The Plan for Port Phillip (including budget) 2025-35 outlines how Council will serve and support our community now and into the future. It addresses the evolving needs of our community and outlines key services, initiatives, and projects to help Port Phillip thrive.

This forward-looking Plan includes the proposed 2025/26 budget.

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From 17 April to 18 May 2025, we’re seeking your feedback about the draft Plan for Port Phillip (including budget) 2025-35. We want to know what you think should change to make sure it best reflects the current needs and priorities of Port Phillip.

Your feedback will be used to inform the final Plan for Port Phillip (including budget) 2025-35 (the new Council Plan). We will summarise what we hear in a report, available in May 2025.

The Plan for Port Phillip (including budget) 2025-35 is a four-year plan with a 10-year time horizon. It's designed to meet legal requirements and build on our past plans. The Plan for Port Phillip (including budget) 2025-35 replaces the Council Plan 2021-31. Every year we consult with our community to review, revise and update the Plan and Budget.

The proposed three per cent average general rates increase is in line with this year’s rates cap. Over the past four years, the Victorian Government’s rates cap has been set significantly below inflation, which has put pressure on Council’s ability to fund and deliver services. Despite this, the draft budget maintains an ongoing efficiency target.

Themes woven into to the draft plan reflecting preliminary community input include:

Community safety

The draft Budget includes an additional $250,000 to fund new actions flowing from the recent Community Safety Roundtable and the updated Community Safety Plan under development.

Community connection and cohesion

Additional $250,000 to fund activities addressing loneliness and isolation, social connection and combating discrimination and racism and anti-Semitism, including $60,000 to fast track the delivery of the Multicultural Strategy. There’s also a $1.2 million allocation for affordable housing to be provided over two years, pending the development of the updated housing and homelessness strategy.

Improved amenity

Additional $200,000 to uplift city amenity, including increased street cleaning and pressure washing of main streets across Port Phillip, and an extra $9 million over the next decade towards improving roads and local infrastructure.

Events and festivals

Consolidation of the St Kilda Festival to enable an additional $450,000 to be invested in arts and community strengthening initiatives. The specifics of these will be agreed by Councillors after the budget process but may include increased grant opportunities and greater prioritisation on events and activations across the municipality.

Greener City, including access to open space

Additional $400,000 to improve greening throughout the City, including the development of urban forest precinct plans, and an extra $4.5 million for the demolition and remediation of the newly acquired Sandridge public open space.

These are just some of the projects and initiatives encompassed in the comprehensive draft plan which provides a roadmap on serving the Port Phillip community right now – and for years to come.

The Rating Strategy

Our rating strategy considers the principles of equity, fairness, efficiency and simplicity in setting rates that contribute to funding our services and programs annually.

When reviewing our rating strategy, we consider if it:

• has equitable outcomes
• is efficient
• is easy for ratepayers to understand
• appropriately manages the impacts of change on our community.

Legislative requirements

The Local Government Act 2020 (Section 90) says:

• A Council must prepare and adopt a Council Plan for a period of at least the next 4 financial years after a general election in accordance with its deliberative engagement practices.
• A Council must develop or review the Council Plan in accordance with its deliberative engagement practices and adopt the Council Plan by 31 October in the year following a general election.
• The Council Plan adopted under subsection (3) has effect from 1 July in the year following a general election.

All Victorian councils are required to develop a Health and Wellbeing Plan every four years directly following a council election, as directed under the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008.

Over the last nine months almost 1,300 people have contributed their ideas to the draft Plan for Port Phillip (including budget) 2025-35. This included surveys, forums, workshops, conversations, neighbourhood pop-ups and a deliberative community panel. Council has considered your input when developing the draft plan.

Please note that, as of March 2025, the Plan’s timeframe has been updated to better align with its longer-term goals, shifting from the previous 2025-2029 range.

You can find out more about our community engagement we've undertaken so far in the engagement reports below, as well as checking out the short video and photos.