Community engagement for the draft 2026-27 budget ran from 31 March to 28 April with more than 550 people contributing feedback.

To encourage broad participation, the budget engagement and communication included a range of initiatives and activities including:

• Listening Post events at locations across the city which gave residents, workers and visitors a chance to provide feedback directly to Councilors and staff
• Production of a ‘Budget Snapshot’ document that provided a high-level, easy to understand overview of major budget initiatives
• Targeted social media campaign that reached a broad range of community
• Translations of the Budget Snapshot document and paid social media into Spanish, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese, the most commonly spoken languages in Melbourne other than English
• Hosted conversations between senior Council leaders and key community groups, representatives and stakeholders
• A survey on Participate Melbourne where people could share feedback and find meaningful explainer information and a draft of the Budget.

Several key themes emerged from the community engagement:

• Safety, Community Service Officers and CCTV: A majority of respondents supported increased funding for Community Safety Officers and safety measures such as CCTV while a minority, including a number of homelessness advocacy groups, asked for more investment in support services.
• Little India precinct and Docklands amenity: Submissions included support for the Little India proposal, as well as feedback highlighting other community priorities in the Docklands area, including improvements to green space and broader amenity.
• City cleaning and graffiti: A majority of respondents supported increased funding for city cleaning and graffiti removal, highlighting the importance of maintaining a clean and welcoming environment.
• Greening and open space: Submissions were strongly supportive of increased investment in greening initiatives and open space, with many respondents valuing more trees, greenery and accessible outdoor areas across the city.
• Transport: Submissions were supportive of increased pedestrianisation, maintaining and expanding bicycle infrastructure, and advocating for improved public transport.
• Other themes: Other themes raised by the community included: Support for people experiencing homelessness and substance use challenges. projects such as Greenline and a swimmable Birrarung, youth services and dedicated spaces for young people, events, festivals and arts funding, local markets, tourism and support for small businesses, Queen Victoria Market, food security initiatives, kiosk and cylinder fees

Your feedback played an important role in shaping Council's decisions in the final Budget, including:

• Strengthening food security support, with an additional $250,000 allocated to enhance food security initiatives and improve coordination between services, ensuring better support for people who need it most.
• Focused action for Docklands, with a new key activity added to address infrastructure and amenity opportunities in Docklands. This will include advocating to the Victorian Government for more open space and the expansion of Docklands Primary School, exploring the development of a new off-lead dog park and finalising the Docklands Public Realm Improvement Plan, which is a long-term approach to creating a more active, connected and people-focused neighbourhood.
• Testing future ideas for Little India, with a commitment to engage extensively with Docklands residents and Indian communities, and to create trial experiences that give people the opportunity to experience the ideas and help shape future plans.

Read the adopted Budget 2026-27.