The Beginning
A newspaper article about a local government lobby group in England provided the inspiration for the formation of the Municipal Association of Victoria in 1879.
The then presidents of the Mount Rouse and Maffra Shire Councils had read an article in The Argus, which extolled the benefits of an umbrella body, looking after the joint interests of councils and acting as a central lobby group with other spheres of Government.
Council representatives from throughout the Colony met at the Melbourne Town Hall on 29-30 July 1879, and after the two-day meeting, the Municipal Association of Victoria was born. Some 28 years later, in 1907, the Association was incorporated by an Act of Parliament, anointing the MAV as the official voice of local government in Victoria and decreeing that all Victorian councils were members.
Find out more about the
Municipal Associations Act 1907.
Mapping the Early Years of the MAV
The early years of the MAV (1880 to 1904) were documented in a publication 'The Road to Municipal Leadership' - a project undertaken as part of the 125th anniversary celebrations of the Association in 2004. Details about the issues of the period, formation of municipal government, inauguration of the MAV, and the pioneers who moulded the early years can be found in this thoroughly researched document.
MAV in the 20th Century
In the 128 years since its formation, the MAV has focused its activities on representing, promoting and advancing the interests of Victorian local government. Some campaigns have been constants - improved relations between local, State and Commonwealth Governments; better road funding; and greater financial capacity. Others have verged on the obscure including the demand, in 1928, for scientific experiments to eradicate mosquitoes "as large as canaries"; or the council in 1979 whose answer to insufficient funds for infrastructure development was to buy a weekly Tattslotto ticket.
Throughout it all, lobbying, research, policy development, knowledge management, facilitation and service delivery have been the mainstays of the Association's activities.
During most of its century-plus existence, the MAV has remained a comparatively stable institution. However, the onset of massive reform and restructure of Victorian councils in the early 1990s signalled what was to become the most turbulent period in the MAV's history. The reduction in the number of councils from 210 to 78 had major implications for the Association's finances and member representation. The number of councils later increased to 79.
Government-appointed commissioners significantly changed the MAV's focus and operation. The phased return to elected councillors caused several by-elections for the Management Board, resulting in considerable change in personnel and direction at both Board and senior management level.
2007 and Beyond
In 2007 the MAV is a stable organisation, that is firmly committed to the long term security and financial stability of local government and continuous improvement of council'-s operation, performance and service delivery to communities. The MAV's role is to provide leadership to councils by supporting them to achieve the highest levels of respect and recognition through improved performance.