Council reports for the month are added to the top of each page as they become available
Hobsons Bay City Council
Cr Michael Disbury was a lone voice against the Hobsons Bay “back to basics” budget when it was passed at the June council meeting.
Cr Disbury said he “could not” support a budget that increased council staff from 587 positions to 623 during a “cost of living crisis”.
“I am disappointed in this budget,” he said. “It seems ratepayers are paying more each year and receiving less … council does not have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem”
But Cr Rayane Hawli said the additional funding for staff was “addressing” a “backlog” of work that had “built up over many years”.
The budget was voted in seven to one.
Rates
Residential rates will rise by an average of 1.84 per cent, which is below the state government cap of 2.75 per cent.
For a budge breakdown head here: https://www.hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au/Council/Publications/Budget/Annual-Budget-2026-27-and-Financial-Plan-and-Asset-Plan-2025-36-Year-1-Updates
In other news:
Sports and recreation allocation and fees and charges policy
Hobsons Bay sports clubs will face a collective 130 percent increase in fees after the Sports and Recreation Allocation and Fees and Charges Policy was passed at the last meeting.
The fee increase is controversial, with five of the 12 questions submitted at the meeting related to the revised policy.
The policy has not been revised since 1997.
Sustainable Communities Director, Hector Gaston said the policy aimed to provide a “fairer and more consistent” approach by aligning fees with factors such as facility type and quality, council’s level of investment and on-going maintenance costs.
He said council currently covers 97 percent of maintenance and upgrade costs, which will change to 93 percent under the new policy.
“The policy is not simply about increasing fees but addressing long-standing inconsistencies where clubs pay differing amounts for comparable access,” he said. “It seeks to improve equity, transparency and long-term financial sustainability.”
But Cr Michael Disbury said there had been “considerable community angst” over the increases.
Comparing the fee increase with the Substation’s $1 million council funding over four years, Cr Disbury said policy was only “perfectly reasonable” on the “face of it”.
“I think we’ve got our priorities wrong,” he said.
The policy was voted in seven to one.
Techno Park
A 26-signature petition was submitted to object to Council’s proposal to readdress Techno Park houses.
Seven new three-story townhouses on Wren Street
The development of seven three-storey dwellings at 55 Wren Street in Altona got the go-ahead at the last council meeting.
The decision came after 34 residential objections and three presentations at a submissions hearing on June 16.
Objections ranged from building height, over-development, increased traffic and parking, and the loss of established vegetation.
But Cr Paddy Keys-Macpherson said council was “constrained” into supporting the development through State Government planning policies.
“Under those guidelines, we need to approve it,” he said. “There are a number of concerns raised by residents and some of those are addressed through the permit conditions.”
Conditions include landscaping and revegetation with mature trees, solar protection, and a news road crossing.
But Cr Lisa Bentley said compliance “alone” should not “define good planning”
“Planning must respect local context and lived experience,” she said. “We risk becoming administrators, not decision-makers … we must advocate for planning reform that restores meaningful, vocal decision-making.”
Cr Michael Disbury said the project was “not the kind of development” council should be approving.
“Just because the rules say we can, doesn’t mean we should,” he said.
The Wren street development was passed four votes to three.
Wyndham City Council
By Jack Sutton
RMIT Journalism.
Last month’s meeting saw almost all the council members (except for two) attend the meeting online, to take a stand against the actions of Mayor Cr Preet Singh, who was revealed to have provided a ‘glowing’ character reference for a convicted child sex offender.
Cr Singh maintains his stance that he has done nothing illegal.
Multiple protests have taken place throughout the Wyndham community to attempt to have him removed from office, and on the 13th of June, hundreds marched through the pouring rain of Werribee’s Watton Street.
This month however, all except for three council members returned to the chambers.
Cr Josh Gilligan has been suspended for a second time this year after arbiter Meredith Gibbs made a finding of misconduct against him. He will serve a two-week suspension, starting on the 24th of June.
This arbitration was launched by fellow councillor Robert Szatkowski, after Cr Gilligan had made a comment to The Age on the 4th of Feb, which Cr Szatkowski claimed was a breach of the Model Councillor Code of Conduct.
Cr Gilligan spoke to The Age about the proposed sale of defence land at the Point Cook RAAF base and its potential conversion into housing. Cr Gilligan was quoted in The Age saying: “We are prepared to go DEFCON1 to protect our city from this housing incursion because we are sick of housing and no jobs and services for people who move into them,”
Following this, Cr Szatkowski said the comments had breached the code because the council did not have an official position on the issue at the time.
Cr Szatkowski also said that an email he received from Cr Gilligan after this incident had a “dismissive and belittling tone”. The arbiter later confirmed that the email was disrespectful.
The arbiter had ordered Cr Gilligan to apologise to Cr Szatkowski during a council meeting.
As for the meeting itself, which ran for a little over two and a half hours, the budget for the 2026-27 financial year was the main talking point. For a more in-depth report head to the Wyndham City Council website for more information. https://www.wyndham.vic.gov.au/news/council-adopts-annual-plan-budget-202627
Maribyrnong City Council
Trucks (again), Footscray CBD (again), and the return of the McIvor Reserve Basketball Stadium debate.
By Zoe Taylor and Maya Malavisi
RMIT Journalism students
Strap yourselves in; this meeting was yet another lengthy one. We’re here to give you the shortened rundown, you are so very welcome.
Many residents will be somewhat heartened by Council’s pledge to write to the Minister for Roads and Road Safety and the Department of Transport and Planning to request a 24/7 “No-Truck” ban for Williamstown Road. It noted community concern regarding the volume of heavy vehicles, road safety, and the lack of public truck-count data on Williamstown Road, and called for publicly available truck counts to compare traffic levels against pre-West Gate Tunnel data.
The McIvor Reserve Basketball Stadium development is back. Lots of questions were raised with many asking why Council is sacrificing green space with mature trees for a six-court indoor basketball stadium, instead of utilising alternative brownfield sites. Concerns over local parking and traffic capacity, and wildlife disruption were also raised.
Council says all environmental, social, and economic needs of the community will be considered. The Master Plan has been in development since 2021, and Council says it will “meet the current and future needs of both sporting clubs and general park users”.
Following up from last month’s meeting, questions about the Beevers and Bell Reserve Toilet and Street Closure Project once again highlighted that a majority of nearby residents reject the current plans for the project.
Council replied that it had “unanimously adopted the concept designs for Bell and Beevers Reserve in Kingsville”.
Council said it “gave due consideration to the number of factors including, but not limited to, community engagement feedback, traffic impacts, and safety assessments.
Members of the public grilled Council over Footscray’s new “Welcome Crew,” with many concerns raised about surveillance.
The Working Crew replaces the heavily criticised private security trial in Footscray’s CBD. Council says the reworked model aims to steer the initiative away from “policing” public spaces and provide mandatory training for staff covering human rights, trauma-informed care, and homelessness awareness.
One resident asked how Council will “ensure the Welcome Crew is not used to surveil vulnerable groups, be a link in a chain of enforcement?”
Another pushed for clarity on equality, asking how the initiative would “ensure equitable outcomes for everyone”.
Council said that the crew “will play an important role in helping vulnerable community members get access to services by facilitating referral pathways,” and “will not have any enforcement powers.”
In response to complaints from residents who feel their feedback on local projects gets ignored, officers presented the updated Community Engagement Policy. The framework dictates how Council has to consult the public, run surveys, and handle community objections for the next three years.
In other Council matters:
Council officially signed off on a $245.28 million total budget package, $153.8 million for essential services and community initiatives, plus another $91.45 million for major infrastructure and capital works.
Council endorsed the draft Integrated Transport Strategy, action plan, and maps for a six-week community consultation (17 June to 28 July 2026), and noted that earlier public feedback from 2024 was used to build these drafts.
Council noted the outcomes of the Business Façade Improvement Program Pilot and endorsed a revised Footscray Revitalisation Grants program, offering grants of up to $3,000 for eligible businesses within the Footscray CBD in line with the Footscray Revitalisation Grants Program Guidelines.
Council endorsed building a new Reconciliation Action Plan focused on modern policy goals like truth-telling, Treaty, and self-determination, and said the new plan will be shaped by ongoing engagement with Traditional Owners and First Nations communities. The new plan will be presented to Council in 2027.
Council awarded the FOGO (Food Organics and Garden Organics) processing contract to Repurpose It Pty Ltd from 1 July 2026 to 30 April 2029, with three optional 1-year extensions. They noted the contract has no guaranteed minimum waste volumes or financial commitments from Council.
Council awarded the Summerhill Road Reconstruction contract to Unyte Southern Pty Ltd for $4,507,365.65 (ex GST), with funding allocated in the 2026/27 Budget. The CEO or delegate is authorized to finalize, sign, and execute all required documentation to get the project moving.
Council approved a $3.3 million extension of the recycling processing contract with a new end date of June 30, 2029, including adjustments for inflation. The CEO or delegate is authorized to sign all paperwork and handle any future contract variations.
Council noted the Climate Emergency Advisory Committee review and extended its term by 12 months to June 30, 2027, ensuring continuous advice while the Climate Emergency Strategy is updated. During this time, officers will streamline meeting scheduling and tracking, providing a progress update to Council before the extension ends.
Council recognised its role in promoting equity and social justice while acknowledging that growing cost-of-living, housing, and mental health pressures require a coordinated policy response. To ensure Council decision-making remains aligned with the Victorian Charter of Human Rights, officers have been requested to review and refresh the Maribyrnong Social Justice Framework 2023-33 to address these emerging community needs. A final report outlining the findings and the updated framework will be presented to Council within the 2026/27 financial year.
Council acknowledged community safety and amenity concerns, highlighting its ongoing work on public space activation, revitalisation, and lighting upgrades where they offer the best solution. To push this further, Council requested a report mapping out poorly lit areas—such as parks, paths, and transport hubs—where lighting gaps affect community safety or accessibility.
To view theole meeting head to this link – https://www.youtube.com/live/8pUD8DG3CWE
Brimbank City Council
Budget, tennis and data centres
By Josie Vine
RMIT Journalism
An 11thhour attempt at securing funding for the Sunshine Tennis Club was voted down during budget debate at last month’s council meeting.
Cr Daniel Kruk put forward a valiant alternative motion to the budget, saying council should allocate $50,000 to the long-awaited redevelopment.
Cr Kruk said the Club had been “going through a difficult time”, with funding “pledged” for upgrades in the last two budgets, but “both times” was “pulled out from under the rug”.
“They thought that construction would go ahead, and the next communication they received was the building is not going to go ahead,” he said. “So this amendment is to right a wrong.”
Cr Kruk said the club was “struggling” to accommodate 120 members and 11 competition teams.
But Cr Victoria Borg said she would not support the motion “for the simple reason” that it would “set a precedent” and an “expectation” among other sports clubs.
“Council is not ready to commit itself to projects of such large scale,” she said.
The alternative motion lost – three to seven votes.
Meanwhile, the decision to upgrade Albion’s Selwin Park Tennis Courts was deferred after Cr Lucy Nguyen put forward a motion to request a parking assessment and acoustic report.
Cr Nguyen said residents had “raised” concerns over the upgrade’s proposal to remove trees and other natural habitat. The upgrade includes providing facilities for Pickleball and Volleyball.
The rapid rise of data centres will increase in urgency in Brimbank Council’s advocacy activities.
The Advocacy report, passed at the last council meeting, recommended “ongoing advocacy” under the Climate Emergency Priority.
“It’s concerning that the State Government is just building these data centres without community consultation,” Cr Nguyen said.
In other budget news, rates will rise by 2.75 percent under the adopted budget. This is in line with the State Government’s rate cap.
The Budget projects an operating revenue of $299.73 million, which will be spent on:
- $26.8 million for Waste Services
- $22.5 million on Parks and Trees
- $16.6 million towards our Leisure services (which includes the Brimbank Aquatic and Wellness Centre and Sunshine Leisure Centre)
- $15.8 million for Libraries, Arts and Culture and our Neighbourhood Houses and Community Centres
- $11.4 million for Road Maintenance and Cleansing Services
- $7.4 million to deliver Maternal and Child Health services
- $5.2 million towards Environmental Sustainability and Conservation
- $3.4 million on Statutory Planning
- $2.8 million for Animal Management across Brimbank.
The 2026/2027 Capital Works Program includes:
- $23.97 million on roads, bridges and drainage upgrades
- $19.52 million on building improvements to community facilities, including sports and early learning facilities
- $8.62 millions on waste management
- $5.67 million on walking and cycling paths to connect our city
- $5.70 million on parks, open space and streetscapes
- $4.15 million on the cyclical replacement of plant and vehicle fleet
- $2.70 million on other infrastructure
- $0.91 million for library books and
- $0.78 million on computers and telecommunications
Find Brimbank City Council’s Annual action plan and budget.
