Nearly 100% of Residents Surveyed Happy in City

Mayor Russell Aubrey said these latest survey results confirmed what the organisation already knew – the City of Melville was a wonderful place to live. “Council is proud of the City it represents – taking great pride in the beauty and quality of life in the municipality. We try to build liveable neighbourhoods that translate into safer and healthier environments for our community,” he said.

The survey was undertaken in June by an independent firm, CATALYSE Pty Ltd. A statistically valid random sample of residents took part in the survey, helping the City of Melville to: determine levels of wellbeing in the community; understand how community needs are changing; and identify opportunities for improvement.

Mayor Aubrey said the 2009 survey also showed residents in the City experienced high levels of wellbeing with: sense of belonging (87 per cent feel they belong in their local community); wealth (79 per cent describe themselves as ‘wealthy’, ‘very comfortable’ or ‘comfortable’); and health (92 per cent believe their health is steady or improving). A total of 63 per cent use public transport at least once a week, while 89 per cent feel safe in the local area, and 96 per cent feel they can count on family and friends to help them if they get into difficulties. In terms of local business, 94 per cent prefer to shop locally and 93 per cent believe they can usually find the goods and services they need in the local area,” he said.

“Overall we achieved positive results with the Wellbeing Survey and, as the Mayor, it is wonderful to know the overwhelming majority of residents are happy and proud to live in the City of Melville. However, although the results are pleasing, we will not rest on our laurels as we know there is much more to do. The City is continually working to address priority areas where improvement is needed, and will continue to build and strengthen partnerships with government, community groups and organisations to achieve our common goals,” he said.

Chief Executive Officer Dr Shayne Silcox said – on behalf of the City of Melville – he would like to thank those who participated in the survey. “The City has always known that Melville is a very desirable place to live in, and I am pleased that the survey results reflect this. I am also delighted the vast majority of respondents are happy with the quality of life we attempt to provide through our more than 200 products and services. The City continues to explore ways of improving the amenity for residents and delivering services that make our great society function better,” he said.

“This recent survey was the first step to developing a ‘Wellbeing Scorecard’. The development of a scorecard is part of the City’s pursuit of excellence to improving citizen engagement, community planning and policy-making. It will provide a series of baseline measures, which will be updated and consistently monitored over time, to measure changes in progress and perceptions,” he said.

“Central to the City’s commitment to continue to be more adaptive and responsive to community aspirations, challenges and opportunities is our Community Plan (2007-2017) People Places Participation. The Wellbeing Scorecard is one of the tools being developed to monitor and evaluate the outcomes of the Plan,” he said.

The City of Melville also expresses its commitment to the well-being of the community through actions in its strategic plan. The results of this survey help validate these strategies and provide input for future planning.

The Wellbeing Survey is designed to complement the current Community and Business Perceptions Survey, which evaluates and measures the City of Melville’s performance across a range of services and facilities that it provides. The two will generally be conducted in alternate years.

For the complete survey results, visit www.melvillecity.com.au/wellbeing or phone Community Engagement Coordinator Stevie Cole on 1300 635 845.

Note: ‘Community Wellbeing’ refers to the condition or state of being well, contented, and satisfied with life. It includes physical, mental, social and spiritual dimensions.