Season’s Greetings - EOY Newsletter 2024
As 2024 draws to a close, the team at SECCCA would like to thank you for your time, guidance, and support throughout the year.
This year has been one of significant growth and action, marked by the appointment of our new CEO, Helen Steel, the launch of our 2024-2028 Strategic Plan, and steady progress on key projects. We have focused on building strong foundations to deliver impactful outcomes for our councils and communities as we work towards a net-zero, climate-resilient future for the region.
Guided by our pillars of Convene, Catalyse, and Champion, we’ve brought our community together, advanced key projects, and strengthened our ability to work together as a collective voice for the region.
Our Annual Report is also now available on our website here. The report looks at our accomplishments from June 2023 – July 2024 across project work, advocacy and partnerships.
With council elections recently completed, we’re excited to welcome new councillors to the SECCCA community and look forward to collaborating with them in 2025.
A special thank you to Simon Woodland for his continued leadership as SECCCA President and the dedication and support of our Management Committee and Councillor Advisory Group in guiding us forward.
We would like to take this opportunity to also thank you for your continued commitment and support in 2024. We look forward to continuing this momentum in 2025 as we work together to deliver impactful results with increased maturity and ambition.
Wishing you a safe and joyful holiday season!
2024 highlights: What we’ve achieved together
As we reflect on an impactful 2024, we’re proud to celebrate the milestones we’ve achieved together, driving collaboration, innovation, and action across the region in our shared efforts toward resilience and achieving net zero goals.
Through Convening we hosted the annual Leadership Forum, providing opportunities for councils to collaborate, share knowledge, and address key regional challenges.
By Catalysing action, we progressed key initiatives, including delivering another flagship project Enhancing Community Resilience, securing $4.1m from the Disaster Ready fund to deliver the Financing Flood Resilient Infrastructure project, creation of a Net Zero Roadmap for the GSEM/SECCCA region, expanding our Brief Ezy tool into NSW and developing the suite of projects to be delivered as part of the Strategic Plan 2024-28.
Under our Champion pillar, we worked together to advance critical discussions on resilience funding, net zero pathways, and climate adaptation. Our successful delegation to Canberra enabled engagement with federal ministers to advocate for climate risk, resilience and emission reduction, while our attendance at the the GSEM Jobs and Skills Roadmap launch event emphasised the importance of regional investment and collaboration opportunities.
Looking ahead to 2025
In the New Year, SECCCA will continue to focus on:
Convene: Facilitating collaboration and peer learning through Leadership and Mayoral Forums and regional roundtables.
Catalyse: Delivering innovative projects like the Green Lease Project, and the Sustainable Procurement Project as well as commencing a suite of emission reduction and resilience projects.
Champion: Strengthening advocacy ahead of the Federal Election, ensuring Southeast Melbourne’s needs are prioritised in policy discussions.
The SECCCA Management Committee
SECCCA’s Management Committee has been pivotal in steering SECCCA’s direction and ensuring the success of our initiatives. Their leadership and expertise have been key to driving impactful outcomes for Southeast Melbourne.
Current Management Committee Members:
Simon Woodland (President)
Susannah Kenny (Vice-President)
Warren Smith (Treasurer)
Nicci Tsernjavski (Secretary)
Julian Donlen
Shelley Franklyn
James Mitchell
Vandana Rama
Alternate Members: Diana Whittington, James Roscoe, Mitchell Benders,
Will Jackson, Marta Slawuta, Helen Scott, Dan Kabel and Renae Walton.
We are incredibly grateful for their guidance and look forward to another year of impactful collaboration.