The Andrews Labor Government has appointed members to Melbourne’s six Metropolitan Partnerships, a new platform for cooperative engagement between governments, business and communities.

These Partnerships will identify the opportunities and priorities that exist across government, business and community sectors so that all Melburnians have access to the jobs services and local infrastructure they need.

The Metropolitan Partnerships have been established for Melbourne’s Inner Metro, Inner South-East, Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western metropolitan regions.

Member for Dandenong, Gabrielle Williams, said the Southern Metropolitan Partnership spans bayside, growth areas and regional hubs of Frankston and Dandenong, and extends from its northern border at Cheltenham and Moorabbin, to the southern tip of the Mornington Peninsula and the eastern limits of Pakenham and Officer.

The Minister for Suburban Development Lily D’Ambrosio today announced the appointment of the Chairs and members for each of the six Metropolitan Partnership groups across Melbourne:

Dr Elizabeth Deveny, is CEO of the South Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network and was formerly the CEO of Bayside Medicare Local has been appointed the Chair of the Southern Metropolitan Partnership.

Mr Andrew Simmons, is CEO of South East Local Learning and Employment Network where he works to improve outcomes for young people in the education, training and employment sectors will be Deputy Chair.

The other members include:

• Mr Andrew Cornwall, is Managing Director of Melbourne’s largest bus provider Ventura Bus Company
• Ms Vicki MacDermid, is Executive Director and Partner in Private Clients at Pitcher Partners
• Ms Shabnam Safa, co-founded a not-for-profit organization to help newly arrived refugees and migrants with their settlement in Australia called the Noor Foundation https://vimeo.com/219616250/c87cb4948b.
• Ms Jillian Walsh, is a Partner with Actco Pickering Metal Industries and General Manager of ARM Group Australia
• Mr Andrew Gardiner, is the CEO of Dandenong & District Aborigines Co-operative Ltd
• Ms Jacqueline Galloway, is CEO of Peninsula Community Legal Centre, an independent not-for-profit organisation that provides free legal services to Melbourne’s south-eastern communities

Each Partnership includes eight community and business representatives with a variety of backgrounds, experiences and networks.

These members will be joined by the CEO of each council in that region, a senior Victorian Government official and a representative from the metropolitan Regional Development Australia Committee.

The work of the Metropolitan Partnerships will also help to align investments already being made by all levels of government.

They will also strengthen communication and collaboration across Melbourne’s key business and community sector institutions to help shape the city’s future liveability and international competitiveness.

For further information: www.suburbandevelopment.vic.gov.au/partnerships/metropolitan-partnerships.