Mornington Peninsula Shire Council

Government, Community & Emergency Services

The Mornington Peninsula is located just over an hour’s drive away from the city and is often described as Melbourne’s playground. It is the most popular informal recreation area in Victoria.

If you are considering a change of career, a role at the Mornington Peninsula Shire may be the diverse offering that you’re looking for. Our council is a mixture of urban areas, resort towns, tourist destinations and rural land. There are many benefits of working at the Mornington Peninsula Shire.

To learn more about working at the Shire, please visit our website www.mornpen.vic.gov.au to view our current vacancies. You will be amazed at how many services we provide, and surprised at how many different jobs are required to ensure the needs of the community are met. This may be your chance to really make a difference – Sea for yourself!

Work Experience

Our work experience program offers high school students the opportunity to gain valuable experience within local government. We have a number of placement opportunities across the Shire, including in our Visitor Centres, Plant Nursery, Libraries, Kitchen and with our Information Technology Teams and our Community Engagement Team.

Work experience placements are open to all high school students living or attending a high school on the Peninsula.

How to apply:

  1. Fill in the Work Experience Expression of Interest Form below
  2. Select your preferred area of work experience
  3. Specify your placement dates
  4. Include reasons for wanting to undertake work experience at the Shire

While the Shire will make every effort to offer work experience placements, at peak times of the year we may not be able to accommodate all students

Apply for Work Experience Placement Here

 

About Volunteering

Volunteering can be a rewarding and enjoyable experience. It benefits both you and your community.

Many people actively volunteer in many informal ways such as ‘helping out’ or ‘taking part’ in their community. Formal volunteering is essentially about giving your time, skills and experience to a service provided by a not-for-profit organisation on an agreed basis.

It’s good to get the facts about your rights and responsibilities before you start volunteering. You can visit the Volunteering Victoria website to find out more about your rights as a volunteer – see below.

How can I volunteer?

There are many ways you can volunteer in your community including:

  • Organising the activities of clubs and interests groups
  • Supporting social and environmental causes
  • Helping neighbours, parishes and schools
  • Delivering meals to others
  • Working on Committees of Management or Advisory Groups
  • Hosting community meals and festivities
  • Helping provide services for people experiencing disadvantage

Your volunteering role can also benefit you in many and varied ways, including:

  • using your existing skills and being part of a team
  • developing or practicing new skills
  • access to training, including nationally recognised certificates
  • meeting new people, making new friends and a new social network
  • a route to employment – gaining workplace skills and experience
  • recognition for doing valuable work in your community
  • improving your overall health, wellbeing and happiness

Where can I find a Volunteer role?

The most effective way of finding a volunteer role is word of mouth. Ask your friends and family, your church or community centre if they know of groups or organisations that engage volunteers. You can also look for organisations you might like to volunteer with in community directories, newspaper stories, radio or television ads, social media or local noticeboards. You can also check out what volunteer opportunities are available on the Shire’s Volunteering Mornington Peninsula page.

 

Volunteering Opportunities

Shire Nursery

Our Nursery welcomes volunteers with an interest in growing plants and gardening. Volunteering at the nursery provides an opportunity to build on existing horticultural skills, meet new people and learn about our local flora. There are a variety of tasks available including propagation, seed cleaning and sorting, planting, potting, weeding and the preparation of materials for nursery staff.

Volunteering opportunities will be advertised on the Mornington Peninsula Shire Volunteering website.

Environmental Volunteers

There are a variety of opportunities available to people with an interest in our environment and working outdoors. Assisting in these programs allows volunteers to meet new people and gain an understanding of their local environment. Visit our Environment – Get Involved page to find out more.

Recreation Community Partnerships

Our Recreation team manages our active sport reserves and community halls. Opportunities exist at many of these facilities to be part of the committee of management or local management support group looking after halls and reserves.

Contact:
Phone: 5950 1000

Home library service

Our Libraries provides free monthly deliveries of library materials to housebound residents through its Home Library Service.  Volunteers select and deliver items to a resident or residents living in their local community where possible. All volunteers are required to undergo a police check.

Contact:
Home Library Service Coordinator, phone: 5982 0126 or email: homelibraryservice@mornpen.vic.gov.au

Delivered meals

We deliver more than 350 meals per day to older persons and people with disabilities, five days a week. Volunteers are required to deliver meals for approximately two hours in the morning using their own roadworthy vehicles and they receive a contribution toward petrol costs. You can decide how often you wish to donate your time. It can be once a week, once a month or whatever suits you. Volunteers are required to be caring, alert, and non-judgemental with an interest in older persons and people with a disability.

Contact:
Volunteer Support Officer, phone: 5950 1600

The Briars, Mt Martha

A range of opportunities are available at the Briars for those passionate about local history, wildlife and agriculture. Volunteer tour guides take our visitors through the Heritage Homestead while our Outdoor Volunteers assist with maintenance of the site including track works, fence maintenance and weed management. Heritage Garden Volunteers grow heritage seeds in the Homestead garden, for sale to visitors. Volunteers can also assist with school holiday programs and at other community events.

Volunteering opportunities will be advertised on the Mornington Peninsula Shire Volunteering website.

Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery

Experience the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery from the inside, become an ambassador and share your time and skills, meet new friends, and become part of a unique experience. MPRG has many volunteer opportunities available for both short and long term commitments, including assisting with front of house, exhibition attendants and gallery guides. People with good communication skills and an interest in art would be suited to these positions.

Contact:
Phone: 5975 4395 or email: mprg@mornpen.vic.gov.au

Mornington Peninsula Visitor Information Centre

Located in Dromana, the Mornington Peninsula Visitor Information Centre provides an efficient, effective and comprehensive information service for visitors, local tourism operators, the community and the travel trade.

Volunteers are required for a minimum of four hours per week covering a seven-day roster. Volunteer responsibilities include customer service; responding to incoming phone enquiries; recording accommodation and ticketing enquiries; collecting and collating visitation statistics; mailing suitable information; maintaining brochure displays and storage and; souvenir sales and general administrative duties.

Contact:
Visitor Services Officers: Allison McCrindle or Lisa Caddy phone: 59501579 or email: info@tourism.mornpen.vic.gov.au 

Our Organisational Values

The Shire is committed to the highest standards of performance, behaviour and service.

Our Core Values set the framework for how we work together to achieve outstanding outcomes for our
customers and our community. We have five CORE values that are integral to everything we do

Integrity: We take ownership and responsibility for our decisions; Keep our promises, and hold each other accountable to the highest standards of performance.

Openness: We share knowledge and learning for the benefit of all; actively engage with our community, and are transparent in our decision-making.

Courage: We give honest advice; make tough calls with conviction; stand by our decisions; admit if we get it wrong, and challenge ourselves to explore new ways of thinking.

Respect: treat everyone with dignity, fairness and empathy: look out for our safety and wellbeing; and nurture positive and inclusive relationships.

Excellence: We provide exceptional customer service; strive for innovative  team outcomes for the betterment
of our community; and step up to lead where we recognise an opportunity for improvement.

Our values guide us in clearly defining and communicating:

  • How we do things at the Shire;
  • How we make decisions in the best interests of the community we serve; and
  • How we hold ourselves and each other accountable to the highest standards of performance and conduct.

Our Values set our organisational culture and articulate the shared behaviours we are all required to live by when making decisions in the course of our work. In living our values, we build a collective culture committed to high performance and send a clear message to our colleagues and our community about how we go about our business.

Our Vision: To value, protect and improve the unique characteristics and way of life on our peninsula. “Valuing our unique peninsula”.

Our Mission:

  • Providing effective leadership and representation by democratically elected councillors
  • Listening and reflecting your collective aspirations in our plans
  • Helping you create a resilient, inclusive community that can respond to challenges
  • Bringing new ideas to discussions that create new opportunities
  • Encouraging you to get involved in your community
  • Working hard to provide the best possible service and value
  • Keeping you up to date with what is happening across the Shire in an open and direct way

Gender Equality

The Shire’s Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2030 aims to improve gender equality and reducing violence against women and their children  for improved community health and wellbeing.

In 2019 Mornington Peninsula Shire invited public feedback on the draft Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2030. The Strategy provides a framework for delivery of the Shire’s policy and actions aimed at improving gender equality and reducing violence against women and their children – within the Shire’s workforce, the community and through design and delivery of Shire’s services and programs.

The Strategy has a primary prevention approach, this means stopping violence before it occurs using the OurWatch National Framework. View the OurWatch ‘Change the Story’ video here to learn more.

Thank you to the community members, staff and key stakeholders who shared their views and ideas on gender equality through a series of workshops, feedback postcards, a survey and the review of the previous Prevention of Family Violence Implementation Plan. The community consultation along with evidence-based research has shaped the development of the current Gender Equality Strategy.

Councils’ reach for Prevention of Violence Against Women (PVAW) programs across the community

  • Youth Services Engage through respectful relationships programs
  • Libraries Promote gender equity and PVAW through book selection and authors promoted
  • Early Years Gender equity staff training and support for early intervention
  • Sports Clubs Ensure sports and recreation services are inclusive of women and girls
  • Animal Management Risk assessment and referral training for staff
  • Aged and Disability Services Develop elder abuse policy and facilitate training policies and training
  • Corporate Services Develop workplace gender equity and PVAW policies and training
  • Emergency Management Apply a gender equity lens in emergency management planning
  • Arts and Culture Programs Equitable arts that are inclusive of women’s voices
  • Maternal and Child Health Engagement in primary prevention and early intervention

Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Project

Not every disability is visible – some are hidden.

The Shire is proud to embrace the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Project to help raise awareness of those living with a non-visible disability and increase accessibility on the Peninsula.

If you see someone wearing the Sunflower:

  • ask if you can help
  • be kind and patient
  • listen closely
  • don’t judge
  • show respect.  ​​​​​​​

Team members at our Libraries and our Mornington Peninsula Visitor Information Centre in Dromana, have been trained to identify and support visitors wearing the Sunflower.

Diversity & Inclusion at our offices & in our community

You will see us proudly supporting diversity and inclusion through the display of these stickers on our Shire offices, libraries and community houses.

Mornington Peninsula Shire recognises, values and celebrates diversity and inclusion amongst our community. We are committed to the cultural safety of all people who identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, culturally and linguistically diverse and LGBTIQA+ community members.

Our commitment to celebrating diversity and promoting equality is documented in our Council and Wellbeing Plan as outlined below:

Theme Three: A flourishing, healthy and connected community

  • Strategic Objective 3.1 “A healthy and self-determined community where everyone feels valued, supported and safe.”
  • Strategic Objective 3.3 “A community in which people from all generations, backgrounds and abilities can access local services.”

We are committed to the highest standards of performance, behaviour and service.

Our five CORE values that are integral to everything we do.

One of these values is ‘Respect’ where, “We treat everyone with dignity, fairness and empathy; look out for our safety and wellbeing; and nurture positive and inclusive relationships.”

These stickers demonstrate that our organisation is welcoming and acknowledges our commitment to disability; LGBTIQA+; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

There are currently no jobs available

Unfortunately there are currently no positions available at Mornington Peninsula Shire Council, please check back soon.

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