Update: Council Plan Year 3 and Budget 2023/24 adopted at the 20 June Council Meeting

Thank you to the residents, visitors, community organisations and businesses who shared their feedback during the community engagement period in April - May 2023. Your feedback has helped to shape the Council Plan Year 3 and Budget 2023/24.

Responses to community requests

As part of the community feedback process, Council received a number of specific requests and queries from individuals, groups and organisations in our community. Together with the other feedback provided – including results of the community feedback survey, speakers to Council, and other written feedback – these requests helped inform the final Council Plan 2021-31 (Year 3) and Budget 2023/4. Council’s response to each request is available via this link.

Budget highlights at a glance:

  • Rates will increase by 2.8%, in line with feedback we received from our community and the desire for rates to be increased less than the 3.5% cap set by the State Government.
  • We took on board community feedback regarding funding to the Cultural Development Fund and while funding was originally proposed to be reduced from $187,000 to $100,000, the Budget now provides $125,000 in funding.
  • We're rolling out our FOGO services to multi-unit dwellings. We will also roll out additional communal hubs for glass and FOGO.
  • We will invest additional funds over the next 10 years in projects such as the Elwood Foreshore Facilities Project, South Melbourne Market Connect, and Fishermans Bend infrastructure.
  • We will provide an extra $50,000 for Early Education Grants, totalling $206,000, to help vulnerable families access childcare.
  • We are extending the Launch Housing funding agreement for two more years, providing $110,000 per year for outreach services to assist people sleeping rough. We will also allocate $40,000 for increased food relief in Port Phillip.
  • The existing business support under the Economic Recovery Package will continue until June 2025, including the activation of public spaces.
  • The rebate for pensioner rates will increase by five percent to $210. Port Phillip is one of the few councils offering this rebate.
  • Most fees and charges will increase by 3.75 percent. Some may be higher to reflect reasonable user pays charges, while others will stay the same or be reduced to support those who need it most or encourage further use. The 3.75 percent increase is lower than the forecasted 4.5 percent inflation.
  • We will provide funding to improve access for girls and women at sporting facilities, including J L Murphy and Lagoon Reserve, in accordance with our Fair Access Policy.
  • We will continue to invest in implementing our sustainability strategy, Act and Adapt, and take action to address the Climate Emergency. This includes creating a Climate Emergency Plan, reducing the environmental impact of our buildings and operations, and supporting the community to take action.
  • We will continue our annual Greening Port Phillip Program and develop a new Urban Forest Strategy and Street Tree Planting Program in 2023/24.
  • Projects from the Public Space Strategy, such as the Moubray Street Community Park and Graham Street Overpass Skatepark, will begin construction in 2023/24.
  • We have no debt, except for some finance lease liabilities that are part of our financing strategy.


You can read the 22 June 2023 Media Release here.

You can read the Full Engagement Report here.


Help shape the Council Plan and Budget

The Council Plan provides the ten-year strategy for the rollout of services, projects and initiatives that go to the heart of the health and wellbeing of our community.

It sets out the long-term vision for the City and aligns our key strategies with delivering on community priorities. It also identifies challenges that our community faces including changing customer expectations and needs, as well as future-proofing our growing City.

Each year we undertake a review of our Council Plan to determine whether strategic directions, initiatives and indicators require adjustment. We also develop an annual budget, which includes detail on capital and operating programs.

As the Council Plan was adopted in 2021, this will be the Year 3 review of the Council Plan.

Join the conversation from 21 April - 18 May 2023.

How your feedback will be used

Your feedback can help to shape:

  • The budget for the upcoming financial year: How Council allocates funds to various projects and initiatives to ensure they reflect community priorities.
  • The refreshed Council Plan for the upcoming financial year: Any changes outlined in the Council Plan, as well as indicators to ensure we can report effectively on the work we're doing.

A summary of all feedback received and Council's response to feedback will be shared on this page in the first week of July 2023.

Join the conversation

Review the Draft Council Plan and Budget for Year 3:

  • Volume 1: Background, development approach and strategic directions
  • Volume 2: Financial information
  • Volume 3: Services provided to the community

There are several ways to join the conversation:

Click the Follow button at the top of this page to receive project updates.

More Information

Frequently Asked Questions

Accessibility

If you require a hard-copy paper version of this survey, or want to view a hard-copy paper version of the Council Plan and Budget, you can visit the following locations, or call ASSIST - Port Phillip on 03 9209 6777:

  • St Kilda Town Hall
  • Port Melbourne Town Hall
  • Albert Park Library
  • Emerald Hill Library
  • Middle Park Library
  • Port Melbourne Library
  • St Kilda Library