Good governance has become a priority for nations worldwide. According to the former mayor of Glen Eira City Council in Melbourne Anne-Marie Cade, good governance revolves around transparency, accountability, inclusivity and effectiveness.

“Good governance must be responsive to the needs of the community we serve,” she explained, during a recent LMDtv interview. Cade added that a framework for decision making is essential and the community must be engaged in developing it.

She added: “We need to have a framework for fairness and impartiality, and it’s important that laws are applied consistently.”

Cade continued: “When discussing good governance in practice, transparency in decision making is very important. There should be processes that are open and accessible to the public, where they can offer their feedback on budgets, operations etc.”

“Communication channels must be established to enable public scrutiny and accountability so that those governing are answerable to the community they serve,” she added.

Community needs are changing and they must be addressed with responsiveness. She asserted that it shouldn’t only be the loudest voices in the community that must be heard but also the “marginalised and vulnerable groups who sometimes get drowned out.” Cade suggested: “There should be mechanisms for grievances to be heard and addressed. And in terms of efficiency, whatever is done must deliver a community benefit. This translates into delivering services promptly and effectively, in a manner that upholds equity and inclusiveness.”

The former mayor also highlighted the importance of sustainability: “We must consider the environment, the economy and community wellbeing, to ensure resilience when it comes to local systems and services – because all of them build trust between those who are governing and the community.”

Governance also includes the corporate sector, where companies face the challenge of balancing good governance and profitability.

“It’s crucial to align ethical practices and accountability with financial objectives,” she emphasised, adding that looking at long-term perspectives and value creation is necessary.

Cade noted: “It’s also very important to embed environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles into the operations of the organisation, and align governance with strategic goals. Sometimes governance is looked at as a burden – and that shouldn’t be the case because it is the foundation; and therefore, it’s really important that we see it like that.”

Nurturing a culture of good governance is very important, she explained to LMDtv’s presented Ruwandi Perera: “A good governance culture is where leaders model ethical behaviour and facilitate employee engagement.”

“It’s about profit with purpose, recognising governance related investments such as employee wellbeing or community engagement, and how they will yield indirect financial returns. Evaluating and communicating the cost of governance initiatives against their long-term value to profitability is required,” Cade urged.

Good governance needs the unified efforts of all stakeholders ranging from households to the private sector and government. She elaborated: “It is a shared initiative – and it’s important to foster shared values, visions and common goals.”

“At the end of the day, good governance is rooted in the principles of equity, accountability, sustainability and inclusivity. We need to drive public awareness campaigns and focus on civic education, and encourage participation in democratic processes,” she added.

Cade concluded: “Youth is crucial here because they’re the future leaders. Civic education will drive interest and get us the leaders we really need to build a great country by setting collaborative platforms and partnerships between governments and businesses, in order to address challenges such as climate change, public health and safety issues.”