Melbourne City Council was sworn in on 4 December 2008. One year on, Council reports on the highlights of the first year in office.
Lord Mayor of Melbourne Robert Doyle
Deputy Lord Mayor Susan Riley
Visit Year one report card: Councillors for highlights from the Councillors.
Lord Mayor of Melbourne Robert Doyle
Melbourne is…a powerful voice in public affairs
When I was elected Lord Mayor a year ago, I came to office determined to establish the Council not merely as an executive level of government, but as a cohesive and effective voice championing Melbourne. One year on, there is no doubting we are a key player in the robust debate shaping the future of our great city.
Safety, Swanston Street, sustainability and sound economic management have been major themes of the Council’s first year.
Regarding city safety, we work collaboratively with those who can help us to create change – from police, to licensees and transport operators – and we facilitated a city safety summit for licensees early in our first year, for example. The Council allocated $3.5 million towards community safety last year. We installed an additional 31 CCTV cameras, taking our total to 54, and just last month we unveiled our mobile CCTV vans, which will enable us to go where fixed CCTV cameras do not.
We also trialed the first of eight new Safe City taxi ranks. With improved lighting, security guards, additional signage and road markings, the ranks give city visitors quick access to late night taxi services in safe, convenient and centrally located sites. We don’t have all the answers, but we are absolutely determined to continue our quest.
Swanston Street, hotly debated for many years, was on this Council’s agenda from the outset. In June, after extensive public consultation, the community’s preferred option – to see fewer cars and a greater emphasis placed on public transport, bikes and people on Swanston Street – was endorsed. This month the Council will receive a report detailing costs and recommendations on the most workable solution for the redevelopment.
Expect to see more of this comprehensive style of consultation from the City of Melbourne as we increasingly invite the community to be more involved in shaping the city’s future.
Presenting Melbourne as clean, attractive and welcoming brings economic, health and social benefits to the entire city. The City of Melbourne took a vigilant approach to ensure our iconic laneways remain rubbish-free with new Waste Management Standards, implemented in August. These standards, developed in conjunction with businesses and waste collectors, are designed to improve laneway amenity through better management of waste collection and storage.
On the critical issue of sustainability, we’re embarking on an ambitious project, working with companies, educational institutions and the Victorian Government to retrofit 1200 buildings across the municipality with energy-efficient features. We are leading by example with an investment of more than $2.7 million to retrofit 13 of our own buildings, including the historic Melbourne Town Hall.
Melbourne has undoubtedly come into its own as an international player in the sustainability debate. This recognition has resulted in an invitation from the Mayor of Copenhagen for Melbourne to represent the interests of cities at the Copenhagen climate change conference.
At a time of world-wide economic uncertainty, the Council moved rapidly to help local entrepreneurs start up and build competitive, world-class businesses. Our economic development agency, Enterprise Melbourne, is the new ‘brains trust’ for Melbourne’s business community. Advising the city on strategies for economic growth, it will also be a ‘one-stop-shop’ for advice on doing business in our city.
Our direct involvement in nationwide planning through the Council of Capital City Lord Mayors and the Australian Council of Local Government means we now have a powerful voice in national urban development and infrastructure planning and policy.
Our relationship with others is enormously important to our ability to get things done. Melbourne is fortunate to have a pool of talented individuals and organisations willing to pitch in and be a part of the city and its future. The City of Melbourne’s many working groups, advisory boards and committees provide the support and the enthusiasm that keep us all inspired as we work to ensure a bold, inspirational and sustainable Melbourne. Our friends at the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation work on our behalf to ensure the city’s homeless have access to the services they need.
Of course, responsible management of the community’s resources and finances underpins all we do. The City of Melbourne is debt free and we have budgeted for our four year Council Plan while maintaining a surplus. Financial strength gives us the ability to fund capital works, programs and activities and adds power to our voice as we continue to advocate for Melbourne in public affairs.
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Deputy Lord Mayor Susan Riley
Melbourne is…a leader
The Lord Mayor, my fellow Councillors and I are delighted by the major awards that the City of Melbourne has won in the past year.
Winning awards is a cause for celebration, reflection and pride. It shows that the City of Melbourne is truly leading the way and that we have been acknowledged for doing so by our industry peers. Our capacity to deliver for Melbourne is recognised by industry experts.
The Council is strongly committed to Leading by Example. It is one of the goals of our four-year Council Plan. Winning awards stands us in good stead to achieve our vision to make Melbourne a bold, sustainable and innovative city. Excellence and innovation in our services is important to the Council and it is our community that reaps the benefits of our award-winning work.
This year we received more than 20 major awards across a range of work areas from surveying and subdivisions to education and environmental health.
The City of Melbourne’s innovative urban planning received a prestigious Australia Award for Urban Design from the Planning Institute of Australia. The Transforming Australian Cities study presented a case for sustainable intensification along public transport routes. It was commissioned by the Victorian Department of Planning and Community Development and was undertaken by the City of Melbourne in partnership with consultancies Design Urban and SGS Economics and Planning.
Our Inner Melbourne Action Plan partnership with other inner city councils was also given a tick this year when we were presented with a 2009 Stormwater Excellence Award for our water sensitive urban design. In an environment where water management is such a pressing issue, the acknowledgement is great confirmation that we are breaking new ground in this important area.
Other work awarded this year included: our sharing of tendering information and the enhancement of our procurement activities, in collaboration with five other councils; our customer service in roads and traffic management; disaster recovery in information technology; and our occupational health and safety policy and practice.
Our international and national award-winning Council House 2 – Australia’s first six star green commercial building – continues to enthrall the significant numbers of visiting companies and individuals who are interested in pursuing sustainable building design and construction interstate and overseas.
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Visit Year one report card: Councillors for highlights from the Councillors.