Year two report card

Visit Year two report card: Councillors for highlights from the Councillors.  

Melbourne City Council was sworn in on 4 December 2008. Two years on, the Council reports on the highlights of its second year in office.

Lord Mayor Robert Doyle

Melbourne has been brought to life, through imaginative programs and services, built on prudent financial management.

As we in Council reach the midpoint of our term in office, we want to achieve the ambitious aims we set ourselves.

We set a low rate rise of only 1.9 per cent. It is the lowest rise of any municipality in Australia. It reflects our budgetary achievements and careful planning. We will deliver on our commitment of $1.3 billion for programs and services during this Council’s term.

We are the key player in the debate to shape our city. For the first time in 30 years, Council is at the table with the Victorian Government to decide on developments of more than 25,000 square metres. Planning powers over Docklands have also been returned to the City of Melbourne.

Council approaches major investments with a long term view. This year, we released three strategic documents; the Municipal Strategic Statement, Southbank Structure Plan and Docklands Second decade - that will guide Melbourne’s development through to 2050.

Our capital works program highlights include completion of the Signal Box youth facility at Northbank and construction of the Northbank promenade at the World Trade Centre. The Fawkner Park Child Care Centre extension was completed and we opened the redeveloped Grant Street Reserve. Substantial work has been achieved in developing bike paths and in roadway and footpath renewals.

The redevelopment of Swanston Street will commence early next year. After extensive consultation with our community we have options for improvements to the street.

We embarked on one of our most ambitious projects since Postcode 3000 in sustainability. In an Australian first, we launched our 1200 Buildings program, working with the Victorian Government, building owners, financial institutions and a range of other parties to retrofit 1200 buildings across the municipality.

This initiative will generate $2 billion in private sector investment and create 8000 jobs over the life of the program. We lead 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’s festivals and major events attract many hundreds of thousands of visitors, attracted by our global reputation as a cultural and sports hub. The city saw new events in 2010, such as Melbourne Music, which staged performances all over the city. Building on a great response, we plan to expand this exceptional event each year.

And we trialled a new program to activate Melbourne late at night, giving additional funding to major festivals to run events in the city. An evaluation of the late-night programming initiative was overwhelmingly positive. Activating Melbourne late at night gives people entertainment options that don’t rely on the mere sale and consumption of alcohol and helps to reduce the potential for violent behaviour.

Safety is our key concern. We continue to work with the Victorian Government, Victoria Police, licensees, transport operators and other agencies that can help us to ensure our city is safe. Our 53 CCTV cameras provide security surveillance and have been further boosted by the addition of two mobile CCTV vans. We are on track to deliver four safe city taxi ranks giving quick access to late night taxis.

When I was elected, I committed Council to strong support for homeless initiatives. Our annual funding of projects and external organisations directly benefits those sleeping rough, or those at risk of being homeless. We work closely with many agencies to create pathways out of homelessness.

Our relationship with others is enormously important in getting things done. We are fortunate to have a pool of talented individuals and organisations willing to pitch in and be part of Melbourne’s future. The City of Melbourne’s many working groups, advisory boards and committees provide support and the enthusiasm to keep us all inspired as we work to ensure a bold, inspirational and sustainable Melbourne. I particularly acknowledge the contribution of our many volunteers who work tirelessly for the city.

This is an exciting time for our city. The plan is to continue to deliver a prosperous, sustainable, vibrant and growing city, but still recognisably, the Melbourne we love.

Back to top

Deputy Lord Mayor Susan Riley

Spring brought several festivals and major events to Melbourne, including our biggest ever Melbourne Spring Fashion Week.

Events create a sense of excitement about the city, and also generate substantial economic benefits for local businesses. Owned and organised by the City of Melbourne, Melbourne Spring Fashion Week is one of the premier events in our city’s calendar. This year’s expanded program included more than 200 events, and provided a superb showcase for our city’s designers and fashion businesses.

Attendance figures almost doubled, and total event sponsorship was far bigger than that of previous years. We were also pleased that 70 per cent of designers in the MSFW Designer Series were Melbourne or Victorian-based.

This year, the City of Melbourne formally recognised the efforts and dedication of current and former female councillors and mayors. To mark the Year of Women in Local Government, we made a contribution to the Shilling Fund at the Queen Victoria Women’s Centre. Guests, including former lord mayors Lecki Ord and Winsome McCaughey, were invited to a celebration of the occasion at the centre.

Many Melburnians have made a significant contribution to this city. The City of Melbourne has the opportunity to recognise a number of these people through the Melbourne Awards. The profile of the awards continues to increase, and in the past year we paid tribute to a remarkable group of individual and organisations. In each category – improving the environment, building healthy communities and raising Melbourne’s international profile – the finalists were outstanding.

The Lord Mayor presented the award for Melburnian of the Year to Jim Stynes. A sporting legend, Jim has borne illness with forbearance, and his off-field work with young people through the Reach Foundation has been inspirational.

Events and awards reinforce the sense of community fostered by many residents in our city, whether they are publicly recognised or not. As we look forward to the next two years of this Council’s term, we will continue to consult communities and share ideas to drive Melbourne’s continued vitality

Back to top