About RCV

Rural Councils Victoria represents Victoria's rural councils, supporting and promoting sustainable, liveable, prosperous rural communities

Rural Councils Victoria (RCV) is an organisation representing Victoria's rural councils. We believe that liveable, sustainable and prosperous rural communities are fundamental to the ongoing success of Victoria.

Representing the 1 in 9 Victorians who live in rural communities, RCV has 35 member councils right across the state.

In Victoria, 38 of the 79 councils are classified as 'rural'. Victoria’s rural councils are responsible for 79 per cent of Victoria’s land area (June 2011), and have a combined population of approximately 745,000 people (Census 2016). Our rural areas and communities are critical to the liveability of Victoria. They are also key to a thriving state economy.

We work to:

• Heighten awareness and understanding of issues that impact on rural communities
• Use policy, strategy, advocacy and evidence-based research to secure better outcomes for rural councils and in turn, for the whole of Victoria
• Promote a collective voice and to be an avenue of communication and liaison between our member councils and State and Federal governments
• Enable local solutions and facilitate networking, learning, capacity building, and external communication
• Contribute to the development of evidence-based policy and strategy
• Build the resilience and capacity of councils to support economic development and increase the sustainability of rural communities
• Develop strategies and initiatives to improve the attraction and retention of residents and businesses to rural areas
• Assist with building the capacity of rural councils to meet the challenges they face.