dialogue and debate about key issues and
drivers of change facing our City;
speak with a range of people representative of the broad demographics, locations, needs
and interests across the community about their future aspirations for living in Knox to 2030;
collect, analyse and prepare data to inform the Council projects outlined above (and
potentially others, where relevant), including working with the newly elected Council from
November 2012 to inform the development of Vision;
acknowledge and value stakeholder’s contribution to the planning process;
provide a strategic basis to develop and analyse future development scenarios for Knox; and
increase stakeholder confidence in the Council’s planning and engagement process by
adhering to Knox City Council’s engagement principles.
Specific stakeholder groups were identified (e.g. culturally and linguistically diverse groups, young
people, older people, general community) and provided with a range of ways to participate in the
project, geared towards their level of interest in the project and their capacity to participate. As
much as possible, forms of engagement which allowed in-depth discussion were used to engage
with stakeholders about the future of the City. The nature of the topic, i.e. the future of a city, is a
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 15
complex one and approaches which allow in-depth discussions were most appropriate to explore the
challenges and opportunities as well as a vision for the future - including potential ways of achieving
the vision. This qualitative approach was used in the first stage of the project in order to fully
understand the range of views across different stakeholders in the community.
After analysing the data from the qualitative approaches, the findings related to the future vision of
Knox were translated into a survey and tested with a random sample of 500 Knox residents. In this
way, the project captured both the depth and breadth of community views, including the capacity to
generalise some of the findings to the broader Knox population.
This project recognised the complex nature of interests and issues in the Knox community around
issues of managing growth and maintaining what is important in relation to the present and future
liveability of Knox. The Project sought to reinforce the importance of early community and
stakeholder input to establish clear and agreed values and aspirations to inform more detailed policy
development.
To ensure that we realise the opportunity ‘change’ brings while simultaneously managing the risk it
presents, Council decided that it was important that the community’s ‘visions’ for the future take
into account how ‘change’ impacts our ability to realise this future and therefore, what the key
drivers behind this change are. Once we understand what the key drivers of change are we can
identify the strategies required to influence these drivers so that they create the change we need.
These drivers, or challenges and opportunities, formed the basis of the discussion about the future
of Knox.
The introduction of ‘drivers of change’ was an important step in how we engaged with community
about issues affecting our City. Crucially, it ensured that we talked about the City as a dynamic and
forever changing place. This enabled conversations to be had about the changes affecting our City
and the types of responses, investment and interventions we need to influence these.
Five drivers of change were identified which will provide challenges and opportunities for the Knox
community in the future. These are:
1. Our Identity is shaped by people, places and events
2. Technology allows us to be connected, become more efficient and improve our quality of
life
3. Our community and businesses rely on Resources such as energy, water, food and people to
prosper
4. Our Population is getting older, is more mobile, reflects different ideas of ‘family’, and
household structures are changing
5. Good Governance is fundamental to a stable, inclusive, equitable and progressive society
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 16
To alert the community about these drivers, fact sheets and discussion papers were developed.
These were sent to residents’ homes; were provided at engagement activities; and were available
online. Questions and prompts were formulated to provoke discussion amongst the community
about the changes that were impacting them and their ability to realise the future they wanted. We
asked them what they felt were the key drivers behind these changes and in turn asked them how
we should influence these drivers.
By creating a platform for discussion about the drivers of change, Knox@50 has given the
community the tools to participate in the engagement in a meaningful way. It has provided a clear
context for the conversation between Council and the community about what the people of Knox
want for their future. They have also had the opportunity to consider their shared priorities. In so
doing, Council and the community are better placed to understand what is treasured most in Knox,
what should be enhanced and protected, and where compromises can be made.
1.6 Council’s Engagement Policy and Framework
The engagement approach included a combination of information provision, qualitative and
quantitative research and front-line community engagement opportunities. This approach is in line
with the Council Plan 2009-2013 commitment to 'partner and engage with and on behalf of our
community’ and ‘Embracing and demonstrating effective governance’. The project also upholds the
principles and purpose of the Knox community Engagement Policy and Framework.
The community engagement approach is consistent with many of the recommendations of the
recent review of Council’s Community Engagement Framework, including the objective endorsed by
Council on 28 June 2011 to “support well informed decision making, governance and active civic
participation and democracy”. The approach is also guided by the following objectives of the current
Knox Community Engagement Policy to:
enable the community to be better informed about Council issues, processes and decisions
which might affect them;
reduce misinformation and misconception;
develop stronger communities;
improve the relationship between Council and the Community;
develop trust and credibility both internally and externally;
help identify actual and potential problems/issues; and
support well informed decision making; good governance and active civic participation.
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 17
1.7 Governance
This significant engagement program was a joint initiative between City Futures Department and
Corporate Planning and Performance. The Project was lead by the two Managers of these areas,
supported by a cross organisational, multidisciplinary project team.
Council received regular briefings in the lead up to the launch of the project and during its delivery.
Executive Management team received monthly progress reports throughout the life of the project.
The Project via the Project Directors (Kim Rawlings, Manager City Futures and Kerryn Ellis, Manager
Corporate Planning and Performance) was guided by an internal Leadership Group made up of the
following senior officers:
Director City Development – Angelo Kourambas
Manager Community Wellbeing – Kathy Parton
Manager Youth Leisure & Cultural Services - David Blair
Manager Corporate Communications – Kath Oakley
Manager Sustainable Infrastructure – Craig Dinsdale
Manager Sustainability (former) – Trish Winterling
In October 2012 a Community Leadership Group was formed. Many members of this group had been
active participants throughout the engagement period for Knox@50 and were keen to continue to
stay involved. The purpose of this group is to help validate the findings and provide input into the
various ways in which the information and knowledge gained through this process can be used going
forward for both Council and the community.
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 18
2 ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES
2.1 Community Forum
All members of the Knox community were invited to a full day Community Forum in August 2012 which was widely advertised as well as personal invitations sent out. An independent consultant was engaged to facilitate the forum and participants were involved in high level discussions about the future of our community.
A follow up Community Forum was held in February 2013 to provide an opportunity for community members, particularly those who had been involved in the Knox@50 process, to hear the findings of the project and learn how that information will make a difference. In light of the findings, participants provided input into the development of Council’s Vision and City Plan.
Events: 2 Participants: Forum 1 - 70 Forum 2 – 80
Timing: August 2012 & February 2013
2.2 Advisory Committees
Members of Knox Council’s advisory committees where invited to take part in one of two workshops. Participants were asked to identify the main challenges and opportunities that the Knox community faces based on the views of their committees and in light of the drivers of change. Participants were also asked about priorities and who should be involved in achieving them. Knox@50 staff also attended the Knox Multicultural Advisory Committee and Public Transport Consultative Committee separately.
Events: 4 Participants: 39
Timing: May & June 2012
2.3 Focus Groups
Various groups within the Knox community were involved in focus groups. Participants were introduced to the drivers of change and asked how they think these drivers will influence the Knox community; what we can do to make the most of this change; and who should be involved. Example of groups include: multicultural groups (Italian, Chinese, Indian, Sri Lankan); disability groups; aged ; Indigenous, health & community services; sporting groups; faith groups; Council Wards; and environment.
Events: 29 Participants: 344
Timing: July – November 2012
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 19
2.4 Knox Council Staff Workshops
Staff were briefed on the Knox@50 project and in groups were asked how the drivers of change will
influence Knox. Workshops were held at the Civic Centre and at the Operations Centre. A follow-up
workshop was held to discuss Council’s role in, and potential challenges and opportunities of topics
that emerged from the previous workshop. A workshop was also conducted specifically with
Customer Service staff.
Events: 4 Participants: 119
Timing: September – October 2012
2.5 Business Forum
Engagement with local businesses was undertaken in a business forum. It was facilitated by an external consultant with the aim of gaining input into Council’s vision and future strategies.
Events: 1 Participants: 19
Timing: September 2012
2.6 Vox Pops ‘Voice of the People’
Walk-up stalls were set up in over 30 locations (such as local shopping centres and community
facilities) around Knox and community members were asked what they like about Knox and what
they think could make it even better. Answers were either noted on butchers paper at the stall or
participants took a postcard to fill out.
Events: 36 Participants: 3355
Timing: June – September 2012
2.7 Dialogue Groups
Members of the community interested in holding conversations about the future of Knox with
friends, family or colleagues received training from the Knox@50 team and a kit which provided
support material. The training and kit informed them of the drivers of change and what questions to
ask. Once the conversations were held the notes were returned to the Knox@50 team. In addition,
two dialogue group sessions were held with Knox Council staff.
Events: 26 Participants: 193
Timing: July – September 2012
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 20
2.8 Youth Engagement
Several consultations with young people were held including the Youth Council, high schools,
primary schools, Young Leaders Program and other youth groups. Participants were introduced to
the drivers of change and addressed the challenges and opportunities that they thought the drivers
might bring about.
Events: 10 Participants: 204
Timing: August – October 2012
2.9 Partners Forum
Representatives from organisations around Knox that provide a service to the community in partnership with Council were invited to share their views on their partnerships with Council and how we can move ahead together in light of the drivers of change affecting our community.
Events: 2 Participants: 34
Timing: October 2012
2.10 Foothills Community Care dinner
Foothills Community Care is a small community based organisation that holds community dinners for those in need. Three Knox@50 staff attended a Foothills Community Care dinner to have an informal chat with people who use this service.
Events: 1 Participants: 27
Timing: September 2012
2.11 Online
Throughout Knox@50 a variety of online engagement methods were used provide diverse
opportunities for the community to engage in discussion.
Knox@50 Bang the Table Website: A total of 3428 people visited the website 14,379 times totalling
25,686 page views. 101 visitors registered. 695 visitors downloaded documents including fact sheets
and discussion papers a total of 5527 times. 1040 visitors downloaded videos a total of 1163 times.
195 visitors participated in polls. (Statistics correct as at 12 December 2012). Timing: July 2012 -
ongoing
Online Blog: People had the opportunity to respond to a total of seven questions that where posted
on the website. In total 15 people made 28 comments. Timing: July – November 2012
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 21
Online Surveys: A short survey based on each driver of change was available on the website. In total
13 people submitted 21 responses across the five surveys. Timing: July – November 2012
Facebook & Twitter: 120 Facebook and Twitter posts went out to 1500 subscribers. Timing: May
2012 – February 2013
2.12 Postcards
A postcard that asked people what they like about Knox and what they think could make it even
better was sent to all 60,000 residences in the municipality. The postcards were also distributed at
vox pops. 851 postcards were returned to Council.
Timing: July 2012
2.13 Community Leadership Group
Following an expression of interest process, Council endorsed the 14 nominated members of the
Knox@50 Community Leadership Group in October 2012. The purpose of the group is to:
Provide community and stakeholder input through various stages of the Knox@50 Project,
from October 2012 to December 2013;
Provide a representative voice of the social and demographic diversity of Knox;
Explore and understand the Drivers of Change impacting Knox; and
Help Council understand and interpret what it has heard from the community through the
Knox@50 engagement program and what this means for Council.
Events: 8 Participants: 14
Timing: October 2012 – December 2013
2.14 Quantitative Survey
A telephone survey was conducted which reached 517 people. The survey covered some of the key themes that emerged through earlier engagement activities. An online version of the survey was completed by 184 people.
Events: 2 Participants: 701
Timing: December 2012
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 22
2.15 Customer Service Phone Poll
The Customer Service team polled 1328 customers during the November polling campaign. Customers provided us with feedback about Knox@50, the campaign was great advertising for Knox@50 and 697 customers would like to receive further information about up and coming Knox@50 events.
Timing: November 2012
2.16 Knox Festival 2012
A stall at the Knox Festival was the soft launch for the Knox@50 project.
Events: 1 Participants: 761
Timing: March 2012
2.17 Stringybark Festival 2012
The Knox@50 team ran a stall at Stringybark Festival. At the stall people were invited to take a seeded card, write a wish for the future on it and plant it in their garden. The plant species, Kunzea ericoides, was selected through consultation with Wurundjeri Elders. The seeds were collected locally and donated by the Knox Environment Society.
Events: 1 Participants: 176
Timing: October 2012
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 23
3 ENGAGEMENT THEMES AND OUTCOMES
3.1 What are Drivers of Change and how have they been considered in the Knox@50 project?
Living in cities means living in changing places and for the first time in our history, more people live
in cities than not. Our cities are safer, healthier places to live with opportunities to find work, to get
a good education, to find good healthcare, and to play and be entertained.
The things which influence change are known as ‘drivers of change’, but could also be characterised
as our ‘key challenges’ and ‘key opportunities’. Some ‘drivers’ cause small or incremental change but
some are responsible for significant change and opportunity. They can have an impact on all aspects
of our community: the economy, the environment, our health, and our community connectedness.
We need to manage and respond to these ‘drivers of change’ so that they work for the communities
of Knox.
Five drivers of change have been identified which will provide challenges and opportunities for the
Knox community in the future. These have been used as the basis for conversations and engagement
with the community throughout the Knox@50 Community Engagement Project.
These are:
Our identity is shaped by people, places and events. How we identify with places, people and
experiences has major influence on the richness of our lives. Where we belong, the connections we
have in our communities, with our neighbours, the places, spaces, images and form of our Cities all
contribute to one’s ‘sense of belonging’.
Technology allows us to be connected, become more efficient and improve our quality of life. Many
of us use many different forms of technology everyday often without realising its impact until it fails
us. Two of the most important areas of technological advancement affecting cities are in the areas of
communications and health.
Our community and businesses rely on resources such as energy, water, food and people to prosper.
Resources are typically the things we use to make other things or to keep other things going. How
we manage resources will be both our biggest challenge, such as reducing our dependency on fossil
fuels, and opportunity, such as building new industries centred on renewable energy sources. One of
the most critical resources for our life and standard of living is ourselves. We need the skills,
education, and physical and mental health required to positively contribute to society.
Our population is getting older, is more mobile, reflects different ideas of ‘family’, and household
structures are changing. According to the United Nations, the world’s population is projected to pass
9 billion people before 2050 and then reach 10 billion by the end of the century.
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 24
Good governance is fundamental to a well functioning society. It is critical to helping manage daily
services, the health of our environment and economy to ensure that we have a sound basis upon
which to plan for the future. Good governance relies on two things: Representation and Decision
Making.
Of course there are many factors which can influence the progress, strength and health of
communities. These five drivers were developed through identifying the key elements that can
either pose a threat to or present an opportunity for achieving community wellbeing.
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 25
3.1.1. Identity
Identity is fundamental to our sense of self and sense of belonging. It is therefore a profound and
powerful driver of community, influencing the shape and complexion of our cities. Our identity and
how we identify with places, people and experiences has major influence on the richness of our
lives. The connections we have in our communities, with our neighbours, the places, spaces, images
and form of our Cities all contribute to ones ‘sense of belonging’.
But what form do these ‘identity challenges’ and competing values most commonly come in and can
they equally be seen as opportunities? The Identity discussion paper, prepared to inform the
Knox@50 Engagement Program identified three main forms of challenge to our identity including
physical appearance and actions (of people), built form, and events.
Key messages
Participants identified that local living, now and in the future, including the desire for living, working
and playing in the local area is highly valued. Some of the reasons for this include the desire to
maintain a village feel, as well as reducing travel times and fuel costs. This also supported ideas
around local food production and availability of local produce, enabling spaces for local connections,
be they informal or organised. Central to this idea is building on a strong community, through
strengthening connections, community safety, creating local jobs and innovation, and creating
opportunities for all ages of the community to remain local if they choose.
Many acknowledged that there is a need for a diversity of housing in Knox needed now and in the
future, in particular to accommodate the changing population and household structures. Key issues
that contribute to people’s acceptance of or resistance to different types of housing include whether
new housing fits in with the character of an area (look, feel and location), coupled with the quality
of design and its sensitivity to the surrounding area, and the availability of open space as density
increases.
While Knox is seen to be well served for sporting activities, a gap that has been identified is arts and
culture (notwithstanding the many events and festivals that Knox host). This is expressed in terms of
the availability of spaces and places, the potential for co-locating activity with existing spaces,
including the development of hubs that could contribute to developing this area.
Things that we value
The openness and country feel of Knox was highlighted as a significant component of the Knox
character, emphasising the importance of open space, delivered through large backyards, not just
formal open space. In many cases the protection of open spaces directly linked to the types of
development that would potentially threaten this aspect, suggesting that family housing (low
density, detached) and townhouses were acceptable, but not apartments or multi-level
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 26
developments in existing residential areas. These views are consistent with the desire for Knox to
maintain the existing family oriented community.
The inherent value of the Dandenong Ranges to local identity has come through strongly, both for its
views (to and from the City), access, and treed environment, which is consistent with the green and
leafy character of Knox.
Community connectedness has been identified in both a positive and negative light. The community
suggested that a key component of strengthening this is through the range of community events in
Knox which have been regarded as a positive aspect of living in the municipality. In particular,
multicultural groups see community events as a way to bring people together and improve
understanding.
Challenges
Many residents said that they moved to Knox for the open feel & that higher density development is
more suited to inner Melbourne and the issues that change brings such as moving to a more urban
landscape and character were identified. However, many respondents acknowledge that housing
diversity is needed, so long as the location and scale of development is directed to activity centres
and not existing residential areas. Issues such as traffic congestion, parking, design quality, and the
reduction of vegetation and canopy trees have been highlighted as significant issues arising from
increased density and were also seen as a major challenge.
Traffic congestion including issues surrounding a decrease of sufficient parking has been a common
issue, which stems from a range of sources such as increases in household size due to extended
families living together and children staying at home longer and the extra vehicles they have. Flow-
on effects of traffic congestion and parking include restricting traffic flow, access and road safety,
particularly for residential streets.
Community safety has been identified as a concern for some residents, where people said that they
felt unsafe in some areas. This is coupled with young people identifying that certain places have a
‘bad reputation’ and shame associated with this. This was often associated with transport hubs such
as train stations.
Many participants identified multiculturalism as an asset to the Knox community; however some
see it as a challenge/threat. Particular issues raised include the desire for different cultures to mix
and ‘fit in’.
Opportunities
Respondents’ value the village feel and consider Knox to be made up of a series of villages and feel
that this way of living locally would continue to grow into the future, including local access to
employment, housing, food, leisure, etc. Additionally, people felt that diminishing resources would
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 27
demand the community to be more reliant on local jobs, food and being able to walk to
shops/conveniences and other needs. Respondents anticipate that we will be doing more close to
home and use available land to grow food for locals (e.g. community gardens, rooftop gardens,
nature strips, community enterprises). There was a strong message that the development of
community hubs would help to strengthen the community and provide better access to services,
facilities and leisure, these include meeting places, co-location of services/functions.
The importance of community networking, local connections, community events, community
gardens and community gathering spaces were a consistent message that people felt contributes to
community strengthening. The linking of existing community groups/service providers and support
such as providing meeting spaces was seen as Council’s role as conduit/facilitator.
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 28
3.1.2. Population
According to the United Nations, the world’s population is projected to pass 9 billion people before
2050 and then reach 10 billion by the end of the century. There are a number of factors which will
drive this increase, most notably an increase in the overall birth rate and greater life expectancy due
to better health care and higher standards of living, particularly in developed countries.
But what will this increase mean for us and our cities? For one thing cities are expected to become
home to over 70% of the global populace by 2050 with most of the growth induced by increase birth
rates and life expectancy augmented by increasing migration rates.
In Australia 9 out of 10 people live in cities. The impact of increasing urbanisation will be immense. It
will affect how and where we live, work and recreate. It will have an impact on how we view
different cultures in our community, and how we support those in the community who are most
vulnerable. It will affect how we interact and value our environment and where we decide to
urbanise. It will impact the nature of economy and what we regard as wealth generation.
So that we ensure that ‘population change’ works for our place and communities we need to better
understand what aspects of population are the likely catalysts of the most significant change to our
society. These are considered to be age, migration, birth rate, and health. Notwithstanding there will
remain a significant proportion of our community that will be made up of families.
Key messages
A major focus of conversations with participants is the projected ageing population, highlighting
that it will require more jobs in aged services; new industries, and greater demand on services and
new types of housing. With more people ageing many in the community assumed we would be
working longer. This was seen to have implications on the volunteer base, but also that we need to
see older residents as a community resource and value what they can contribute such as skill
sharing, mentoring, and family care. The increasing need for housing for an ageing population has
been a common topic, including offering a range of housing options for people to age in place or
downsize. Coupled with these increased demand on services, young people are concerned about the
potential tax burden they might carry in the future to support the ageing population.
Changing household structures, ranging from lone households to extended family living, has been
raised. An increase in extended family living has been identified as having both economic (i.e. cost of
living) and cultural influences as our cultural mix changes. This is seen to be something that is
emerging now (with children living at home longer) and is also seen as the way of the future,
providing opportunities to care for older relatives and young children in working families, and
addressing housing affordability for young people. Ensuring family housing (i.e. large homes) was
available together with new forms of housing was seen as an important factor for catering for these
changing household structures.
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 29
The importance of the provision of public transport for the community, particularly older people,
young people and multicultural groups, has been a common and significant issue raised, and that
public transport contributes to helping prevent social isolation. Infrastructure improvements such as
building a rail link to Rowville and a tram to Knox City not surprisingly has been a consistent message
from residents, although some respondents were not in favour of pursuing a train to Rowville as it
may impact upon the green and leafy image, exacerbate the traffic situation and create noise,
pollution, and destruction of the current family environment. It was felt that it would also create
anti social behaviour and make the community unsafe.
Multicultural groups have expressed the need for services to support their needs such as access to
facilities (for meetings), support for elderly, and opportunities to share their culture through events.
Things that we value
The contribution that the multicultural community provide to the Knox community was highlighted
as a significant positive aspect to increasing acceptance and valuing difference.
The skills, knowledge and experiences of the older generation in Knox were seen as an important
resource for future generations.
Challenges
The need for growth in housing to accommodate the changing population and the needs of the
changing community over time was seen as a challenge for Knox. Downsizing and an ageing
population will create the need for smaller homes, and extended family requirements will encourage
flexible living arrangements including adjoining family dwellings, retrofitted house, modular homes
and compounds.
The ageing population has consistently been recognised as a challenging issue for the future.
Respondents throughout the project highlighted initiatives that provide for ageing residents as
critical for the ageing population. These relate to Council, business and community services, support
and facilities that enable our residents to live a happy, healthy and connected life in their later years.
In particular, people were concerned that transport accessibility for the aged, the need for more
jobs and skills in aged services; and an increase in medical services/facilities will provide future
challenges in terms of funding and delivery. It was also highlighted that while people may be living
longer, chronic disease may affect their quality of life.
Public transport access, location, and frequency was highlighted as an issue for the existing
population let alone the need to plan for a growing population, with increased traffic congestion
and limited parking adding to the frustration. A common reason people associate with traffic
congestion is an increase in population.
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 30
Concern was also raised about more pressure being placed on services for older people, young
people, community services, library, roads and health. Some residents envisage that while services
may be more personalised and tailored, they could cost more in the future.
Mental health has come through as a health concern in Knox with some groups in Knox more
vulnerable such as lone person households, which many consider may lead to social isolation issues.
Opportunities
Residents have generally recognised that the population of Knox is ageing and have identified the
potential implications and opportunities of this. This understanding provides opportunities for the
community to jointly share the responsibility for supporting the ageing through community capacity
building, increasing social inclusion, and community strengthening. It has also been recognised that
with an ageing population there is a wealth of knowledge, experience and wisdom that can be
harnessed by younger generations.
Alternative transport such as car share schemes, community busses, and other partnerships have
been identified as potential initiatives that could complement the public transport in Knox.
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 31
3.1.3. Technology
Technology has the capacity to bring about significant and profound change. Many of us use various
forms of technology everyday often without realising its impact until it fails us.
Arguably two of the most important areas of technological advancement affecting cities are in the
areas of communications and health.
Central to both are the advances in computing which are enabled by a vast amount of applications
which ensure they can assist us in everything from running our homes, cars and businesses to
alerting us when our favourite football team scores. Online communication technology has already
had a massive effect on how we communicate, meet people, consume entertainment and products,
and undertake business and financial transactions. The rate of change is greater than any other
generation has seen and having access to technology is fast becoming essential to being able to
operate in the world.
But while we continue to continually advance how we connect to each other, technology has had a
massive impact on our health. Everything from new medicines to new diagnostic tools, from lifestyle
equipment to the enabling of healthier environments means that we are living longer and therefore
putting pressure on an economy and environment which is trying to catch-up.
Key messages
The community is aware of the benefits that ever-improving communication technology brings such
as greater flexibility of employment and connections. However, the community is conscious of the
downsides particularly of social media, such as the potential for greater social isolation and young
people potentially losing face-to-face social skills, and experiencing online bullying.
Many in the community presume that technological changes will continue to rapidly occur and that
we need to harness these opportunities and respond to these changes.
Health technology was recognised as a significant contributor to the quality of life and life
expectancy we enjoy today. People consider this to continue to be an enabler in the future.
Things that we value
The physical and mental health of the Knox community has largely benefitted from technological
advances which was highlighted as a significant benefit to the liveability of respondents.
Respondents generally agreed that increases in access to communication technology contributed to
greater levels of access to information and knowledge, as well as increased connections within their
community. Many also value the relative ease at which they can shop, do their banking and do
business online.
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 32
Challenges
Some participants highlighted the potential for the dominance of communication technology to
cause an increase in isolation, particularly for the ageing population who feel that they may be
missing out on information, knowledge and services because of their lack of skills or capacity to
keep up with changing technology. This is heightened by the premise that there will be an increase
in online communication including socialising, shopping, working, service provision (e.g. education,
medical advice) in the future. Additionally, the increasing social and economic divide amongst the
community has been identified, where people do not have access to or the skills to use technology,
as we become more reliant on communication technology.
Young people in particular have identified cyber-safety as a major concern for the appropriate use
of communication technology.
There is an awareness of the constant upgrading of technology (computers, phones, TVs, etc) and
that this leads to excessive waste generation and is not sustainable.
Opportunities
Many in the community felt that innovative responses will help us to meet the challenges ahead of
us, particularly the challenge of resource shortages, particularly with increases in technology to
respond to environmental pressures, renewable energy development and different types of
industry.
Many respondents felt that an increase in population and technology will both enable and require
more flexible working hours and venues. There will be a growth in part-time and casual jobs, more
service-based employment, specialist jobs and telecommuting.
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 33
3.1.4. Resources
Resources are typically the things we use to make other things or to keep other things going. They
are in every respect the most fundamental of building blocks when it comes to our society and when
these change in complexion they typically end up changing our society in the most profound of ways.
This makes them one of life’s strategic influences and how we manage them going forward provides
us with both our biggest challenges, such as reducing our dependency on fossil fuels, and
opportunities, such as building new industries centred on renewable energy sources. Everything
from rising food and fuel prices, through to increases in the cost of manufactured goods, diminishing
habitats for many species and ecosystems through to arguably the most contentious global issue
today, a changing climate.
But while we often associate resources with those that occur naturally, it’s worth noting that one of
the most critical resources to our life and standard of living is ourselves. If we as individuals don’t
have the skills or education, the physical and mental health required to contribute to society then
our communities suffer.
In this context there are two key resource types which profoundly affect our lives and which we have
to manage going forward: Natural Resources – fossil fuels, water, food, waste, land; and Human
Resources – education/skills, health.
Key messages
The desire to live locally (live, work, play, shop) came through as a strong theme throughout the
project. This is associated with decreased natural resource availability and increased costs, local
jobs, a self-sufficient community, as well as being associated with ‘local identity’ and community
connectedness. Technology is seen to facilitate this (e.g. working from home). Food security and the
need for local production and availability of food has been identified, as well as community based
solutions such as community gardens.
There was an acceptance by many of the respondents that the current rate of resource consumption
is unsustainable and that Council needs to be a leader in this area, providing information and tools
for improving in this area. It was suggested that Council should focus on developing and supporting
local innovative (green) industries and local employment with young people highlighting the
potential challenges around their future employment prospects, particularly in light of fast-paced
technological advancement.
It was highlighted that Knox should continue to protect, nurture, and ingrain its strong green
environmental identity; as there is a concern there is a risk of this identity being quickly eroded by
new residents to the area who may not share the same values. More recognition of the good
environmental programs currently in Knox was seen by many as a way to strengthen this, such as
Gardens for Wildlife, Knox Park Primary Garden project, Bayswater West Community Hub project,
Stringybark festival, and Knox festival.
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 34
People anticipate greater flexible employment in the future including working from home, family
needs, also less job security/tenure. There is an awareness of changes to manufacturing as Knox’s
industrial base, and the need to foster innovative industries, particularly for the impending
resources decline.
Things that we value
The importance of the provision of and access to education in Knox, from schools, TAFE, University,
skills training, and lifelong learning was a key message. Importantly, access, affordability, innovation
and advances in knowledge and technology, particularly in the fast-paced environment we inhabit
were seen as crucial for the continued prosperity and liveability of the Knox community.
The value of public transport and alternatives to the current car-based society in which we currently
live were seen as an important transition, given the increasing energy costs.
Leisure activities including sports, events, socialising and bike paths have been identified as a major
positive aspect of Knox. The importance of having the opportunity to shop both locally and higher
order complexes (such as Knox City Shopping Centre) was a consistent theme.
The natural environment has consistently been identified as a valuable attribute of Knox including
the ongoing protection, enhancement and priority for the community.
Challenges
The need for more public transport infrastructure has been a strong and consistent theme, although
some realise the reality that government will never have the resources available to be able to
provide this on their own. The community also identified that the quality of existing public transport
services need to be improved, notwithstanding the acute need for improved services to cope with
anticipated demand. This is supported by some who believe the need to switch to alternative fuels
for cars is a priority.
Participants highlighted the potential for an increase in the social and economic divide resulting
from the increased cost of living through the increasing cost of resources, and the increase in the
casual workforce will create greater pressure.
Conversations have centred mainly around the impacts of decreasing non-renewable fuel supplies
on society. Many believe that we will meet this challenge by living locally and simply and increasing
our use of renewable fuel sources. Likewise, many also believe there will also be a shift towards local
food production, although some say we will be eating more highly manufactured and pre-packaged
food in the future. There is also some concern about the impacts of changing weather patterns on
food production.
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 35
There is a feeling that there will be less private open space in the future which will place more
importance on preserving the existing public open space for meeting, community gardens, health
benefits and maintain the balance between urban/rural living.
Opportunities
While the community has praised the existing network of bike paths, people have identified more
opportunities to better link within Knox’s existing network and the promotion of this infrastructure
needing to be enhanced. In addition, to help ease increasing fuel costs, bike share and car share
systems were proposed. Practical approaches to improvements to bus services have also been
highlighted. For example smaller buses that run more frequently, especially through neighbourhood
streets was suggested as some busses are often half empty and run infrequently.
Changes in society will mean a shift in the types of industries we need or can sustain. For example,
less car manufacturing and more aged care and it was seen as important to harness these
opportunities in Knox to ensure job opportunities in the future. A focus on more recycling
opportunities together with greater information and education in the future was seen as an
opportunity to both reduce waste and preserve resources. It was suggested that we could better
connect business, education and the community and consider integrated pathways from learning to
working.
There has been a consistent message that there are opportunities for improved community
resources, with a greater focus on sharing resources and facilities. Community hubs have been
suggested as a potential mechanism for achieving this. People also identified a rise in shared and
intergenerational housing as a potential outcome due to the increased costs of resources.
Some respondents felt that mental health issues are significant and of concern in Knox and
suggested that access to open space and a connection to nature can assist with this.
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 36
3.1.5. Governance
Good governance is fundamental to a well functioning society. It is critical to helping manage daily
services, the health of our environment and economy to ensure that we have a sound basis upon
which to plan for the future. Historically, government has always been a key driver and influencer of
how our society takes shape. The modern ‘marketplace’, systems of education, modern health care,
and the laws by which we live have for better or worse, been created by government.
It must be said, however, that the influence of government is not all encompassing, particularly in
Western democracies. Government interacts with the economy in several ways. Despite the
importance of government, factors beyond it such as ‘market forces’ are still a major factor in how
our cities and communities operate. Striving for ‘good government’ is an ongoing and constant
process.
A central challenge for governments is that they are tasked with balancing competing needs and
aspirations and with providing for the greater good of the community. This, in itself, may lead to a
dissatisfaction and distrust of government, as no-one ever gets everything they want from those
who represent them. This provides great challenges for decision makers.
Good governance relies on two things to work in harmony, with transparency and accountability:
Representation – are we well represented, who speaks for us, can I represent my community?
Decision Making - how do I get involved, have I been listened to, what does accountability look like?
Governance in this context does not just refer to corporate of public sector governance; the concept
of community governance is an emerging and important consideration. Community Governance
refers to the arrangements in place where by the community has direct influence over community
management and decision making, decisions are made by, with or on behalf of the community by
community.
This form of governance can include for example sporting club committees, local committees of
management around locations or services, chambers or traders associations.
Key messages
There was an emphasis on the direction, responsibilities and influence of governments at all levels
and the challenges and opportunities that this creates. There was consistent feedback that the
community have a desire to be more effective and enabled to influence decisions that affect them
and a desire for new forms of governance that enable this.
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 37
A strong message was that people need to be heard and have their ideas taken seriously and
implemented, not just tokenism. This was especially clear for young people who felt that they
weren’t valued in the political sphere. Although there were mechanisms for engaging young people
through the Council, they felt that it was just for politicians to demonstrate that they were being
engaged, rather than taking their opinions seriously. This correlates with the opinion that there is a
broader lack of trust of Council and a view that there needs to be greater transparency regarding
local government.
The overwhelming response from respondents highlighted the need for Council to be active in the
promotion and education of a range of issues such as more efficient resource use and sustainability,
public transport improvements and supporting the ageing population through the provision of
services, support and opportunities to participate in their community and to stay connected to
advances in technology.
Participants identified good governance to include people that you have access to; who keep you
informed; who are able to listen; are always providing feedback and reasons as to why decisions are
made; include consistency in the information being communicated; and have opportunities for
informal get togethers for people to be relaxed and talk together.
Things that we value
Overwhelmingly the ability to have the opportunity to actively engage in the many service areas that
Council are involved in was a consistent message. This included providing opportunities to have a say
about a variety of issues, be it in a informal or formal way.
The community highlighted the strong capacity of individuals and groups within Knox to care for
their community and not rely on Council or government to provide the support, services or events
on their own. The role of Council was generally positive with many respondents happy for Council to
provide linkages and support for community initiatives without them needing to take responsibility
or lead.
Challenges
The different levels of government and their varying responsibilities were seen as confusing and
inefficient, particularly regarding legislation and regulation. In particular, Community groups are
concerned about the increasing level of compliance and regulation they need to deal with;
attracting and keeping volunteers; and access to flexible and affordable facilities.
People generally agree that it is governments’ responsibility to create legislation to curb underlying
epidemics and issues in our society and the importance of Council’s role in fostering community-
building initiatives. This is curbed by concerns about resources available to government to fund
important initiatives now and in the future.
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 38
Opportunities
Many participants stated that the community could build its own capacity by taking care of
themselves, taking responsibility, and taking care of their community. It was highlighted that
Council’s could enable this by linking existing groups and services providers and enabling
partnerships. Additionally, sporting clubs see themselves as playing a community strengthening role.
The potential for creating hubs has come through strongly, including providing places to gather
which have been identified as particularly relevant for the multicultural community, young people,
and those wanting to access technology, etc.
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 39
4 TESTING AND VALIDATION
4.1 Introduction
After collecting data from a large number of diverse groups, agencies and individuals, the data was
analysed. In order to test and validate what the main themes emerging from the data, two more
approaches were used: a random, representative survey, and a Community Forum.
The survey translated the results from the qualitative approaches for the purposes of understanding
the extent to which the results were reflected in the broader community. Although nearly 6000
people took part in the qualitative approaches, the nature of self-selection had the potential to skew
the results. The survey, with a random and appropriately sized sample (517 people), tested the
ideas that were generated in the qualitative approaches in a way that allowed the findings to be
generalised to Knox’s resident population.
The Community Forum presented the major findings back to community members and asked them
to verify whether they felt they were right, including whether there were any gaps or if some things
had been wrongly prioritised.
A survey was conducted by Knox Council Customer Services to determine what level of awareness
there was of the Knox@50 project. A short number of questions were asked to random callers who
had contacted Council on a matter not relating to the project.
In addition, feedback forms were distributed at a number of engagement activities to help us
measure the effectiveness of the project.
4.2 Knox@50 Survey
4.2.1. What the survey asked
The Knox@50 survey asked questions about the following topics:
Country/city lifestyle;
Housing diversity;
Public transport;
Living local;
Community Strengthening;
Health & wellbeing.
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 40
4.2.2. Demographics of respondents
517 people participated in the telephone survey. 64% were women. 40% were aged between 50-69
and 28% were aged 70 or older. 69% of respondents were born in Australia. 60% have lived in Knox
for 20 or more years and 20% for between 10 and 20 years. 83% of respondents were homeowners
and 81% intend to stay in the same house for the next 5 years.
184 people completed the online survey (however, were not required to answer every question).
60% of respondents were women. 50% of respondents were aged 30-49 and 36% were aged 50-69.
71% were born in Australia and 46% have lived in Knox for 20 or more years. 90% were homeowners
and 74% intend to stay in the same house for the next 5 years.
4.2.3. Summary of Responses
Results from the survey are considered to validate the key findings of the qualitative analysis, in
terms of broad issues that are important to the community. In summary:
Around two thirds of respondents feel that it is important or very important to them that
the area they live in has a ‘country feeling close to the city’.
A similar number of respondents believe that having a variety of housing options is
important or very important for the Knox community. However, fewer people see this as
important for themselves (40-48%).
For the vast majority (90-93%), the car is their main form of travel. There was a relatively
even split of opinions regarding the sufficiency of public transport in Knox. Between a half
and a third of respondents (phone and online respectively) disagree or strongly disagree that
public transport in Knox is sufficient for the needs of the community. 38-47% disagree that it
is sufficient for their own needs.
Most participants (91%) said that ‘living local’ is important or very important to them.
A majority of respondents (76%) said that feeling part of the community is important to
them.
These issues are discussed further below:
Country/city feeling
52% of participants in the telephone survey agree or strongly agree that Knox has a country feeling
close to the city. 64% of respondents feel that it is important or very important to them that where
they live has this country feeling. In terms of what creates a ‘country feeling close to the city’, 84% of
respondent said that ‘trees and vegetation’ were important or very important to them; 79% said
birds and wildlife were important or very important; 85% said access to parks and open spaces was
important or very important; and 74% said views of the Dandenong Ranges were important or very
important.
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 41
Of the online respondents, 47% of respondents agree or strongly agree that ‘Knox has a country
feeling close to the city’. 63% agree or strongly agree that it is important that where they live has
this country/city feel. In terms of what creates a ‘country feeling close to the city’, 86% of
respondent said that ‘trees and vegetation’ were important or very important to them; 78% said
birds and wildlife were important or very important; 83% said access to parks and open spaces was
important or very important; and 74% said views of the Dandenong Ranges were important or very
important.
Housing diversity
Of the telephone survey respondents, 66% either agree or strongly agree that having a variety of
housing options in Knox is important for the community. 48% of respondents either agree or
strongly agree that having a variety of housing options in Knox is important for themselves. 89% of
respondents agree or strongly agree that it is important that units and apartments are designed to
fit with the surrounding area. 73% agree or strongly agree that building units and apartments impact
trees and vegetation and 72% agree or strongly agree that units and apartments impact on traffic
flow and parking. 76% agree or strongly agree that it is important to have housing options for people
to downsize and remain in the same area if they want to.
Of the online respondents, 68% either agree or strongly agree that having a variety of housing
options in Knox is important for the community. 40% of respondents either agree or strongly agree
that having a variety of housing options in Knox is important for themselves.
83% of respondents agree or strongly agree that it is important that units and apartments are
designed to fit with the surrounding area. 65% of respondents agree or strongly agree that units and
apartments should only be built close to shopping and business precincts. 75% agree or strongly
agree that building units and apartments impacts on traffic flow and parking, with 61% agreeing or
strongly agreeing that units and apartments impact trees and vegetation. 69% agree or strongly
agree that it is important to have housing options for people to downsize and remain in the area.
Transport
90% of telephone survey respondents specified ‘car’ as their main mode of transport. The second
two modes were bus (10%) and walking (8%). The majority of respondents to the telephone survey
either never (38%) or rarely use public transport (less than once a month 31%).
When asked why they don’t use public transport more often, 41% of respondents said that they
prefer the flexibility of driving/cycling/walking. Respondents were given the option to provide
another reason, other than those provided in the survey. 32% of respondents gave an ‘other’ reason.
These responses generally related to: inconvenience; not needing to use public transport; concern
about the ticketing system; needing to use a car for work (e.g. tradespeople).
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 42
For people who do use public transport (86 people answered this question), 35% use it for regular
leisure activities; 30% for travelling to work, school or university; and 28% for running errands such
as shopping.
47% of respondents disagree or strongly disagree that public transport in Knox is sufficient for the
needs of the community. 38% of respondents disagree or strongly disagree that public transport is
sufficient for their own needs, whereas 47% agree or strongly agree that it is sufficient for their
needs.
When asked what would best meet the needs of the local community, 39% said a train to Rowville
and 31% said a tram line to Knox City.
93% of online respondents specified ‘car’ as their main mode of transport. The second two modes
were walking (22%) and train (20%). The majority of respondents either never use public transport
(27%) or do so less than once a month (33%). For people who do use public transport, 86% use it to
travel to work, school or university.
When asked why they don’t use public transport more often, 50% of respondents said ‘it takes too
long’ and 48% said ‘public transport doesn’t take me where I want to go’. The third most common
reason (34%) was that ‘I prefer the flexibility of driving/walking/cycling’. 66% of respondents
disagree or strongly disagree that public transport in Knox is sufficient for the needs of the
community. 47% disagree or strongly disagree that it is sufficient for their own needs.
When asked what would best meet the needs of the local community, 35% said a train to Rowville
and 25% said a tram line to Knox City.
Living Local
The survey defined the concept of ‘living local’ as having access to everyday facilities and services in
the local area, including working, studying, playing and shopping close to home, as well as having
access to nearby entertainment and medical services.
When asked in the telephone survey, 91% of respondents say that living ‘living local’ is important or
very important to them. 95% of respondents said that a feeling of safety is an important or very
important benefit of living local. 88% said that supporting local business was an important or very
important benefit and 80% said that saving time on travelling was either important or very
important.
Of the online respondents, 83% of respondents say that living ‘living local’ is important or very
important. 84% of respondents said that supporting local businesses is an important or very
important benefit of living locally. 83% said that saving time on travelling is an important or very
important benefit. 78% said that a feeling of safety is an important or very important benefit of living
locally.
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 43
Community Strengthening
75% of telephone survey respondents feel part of their local community. 70% of respondents
expressed that feeling part of their community was important or very important. The three top
factors that people said made them feel part of the community are ‘shopping in the local area’
(95%); ‘living near family and friends’ (80%); and ‘reading the local newspaper’ (81%).
67% of online respondents state that they feel part of their local community. 76% expressed that
feeling part of their community was important or very important to them. The three top factors that
people said made them feel part of the community are ‘shopping in the local area’ (85%); ‘living near
family and friends’ (67%); and ‘involvement with local groups – community, sporting, arts or church’
(61%).
4.3 Community Forum No.2
A Community Forum was held in February 2013 to report back on the findings gathered during the
project, and position Council and the community for wider engagement around the development of
the Vision and City Plan.
Some participants found it interesting there was such an emphasis on ‘local living’ and some were
surprised by the significant demographic changes occurring, as well as the lack of post secondary
qualifications within Knox. Others found there to be no surprises in the findings and agreed these
were all very important issues that needed to be addressed.
Many participants spoke of being concerned with the lack of public transport and reliance on cars in
Knox, the high incidence of mental health issues, and Knox’s ageing population. While some felt
more emphasis could have been placed on the environment, renewable energy, extreme weather
conditions, and children and young people.
Generally, participants recognised the need for change in housing structure/design but were
concerned with how this would be achieved, and the implications of ‘high density’ living including
traffic/parking in local streets and neighbourhood character.
Overall, many participants were impressed by the level of participation in Knox@50 and were
grateful for the opportunity to participate in such a project. Some were surprised that more people
did not take up the opportunity to become involved, in particular, young people and their noticeable
absence at the Forum.
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 44
4.4 Customer Service Phone Poll
In November 2012 The Customer Services Department asked 1328 of Knox customers a few
questions to provide feedback about Knox@50. The following provides a summary of what we
heard:
from 1328 customers polled 226 had previously heard about Knox@50. 1102 Customers
have now heard about Knox@50;
the most popular way our customers have heard about Knox@50 was through advertising in
the Knox Leader;
postcard letter box drop and word of mouth also proving to be the most popular methods
the public heard about Knox@50;
38 people had participated in a Knox@50 activity;
738 people (55%) of people were happy to be added to the Knox@50 mailing list.
4.5 Feedback Forms
The Community Forums held in August 2012 and February 2013 engaged a total of 150 people. The
results provided valuable insight into our approach to community engagement and the tools we
used to support it.
Community Forum No. 1 – August 2012
Of the 70 participant, 50 provided feedback. 78% of participants felt that information provided to
them prior to the forum was either excellent or good. 96% of participants felt that the opportunity
to participate with other community members was either excellent or good. When asked about their
knowledge of the drivers of change affecting Knox, 48% of participants had little or no knowledge,
36% had a medium extent and only 6% a large extent. Following the forum, participant’s knowledge
of the drivers of change increased with 84% reporting a large or medium increase in knowledge.
Overall, 74% of participants rated the forum to be excellent and 14% good.
Community Forum No. 2 – February 2013
Of the 80 participants, 59 provided feedback. 90% of participants felt that the opportunity to talk
with other participants was either excellent or good. 93% of participants felt that at the forum they
had an opportunity to be heard, together with 83% of participants feeling that they had either a
large or medium say on issues important to Knox. Overall, 100% of participants felt that the Forum
was either excellent or good.
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 45
APPENDICES
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 46
Appendix 1 List of Vox Pops
Location Date Time Number of
people engaged
Ferntree Gully Library 1-Jun-12 1.30 – 3.30pm 55
Boronia Library 2-Jun-12 11am – 1pm 42
Ferntree Gully Arts Centre 3-Jun-12 3 – 6pm 40
The Basin Shops 7-Jun-12 12 – 2pm 42
Knox Library 8-Jun-12 11am – 2pm 85
Scoresby Village 13-Jun-12 3.30 – 5.30pm 52
Knoxfield 14-Jun-12 12pm – 2pm 51
Mountain Gate Shopping Centre 15-Jun-12 12.30 – 2.30pm 42
Studfield 22-Jun-12 12pm – 2pm 53
Boronia Junction 23-Jun-12 10am – 1pm 42
Woolworths Ferntree Gully 29-Jun-12 3.30 – 5.30pm 17
Maxi Foods Upper Ferntree Gully 30-Jun-12 10am – 12pm 72
Knox City Shopping Centre 3-Jul-12 10am – 3pm 371
Bunnings Scoresby 8-Jul-12 10am – 12pm 40
Alchester Village 12-Jul-12 3 – 5pm 32
Wantirna Mall 14-Jul-12 9.30 – 11.30am 88
Mountain High Bayswater 18-Jul-12 2 – 4pm 36
City Life Church 21-Jul-12 5.15 – 6.15pm 217
Swinburne University 24-Jul-12 11am – 1pm 152
Rowville Community Centre 25-Jul-12 9 – 11am 49
Upper Ferntree Gully Station 26-Jul-12 6.30 – 8.30am 218
Kmart Dorset Square 3-Aug-12 9.30 – 11.30am 122
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 47
Location Date Time Number of
people engaged
Rowville Library 4-Aug-12 9.30 - 11.30am 117
Knox Leisure Works 8-Aug-12 8.30 – 10.30am 27
Ferntree Gully Auskick (Dorset Park) 11-Aug-12 9 – 11am 30
Knox Ozone 12-Aug-12 11.30am – 1.30pm 66
Wellington Village 15-Aug-12 10am – 12pm 41
Ferntree Gully Station 16-Aug-12 6.30 – 8.30am 321
Boronia IGA 24-Aug-12 10 – 11.30am 5
Business women’s breakfast 30-Aug-12 8.30 – 9.30am 80
Rowville Lakes 30-Aug-12 4 – 6pm 57
Boronia village 31-Aug-12 9 – 11am 42
Stud Park 1-Sep-12 10am – 4pm 257
Boronia Train Station 6-Sep-12 6.30 – 8.30am 304
Knox United Soccer Club Presentation Day
16-Sep-12 10am - 1.30pm 63
Eildon Park Tennis Club 30-Sep-12 8.30 – 11.30am 27
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 48
Appendix 2 Focus Groups
Group Location Date Time Number of participants
Dobson Ward residents
Mountain District Learning Centre – Ferntree Gully
26-Jul-12 7 – 8.30pm 6
Friberg Ward residents
VCAMM Innovation Centre
1-Aug-12 7 – 8.30pm 7
Chinese residents Knox Library 6-Aug-12 2 – 3pm 30
Collier Ward Residents
Hungarian Community Centre – Wantirna
9-Aug-12 7 – 8.30pm 1
Chinese residents Rowville Library 9-Aug-12 10.30am – 12pm 35
Knox Interfaith Network (KIN)
Residence of KIN secretary in Rowville
20-Aug-12 7.45 – 8.30pm 5
Sri Lankan residents
Knox Civic Centre 24-Aug-12 7 – 9pm 17
Friday morning social group
Rowville District Neighbourhood House
31-Aug-12 11am – 12pm 14
Baird/Chandler Ward residents
VCAMM Innovation Centre
4-Sep-12 7 – 8.30pm 6
Mountain District Learning Centre staff and community
Mountain District Learning Centre
6-Sep-12 2 – 3.30pm 10
Knox residents involved in environmental initiatives
VCAMM Innovation Centre
13-Sep-12 4.30 – 6pm 7
Wurundjeri Council Abbottsford Convent 14-Sep-12 2 – 3.30pm 5
Indian residents Knox Civic Centre 16-Sep-12 3 – 5pm 7
Bayswater West residents
Bayswater West Primary School
17-Sep-12 10am – 12pm 9
Rowville Junior Football and Eildon Park Cricket Club Committee members
Eildon Park, Rowville 19-Sep-12 7.30 – 9pm 5
City Life Church members
City Life Church 19-Sep-12 7 – 8.30pm 10
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 49
Group Location Date Time Number of participants
Clovelly Cottage residents, staff, family
Clovelly Cottage nursing home
20-Sep-12 1.30 – 2.30pm 5
Glengollan Retirement Village residents
Glengollan Retirement Village
26-Sep-12 2 – 3.30pm 9
Knox Community Health Centre staff
Knox Community Health Centre
3-Oct-12 3 – 4.30pm 9
Knox Athletics Club Committee members
Knox Athletics Club 3-Oct-12 7.30 – 8.30pm 4
Italian residents Italian Club 18-Oct-12 1.30 – 3.30pm 55
Scoresby playgroup mothers
Scoresby West playgroup
23-Oct-12 10.45 – 11.45am 4
Scope clients and staff
Scope 23-Oct-12 2 – 3pm 15
U3A members U3A 30-Oct-12 1 – 2.30pm 6
Knox Community Health Centre clients
Knox Community Health Centre Wantirna
1-Nov-12 1 – 2.30pm 10
Ferntree Gully Junior Football Club Committee members
Ferntree Gully Junior Football Club
12-Nov-12 7 – 7.30pm 18
Martin Luther Homes reisdents
Martin Luther Homes 12-Nov-12 1 – 3pm 13
CWA Boronia members
CWA hall, Boronia 14-Nov-12 12.30 – 2pm 13
Certificate III Community Services Students and Coonara Community House Staff
Coonara Community House
16-Nov-12 12 – 1.30pm 9
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 50
Appendix 3 Youth Engagement
Group Location Date Time Number of participants
Young Leaders (August)
Knox Civic Centre 8-Aug-12 9 – 10am 28
Youth Council and Youth Advisory Committee
Knox Civic Centre 15-Aug-12 6.30 – 7.30pm 12
Upper Ferntree Gully Primary School students in grade 5/6
Upper Ferntree Gully Primary School
15-Aug-12 2.30 – 3.30pm 26
Young Leaders (September)
Knox Civic Centre 5-Sep-12 9 – 10am 38
Bayswater Secondary College Students aged 13 to 19
Bayswater Secondary College
12-Oct-12 1.15 – 2.15pm 19
Upper Ferntree Gully Scouts aged 10 to 20
Ferntree Gully Scout Hall 11-Oct-12 7 – 8.30pm 18
Karoo Primary School students, 11 to 12 years old
Karoo Primary School 15-Oct-12 2.30 – 3.30pm 24
Lysterfield Mosque Young Women’s Group, 3 participants under 25 yrs, 5 older than 25yrs
Lysterfield Mosque Hall 18-Oct-12 7 – 9.30pm 8
Upper Ferntree Gully Venturers aged 15 to 18 years
Ferntree Gully Scout Hall 19-Oct-12 7.30 – 9.00pm 7
The Knox School students aged 8 to 15 years
The Knox School 29-Oct-12 9 – 10am 24
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 51
Appendix 4 Dialogue Groups
Group Date Number of participants
(including facilitator)
Knox City Council Staff that live in Knox 17-Jul-12 8
Staff at St Simons Primary School Rowville 23-Jul-12 7
Group of residents (friends/family) 24-Jul-12 8
Students of English as a Second Language at Boronia Library
26-Jul-12 16
Knox City Council Staff that live in Knox 31-Jul-12 8
Family members at dinner 1-Aug-12 11
Community of Christ 5-Aug-12 6
Villa Maria Gateway Wantirna 9-Aug-12 11
Wantirna Christian Community Church 16-Aug-12 10
Group of residents (friends/family) – Ferntree Gully
16-Aug-12 8
The Basin Community House clients 17-Aug-12 6
Group of residents (friends) - Ferntree Gully 22-Aug-12 4
Friday Night Social Project – Rowville Community Centre
24-Aug-12 10
New Migrants Swinburne TAFE group 1 29-Aug-12 6
New Migrants Swinburne TAFE group 2 29-Aug-12 6
New Migrants Swinburne TAFE group 3 29-Aug-12 6
Group of residents (friends) - Bayswater 2-Sep-12 6
Community of Christ - bereaved partners support program
4-Sep-12 4
Group of residents (friends) - - Bayswater 5-Sep-12 7
Group of residents (friends) – Upper Ferntree Gully
7-Sep-12 5
Wantirna Christian Community Church Youth Group
16-Sep-12 11
Singaporean group 18-Sep-12 7
Villa Maria - Carinya Respite, Lysterfield Aug 12 3
Villa Maria - Rehabilitation Centre Wantirna Aug 12 3
Villa Maria - White Road Planned Activity Centre Aug 12 10
Villa Maria - Eastern Community Services Staff Aug 12 6
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 52
Appendix 5 Advertising and Mailouts
Newspaper display advertisements were placed in the Knox Leader and Knox Weekly newspapers
informing readers about the Knox@50 project and how to get involved. The ads ran for a total of 12
weeks between June and September.
The Knox@50 Bang the Table website introduced people to the project, informed them of upcoming
events/activities and included blogs, surveys and further reading.
Messages on hold June to September: Callers to Knox City Council who were placed on hold heard a
recorded message informing them about the Knox@50 project and how to get involved. The
message was refreshed on a monthly basis between June and September 2012. The message was
heard by 40,000 callers.
Posters were displayed in all major retail areas and some minor retail locations around the
municipality. The poster informed people about the project and directed them to the Knox@50
website or Council’s Customer Service phone number for further information. The poster was
translated into Arabic, Cantonese, Greek, Italian, Mandarin and Vietnamese.
Postcards
Postcards were sent to 60,000 households in Knox both informing people about the project
and asking what they like about Knox and what they think could make it even better. The
postcards were reply paid.
Dialogue Groups
Ten copies of a flyer advertising dialogue groups were sent to 454 community organisations.
Focus Groups
2000 invitations to ward based focus groups were sent to a random selection of residents.
Community Forum
111 invitations were sent to individuals and organisations identified as community leaders.
11 invitations with a cover letter signed by the Mayor were sent to individuals nominated by
Councillors.
11 invitations with a cover letter signed by the Mayor were sent to school captains of high
schools in Knox via their Principal.
11 invitations with a cover letter signed by the Mayor were sent to local Members of
Parliament.
Invitations were emailed to 155 people who’d registered their interest in the project at the
Knox Festival.
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 53
Invitations were emailed to 141 people who’d completed postcards and many of these
where followed up with phone calls by a member of the Knox@50 team.
2000 invitations with a cover letter from the Mayor were sent to a random selection of
residents.
Civic Centre display and electronic screen were both set up in the first week of June and continue to
support the Knox@50 Celebration. It is estimated that 11,000 people could potentially have viewed
the display and screen over the past year.
e-newsletters providing project updates were sent to those who had expressed an interest in the
project in August, September and December.
Social media: 120 Facebook and Twitter posts went out to 1500 subscribers.
Ward newsletters that were distributed in December included a Knox@50 section which gave
readers an overview of the project, a snapshot of what we had heard so far and invited them to take
part in the online survey or request a seeded card.
Phone poll: During November the Customer Service call centre ran a phone poll asking callers
whether they had heard of Knox@50. Of the 1328 respondents 226 said that they had. 55% of callers
took up the opportunity to be added to the Knox@50 mailing list.
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 54
Appendix 6 Key Themes identified through Engagement
Top 20 themes derived from engagement include:
1. Services: facilities, council and non-council provided, maintenance (buildings, roads,
footpaths, etc), programs, events, transport services.
2. Politics: government decisions, programs and projects (that Council should/does provide),
planning, governance, decision-making, regulations, processes, bureaucracy, Council
funding/budget, rates.
3. Transport: mode/type, public transport, private transport, access, cost, location, car
dependency, efficiency.
4. Community Strengthening: friendly neighbourhood, happy, celebrating community, bringing
people together, good will, connection to other people.
5. Clean Environment: green and leafy, amenity (visual, noise, etc), pollution, biodiversity.
6. Leisure: activity/socialisation, sport, cafe culture, dining, shopping, community groups, arts
& culture, festivals, informal recreation (e.g. cycling).
7. Open Space: public/private, open/country feel, views, Dandenong Ranges, parks, bushland
setting, green & leafy, backyards, playgrounds.
8. Values: heritage, people’s behaviour e.g. choosing sustainable options, ‘common values’,
religion, culture, lifestyle choices.
9. Communication Technology: internet, telephones, computers, electronic devices, access to,
changes in, social media.
10. Housing Diversity: medium/high density, apartments, townhouses, detached housing,
housing options, downsizing, family housing, housing design & character, multi-generational.
11. Living Locally: access and proximity of housing, employment, shopping, leisure, education,
transport, family/friends/neighbours.
12. Safety: actual, perceptions of, graffiti, hoons, road safety, cyber bullying.
13. Ageing: ageing population, support/services/facilities for aged, aged care.
14. Young People: birth to 18 years, services/programs, values.
15. Infrastructure: roads, rail, buildings e.g. hospital, technological, social, environmental,
bikeways, footpaths.
16. Resource Use: energy, sustainability, food, water, fuel, efficiency, people, sharing resources.
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 55
17. Multiculturalism: migration, multicultural activity/services/programs, country of birth,
tolerance, acceptance, integration, celebration, culture (e.g. food, shops), connections.
18. Education: providers, access, level, type, cost, location, relevancy.
19. Industry: type, location, land, opportunity, future of, employment, partnerships.
20. Family: services, programs, support, structure, intergenerational, , family values, family
friendly.
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 56
Appendix 7 Meetings
Advisory committee meetings: Knox@50 staff members attended each of Council’s advisory
committees to inform them of the start of the project.
Councillor briefings: Councillors were updated on the project regularly at Special Issues Briefings
between February and October.
One on one meetings with Councillors were held in May/June to provide Councillors with an
overview of the activity plan and give them the opportunity to identify individuals or community
groups that they felt were important to engage with during the project. They were also given the
opportunity to propose Vox Pop locations. Meetings were held with eight of the nine Councillors.
EMT meetings: The Executive Management Team were consulted on the progress of the project at
meetings in February, March, May, June, July and December.
CEO briefings: Information about Knox@50 was presented to Council staff at CEO briefings on 19
April and 5 July. The CEO also talked about Knox@50 as part of the CEO update at the briefing on 20
September.
A Knox@50 staff briefing was held at the Civic Centre on 25 July to inform staff about the project.
Staff were invited to a follow up workshop.
Customer Service briefings: four briefings/workshops plus written updates were provided for
Customer Service staff to keep them informed throughout the project.
Internal Knox@50 Leadership Group: monthly meeting of internal managers were held from
February to December 2012.
A Community Leadership Group was formed during the Knox@50 project to provide a
representative voice of the community whilst considering how the drivers of change are impacting
on Knox. The group first met on 8 November 2012 and meetings will continue until December 2013.
A Councillor induction session was held on 18 November 2012. The new Council was informed about
the Knox@50 project.
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 57
Appendix 8 Project Team
Project Sponsor(s) Angelo Kourambas – Director City Development
Mark Dupe – Director Corporate Development
Project Director(s) Kim Rawlings – Manager City Futures
Kerryn Ellis – Manager Corporate Planning and Performance
Leadership Group Angelo Kourambas - Director City Development
Kathy Parton - Manager Community Wellbeing
David Blair - Manager Youth Leisure & Cultural Services
Kath Oakley - Manager Corporate Communications
Trish Winterling – Manager of Sustainability (former)
Craig Dinsdale – Manager Sustainable Infrastructure
Project Team Sarah Lane – Senior Strategic Planner
Jane Kuchins – Project Officer
Jaya Manchikanti – Community Engagement Officer
Rebecca Hutchinson – Improvement Project Officer
Zoe Perrington – Project Support Officer
Anna Lottkowitz – Project Coordinator (January – July 2012)
Michelle Booth – Project Support Officer (January – June 2012)
Tracey Vervoort – Community Engagement Officer (January – March 2012)
Claire Anderson – Senior Strategic Planner (November 2011-January 2012)
Mandy Bow – Service Planning Coordinator (June – September 2012)
Analysis Team Rebecca Coates – Senior Strategic Planner
Sarah Lane – Senior Strategic Planner
Jane Kuchins – Project Officer
Zoe Perrington – Project Support Officer
Acknowledgements Ingo Kumic – Coordinator Place Program
Paul Gallagher – Strategic Communications Coordinator
Mardi Solomon – Coordinator e-Services and Projects
Vince Patton – Graphic Designer
Darlene Swan – Social Planning Research Officer
Special thank you to the many council officers across the organisation who supported Knox@50
throughout the project.
KNOX@50 OUR CITY... OUR FUTURE
FINAL REPORT | MARCH 2013 Page 58
i It is noted that extensive consultation was undertaken during Structure Planning processes for several locations in Knox. The findings of these consultations have not been discussed here as they took place more than two years ago. ii Guidelines for the types of matters/applications to be referred to the PCC are:
i) any major project (including residential developments of twenty or more units); and
ii) any application where either
it appears that the PCC process offers a chance of an agreed result, or
ten or more objections have been received at the time of reporting, or
the proposal / objections raise significant policy issues warranting the PCC hearing different views, or
the matter is ‘called up’ on request of a Councillor or identified officer (being the CEO, Director - City
Development, Manager - City Planning, Manager – Strategic & Economic Development).