Respect Wurundjeri connections to Country

- On 21 March, Melbourne City Council endorsed a motion in support of the 2017 Uluru Statement from the Heart, and the ‘yes’ campaign for the Constitutional Recognition of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament.

As part of our ongoing commitment to truth-telling, we have compiled a set of resources about the Voice to Parliament, the 2017 Uluru Statement from the Heart, and the upcoming referendum. We will continue updating these resources as the referendum approaches, including information in multiple languages. We encourage you to bookmark this page to stay up to date.

Authorised by Sally Capp in Melbourne on behalf of Melbourne City Council.

- Gundjtmara artist, Patricia Mackean was commissioned to design a mural to wrap around the refreshed children's area at North Melbourne Library.

- In May, Yirramboi festival brought us a program of First Nations creative exploration, which included four works hosted by Arts House called: Offering Invitation, Blood of my Blood, Culture Evolves, and Kisiskâciwan.

- In May and June, as part of National Reconciliation Week, we hosted a range of events to promote truth-telling, learning, healing and change, including an oration by 2022 Melbournian of the Year, Anotinette Braybrook which is available to view.

- In July, we celebrated National NAIDOC Week and offered a range of activities to embrace and deepen understanding of our Aboriginal history and culture including a Deadly Books Giveaway, NAIDOC in the City event, Finders Keepers Market and more.

- Karul Projects' playful dance theatre, Werendingo, will be hosted by Arts House in early November. It speaks to the way First Nations people reflect on the phenomenon of shapeshifting and incorporates animations by Studio Gilay and projections by Wirrim Studios.

Community venue and swimming pool access

- In June, Council endorsed the proposal to construct a new community centre on the Council-owned site on Melrose Street - the current location of Jean Mckendry Neighbourhood Centre and the old Hotham Hub Children’s Centre. A six week public consultation campaign was carried out in August and September to inform the future mix of services to be included.

- Disability access upgrades were completed at North Melbourne Children’s Centre and The Centre on Errol Street including: new doors and door controls, visual indicators, accessible toilets, and hearing augmentation devices.

- We're exploring ways to improve opportunities for women, girls and others who experience barriers to participation in community sport and recreation. To achieve this, we’re developing a Fair Access Policy. Public consultation was also carried out during September and October to better understand the barriers, as well as enablers to inclusion. Find out more about this work and how to get involved.

- City Swimm(h)er - a partnership between City of Melbourne, Islamic Council of Victoria, and Australian Muslim Social Services Association - received external funding to pilot women’s only open swim sessions every Saturday afternoon, as well as structured swimming lessons at Melbourne City Baths. Women's only gym sessions are also being trialled at North Melbourne Community.

- The Centre Neighbourhood House launched a project to map publically bookable community spaces in North and West Melbourne. This resource will support organisations and individuals interested in facilitating group activities, or one-on-one services in the area.

Practical car-parking and safe and convenient transport

- Community consultation on a Parking and Kerbside Management Plan took place from March to April. Overall, there was a high level of support for an equitable and data-led approach to the functional allocation of road space. Council endorsed the strategic plan in May and will shortly begin conversations with residents and businesses about improving parking in North Melbourne and other neighbourhoods.

- We’re proposing to install protected bike lanes along Arden Street and Macaulay Road in North Melbourne and Kensington. These works are part of our program to deliver a network of new, protected bike lanes across the municipality, providing a safer journey for all bike riders and road users. This was open for community consultation in April and May and we’re currently analysing this feedback to inform our planning.

- We’re continuing to work with the Department of Transport and Planning to monitor and evaluate the trial of shared e-scooters. The trial has been extended until 5 October. E-scooter operators are trialling technology to improve the safety of e-scooters, particularly targeting illegal activity such as footpath riding and riding with a passenger

Affordable household rents

- Construction is under way on the new public housing apartment buildings on Abbotsford Street, as well as community housing on Sheil Street.

- The Victorian Government announced its Housing Statement on 20 September, which among other key changes designed to increase housing stock, rental stability and availability, proposes to demolish the public housing tower at 33 Alfred Street and construct social and affordable housing in its place. City of Melbourne, Inner Melbourne Community Legal and local MPs are supporting residents to understand household and collective implications, as well as consider a local response.

- City of Melbourne is short-term accommodation operators to shift their properties onto the long-term rental market to deliver more homes for people wanting to live in Melbourne. At the 29 August Council meeting, Councillors voted to begin consultation to inform the development of new local laws that are designed to encourage the flip of short-term accommodation into long-term rentals. Consultation opened in September for feedback. New regulation is likely to be introduced in February 2024.

- We’re running a People’s Panel on Affordable Housing in October and November. This panel will include 40 randomly selected people who are collectively representative of our resident population. The panel will hear from experts, learn about affordable housing in the community, and explore new and innovative ways to truly make Melbourne a city that everyone can call home.

- Through one of our community grants, Anika Legal developed Self-Advocacy Guides for Renters in 10 priority languages to help local residents experiencing disadvantage navigate changes in rental laws and seek assistance for housing-related legal problems.

Participation in local decisions and action

- A new translation function was implemented on Participate Melbourne, enabling online engagement material to be translated into the top 10 languages other than English that are spoken in our municipality.

- A key outcome of the State Government’s Paving the Way Forward program has been the evolution of its Resident Action Groups into an aspiring tenants association, which is working towards formal incorporation with elected office bearers by the end of the year. It hopes to serve as a recognised consultative body that can maintain a constructive relationship with City of Melbourne and Homes Victoria on behalf of public housing residents of North Melbourne. The group are currently meeting monthly.

- Members of the Paving the Way Forward Residents Action Group contributed to joint submissions made at Future Melbourne Committee in North Melbourne in June 2022. Officers met with residents in June and July and helped community members refine the list of concerns into a priority list of six issues. Follow-up meetings were held to report on progress, including a resident-led walking tour of the neighbourhood in August and a guided tour of the Town Hall by the Deputy Lord Mayor in October.

- Council hosted its public decision making forum, Future Melbourne Committee at the North Melbourne Community Centre, 19 September 2023.

Green living solutions and a community-sharing economy

- More than 150 kW of solar battery capacity has been installed across the municipality, primarily at residential properties in North Melbourne and neighbouring suburbs.

- As part of a Council-driven initiative to shift the City of Melbourne to gas-free operations and ensure climate change and biodiversity are considered as we manage our assets, we retrofitted appliances at Jean McKendry Neighbourhood Centre and Hotham Hub and are progressing design work for the electrification of North Melbourne Pool.

- Melbourne Community Toy Library has recently been incorporated into our local libraries network, which means you can borrow three items for three weeks for free with your City of Melbourne Library Card. Come down to Hotham Hub at 113 Melrose Street, North Melbourne to check out the huge range of games and toys, have a play, and take your favourite things home. The library is open Tuesday 9.30am-12.30pm, Thursday 3pm-6pm, and Saturday 10am-2pm.

- The Peter Mac Men's Shed at 3 Bedford Place, North Melbourne is the first shed in a Victorian hospital precinct and is open between 10am-3pm every Tuesday and Thursday.

- We launched Biketober 2023, a bike encouragement program, in collaboration with RACV, Banyule, Glen Eira, Bendigo and Ballarat. Biketober will run through October and is open to businesses and community members for free.

- Our Power Melbourne project will install a network of neighbourhood batteries around the city to help renters, people living in apartments, and those running small businesses access more affordable renewable energy. A team of Community Champions also explored the topic with their personal and professional networks. This helped us understand how people feel about potentially having a neighbourhood battery in their area, the kinds of benefits they want to see, and their location ideas.

Caring for each other in an emergency

- In September, North Melbourne and West Melbourne locals joined City of Melbourne experts to workshop the physical and social vulnerabilities that our community could potentially face before, during, and after a disaster. The group will also consider ways to strengthen our resilience moving forward.

- We’re committed to reducing the threat of extreme urban heat for all, particularly vulnerable people. We are working to create a ‘heat safe city’ with our goal that the city provides places of respite for residents, workers and visitors during extreme heat events. Earlier in the year we consulted with community on heat health priorities and ways we can create a heat safe city. This feedback is helping us develop heat safe city principles and advocacy positions which will guide actions for future summers, such as design of streetscapes and open space, location of shading and services to support vulnerable community members. Keep an eye on the Heat Safe City page page for further updates.

Local job opportunities

- Inclusive employment program Game Changers, supported eight young people to gain employment at our recreation facilities. This program, delivered in partnership by North Melbourne Football Club's The Huddle and YMCA, provides free support to young people seeking employment, including resume writing, interview practice, career planning and goal setting. The program has helped improve diversity in the recreation facilities’ workforce with 26 per cent living in the City of Melbourne, 25 per cent born overseas, 15 per cent identifying as being a part of the LGBTQI+ community, and 9 per cent with a disability.

- Our small business grants program supports new businesses to get started and existing businesses to expand and grow. This year we have a special focus on supporting small businesses that enhance the city’s vitality and increase the occupancy rate of shopfronts across the municipality.

- We took part in a panel discussion as part of the North Melbourne Local Resident Employment Forum, hosted by the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH), Jobs Victoria and Homes Victoria. The focus of the forum was on actions that could be taken to enable public housing residents to secure meaningful employment, and barriers faced by organisations in employing people from the local community. The forum was attended by local public housing residents, service providers, employers and government staff.

- Through our Social Investment Partnerships Grant we have funded the Inner West Community Foundation and Two Square Pegs $160,000 for the TO-LEAP program, which builds pathways into employment for residents in North Melbourne and focuses on those living in social housing. The program provides capacity-building for local residents from diverse communities to start a micro-business or to turn a community project into a social enterprise through education, training, mentoring, and networking opportunities. City of Melbourne recently participated in the selection panel process assessing applications for the participants of this program.

Vibrant shopping, dining and nightlife

- The local traders group, North and West Melbourne Precinct Association is experiencing a revival, with new leadership, an influx of new business members, and strong attendance at their recent AGM. The association continues to build exposure for local traders through advertorial profile features on the precinct’s social media channels and North West City News. In addition to their ‘Dance this Way’ and ‘Spin to Win’ main street activation initiatives, the ‘Live Love North and West Melbourne’ branded tote bags have become a popular accessory with local shoppers.

- We continued to provide accessible and affordable arts and cultural activities via our creative programs at Arts House at North Melbourne Town Hall.

- A series of emerging social enterprises have engaged locals through the Creative Spaces activation of the previously vacant shop at 54 Errol Street.

Usable green spaces and lively laneways

- In O’Shanassy Street, North Melbourne we planted 17 velvet ash trees into the footpath as part of the Urban Forest Precinct Plans.

- You may have noticed our tree maintenance contractors working on trees near you, all our trees get assessed for their health every one to two years. With more than 80,000 trees in the City of Melbourne this is a big job.

- As of mid-2023 the Victorian Government was still reviewing the Draft Moonee Ponds Creek Implementation Plan. As part of our continued advocacy, we wrote to the Minister of Planning and the CEO of Development Victoria regarding plans to reinstate the Moonee Ponds Creek trail in Docklands.

- The Bedford Street Pocket Park final concept plan was endorsed by Future Melbourne Committee in November 2022. The public tender to construct the Bedford Street Pocket Park has been advertised.

- Construction of the new public toilet at Gardiner Reserve has been completed. The toilet is now open to the public, and has won itself an enthusiastic local fan club. 

Spotlight on remarkable local women

- At present, of the 580 statues in Melbourne’s public spaces, fewer than 2 per cent represent women. Only five of the 25 statues on City of Melbourne land depict women. We are taking action to start addressing this significant under-representation by commissioning three new statues of remarkable Victorian women. A consultation process was carried out in March and April to collect suggestions for who we'd like to see recognised and celebrated.

- In April 2023, the North Melbourne Library hosted a talk about pioneering female activist, Ellen Mulcahy. In 1913 she stood as an independent Labor candidate for North Melbourne in the federal election. She was one of the first six women to seek national parliamentary office in the young Commonwealth and it was 30 years before any woman would be successfully elected.

Control over-development and safeguard heritage

- We’ve worked collaboratively with the Victorian Government and partners to plan for high-quality, climate-adapted urban renewal areas. In Arden, Amendment C407 to the Melbourne Planning Scheme was gazetted in July 2022. The amendment sets out the objectives, strategies, spatial layout, planning framework and development contributions to guide the precinct’s growth over the next 30 years. In Macaulay, we lodged Amendment C417, requesting the Minister for Planning authorise the amendment for public exhibition. It is awaiting authorisation.

- The North Melbourne Heritage Amendment C403 was presented to an expert Planning Panel in April 2023, which recommended adopting the scheme with some changes. These controls were endorsed by Council on 19 September, and now await Ministerial Gazettal.

- The Excellent City Series of forums in early 2023 explored improved outcomes in the built environment. Forums included; An interactive session where kids were the boss, a panel discussion exploring the importance of what materials are used to create cities, a First Nations-led conversation exploring ways of building relationships with Country in urban environments, an interactive session focused on empowering diverse communities to participate in design processes, a panel discussion exploring how intersectional gender equity can be embedded within our built environment, a panel discussion exploring how play can be integrated and harnessed to create a more inclusive and enduring city.

- Melbourne’s heritage is a rich tapestry of Aboriginal and much later colonial and contemporary stories. We are celebrating all things heritage across the city and invite you to join us. Share your stories, photos and videos celebrating #timelessmelbourne. There are plenty of ways to get involved including self-guided walking tours, learning about history of neighbourhoods and exploring the arts and heritage collection.

Places for children and young people to thrive

- The new five-storey Molesworth Street Campus of North Melbourne Primary School opened at the beginning of 2023, including a kindergarten on the top floor. It also has a gym and outdoor playground that was designed to enable broader community use. The Victorian Government invested more than $40m in the project.

- Support for local young people continued through our partnership with The Drum, based at North Melbourne Community Centre, which provides inclusive services and programs for young people from all genders, religions, cultural and identity backgrounds. This partnership also supported Queerspace Youth, a peer-led program for queer, trans, intersex, gender diverse or questioning people aged 16-25 years old.

- Melbourne Community Toy Library has been incorporated into our local libraries network, which means you can borrow three items for three weeks for free with your City of Melbourne Library Card. Come down to Hotham Hub at 113 Melrose Street North Melbourne to check out the huge range of games and toys, have a play, and take your favourite things home. Tuesday: 9.30am to 12.30pm, Thursday: 3pm to 6pm, Saturday: 10am to 2pm.

Safe and welcoming streets

- Over February to March we undertook further community consultation on pedestrian safety and walkability in North Melbourne. This feedback is helping to inform designs for pedestrian safety treatments across the neighbourhood. Canning Street crossing improvements were completed in June, while Melrose Street roundabout works are scheduled for completion before December to improve pedestrian safety around the Arden Gardens Shopping Centre. We've also installed a pedestrian zebra crossings at Abbotsford Street and Molesworth Street to make it safer for families to walk to the new Molesworth Campus primary school.

- We’ve completed the installation of 40km/h speed limits across a number of roads in the neighbourhood.

- Earlier this year, street lighting on Pampas Street was assessed and upgraded.

- A ‘drug safety in the city’ flyer was produced and distributed to key stakeholders and businesses.

- A Local Safety Committee Meeting was held in June, which covered the Melbourne West local area, including the western part of the CBD, North Melbourne, Docklands, Parkville and Carlton. Representatives from each of these neighbourhoods were present.

- We hosted the Melbourne Licensees Forum in June, where licensed venues shared information and discussed matters impacting them. This forum shared learnings and information about the late night liquor license freeze and public intoxication law reform.

- 'What you need to know to survive on the streets’ - a short information booklet produced by a group of people with lived experience of homelessness - is published by City of Melbourne Libraries in partnership with Cohealth and continues to be distributed every two months.

- We continued working closely with Victoria Police, including joint outreach patrols to engage with people experiencing homelessness to ensure they are supported and are not negatively impacting the amenity of areas or businesses. Our library social worker outreach program continues to support community members through outreach and connection to social services.

- We continue to expand our Rapid Response Clean Team to fast-track graffiti removal, dumped rubbish, cigarettes, street sweeping and syringe collection across the city. Residents, workers and visitors continue to play an important role in reporting graffiti and rubbish across the city using Council’s QR code reporting system.  From January to August this year we received 25,549 requests to respond to graffiti and cleaned more than 70,000 square metres of surfaces of graffiti.

Ageing in place

- We engaged not-for-profit organisation Lively to deliver digital literacy programs for older people. Lively trains and employs young jobseekers to provide support and connection for older people. It also builds meaningful intergenerational relationships that foster greater understanding and respect. Lively tech helpers provided one-on-one technology training and support for participants to use their smartphone, tablet device, laptop or computer. People were supported in their homes, at Jean MacKendry Neighbourhood Centre and Tech Help pop-ups at the North Melbourne public housing estates.

- In June, Council considered a report called ‘Improve internet access in City of Melbourne's community facilities and for hard to reach groups’ and agreed to develop a Digital Inclusion Plan. This will include establishing a standard for Wi-Fi at Council facilities and looking at a model for the City of Melbourne to support a device donation scheme, allowing hard to reach groups access to devices.

Strong neighbourhood spirit and relationships

- The Queensbury Cup, formerly known as Spring Fling, returns Saturday 21 October 2023 with the big billycart race and street party. The day will include live music, dancing, dog shows, food and cooking demos hosted by The Centre.

- We supported a further three locally-led projects through the Connected Neighbourhoods Small Grants Program, including planting community garden beds at Alfred Street, an Eid festival, and Lohri festival.

- We supported the Welcoming Cities Symposium, which brought together international and local researchers, policymakers, business innovators and community organisations to discuss the benefits and opportunities of migration, cultural diversity and inclusion across a two-day program.

- Rotary North Melbourne is a diverse group of community-minded professionals who meet weekly. Through fundraising efforts, it supports local and international capacity-building projects, including at Ozanam House. It recently hosted the Model UN Assembly for senior students.

- A calendar of special days has been developed with input from children and families attending local childcare centres to build pride in our diverse cultures. A Mandarin language program has been adopted at North Melbourne Children’s Centre, and an Auslan language program has been introduced at Lady Huntingfield Early Learning Centre.

- River Nile School partnered with North Melbourne Language and Learning to educate adult refugee and asylum seeker women who are not eligible for enrolment in government schools. Participants reported increased confidence in using technology, improved English language skills, and a better understanding of healthcare in Australia as well as job pathways.

device donation scheme, allowing hard to reach groups access to devices.

A pet-friendly neighbourhood

- The much loved, Lost Dogs Home on Gracie Street advertises volunteer opportunities and pet fostering, as does the busy Lort Smith Animal Hospital and Shelter on Villiers Street.

- In September, City of Melbourne assisted SarasCare to donate 100x 8kg bags of dog food to the Lost Dogs Home.

Grants of up to $2000 are available to increase community participation, connection, equity, diversity and inclusion through our new Connected Neighbourhoods Small Grants. Applications are open all year until the budget has been fully allocated.

Check out other grant opportunities on the Community Noticeboard.