Our ‘consultancy for good’ arm at Health Futures is thrilled to be designing and delivering this powerhouse of a Lab with our public health and wellbeing colleagues across Victorian local governments and VicHealth.

The Lab brings prevention and population health together with leading complex projects, and systems thinking applied to ask how and act on boosting our leadership of healthy Victorian communities.

Local government in Victoria is bolstered by the Victorian Public Health and Wellbeing Act and clear specification of local government leading to improve the health and wellbeing of their community. To do so the Act requires a Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan every four years that aligns with Council elections.

In this light, the Lab provides a space for the extraordinary workforce across local government whether public health and wellbeing directors, coordinators, officers, or health and social planners, to lead the charge on being a healthy community. It could not be better timing to ask and explore ‘how might we?, we can, and to experiment and create together.

The Lab commenced in September 2024 and due to such overwhelming interest and response – we have just over 50% of all local governments across Victoria taking part. We have set up my and are working with 3 “streams” or mini-lab groups to ensure we get to the richness of sharing, learning and co-inspiring our Leading Healthy Communities efforts!