Agenda of Meeting of the Port Phillip City Council

Meeting of the Port Phillip City Council

17 September 2025

6.2

Petition: Review of Council Parking Policy - Parking Restrictions on Thistlethwaite St, South Melbourne

A Petition containing 15 signatures, was received from residents in Thistlethwaite Street, South Melbourne.

The Petition states the following:-

The Petition of the following named citizens draws the attention of the Council of the complexity in parking restrictions on Thistlethwaite Street between Montague and Boundary Streets, inability for some residents who legally live in commercial properties to obtain parking permits and high financial and emotional costs to citizens.

We call on the Council to review the Council Parking Policy to address the following:

· Seven different parking restrictions in a short street.

· The need to ensure parking requirements address the Capital City Zone and mixed use style developments

· Recognition of the addition costs borne by residents legally living above factory/shops under a commercial lease who pay all landlord costs, not just rent,

· The inequity of requiring businesses to potentially break parking requirements simply to conduct business when they meet with customers for five to 15 minutes,

We estimate a combined loss to business and residents is well over $20,000 per year in a very short street. We would appreciate a 'people first' approach and some equity and fairness in the permit rules in the parking policy.

OFFICER COMMENT

Council’s Parking Management Policy aims to ensure fair, reliable, and efficient access to parking across the municipality. The policy guides decisions on parking restrictions, fees and permit entitlements, balancing the needs of residents, businesses, and visitors.

Officers understand the issues raised in the petition are predominantly linked to the following three matters:

• Review of the Parking Management Policy

A broader request to review Council’s Parking Management Policy, specifically highlighting concerns around residential parking permit eligibility for properties within Thistlethwaite Street.

• Review of Existing Parking Restrictions

A request to review the current on-street parking restrictions in Thistlethwaite Street, between Montague Street and Boundary Street to better support existing properties and plan for the street’s transition within a designated growth area.

• Consideration of Leniency in Enforcement

A request for Council to consider leniency in enforcement activity in the area to allow businesses to continue operating effectively under current parking constraints.

Review of Parking Management Policy / Parking Permit Eligibility

Council’s Parking Management Policy, adopted in 2020 and last updated in August 2024, provides the framework for managing on-street parking across the municipality. The policy was developed following extensive community consultation. The current Policy is due to expire in 2028. In the lead-up to this, Council officers will prepare a new draft Policy to replace the existing one. This process will include community engagement before the draft is presented to Council for consideration and adoption. As a comprehensive review of the Parking Management Policy is scheduled to commence within the next 12 to 24 months, officers do not recommend initiating a separate review currently.

Council’s Parking Management Policy provides clear and consistent eligibility criteria for residential parking permits for all properties across the City of Port Phillip. Under the current policy, properties formally classified as commercial are not eligible for residential permits.

In relation to properties that include residential dwellings above or within shop or office, or commercial land use- To be eligible for residential parking permits, the residential dwelling must have been used solely for residential purposes, without interruption since 1 October 2002. This means that the area in question cannot have been used for any other purpose, such as commercial or industrial use, during this time period

As part of this petition, concerns were raised about the ineligibility of some properties on Thistlethwaite Street to obtain residential parking permits. However, the specific context or details regarding which properties are affected is not clearly outlined in the petition.

Parking Restrictions, Thistlethwaite Street

The modification of parking controls on any street is governed by Council’s Parking Management Policy. It is acknowledged that Thistlethwaite Street, between Montague Street and Boundary Street, currently has multiple parking restrictions, likely resulting from historical decisions and the evolving nature of land uses in the street.

Given Thistlethwaite Street’s location within the Montague Precinct of Fishermans Bend, the area is expected to undergo significant transition in both the short and long term. As part of the Fishermans Bend Program, a budget allocation has been made to support the development of an area-wide parking and kerbside management approach, which will commence in 2025/26 and be completed in 2026/27.

This initiative will involve community engagement to ensure the approach reflects local needs and priorities. Its purpose is to establish clear principles for managing the complex and competing demands on streets within Fishermans Bend during this period of transformation and transition.

Should changes to parking restrictions be considered outside of this strategic initiative, Council has a documented process for assessing parking restriction changes. This process ensures transparency and is informed by community feedback, maintaining consistency with Council’s broader policy framework.

The steps, as outlined on Council’s website, are as follows:

1. Requesting a Parking Change

· A request must include the type of restrictions requested and be supported by a signed letter from at least 10% of properties (or 4 properties, whichever is greater),

· A request can only be considered every 18 months

· The request must outline the reasons for the request, the type of change, and include names and addresses of signatories.

2. Considering a Parking Change

· Council officers assess the request using parking occupancy data and local feedback.

· If the assessment supports proceeding, a proposal is developed, and a survey may be distributed to affected properties abutting the proposed restrictions.

· For the change to be implemented:

o A minimum response rate of 10% (or 4 properties — whichever is greater) is required.

o At least 51% of responses must support the proposed change.

3. Implementing a Parking Change

The residents and businesses of affected properties will then be advised of Council’s decision based on the level of support for the change(s).

It is noted that all signatories to the petition are from only two properties and have not specified or requested any particular changes to parking controls that would address the broader needs of Thistlethwaite Street.

Enforcement of Parking Restrictions

Consistency in enforcement is essential to maintaining fairness, road safety, and equitable access for all users. All reports of illegal parking, such as vehicles blocking driveways, double parking, or overstaying signed time limits, are assessed and acted upon, regardless of location or the parties involved.

Council cannot waive enforcement of parking restrictions for businesses that rely on breaching parking rules to operate. Enforcement must remain consistent and impartial to:

• Uphold fairness for all users

• Maintain safety and accessibility

• Ensure proper governance of public space

Allowing illegal parking to become normalised would set a dangerous precedent, pose a significant safety risk to the community and severely impact businesses who rely on customers being able to find adequate parking.

RECOMMENDATION

That Council:

1. Receives and notes the Petition.

2. Thanks, the petitioners for their petition.

3. Does not initiate a standalone review of the Parking Management Policy at this time, noting a comprehensive review of the Parking Management Policy is scheduled to commence within the next 12 to 24 months.

4. Requests that officers advise the lead petitioner of the planned area-wide parking and kerbside management approach for Fishermans Bend and keep them informed of planned community engagement.

5. Requests that officers advise the lead petitioner of Council’s process for requesting changes to parking restrictions, including the need for demonstrated support from multiple properties and a clearly documented suggested parking restriction(s).

ATTACHMENTS

Nil

Meeting of the Port Phillip City Council

17 September 2025

8.1	Draft Homelessness and Affordable Housing Strategy
Executive Member:	Kylie Bennetts, General Manager, Community Wellbeing and Inclusion
PREPARED BY:	Christine Dening, Manager Community Building and Inclusion

1. PURPOSE

1.1 To present the draft Homelessness and Affordable Housing Strategy (the Strategy) to Council and seek approval to proceed with the next stage of engagement, including public exhibition of the draft Strategy for community feedback.

2. EXECUTIVE Summary

2.1 The draft Strategy will guide Council decisions around its role in supporting homelessness and affordable housing contributions into the future (Attachment 1).

2.2 An initial round of community engagement has been conducted to develop the draft strategy, and other relevant reports, policies and strategies have been taken into consideration, for example, the Community Safety Roundtable report as well as feedback from the Plan for Port Phillip community engagement. A summary of community engagement is outlined in Attachment 2.

2.3 The objectives and actions in the draft Strategy outline the proposed areas of focus. These have been mapped to show how they align with other Council strategies and policies.

2.4 The draft Strategy includes several outcome measures. Achievement towards outcome measures is not the sole responsibility of Council. Conditions and environments outside of the control of Council will influence these, however the targets provide an aspirational direction to target Council resources and advocacy over the life of the strategy.

2.5 The proposed outcome measures over the life of the draft Strategy are:

2.5.1 Functional Zero: Working towards functional Zero via the Port Phillip Zero Initiative with 3 people or less sleeping rough at any one time

2.5.2 Advocacy success: Where advocacy opportunities for improving outcomes for social and affordable housing and for private renters are utilised to the fullest extent possible.

2.5.3 Improved perceptions of safety and pride in neighbourhoods: Achieving scores of >7.6 in community satisfaction across measures relating to safety, pride connection and enjoyment of neighbourhoods and agreement that CoPP is a welcoming and supportive place for everyone.

2.6 Through the Council Plan and Budget process, Council committed to continuing the previous operating budget commitments of $600K in project funding for the next four years. Historically, Council has accumulated and allocated this funding towards a capital project. Given the findings from the Community Safety Plan Roundtable, submissions made by a range of service providers to that process and as the options available to contribute Council land towards a capital project are limited at this point, it is proposed that in the shorter term this funding is used to support more immediate responses to homelessness and housing, rather than being saved for a specific capital project, which can take a number of years to progress.

2.7 Following the consideration of submissions made through the Council Plan and Budget process and Community Safety Roundtable against the outcomes Council is seeking to achieve through the draft strategy, it is proposed that this budget is allocated in the following way:

2.7.1 St Kilda Community Housing (an additional $100K in 2025/26 to add to the $150K allocated through the 2025/26 budget process and $250K in 2026/27) to support a proactive solution to provide housing and tailored support services building on the Madden House Common Ground model, on the condition that additional funding from the State or Federal Government or other source is received to implement such a program effectively;

2.7.2 BridgeIt ($15K in 2025/26 and 2026/27) to support operational costs associated with providing young women and gender diverse people who have experienced the out-of-home-care system or homelessness with a home and community in Port Phillip.

2.8 During community consultation on the draft Strategy, it is also proposed that officers seek additional information on specific projects suggested by Ngwala, Sacred Heart and South Port Community Housing through the Community Safety Roundtable process. It is also proposed that during engagement officers work with service providers on what budget may be required to further consideration of accessible, safe daytime social spaces (hubs) with appropriate and relevant facilities for rough sleepers and vulnerable community members. Other ideas received through the community consultation period will also be considered.

2.9 The proposed phase 2 of community engagement is planned for 6 October to 2 November 2025 and seeks to test the draft Strategy with community.

2.10 Once finalised, the Strategy will be reported on annually as part of the Annual Report. Further key milestones will be tracked in CEO reports to ensure that key milestones are achieved.

3. RECOMMENDATION

That Council:

3.1 Thanks all community members and service providers that have contributed to community engagement to inform the draft Homelessness and Affordable Housing Strategy.

3.2 Endorses the draft Homelessness and Affordable Housing Strategy (Attachment1) to enable the next phase of community engagement and authorises the Chief Executive Officer (or delegate) to make minor editorial amendments that do not materially alter the intent of the draft Strategy.

3.3 Endorses the allocation of:

3.3.1 An additional $100K in 2025/26 and $250K in 2026/27 to St Kilda Community Housing to support a proactive solution to provide housing and tailored support services building on the Madden House Common Ground model, on the condition that additional funding from the State, Federal Government or other source is received to implement such a program effectively.

3.3.2 $15k in 2025/26 and 2026/27 to BridgeIt to support operational costs associated with providing young women and gender diverse people who have experienced the out-of-home-care system or homelessness with a home and community in Port Phillip.

3.4 Notes that during community consultation on the draft Strategy, additional information will be requested on specific projects suggested by Ngwala, Sacred Heart and South Port Community Housing as well as consideration of other ideas that come through the community consultation process.

3.5 Notes that during community consultation on the draft Strategy, officers will work with service providers on what budget may be required to further consideration of accessible, safe daytime social spaces (hubs) with appropriate and relevant facilities for rough sleepers and vulnerable community members.

4. KEY POINTS/ISSUES

4.1 Safe, secure and accessible housing is a key determinate of health and fosters a socially diverse and inclusive community. Improving housing and food security is one of City of Port Phillip’s five key health priorities, as identified in the Plan for Port Phillip, our overarching Council Plan.

4.2 This Strategy is the key strategic document to focus Council efforts on this priority.

4.3 Up until recently, Council has had two separate strategies, both of which have concluded. These are:

· Think & Act - Homelessness Action Strategy 2015 - 2020.

· In Our Backyard - Growing Affordable Housing in Port Philip 2015 - 2025.

4.4 The City of Port Phillip has evolved over the last several years and is facing new challenges and opportunities around homelessness and affordable housing. The needs of the local community are also continuously changing.

4.5 It is recognised that there is significant and existing commitment to delivering outcomes for social and affordable housing. The draft Strategy will support and implement the broad objectives encompassed in the current City of Port Phillip Housing Strategy 2024-2039.

4.6 The draft Strategy interacts and aligns with a number of other Council plans and strategies to strengthen our commitments, and alignment is noted in the draft proposed strategy.

Strategy Content

4.7 The draft Strategy content has been developed through a comprehensive process that included: -

4.7.1 Initial community engagement on the role Council has and could play as part of a broader service system in addressing homelessness and affordable housing;

4.7.2 Reviewing other Council and government strategies as well as insights gained from other engagement processes;

4.7.3 Incorporation of key engagement outcomes including the deliberative engagement conducted for the Plan for Port Phillip and recommendations and submissions from the Community Safety Roundtable;

4.7.4 Review of relevant documents and data such as strategies from other councils, including the City of Melbourne, the Think and Act Homelessness Strategy, the 2025 Customer Satisfaction Survey results related to community wellbeing and safety; and

4.7.5 Undertaking a gender impact assessment of the draft Strategy to ensure inclusivity and equity.

4.8 Council’s proposed aspirational vision is outlined in detail in Attachment 1 but is summarised as follows:

Over the next decade, the City of Port Phillip will work toward achieving functional zero homelessness by coordinating compassionate, place-based responses that support people into safe, stable housing and inclusive community life.

Recognising the broader social impact of housing, the City will collaborate across sectors and levels of government to protect and grow affordable housing, strengthen renter protections, and ensure everyone has a place to call home and the opportunity to live well.

4.9 It is proposed that Council responds to affordable housing and homelessness across five strategic pillars:

· Strengthen community responses to homelessness - Reduce homelessness in Port Phillip by coordinating, compassionate, place-based responses that support people into safe, stable housing and inclusive community life.

· Enable access to social housing - Support the sustainability of social housing in Port Phillip, so that those with the greatest need have access to safe, secure, and supported homes.

· Improve access to Affordable and Key Worker Housing - Ensure that people who contribute to the vibrancy and functioning of our city—such as teachers, nurses, artists, and hospitality workers—can afford to live locally.

· Support Stability in the Private Rental Market - Promote stability, equity, and wellbeing for renters by supporting initiatives that strengthen rights and access within the private rental market.

· Strengthening Places that Support Housing Stability and Homelessness Solutions - Shape inclusive neighbourhoods and public spaces that foster housing stability, resilience, and pathways out of homelessness through thoughtful design, collaboration, and planning—ensuring everyone has a safe place to call home in Port Phillip.

4.10 The broad actions included to address these pillars are outlined in the following table:

Housing Continuum Aspect	Strategic Pillars	Broad action	Measure
Strengthen community responses to homelessness	Reduce homelessness in Port Phillip by coordinating, compassionate, place-based responses that support people into safe, stable housing and inclusive community life.	· Local Coordination & Leadership: Play a coordinating role in bringing together services, partners, and community efforts to deliver integrated, locally responsive homelessness, mental health, drug and alcohol solutions. · Early Intervention & Prevention: Play a role in supporting homelessness services so that they can provide appropriate supports to prevent homelessness before it occurs, especially for those at risk. · Advocacy & Influence: Advocate for systemic change and increased investment in appropriate supported housing, homelessness services, mental health and drug and alcohol support services at state and federal levels.	Functional Zero; Working towards functional Zero via the Port Phillip Zero Initiative with 3 people or less sleeping rough at any one time
Enable access to social housing	Support the sustainability of social housing in Port Phillip, so that those with the greatest need have access to safe, secure, and supported homes.	· Protecting Existing Stock: Advocate for the retention and renewal of existing public and community housing assets. · Safe and Supportive Environments: Advocate for social housing dwellings and service models that are safe and include wraparound services when needed to support long-term stability and wellbeing. · Partnerships for Impact: Collaborate with community housing providers, government, and the private sector to facilitate new social housing where there is a level of community support.	Advocacy success: where advocacy opportunities for improving outcomes for social housing are utilised to the fullest extent possible.
Improve access to Affordable and Key Worker Housing	Ensure that people who contribute to the vibrancy and functioning of our city—such as teachers, nurses, artists, and hospitality workers—can afford to live locally.	· Facilitating New Supply: Identify and activate opportunities for affordable and key worker housing through planning, partnerships, and advocacy where there is a level of community support. · Innovative Delivery Models: Support diverse housing models, including build-to-rent, shared equity, and community-led developments. · Address market pressures: Explore the impact on rental affordability of short stay rental accommodation and whether any changes are required.	Advocacy success: where advocacy opportunities for improving outcomes for affordable housing are utilised to the fullest extent possible.
Support Stability in the Private Rental Market	Promote stability, equity, and wellbeing for renters by supporting initiatives that strengthen rights and access within the private rental market.	· Advocacy for Reform: Champion stronger protections for renters, including longer leases, rent controls, higher levels of commonwealth rental assistance, improved dispute resolution and better data and monitoring. · Information & Support: Provide renters with access to information, advice, and local support services to help navigate the rental system. · Quality Standards: Encourage and support compliance with minimum rental standards to ensure safe and healthy living conditions.	Advocacy success: where advocacy opportunities for improving outcomes for private renters are utilised to the fullest extent possible.
Strengthening Places that Support Housing Stability and Homelessness Solutions	Shape inclusive neighbourhoods and public spaces that foster housing stability, resilience, and pathways out of homelessness through thoughtful design, collaboration, and planning—ensuring everyone has a safe place to call home in Port Phillip.	· Design for Inclusion: Ensure public spaces and housing developments promote dignity, wellbeing, and connection for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness and are welcoming, safe, and well-integrated into the community. · Place-Based Responses: Collaborate locally to deliver tailored housing and homelessness solutions that reflect neighbourhood needs. · Integrated Planning: Align housing with transport, services, and infrastructure to support long-term stability.	Improved perceptions of safety and pride in neighbourhoods: achieving scores of >7.6 in community satisfaction across measures relating to safety, pride connection and enjoyment of neighbourhoods and agreement that CoPP is a welcoming and supportive place for everyone

4.11 Across these five pillars, it is proposed that Council will strengthen responses in a number of areas including:

Strategic Pillar	What stays the same	What we’re proposing to improve	What we are proposing is new
Homelessness	Connection of those at risk to housing options and information Support for service providers Annual Homelessness Memorial and contribution to Homelessness Prevention Week Advocacy around complex mental health needs and Victorian Mental Health Royal Commission recommendations.	Council’s current homelessness service model Port Phillip Zero Partnerships and service protocols with VicPol and other key service providers Reach and impact of Trauma Aware Port Phillip Advocacy for better integration between homelessness, housing, and health systems including retention and expansion of local services.	Accessible, safe daytime social spaces ("hubs") with appropriate amenities and facilities for rough sleepers and vulnerable community members Community Gathering Place Community education and anti-stigma campaign Programs to reduce community conflict such as the Peacemaking Program Advocacy for better coordination between homelessness and justice systems
Social Housing	Council nomination rights via the Sponsorship Housing List Contribution of Council resources (cash and / or land) for projects such as Common Ground / Youth Foyers	Advocacy to State Government around the need for safe and inclusive environments in social housing and appropriate wrap around supports	Exploration of colocation of Council services or facilities with new social housing development where this could improve outcomes and amenity for community  Non-statutory toolkits to support the take-up and application of emerging housing models by the private sector.
Affordable Housing	Contribution of Council resources (cash and / or land) for affordable housing projects	Support emerging affordable housing models, including but not limited to affordable “Build to Rent” and affordable “Rent to Buy”, shared equity housing and Community Land Trusts Explore impact on rental affordability of short stay rental accommodation and whether any changes are required	Investigate innovative delivery models Explore targeted incentives to support affordable housing, including innovative affordable housing models such as the fast tracking of planning permits Advocacy to investigate and establish a mechanism to administer affordable housing development contributions from property developers and landowner Support the development of a state-wide affordable housing register to record voluntary agreements (via section 173 of the P&E Act) with the private sector Explore the impact on rental affordability of short stay rental accommodation and whether any changes are required
Private Rental	Advocacy for planning reforms to introduce a mandatory requirement for affordable housing	Provision of information and supports to renters Encourage and support compliance with minimum rental standards to ensure safe and healthy living conditions	Champion stronger protections for renters, including longer leases, rent controls, higher levels of commonwealth funding support, improved dispute resolution and better data and monitoring
Place-based response	Align housing with transport, services, and infrastructure to support long-term stability	Design of public spaces for inclusion and wellbeing Collaborate locally to deliver tailored housing and homelessness solutions that reflect neighbourhood needs Activate public spaces beyond 9 to 5; ensure well-lit areas for safety/security	Partner and deliver access to support for business/residents for a safe/welcoming public realm

4.12 The draft Strategy addresses 19 of the 33 recommendations from the Community Safety Roundtable (details regarding how all of these recommendations have been addressed are outlined in the Community Safety Plan Council Report 17 September 2025).

4.13 Council has committed $600K for the four years of the current budget (2025/26-2028/29) with a further commitment of $500K for the further 6 years. A ten-year strategy commitment of $5.4M. Council has also agreed to allocate $150K from year one’s commitment to St Kilda Community Housing.

4.14 In the past Council has saved and used this funding for a major building project. However, based on the findings from the Community Safety Plan Roundtable and submissions made by a range of service providers, and because there are currently limited opportunities to use Council land for a capital project at this point in time, it is proposed the funding be used in the short term to support more immediate responses to homelessness and housing, rather than waiting a number of years to progress a capital project.

4.15 The Community Safety Round Table, budget and other submissions and approaches that have been received in relation to affordable housing and homelessness have been reviewed. To align with the strategy’s aim of working towards achieving functional zero homelessness, the following is proposed:

4.15.1 That Council provides an additional $100K in 2025/26 to add to the $150K allocated through the 2025/26 budget process and $250K in 2026/27 to St Kilda Community Housing to support a proactive solution to provide housing and tailored support services building on the Madden House Common Ground model, on the condition that additional funding from the State or Federal Government or other source is received to implement such a program effectively.

4.15.2 That Council provides $15K in 2025/26 and 2026/27 to Bridge It to support operational costs associated with providing young women and gender diverse people who have experienced the out-of-home-care system or homelessness with a home and community in Port Phillip.

4.16 Other submissions provided to inform the Community Safety Roundtable presented ideas that were not costed or fully detailed. During community consultation on the draft Strategy, it is recommended that additional information is requested on specific projects suggested by Ngwala, Sacred Heart and South Port Community Housing including:

4.16.1 Ngwala’s Aboriginal Homelessness Entry Point: Provide bridging or ongoing funding to maintain the Entry Point service which is critical for crisis intervention and culturally appropriate intake.

4.16.2 Sacred Heart Mission – Grey Street Hub: Provide funding to extend operating hours and capacity of the Engagement Hub which supports over 1,100 new clients annually, many experiencing homelessness for the first time, but operates limited hours and is under pressure.

4.16.3 Sacred Heart Mission – Green Light Program: Advocate for or co-fund continuation of the GreenLight tenancy support program which provides tenancy support for people exiting homelessness.

4.16.4 South Port Community Housing – Intensive Tenancy Model: Provide funding to expand SPCHG’s intensive tenancy support model across more properties to support intensive case management into tenancy support to address complex needs and prevent tenancy breakdowns.

4.17 Additionally, during community consultation on the draft Strategy, it is recommended that officers work with service providers on what budget may be required to further consideration of accessible, safe daytime social spaces (hubs) with appropriate and relevant facilities for rough sleepers and vulnerable community members.

4.18 In addition to the above it is important that Council ensures appropriate allocation of operating budget to services through service agreements. Council committed just under $1.2M to support those at risk of homelessness and vulnerability in the 2025/26 budget. This included funding food relief, learning programs for those experiencing homelessness, referral and case management services. A review of service agreements is due to be completed by Q3 2025/26 and will make further recommendations to Council regarding how best to provide funding support to health, housing and homelessness services.

5. CONSULTATION AND STAKEHOLDERS

5.1 To identify the community’s key priorities and the role that they see Council playing in this space, initial community engagement activities were conducted from 22 April to 19 May 2025.

5.2 The initial community engagement phase involved key stakeholders across the municipality as well as the wider community. The feedback from the internal and external engagement has been taken into consideration in drafting the current draft combined strategy.

Phase 1 Community Consultation

5.3 The purpose of this phase of community engagement was to understand community priorities in terms of homelessness and affordable housing support as well as what role Council should play in this area going forward. The feedback provided outlined several priority areas for the strategy. See Attachment 2 for the full phase 1 engagement report.

5.4 External community consultation on broader issues and Council role has included:

· Have Your Say Page – online survey

· Paper-based survey (long and short version)

· Direct engagement with community housing and homelessness organisation representatives as well as select developers

· Four community pop-ups across the municipality

· Interview with person with lived experience

5.5 Internal consultation on the proposed objectives and actions were conducted with:

· Strategic Planning team

· Family, Youth and Children teams

· Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team

· Advocacy team

· Sustainability

· Safety and amenity

· Libraries

· People, Culture and Services

· Property and assets

What we heard and how we responded in the draft strategy

5.6 The top priorities and supported actions from phase 1 community engagement are:

General community feedback (151 participants responded)	Objectives and actions in draft strategy
Top four priorities for Council to action were: · Advocating for planning mechanisms to require developers to contribute to provision of social housing	3.1 *Identify opportunities for affordable housing on Council land or strategic sites* in or near activity centres and undertake review of planning controls to facilitate appropriate affordable housing development. 3.3 Explore targeted incentives to support affordable housing, including fast-tracking planning permits. 3.6 Encourage the private sector and other organisations to pilot new models to provide affordable housing. 4.1 Continue to advocate for planning reforms* to introduce a mandatory requirement for affordable housing.*
· Advocating for rights and support for renters	*Objective 4. Support Stability in the Private Rental Market* - Promote stability, equity, and wellbeing for renters by supporting initiatives that strengthen rights and access within the private rental market.
· Provide information on local homelessness services	1.1 Review and improve Council’s homelessness service model so it can better co-ordinate across services to deliver a more integrated, empathetic, and effective assertive outreach response. 1.10 *Develop effective communication strategies* to reach vulnerable groups early, ensuring they can access information and services before reaching crisis points.
· Offering cash and land contributions to community housing providers	2.12 *Provide cash contributions and other assistance* to support local community housing organisations leverage State or Commonwealth funding to develop social housing on Council land and/or air space where there is a level of community support. 3.2 *Identify suitable Council-owned land and/or air space for community housing projects* prioritising individuals with specific needs and/or connection to Port Phillip where there is a level of community support.
Support for the continuation of the following actions are: · Supporting pathways to secure housing (Port Phillip Zero) (83% supported)	Objective 1: Strengthen community responses to homelessness - Reduce homelessness* in Port Phillip by coordinating, compassionate, place-based responses that support people into safe, stable housing and inclusive community life.*
· Support redevelopment of ageing public housing (64% supported)	2.1 *Support the retention of and delivery* of new social and affordable housing on public land, including through the redevelopment of public housing sites where there is a level of community support.
· Assisting benevolent private developers (77% supported)	2.10 *Facilitate and broker new projects with benevolent private developers* who are willing to develop projects that include social housing, or Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA), prioritising housing for people with connection to Port Phillip.

5.7 Pending Council approval, phase 2 of the community consultation will take place from 6 October to 2 November. The purpose of this second phase is to seek community feedback on the draft Strategy and most specifically on the vision, strategic pillars, measures and actions.

5.8 Community engagement activities will include:

· Have Your Say Page – online survey

· Paper-based survey (long and short version)

· Direct engagement with community housing and homelessness organisation representatives as well as select developers

6. LEGAL AND RISK IMPLICATIONS

6.1 There are no identified legal implications associated with the draft Strategy.

7. FINANCIAL IMPACT

7.1 The Strategy aims to ensure that Council’s expenditure in affordable housing and homelessness is financially sustainable and achieves best public value.

7.2 If Council wish to explore use of Council land, consulting spend may be required. This can be funded from the project funding Council has allocated; however, this will reduce the amount available to be allocated to other projects.

7.3 A review of the homelessness service model is currently underway and will ensure the current use of spend (including FTEs and via service agreements) is effective and distributed for maximum impact.

8. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

8.1 There can be an environmental impact of people sleeping rough be this bio-hazardous or harmful waste, rubbish, abandoned material aid or abandoned camps/items are left in hot-spot/high street areas and parks/open spaces. By supporting more persons into housing, this issue may be minimised.

9. COMMUNITY IMPACT

9.1 Housing stress and homelessness have a significant effect on individuals health and wellbeing. Improving supports and housing availability can increase connectedness, social and cultural inclusion and cohesion, preventing/reducing harm, and hardship, in turn potentially preventing and reducing incidents of crime and anti-social behaviours.

9.2 The Strategy will provide Council with a clear and concise position on homelessness and affordable housing.

10. Gender Impact Assessment

10.1 A gender impact assessment has been conducted on the draft strategy and recommendations have been taken into consideration in the development of the strategy.

11. ALIGNMENT TO COUNCIL PLAN AND COUNCIL POLICY

11.1 The Affordable housing and homelessness strategy aligns to the strategic direction “a healthy and connected community” and the outcome “our community have stable, safe, and affordable housing”.

12. IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY

12.1 TIMELINE

12.1.1 An implementation Plan will be developed to sit alongside the Strategy.

12.1.2 If Council resolves to release the draft Strategy for community consultation at the Council meeting on 17 September 2025, the following will occur:

6 October – 2 November 2025	Draft Strategy out for community feedback
November 2025	Consideration of submissions on the draft strategy
19 November 2025	Draft engagement report and updated strategy presented at Councillor briefing for final feedback
3 December 2025	Final proposed Strategy presented at the Ordinary Meeting of Council for endorsement and adoption

13. OFFICER MATERIAL OR GENERAL INTEREST

13.1 No officers involved in the preparation of this report has declared a material or general interest in the matter.

ATTACHMENTS

1. Proposed Draft Affordable Housing and Homelessness Strategy⇩

2. Engagement Summary Report⇩

Meeting of the Port Phillip City Council

17 September 2025

8.2

Engagement on Community Infrastructure Plan

Executive Member:

Kylie Bennetts, General Manager, Community Wellbeing and Inclusion

PREPARED BY:

Rochelle Fernando, Executive Officer

Christine Dening, Manager Community Building and Inclusion

1. PURPOSE

1.1 To outline the proposed delivery approach of the Community Infrastructure Plan (CIP).

1.2 To seek Council’s endorsement to initiate the first stage of community engagement for the CIP.

2. EXECUTIVE Summary

2.1 Council plays a critical role in the planning and delivery of high-quality community infrastructure through which diverse services and programs are delivered.

2.2 The Plan for Port Phillip commits Council to the development of a CIP. A CIP outlines current and future need for development, enhancement, and management of community facilities to support community wellbeing, inclusion and resilience. The CIP will help guide the prioritisation and phasing of infrastructure projects to address identified community needs.

2.3 Several key pieces of work have already been undertaken to understand the supply and demand for community infrastructure and services across the City of Port Phillip, including: the Maternal and Child Health Service Review 2021, Port Phillip Kindergarten Infrastructure and Services Plan (KISP), Fit for Purpose Assessments 2017 and Fishermans Bend Community Infrastructure Planning for the State Developer Contributions Plan.

2.4 In April 2025, SGS Economics and Planning were engaged to develop a Community Infrastructure Needs Assessment (CINA). The CINA provided a strategic, evidence-based analysis evaluating existing infrastructure supply against projected population growth and service participation trends. Its purpose was to develop an evidence-based assessment of the likely community infrastructure requirements of the community through to 2056.

2.5 Officers are now preparing to explore community infrastructure requirements with the community. Community input is critical for adding context to the CINA and ensuring development and phasing of future community infrastructure meets community expectations. It is also critical through this process to outline Council’s financial constraints to help set realistic expectations around the capacity Council has to respond to community infrastructure needs in the short, medium and longer term.

2.6 The following report outlines the approach for developing the CIP and the proposed community engagement approach.

3. RECOMMENDATION

That Council:

3.1 Approves the proposed approach to deliver the Community Infrastructure Plan including the first phase of exploratory community engagement, scheduled from 6 October to 2 November 2025.

4. KEY POINTS/ISSUES

4.1 It is proposed that the CIP will support Council to:

· Respond to population growth and change, ensuring infrastructure meets future demand.

· Promote equity and inclusion, supporting access to safe, welcoming, and culturally appropriate spaces for all community members.

· Support community wellbeing, through the provision of facilities that help to foster social connections, deliver services, and support mental and physical health.

· Improve efficiency and coordination, through identification of gaps, overlaps, and opportunities for co-location to avoid duplication; and

· Build stronger cases to secure funding and investment, offering an evidence base to leverage for grants, developer contributions, and partnerships.

4.2 It is proposed that the CIP would initially help to inform opportunities for upgrading Council's existing property portfolio, phasing of infrastructure delivery and advocacy priorities (e.g., Fishermans Bend and other infrastructure).

4.3 The scope of the CIP will be tested with community but generally it is proposed that it includes:

· Community centres and halls.

· Libraries.

· Cultural venues (art spaces).

· Neighbourhood houses.

· Youth and senior centres.

· Multipurpose spaces for events, services, and programs including maternal and child health, toy libraries and playgroups.

4.4 Recreation and sports facilities are proposed to be out of scope in the initial testing. There will be opportunity to test their inclusion as this work runs parallel to the development of the Sport and Recreation Strategy which will be testing sport and recreation related infrastructure needs. Additionally, the CIP will be built to be flexible and adaptable allowing the incorporation of other elements over time (i.e. transport infrastructure) and allowing for adjustments to population growth or infrastructure development should the need arise (including as Fishermans Bend infrastructure comes online).

CIP Development Approach

4.5 The development of the CIP commenced in April with a comprehensive preliminary assessment in the form of a CINA. The CINA involved a desktop review of demographic data, infrastructure provision ratios, and relevant Council and Government strategies.

4.6 It is proposed that the CINA key findings are now tested with community through exploratory engagement which will shape the guiding principles and validate identified needs. This includes workshops with service providers, a broad community survey, and pop-up events across the municipality. The feedback collected will inform an Engagement Summary Report, which will become a key input for the next phase of this work.

4.7 The third phase focuses on drafting the CIP, integrating insights from the background paper, engagement outcomes, and Council’s strategic property roadmap.

4.8 In the final stages, the draft CIP is proposed to be tested with the community through follow-up interviews, additional pop-ups, and another round of surveys. Feedback will then be consolidated into a second Engagement Summary Report, which informs the finalisation of the CIP. The final plan is then presented to Council for consideration and implementation.

4.9 The full details of this approach are detailed later in this report.

CINA

4.10 The CINA is the key output for phase 1 preliminary assessment and review and forms the evidence base for testing with community through exploratory engagement. It was developed with SGS consultants and internal stakeholders and will be summarised as a high-level background paper to guide community input.

4.11 In simplest terms, a CINA is built through the assessment of community infrastructure demand (assessed based on population projections and participation trends) and supply (audit of existing infrastructure) to understand gaps and surpluses. The below summarises the scope and key findings. The findings will form the basis of a concise and high-level background paper for community engagement.

4.12 The scope of infrastructure types currently included in the CINA focuses on facilities and services where Council plays a role as provider (e.g. libraries, kindergartens), partner (e.g. shared facilities), or advocate (e.g. community health centres). Infrastructure types currently included:

· Early Years Facilities/Services: Playgroups, Kindergartens (15-hour places), Long Day Care (LDC), Maternal and Child Health (MCH) rooms, Toy Libraries.

· Young People Facilities/Services: Youth-friendly spaces and Youth centres.

· Library building and services (measured in square metres).

· Multipurpose Community Spaces: Neighbourhood House services, Multipurpose community centres, Multipurpose community spaces (nested by size: small, small-to-medium, medium, medium-to-large, large). Note: These spaces may be located within community centres, libraries, early years facilities, or other buildings. The nesting approach allows flexibility in assessing adequacy of provision by size and function^{^[1]}^.

· Arts and Culture Facilities/Services: Arts and cultural hubs, Experience and exhibition spaces, Arts creation spaces (e.g. studios, workshops). Note: These facilities vary in scale and purpose, from large hubs to smaller supporting spaces. Nesting is used to reflect different service levels.

· Community Health centres. Note: While Council does not typically own or operate these facilities, it plays a key role in coordinating and advocating for their provision.

· Excluded from Scope: Schools: Not benchmarked due to Council’s limited role (advocate only) but included in maps and discussion as potential partnership opportunities. Sport and Recreation: Not included in this CINA, as a separate assessment is being undertaken as part of the Sports and Recreation Background Report 2025, which will inform a Sports and Recreation Strategy in 2025/26. However informal recreation (e.g. yoga, dance) within multipurpose spaces is currently in scope.

4.13 The CINA Covers eight local areas: Elwood, St Kilda East, St Kilda Central, St Kilda West, Albert Park, South Melbourne, Port Melbourne, and Port Melbourne Industrial. It also includes the three Fishermans Bend precincts: Montague, Sandridge and Wirraway. The CINA has been established in this way as it is built around a Statistical Area Level 2 (as that is how population projections are developed), however it is proposed that community facing activities including engagement will be undertaken by neighbourhood.

[1] Definition: Nesting is used when a space or service is typically delivered within a larger facility, or when there are sub-types that indicate the appropriate scale of provision. Nesting requires Council to consider the number and size of spaces within larger facilities and to consider flexibility in planning, recognising that a medium-sized space might be made up of several small rooms or large space could be equivalent to multiple medium rooms.

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4.14 The CINA identifies infrastructure gaps over the next 30 years and population increases across Port Phillip’s neighbourhoods and provides a strategic framework for Council to consider how to address these over time. By leveraging existing assets, activating underutilised spaces, considering facilities located in locations bordering Port Phillip and planning for future growth, Council can ensure that community infrastructure remains inclusive, accessible, and responsive to the needs of all residents.

4.15 The assessment considers the immediate (2026), medium term (2036) and longer-term (2056) infrastructure needs, informed by population forecasts, demographic trends, and service provision benchmarks.

4.16 CINA findings are summarised in the table below by SA2. Note that while results are by SA2, community feedback will be collected by neighbourhood.

Current Supply and Utilisation

Current Gaps

South Melbourne includes a mix of civic and community infrastructure:

· South Melbourne Community Centre.

· Sol Green Community Centre.

· Emerald Hill Library and Heritage Centre.

· Multiple early years services.

· Headspace and Better Health Network services.

· Playgroups.

· Youth-friendly spaces.

· Neighbourhood House service.

· Arts and cultural facilities.

Port Melbourne has a diverse infrastructure network:

· Multiple early years centres and community spaces.

· Port Melbourne Library and toy library.

· South Port Community Centre (Neighbourhood House).

· Sports and recreation facilities.

· Youth-friendly spaces.

· Arts and cultural facilities.

· Community health centres.

Albert Park includes:

· Middle Park and Albert Park Libraries.

· Mary Kehoe Community Centre (hall highly utilised; smaller rooms moderately used).

· Middle Park Community Centre.

· Gasworks Arts Park (arts and culture hub).

· Several kindergartens and early years centres.

· Youth-friendly spaces.

· Small/medium community rooms.

· Long day care and kindergarten services.

St Kilda West has:

· Four community health centres.

· Two arts and cultural facilities.

· One kindergarten.

· Walkable access to services in St Kilda Central.

· Multipurpose community spaces.

· Youth-friendly spaces.

· Neighbourhood House service.

St Kilda Central is a civic hub:

· St Kilda Library (largest in municipality).

· Multiple early years centres.

· Port Phillip Community Group and Uniting Engagement Hub.

· Toy library service.

· Medium-to-large community spaces.

St Kilda East includes:

· Alma Road Community House.

· Four early years centres.

· Alma Park (sport and recreation).

· Multipurpose community spaces.

· Youth-friendly infrastructure.

· Arts and cultural facilities.

Elwood’s infrastructure is clustered around the foreshore and residential areas:

· Multiple kindergartens and early years centres.

· Elwood and St Kilda Neighbourhood Learning Centre (includes toy library).

· Several sport and recreation facilities.

· Long day care and kindergarten places.

· Medium-to-large community spaces.

· Arts and cultural facilities.

· Community health centres.

Fishermans Bend – Montague has limited infrastructure:

· South Melbourne Primary School (includes kindergarten, long day care, and MCH).

· City Kids Early Learning Centre.

· Montague Continuing Education Centre.

· Early years services.

· Youth-friendly spaces.

· Toy library and playgroups.

· Multipurpose community centre.

· Arts and health services.

Fishermans Bend – Sandridge

· Currently limited to North Port Oval. Significant infrastructure investment planned.

· All infrastructure categories due to rapid projected growth.

Fishermans Bend – Wirraway

· Limited to JL Murphy Reserve and school sites.

· All infrastructure categories due to rapid projected growth.

5. CONSULTATION AND STAKEHOLDERS

5.1 Engagement on the CINA findings is planned to be held from 6 October – 2 November 2025.

5.2 The purpose of the engagement is to validate findings, understand lived experiences, gather investment priorities in the context of Council’s financial position, and identify emerging needs.

5.3 A high-level background paper based on the CINA findings will be developed to guide community input around key considerations by neighbourhood.

5.4 The engagement activities are planned as follows:

· An online survey via Have Your Say, covering themes like early years, youth, libraries, arts, health, and multipurpose spaces.

· Partner roundtables with service providers, schools, and health organisations to discuss service delivery and co-location opportunities.

· Local workshops in areas like South Melbourne, Elwood, and Fishermans Bend using maps and scenarios to explore future needs.

· Paper surveys at libraries and ASSIST counters.

· Community pop-ups through the Neighbourhood Engagement Program and targeted outreach via service networks.

· Internal engagement with relevant Council teams.

5.5 Following phase 1 of engagement, a CIP will be developed. The CIP will outline the short-, medium- and long-term community infrastructure requirements based on the CINA and the community engagement findings. It will also highlight the operating context that Council operates within, particularly Council’s financial position and opportunities in locations, including facilities that are nearby to Port Phillip to potentially respond to community need.

6. LEGAL AND RISK IMPLICATIONS

6.1 Property Roadmap Alignment: The current roadmap prioritises facilities needing repair, without factoring in future community needs as outlined through a CIP. The CIP may recommend changes to better align infrastructure investment with projected demand.

7. FINANCIAL IMPACT

7.1 Council allocated a budget of $60,000 through the 25/26 Council Budget. This will be used to engage a consultant to develop the CIP and deliver some of the engagement activities. This budget also includes the development of communications collateral.

8. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

8.1 A CIP offers a number of opportunities to support environmental sustainability:

· Opportunity for Sustainable Design: New infrastructure, especially in growth areas like Fishermans Bend, presents a canvas for embedding sustainability options that reduce energy and water consumption whilst enhancing urban biodiversity.

· Promotion of Active and Public Transport: The CIP encourages co-location of services near transport hubs and walkable precincts, reducing reliance on private vehicles and associated emissions.

· Flexible, Multi Use Spaces: Multipurpose hubs reduce the need for multiple standalone buildings, consolidating services and lowering the environmental footprint.

· Supporting Climate Resilience: Infrastructure that fosters social connection and wellbeing—such as libraries, drop-in centres, and community health hubs—also contributes to climate resilience by supporting vulnerable populations during extreme weather events.

9. COMMUNITY IMPACT

9.1 The CIP will have an impact on the wellbeing of Port Phillip residents. By identifying and addressing infrastructure gaps, the CIP helps to facilitate equitable access to essential services such as early years care, youth support, health services, and cultural spaces.

9.2 In high-density areas like Fishermans Bend, where private space is limited, public infrastructure will play a vital role in supporting liveability—offering safe, inclusive spaces for recreation, learning, and social interaction.

10. Gender Impact Assessment

10.1 A Gender Impact Assessment will be undertaken following approval of the approach and scope and will be completed prior to the commencement of community consultation activities.

11. ALIGNMENT TO COUNCIL PLAN AND COUNCIL POLICY

11.1 The recommendation of this report aligns with Council Plan strategic report: “A Healthy and Connected Community” as it fulfils the following:

· Supports equitable access to safe, inclusive, and culturally appropriate community facilities.

· Improves health and wellbeing by planning for infrastructure that enables delivery of services like maternal and child health, early years education, and social support.

· Fosters social connection by identifying and prioritising multipurpose spaces that bring people together and reduce isolation.

· Responds to population growth by forecasting future infrastructure needs based on demographic trends and service demand.

· Promotes financial sustainability by helping Council prioritise investments and advocate for external funding and partnerships.

· Enhances service delivery by identifying opportunities for co-location and avoiding duplication of infrastructure.

12. IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY

12.1 The following table outlines the proposed approach for developing the CIP including two phases of community input (an exploratory phase and a testing phase) to ensure that the final CIP meets the needs of the community while also being technically robust and reliable offering a strong basis for advocacy, planning and phasing of community infrastructure projects.

Phase

Description

Output

Touchpoints

Timing

Preliminary Assessment and Review

Purpose: To establish a clear understanding of community infrastructure needs and set the strategic direction for the plan.

Desktop review of available information to develop a CINA and background material for community engagement:

§ Review provision ratios (based on best practice), population forecasting, demographic and trend analysis

§ Review of Council and external material: Council relevant strategies, plans and programs, Local and State Government plans, relevant legislation and guidelines, research and background material.

§ Develop a needs assessment (by area).

§ Review Infrastructure Assessment reports.

§ Review property pipeline and Fishermans Bend DCP Delivery Program to understand current infrastructure works priorities

Project plan

Community Needs Assessment

Background paper for community engagement

Councillor briefing: Discuss approach

June – September 2025

Exploratory Engagement

Purpose: To engage the community and stakeholders in shaping the guiding principles and validating infrastructure needs.

Stage 1 community engagement to:

§ Develop guiding principles for developing community infrastructure

§ Understand Council’s role as a provider, partner and advocate for community infrastructure types

§ Test the needs assessment identified in the background paper

§ Outline the context in which Council operates including its financial position

Activities would include:

§ Workshops with stakeholders (community service providers, multi-faith network, advisory committees, community representative, program users).

§ Have your Say exploratory survey with the broad community and distributed via Diversity, staff networks, social media, postcards and other methods.

§ Community pop-ups across the municipality (Neighbourhood engagement program scheduled for October)

Engagement Summary Report

Community (through community engagement)

October – December 2025

Draft CIP

Purpose: To develop a draft Community Infrastructure Plan based on engagement outcomes and strategic analysis.

Utilising the background paper, engagement summary report and Council portfolio roadmap, draft the CIP with specific focus on:

§ Vision.

§ Guiding principles / strategic pillars.

§ Needs and actions for the short and long term by location.

Proposed Draft CIP

Councillor briefing: Present draft proposed CIP and release for second stage engagement.

January – February 2025

Testing of the draft strategy with community

Purpose: To validate the draft CIP with the community and refine it based on feedback.

Testing engagement including:

§ Qualitative follow-up with interviews.

§ Potentially additional pop-ups.

§ Have your Say survey with the broad community and distributed via Diversity, staff networks, social media, postcards and other methods.

Engagement Summary Report

Community (through community engagement)

March – April 2025

Finalisation

Purpose: to finalise the Community Infrastructure Plan incorporating all feedback and prepare it for implementation.

Incorporate final community feedback to the CIP.

Final CIP

Councillor briefing: Present final CIP

May 2025

12.2 An implementation strategy will be developed alongside the development of the Community Infrastructure Plan.

13. COMMUNICATION

13.1 The following key messages will be communicated as part of the engagement process for the CIP:

13.1.1 Purpose of Engagement: Council is developing a long-term Community Infrastructure Plan to guide future investment in facilities and services. Community input is essential to ensure the plan reflects local needs, experiences, and priorities.

13.1.2 How to participate: Engagement activities will include an online survey, pop-up sessions, workshops, and targeted outreach to priority groups. Community members will be invited to participate via Council channels and partner networks.

13.1.3 What we are asking the community:

· To validate infrastructure gaps and opportunities identified in the CINA.

· To share priorities for attention, understanding the financial context and constraints of Council.

· To share lived experiences of accessing and using community facilities.

· To identify barriers to participation and inclusion.

· To provide feedback on priorities for short-term (5–10 years) and long-term (10–30 years) infrastructure investment.

· To highlight emerging needs not captured in existing data.

14. OFFICER MATERIAL OR GENERAL INTEREST

14.1 No officers involved in the preparation of this report has declared a material or general interest in the matter.

ATTACHMENTS

Nil

Meeting of the Port Phillip City Council

17 September 2025

8.3	Community Grants Program 2025-26 Recommendations
Executive Member:	Kylie Bennetts, General Manager, Community Wellbeing and Inclusion
PREPARED BY:	Emma Blackford, Team Leader Grants and Funding

1. PURPOSE

1.1 To seek Council endorsement of funding recommendations made by the Community Grants Assessment Panel for applications to the Community Grants Program 2025-26.

2. EXECUTIVE Summary

2.1 The Community Grants Program works with not-for-profit groups and organisations to meet identified community needs, support local networks, promote and encourage participation in community life, facilitate innovation and promote access, inclusion and acceptance of diversity.

2.2 A total of 93 applications were submitted to the Community Grants Program under three funding categories:

2.2.1 Community Strengthening received 70 applications

2.2.2 Social Inclusion Partnerships received 6 applications

2.2.3 Program Support received 17 applications.

2.3 A total of $648,425.90 was requested, with a total budget of $285,000 available.

2.4 Two applications were deemed ineligible by officers for assessment, with one application being a for-profit public company and the second being part of the state government.

2.5 Two Assessment Panels assessed 91 applications, with each panel consisting of two community members and two City of Port Phillip officers.

2.6 This report presents Council with a list of the recommended grants for 2025-26 as assessed by the combined Community Grants Assessment Panel as well as recommendations for allocation of remaining funds.

2.7 The Panel has recommended grants applications which include programs that support social connection and programs that improve health and wellbeing, provide opportunities for skills development, build capacity of community agencies and groups, and engage community to address climate change.

2.8 In total, 53 applications from 38 organisations are recommended funding of $270,835.90. The recommended allocations are detailed in Attachment 1 (confidential).

3. RECOMMENDATION

That Council:

Part 1

3.1 Thanks, all applicants for their interest in Council’s Community Grants Program.

3.2 Endorses the Community Grants Assessment Panel’s funding allocation recommendations for the Community Grants Program 2025-26, as detailed in confidential Attachment 1.

Part 2

3.3 Endorses the Community Grants Assessment Panel’s funding allocation recommendations for the Community Grants Program 2025-26, as detailed in confidential Attachment 2.

3.4 Makes public the list of successful applications for the Community Grants Program 2025-26 on Council’s website once all applicants have been advised of the outcome of their application.

3.5 Endorses reallocation of residual funds from the Community Grants Program 2025-26 for potential allocation under the Quick Response Grants Program.

3.6 Formally thanks the voluntary members of the Community Grants Assessment Panel for their valuable time and contribution to the community life of the City of Port Phillip.

4. KEY POINTS/ISSUES

4.1 The Community Grants Program provides Council with a strategic opportunity to support initiatives that strengthen the community service sector and community groups. The program aims to promote social inclusion and community engagement by supporting projects that value the contribution and participation of the Port Phillip community.

4.2 Structure of the Community Grants Program:

4.2.1 The Community Grants Program is an annual funding round established to support and encourage community organisations to develop and deliver projects and programs that respond to the needs of the Port Phillip community.

4.2.2 There are three categories of funding: Community Strengthening, Social Inclusion Partnerships and Program Support:

· The Community Strengthening category funds local organisations to design and deliver projects that meet existing and emerging needs of residents and encourage participation, social connection and value diversity. The aim is to strengthen and leverage the capacity of the local community and/or local community sector in supporting their ongoing sustainability, contribute to the health and wellbeing of the community, address health inequities, and support environmental and circular economy. The maximum funding for each grant under the Community Strengthening category is $10,000.

· The Social Inclusion Partnership category supports community organisations and groups to partner, develop and deliver projects and activities that increase social inclusion in the community. The aim is to engage residents who, for various reasons, may not otherwise have the opportunity to contribute to, participate in, or contribute to the broader community. The maximum funding for each grant under the Social Inclusion Partnership category is $5,000.

· The Program Support category recognises that many small groups require funding to run their activities which form an important part of people’s lives and wellbeing, regardless of whether they are project based. Activities are generally social, such as group outings, or physical such as walking groups. The maximum funding for each grant under the Program Support category is $1,000.

4.2.3 Projects that have received funding previously may apply and be considered for funding in subsequent years. There is no limit to how many applications a community organisation can submit across the three categories, but each application must be for a different project or program.

4.2.4 All organisations applying for funding, including those that have been funded in previous years, undergo an eligibility check and are required to submit their organisational annual and financial reports. Project acquittals from previously funded organisations are checked to review past grant performance to ensure compliance with acquittal and evaluation requirements.

4.3 Community Grants Application Process:

4.3.1 The 2025-26 Community Grants program opened on 29 April 2025 and closed on 10 June 2025.

4.3.2 The Community Grants 2025-26 Program was advertised through Council’s social media, Community Sector News, Council’s website and through email to internal and external stakeholders.

4.3.3 A public information session was held for prospective applicants to assist applicants in understanding the grants selection process and the use of the online grant application process.

4.3.4 Once received, all applications were checked for eligibility by the Grants and Funding Team.

4.3.5 Staff with relevant portfolio responsibility provided feedback on strategic alignment of applications. This feedback was made available to Community Grants Assessment Panels for consideration in their deliberation.

4.4 Community Grant Application Assessment Process:

4.4.1 Council received a total of 93 applications under three funding categories: Community Strengthening received 70 applications; Social Inclusion Partnerships received 6 applications and Program Support received 17 applications.

4.4.2 A total of $648,425.90 was requested, with a total of $285,000 funding available.

4.4.3 A total of 91 eligible applications were assessed by two Assessment Panels. Each panel comprised two local community members, endorsed by Council at the Council Meeting held on 21 May, and two Council Officers from the City of Port Phillip.

4.4.4 All applications were assessed against the Community Grants 2025-26 Guidelines which are available on Council’s website.

4.4.5 Recommendations include programs that:

· Support our most marginalised community members to socially connect and access programs that improve health and wellbeing.

· Provide opportunities for skills development through educational workshops.

· Address isolation through creating opportunities for people from all backgrounds to participate in community life.

· Build capacity of local community agencies and groups, including through engaging and deploying volunteers.

· Continue to engage community activity to address environmental and climate change.

4.4.6 Applications that did not score well against the selection criteria were not recommended for funding. All unsuccessful applicants are encouraged, via the notification email, to contact the Grants and Funding Team for feedback on their application. Feedback is provided through the applicant’s preferred method, such as phone or email.

4.4.7 In some instances, applications have been recommended for a grant but at a lower level of contribution than sought. This has occurred mostly where some budgeted items requested to be funded were not considered aligned to the intent of the grants or allowable items. Grant applications specified where a reduced budget would still enable the program to proceed (sometimes at a reduced scale) and this was taken into consideration.

4.4.8 In total, 53 applications from 38 organisations are recommended to receive $270,835.90 in funding. The recommended allocations are detailed in Attachment 1 (confidential).

4.4.9 Successful applicants who receive funding under the Community Grants 2025-26 Program will have until 1 June 2026 to submit their project status reports and end of December 2026 to submit their acquittal reports.

5. CONSULTATION AND STAKEHOLDERS

5.1 Staff with relevant portfolio responsibility have provided feedback on strategic alignment of applications to Council Plan, policies and strategies. This feedback was made available to Community Grants Assessment Panels for consideration in their deliberation.

5.2 Eligible applications were assessed by two Panels. Panel A consisted of two Council Officers and two local appointed community members. Assessment Panel B consisted of two Council Officers and two local appointed community members. The four local community members were formally endorsed by Council.

5.3 Panel members assessed assigned applications individually prior to convening for group discussion and assessment over a series of meetings.

5.4 Panel members also provided feedback on the Community Grants 2025-26 Program and assessment process.

5.5 Council thanks the voluntary members of the Community Grants Assessment Panel for their valuable contribution to the community life of the City of Port Phillip.

6. LEGAL AND RISK IMPLICATIONS

6.1 There are no identified risks to Council in endorsing this recommendation.

6.2 Conflict of interest processes are embedded into the program to ensure unbiased decision making at each stage of the assessment process. All panel members are required to declare any potential conflict of interest as part of the assessment process.

6.3 Where a conflict of interest has been declared, the impacted panel member is not provided with the application, nor can they make comment or participate in the assessment process for that application.

6.4 In addition, all Councillors are required to declare any conflict of interest prior to consideration of the Council report.

7. FINANCIAL IMPACT

7.1 The Panel recommendations are to allocate funding to the value of $270,835.90. This is within the total budget of $285,000 allocated for the 2024-25 Community Grants Program.

7.2 Council could consider re-allocation of the residual community grants funding, to the Quick Response Grants Program. This program has similar objectives to the Annual Community Grants program and provides funding for community-based initiatives that arise throughout the year.

8. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

8.1 The Community Grants 2025-26 Program encourages applicants to apply for funding to deliver sustainability projects. All applications are requested to consider sustainability in their project planning and implementation.

9. COMMUNITY IMPACT

9.1 The Community Grants 2025–26 Program promotes social inclusion and community engagement by supporting projects that encourage active participation and meaningful contributions to the Port Phillip community. It also aims to strengthen the capacity and long-term sustainability of the local community and community sector

9.2 The Community Grants Program is one way that the Council ensures social justice for all in its delivery of services, programs and projects. This is achieved through the criteria for assessment having a strong emphasis on social inclusion and equity principles.

9.3 The Community Grants Program funds local community programs and services which enables continued employment in the Non-for-Profit Sector.

10. Gender Impact Assessment

10.1 The Community Grants Panel embeds equity focus throughout its design, application and assessment process, including:

10.1.1 Inviting applications that enhance diversity, and contribute to the building of healthy, strong and inclusive communities.

10.1.2 Identifying a key objective of the program to enable access to inclusive and accessible events, programs and services. This includes sections of the community which may be vulnerable to exclusion, including people who identify as LGBTIQA+.

10.1.3 Guidelines that encourage applicants to consider how they can ensure events are safe, welcoming and inclusive of LBGTQIA+ community.

10.1.4 Requiring applicants to demonstrate consideration for how their project is inclusive and accessible for all participants.

10.1.5 Inclusion of grant panel members drawn from and reflective of the diversity in the community, including gender diversity.

11. ALIGNMENT TO COUNCIL PLAN AND COUNCIL POLICY

11.1 Applications are sought for projects that enhance diversity, enable community participation and decision making, and contribute to the building of healthy, strong and inclusive communities. Projects need to contribute to the Council Plan Strategic Directions and are evaluated according to how well they meet program priorities.

11.2 The Community Grants program aligns primarily with the previous Council Plan Strategic Directions: Inclusive Port Phillip and Sustainable Port Phillip.

11.3 Council’s Community Funding Policy provides a framework for the Annual Community Grants program, including through the application of policy principles that ensure strategic alignment to the Council Plan, good governance and transparency, robust program planning and design, and ensuring maximum community benefit.

12. IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY

12.1 TIMELINE

12.1.1 Following Council endorsement, outcome letters will be emailed to both successful and unsuccessful applicants by late-September 2025.

12.1.2 Funding will be distributed to successful applicants from October 2025.

12.1.3 Successful applicant organisations and the funded projects will be made available on the Council website in October 2025.

12.2 COMMUNICATION

12.2.1 All applicants will be advised of the outcomes of their application in writing by email. Unsuccessful applicants will also be encouraged to seek feedback about their application.

13. OFFICER MATERIAL OR GENERAL INTEREST

13.1 No officers involved in the preparation of this report have any material or general interest in the matter.

ATTACHMENTS

1. Confidential- Community Grants Program 2025-2026 - Recommendations for Funding Part 1

2. Confidential- Community Grants Program 2025-2026 - Recommendations for Funding Part 2

Meeting of the Port Phillip City Council

17 September 2025

10.1

Draft "Feel Safe. Be Safe. Community Safety Plan 2025-29"

Executive Member:

Brian Tee, General Manager, City Growth and Development

PREPARED BY:

Nellie Montague, Manager Safety and Amenity

Sandra Khazam, Community Safety Lead

1. PURPOSE

1.1 To outline the work completed to date in the development of the Community Safety Plan and to present the draft Plan for endorsement for the next phase of engagement including public exhibition to seek community feedback.

2. EXECUTIVE Summary

2.1 Community safety and social cohesion have been identified by Council as significant challenges and opportunities. A community safety plan is a tool through which Council can prioritise key objectives and outcomes to effect change through targeted actions.

2.2 As the current Community Safety Plan finishes at the end of 2025, a new draft Community Safety Plan has been developed.

2.3 The new draft plan - Feel Safe. Be Safe. Community Safety Plan 2025-2029 -(Attachment 1) is based on extensive feedback in particular between 22 May and 29 June 2025 (see Engagement Report Attachment 2). Feedback has been provided from community and local service providers and received through numerous channels including consultation for the Plan for Port Phillip. It includes recommendations from the Community Safety Roundtable (see Response to Roundtable Recommendations Attachment 3), held in March 2025 and considers recommendations from a review of the current Community Safety Plan 2019-2025.

2.4 The actions presented in the new Plan will be delivered through three main pillars:

2.4.1 Pillar one - Creating safer public spaces

2.4.2 Pillar two - Improving communication and information

2.4.3 Pillar three - Strengthening social cohesion and connecting communities

2.5 Each pillar has specific objectives and outcome measures which will focus on delivering local, place-based actions to address current and emerging safety needs within our municipality. These actions have been developed to respond to community engagement feedback and to test new and innovative approaches.

2.6 The next phase of community engagement is planned for 6 October to 2 November 2025 and will seek feedback from the community and key stakeholders, including service providers that took part in the Community Safety Roundtable in March 2025 on the draft Community Safety Plan.

2.7 Council officers have been progressing the Police Protocol and proposed Local Law amendment with Victoria Police. Feedback is currently being sought from Victoria Police legal channels before any further action can be taken.

3. RECOMMENDATION

That Council:

3.1 Notes the work done to date on the draft Community Safety Plan.

3.2 Endorses the release of the draft Community Safety Plan for the next phase of community engagement which includes the public exhibition of the draft Plan (Attachment 1).

3.3 Notes the Community Safety Engagement Report (Attachment 2) outlining feedback received during community engagement which took place between 22 May to 29 June 2025.

3.4 Endorses all Community Safety Roundtable Recommendations (Attachment 3) noting that these actions have also been included within the draft Community Safety Plan and draft Homelessness and Affordable Housing Strategy.

3.5 Notes that the Police Protocol and proposed Local Law amendment are progressing and Council is currently waiting on legal advice from Victoria Police.

4. KEY POINTS/ISSUES

4.1 Council’s current Community Safety Plan is finishing at the end of 2025. This new Plan will outline Council’s priorities and guide actions around community safety for the next four years.

4.2 Having a safe, secure and liveable environment is a key determinate of health and fosters a socially diverse and inclusive community. Improving community safety is one of City of Port Phillip’s five key health priorities, as identified in the Plan for Port Phillip. The Community Safety Plan is the foundational document that will enable Council to achieve this priority.

4.3 The City of Port Phillip is facing new challenges and opportunities around community safety. The needs and expectations of our local community are also continuously changing. In general, the factors that impact feeling safe and being safe can include physical infrastructure in public spaces (such as lighting), family and gendered violence, lack of secure housing, mental illness, drug and alcohol abuse, as well as rising living costs and online interactions. Social connection and cohesion, the factors that make people feel welcome and safe, and allow for civic and community participation, are also critical to positive feelings and experiences of safety.

4.4 Council, community service providers and Victoria Police must continually adapt to meet changing and increasing needs as a result of population growth, socio-economic, cultural and political conditions, and changing community demographics and expectations.

4.5 The new draft Community Safety Plan outlines Council’s intention to strengthen our current approach through working with partners by improving and enhancing services and delivery, and developing new and innovative ways to address current and emerging needs.

4.6 Extensive community engagement has been conducted to develop the draft Community Safety Plan and there has been consideration of other reports, policies and strategies, such as the Community Safety Roundtable Report, and feedback from the Plan for Port Phillip community engagement.

4.7 The purpose, pillars, objectives and actions in the draft Plan outline key priority areas and align with other Council strategies and policies. The Purpose and Pillars are summarised here, with the objectives and broad actions summarised below in 4.12:

4.8 While community safety is not solely a Council responsibility, Council plays a part in creating a safer community and collaborating with local stakeholders and other tiers of government. The Plan takes a place-based approach and focuses on where Council can influence and take actions across the areas of prevention, intervention and response. A focus on upstream prevention and intervention will reduce the need for long-term investment in downstream responses.

4.9 The Plan for Port Phillip identifies two key outcome indicators related to community safety:

· Improving community perception of safety in public areas of the City of Port Phillip

· Maintaining incidents of crime per 100,000 population (City of Port Phillip).

4.10 These indicators relate to things Council influences but does not directly control. Progress against these indicators is dependent on a range of factors external to Council, including actions from other levels of government and the social services sector but will be monitored to understand progress.

4.11 How we address these indicators, and the Plan for Port Phillip safe and secure outcome priorities, is through the Community Safety Plan pillars, objectives and actions:

4.11.1 Creating safer public spaces - Design and maintain safe, accessible, welcoming, and resilient public spaces.

4.11.2 Improving communication and information - Improve communications and deliver programs which support a better-informed and engaged community.

4.11.3 Strengthening social cohesion and connecting communities - Empower and support communities to thrive, collaborate and connect

4.12 Broad actions to address these pillars and objectives are outlined in the following table (the full list of actions is included in the draft Plan Attachment 1):

Draft Pillars	Draft Objectives	Broad actions
Creating safer public places	Design and maintain safe, accessible, welcoming, and resilient public spaces	· Maintain emergency management and develop crisis responses · Apply Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design principles across capital projects · Conduct safety audits and rapid infrastructure interventions in identified hotspots · Improve lighting, signage, and accessibility in public spaces · Undertake joint patrols with Victoria Police · Maintain and upgrade public place CCTV systems · Application of Local Law related to public behaviour, amenity, and animal management · Partnered outreach with service providers · Support partners to deliver drug and alcohol, and gambling responses, to reduce harm impact · Advocate for increased Victoria Police and mental health response resources
Improving communication and information	Improve communications and deliver programs which support a better-informed and engaged community	· Establish regular community conversations on safety · Deliver campaigns on online safety, misinformation, and harm reduction · Support Neighbourhood Watch and other active citizenship and crime prevention programs · Develop communication tools to address community safety concerns for traders and business community around resources, services and responses, including 24-hour contacts
Strengthening social cohesion and connecting communities	Empower and support communities to thrive, collaborate and connect	· Provide community grants for safety and social cohesion projects · Support community-led program development and delivery · Promote cultural and religious calendars to foster inclusion · Reduce isolation and strengthen community

4.13 The proposed Plan builds on previous work and proposes new actions and approaches for current and emerging issues to strengthen responses. Some of these actions are explored in greater depth below, aligned to specific concerns identified through community engagement and the Community Safety Roundtable.

4.14 The draft Plan interacts and aligns with several other Council plans and strategies to strengthen our commitments. The key Council documents that relate closely to the Community Safety Plan are the draft Homelessness and Affordable Housing Strategy, Public Place Strategy and the Plan for Port Phillip. The draft Community Safety Plan should be considered alongside these pieces of work. The Plan is also based on recommendations provided in the Community Safety Roundtable report (Attachment 3).

4.15 The Community Safety Plan also aligns with the Reconciliation Action Plan in support of investigation of a gathering place for First Nations People, and the Homelessness and Affordable Housing Strategy work in supporting development of community hubs.

5. CONSULTATION AND STAKEHOLDERS

Informing the draft Community Safety Plan

5.1 To identify our community’s key priorities, engagement activities were conducted from 23 May – 29 June 2025, including surveys, workshops, Neighbourhood Pop-ups, receipt of submissions and more. The community engagement methodology involved identified stakeholders as well as the wider community, including people experiencing vulnerability such as rough sleeping homelessness and other lived experiences.

5.2 The content of the Plan was also informed by inputs including the Community Safety Roundtable recommendations, review of other Council strategies, and a desktop review of the current Community Safety Plan. The alignment to these inputs, as well as several other relevant strategies, are noted in the proposed draft Plan (Attachment 1).

5.3 Most of the Community Safety Roundtable recommendations are addressed across the draft Homelessness and Affordable Housing Strategy and the draft Community Safety Plan. Specifically, 20 of the 37 recommendations from the Community Safety Roundtable are included either verbatim or as actions for extra exploration in the Community Safety Plan. Attachment 3 shows the alignment of specific Roundtable recommendations to actions across these documents.

5.4 A Gender Impact Assessment for the draft Community Safety Plan was also conducted and its recommendations have been incorporated.  

5.5 Given that many of Council’s existing strategies and policies already address elements of community safety, the draft Community Safety Plan primarily concentrates on introducing new or revised approaches, rather than duplicating existing initiatives. These other documents are referenced in the Plan for context.

5.6 The “what we heard” section of this report (below) highlights approaches outlined in the draft Community Safety Plan. All community feedback has been taken into consideration in developing the draft Community Safety Plan. The Engagement Report is summarised below, and the full report is Attachment 2.

Community Consultation 23 May – 29 June 2025

5.7 The purpose of the community engagement was to understand priorities around community safety as well as what role Council should play in this area. The feedback provided outlined several priority areas for the Plan.

5.8 Community engagement included:

5.8.1 8 x Neighbourhood Engagement Pop-ups (NEP)

5.8.2 5 x workshops (face-to-face and online) with interested community members

5.8.3 Have Your Say Page – online survey (long and short version)

5.8.4 Paper-based survey (long and short version)

5.8.5 Direct engagement with community service organisations

5.8.6 Flyers

5.8.7 Presentation to trader associations and Council’s Advisory Committees

5.8.8 Receipt of submissions (formal and informal).

5.9 Internal consultation on the proposed objectives and actions was also conducted.

What we heard and how we responded

5.10 The top priorities highlighted from the community engagement were:

5.11 These have been aligned to the Roundtable recommendations and addressed in the draft Community Safety Plan as indicated below: 

Top five areas identified in engagement	Addressed in the draft Community Safety Plan	Aligned Roundtable recommendations
Housing and Homelessness	· Work with relevant agencies to develop a formal partnership agreement between Victoria Police and CoPP for an effective, coordinated response to homelessness. This topic is directly addressed in the draft Homelessness and Affordable Housing Strategy.	Recommendation 3 Recommendation 4 Recommendation 5 Recommendation 17
Personal and Property Safety	· Work with Police and other partners to promote campaigns and strategies around personal and property safety (i.e. including Coffee with a Cop). · Develop responses to support people experiencing challenging behaviour in public places and build community resilience.  · Maintain and manage the public space CCTV network in line with Council’s Public Place CCTV Policy and work with Victoria Police to maximise community safety benefits. · Work with Federal government on new public place CCTV opportunities as part of the $1.5 million 2025 election commitment.   · Promote, deliver, and continuously improve City of Port Phillip’s syringe waste management service to ensure the appropriate and rapid disposal of syringes.	Recommendation 14 Recommendation 27 Recommendation 37
Crime Prevention Activities	· Establish regular channels for community conversation to inform proactive approaches to community safety. · Monitor crime statistics, community satisfaction survey and CRMs to identify priorities and emerging trends and concerns. · Support community-led, active citizenship programs such as Neighbourhood Watch which align with the Community Safety Plan vision. · Continue to improve public places by undertaking safety audits, reviewing and applying place-based and prosocial responses when hotspots emerge. · Review current processes and establish clear procedures enabling rapid infrastructure interventions in public spaces contributing to unsafe conditions.	Recommendation 1 Recommendation 24 Recommendation 25 Recommendation 28
Mental Health and Wellbeing	· Promote social cohesion via grants, events, and inclusive programming. · Tackle the service gap for responding to people experiencing acute mental health episodes in public. · Consider ways to support harm reduction in the City of Port Phillip through services, communications and partnerships. · Lead a coordinated advocacy campaign to increase the resources of PACER and HOPS and advocate for the State Govt to ensure implementation of Mental Health Royal Commission recommendations including transfer of first response to mental health emergency services calls from Police to Ambulance Victoria.  · Develop and pilot a welfare-based model of joint patrols with Victoria Police, CoPP Local Laws, outreach workers, peer supports and other services to engage with rough sleepers and those with complex needs.	Recommendation 12 Recommendation 13 Recommendation 14 Recommendation 15 Recommendation 23
Family and gender-based violence, child safety and elder abuse	· Explore more cohesive approaches and partnerships to strengthen prevention and responses to family violence in Port Phillip. This topic is addressed through Council’s Children Services Policy 2020-2026 and Gender Equality Action Plan 2022-2025

Feeling safe and unsafe in Port Phillip

5.12 Community engagement workshops indicated that community members felt most safe in the following locations (for details please see Engagement Report page 41).

· Albert Park and Middle Park, due to limited anti-social behaviour and it not being too crowded

· St Kilda / St Kilda West, due to it being busy

· Balaclava

· Elwood, due to sense of community

· South Melbourne market, due to security

· Port Melbourne & Fisherman’s Bend during the day

· Beachfront paths due to there being lots of people, with good visibility and well patrolled.

5.13 The feedback also indicated that people felt less safe in:

· St Kilda, due to antisocial behaviour

· Port Melbourne, at nighttime

· Balaclava, due to antisocial behaviour

· Elwood, due to flooding

· Tram stops and intersections, due to lack of lighting

5.14 Understanding when and why people changed their behaviour in public has also contributed to the development of the draft Plan, addressing concerns around situational awareness, behaviour, lighting, welcoming spaces and activities.

5.15 Community members provided a range of suggestions for enhancing safety in Port Phillip. These have all been addressed in the draft Community Safety Plan (for more information see Engagement Report pages 5-6).

5.16 These areas and feedback have also been addressed in detail through the actions outlined below and in the draft Community Safety Plan (Attachment 1).

Strengthening our current response

5.17 The Community Safety Plan engagement has outlined a range of service improvements that will be further explored and delivered through the Plan’s implementation. This work builds on previous actions and propose new programs and projects for emerging or escalating issues. These areas are referenced specifically in the draft Community Safety Plan actions (see Attachment 1).

5.18 Some key highlights from the Plan’s actions are:

Strategic pillars	New targeted actions	Identified need
Creating safer public spaces Strengthening social cohesion and connecting communities	Develop and pilot a welfare-based model: Council will develop and pilot a welfare-oriented model of joint patrols in collaboration with Victoria Police, City of Port Phillip Local Laws officers, outreach workers, peer support personnel, and relevant service providers. Building on the Port Phillip Zero (PPZ) framework, the model will expand to include non-housing services, establishing shared protocols, integrated care plans, clear lines of accountability, and streamlined communication pathways to improve outcomes for vulnerable community members.	This initiative aims to enhance engagement with individuals experiencing homelessness and those with complex needs by fostering coordinated responses across housing, health, social support, and Council services.
Improving communication and information Strengthening social cohesion and connecting communities	Establish regular channels for community conversation: To support proactive and inclusive approaches to community safety, Council will establish regular and accessible channels for community dialogue.	Engagement activities have highlighted a lack of awareness among residents regarding the roles and initiatives of various stakeholders in the community safety space. This action will focus on enhancing the visibility and accessibility of information, programs, and services related to community safety across the municipality, ensuring that residents are informed, connected, and empowered to participate in shaping safer neighbourhoods.
Creating safer public spaces	Tackle the service gap: Council will advocate for and support the development of targeted responses to address the service gap for individuals experiencing acute mental health episodes in public spaces.	This action recognises the urgent need for more responsive, inclusive, and trauma-informed mental health interventions that are accessible in real time and tailored to the diverse needs of the community.
Creating safer public spaces	Continue to improve public places: Council will continue to improve the safety and amenity of public spaces through regular safety audits and the application of place-based, prosocial design responses. When safety concerns or hotspots are identified, Council will implement targeted interventions guided by principles of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED).	Community feedback has underscored the importance of enhancing safety during night-time hours, prompting a stronger focus on lighting, visibility, and activation strategies that contribute to a welcoming and secure public realm for all.

Proposed next phase of community consultation

5.19 Engagement on the draft Community Safety Plan is scheduled from 6 October to 2 November 2025. It will include the public exhibition of the draft Plan to invite community feedback. The engagement activities are planned as follows:

· Have Your Say page with online survey and paper-based option. The Have Your Say page will be specifically promoted to key stakeholders, past participants, traders and business associations, vulnerable community members, and service providers.

· Targeted engagement/interviews with up to three community members with lived experience of homelessness rough sleeping to specifically get feedback on the new actions outlined in the Plan.

· A second Community Safety Roundtable workshop held with key stakeholder organisations including community health, housing and legal services, and Victoria Police, to provide feedback on this Plan and in conjunction with the Homelessness and Affordable Housing Strategy engagement, to round back with services that provided input to the Roundtable Report in March 2025.

Reporting on the Community Safety Plan

5.20 Tracking of actions in the Plan will be incorporated into the organisational monthly and quarterly reporting cycle and the Annual Report.  

5.21 Regular reporting allows for a clear overview of actions taken and achieved, as well as to highlight any lessons learned through the implementation of the Plan

6. LEGAL AND RISK IMPLICATIONS

6.1 There are no identified legal implications associated with the draft Community Safety Plan.

7. FINANCIAL IMPACT

7.1 The Plan aims to ensure that Council’s expenditure in its community safety response is financially sustainable.

7.2 The total budget for Council’s direct community safety response in 2025/26 is $550,000. This includes the following allocations:

· 154k in employee costs (1 FTE staff in Community Building and Inclusion).

· $250k per year (over the next four years) to support delivery of community safety programs including:

o $32k Launch Housing service agreement uplift

o $60k Ngwala Willumbong Aboriginal Housing service agreement

o $158k for delivery of the Community Safety Roundtable and Community Safety Plan actions

· $100k in Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) projects

· $46k in various contracts, materials, and other operating expenses

7.3 The remaining $158k will be allocated to priority projects identified through the Roundtable and Community Safety Plan actions that can be delivered with speed and impact. This may include:

· A component of the funding required to pilot community connector programs; or

· Building on the Trauma Aware Port Phillip toolkit; and/or

· Addressing identified street infrastructure concerns that affect positive precinct activation.

7.4 An annual implementation approach will be developed each year of the life of the Plan to guide annual budget spends on actions.

8. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

8.1 An unsafe or unsupported community may see an environmental impact such as increase in waste, rubbish, abandoned items or an increase in graffiti.

8.2 By supporting all members of our community, the general environment, health and wellbeing will be improved.

9. COMMUNITY IMPACT

9.1 Experiences and feelings of safety have a significant effect on the health and wellbeing of individuals and their sense of belonging and community connection.

9.2 Improving community safety can increase connectedness, social and cultural inclusion and cohesion and prevent or reduce harm, trauma, stigma and hardship. This can have positive impact on reducing incidents of crime and supporting prosocial activity. 

9.3 The draft Community Safety Plan will provide Council with clear and achievable directions and actions to improve community safety. 

9.4 Community safety has a profound social impact, as it directly influences the wellbeing, cohesion, and resilience of communities.

9.5 When people feel safe in their environments—whether in public spaces, at home, or online—they are more likely to engage in civic life, build trust with neighbours, and access services without fear.

9.6 Effective community safety initiatives can reduce crime, antisocial behaviour, and social isolation, while also addressing underlying issues such as inequality, mental health, and substance use. Ultimately, a strong focus on community safety fosters inclusive, vibrant communities where individuals and families can thrive

10. Gender Impact Assessment

10.1 A gender impact assessment has been conducted on the draft Plan and recommendations have been taken into consideration in the development of the Plan.

11. ALIGNMENT TO COUNCIL PLAN AND COUNCIL POLICY

11.1 The Community Safety Plan aligns to the Council strategic direction of A safe and liveable City.

11.2 It delivers on the priority of “Review and implement a new Community Safety Plan to enhance the safety and resilience of our community”. The Plan also supports the health priorities outlined in the Plan for Port Phillip.

12. IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY

12.1 TIMELINE

12.1.1 If Council resolves to release the draft Plan for community consultation at the Council meeting on 17 September 2025, the following will occur:

6 Oct – 2 November 2025

Draft Plan out for four weeks of community feedback to determine what changes can be made to the draft Community Safety Plan prior to going to Council for adoption.

November 2025

Consideration of feedback and submissions on the draft Plan.

10 December 2025

Updated Plan presented at the Ordinary Meeting of Council for endorsement and adoption 

Engagement Report presented to Council for public release.

12.2 COMMUNICATION

12.2.1 Engagement on the draft Community Safety Plan is scheduled from 6 October to 2 November 2025. It will include the public exhibition of the draft Plan to invite community feedback. The engagement activities are planned as follows:

· Have Your Say page with online survey and paper-based option. The Have Your Say page will be specifically promoted to key stakeholders, past participants, traders and business associations, vulnerable community members, and service providers.

· Targeted engagement/interviews with up to three community members with lived experience of homelessness rough sleeping to specifically get feedback on the new actions outlined in the Plan.

· General communication will be through Divercity, social media, distribution of flyers to libraries and community centres.

13. OFFICER MATERIAL OR GENERAL INTEREST

13.1 No officers involved in the preparation of this report has declared a material or general interest in the matter.

ATTACHMENTS

1. Draft "Feel Safe. Be Safe. Community Safety Plan 2025-29"⇩

2. Community Safety Engagement Report 2025⇩

3. Response to Community Safety Roundtable 2025 recommendations⇩

Meeting of the Port Phillip City Council

17 September 2025

13.1

In Principle Approval of the 2024/25 Annual Financial Statements and 2024/25 Performance Statement

Executive Member:

Lachlan Johnson, General Manager, Operations and Infrastructure

PREPARED BY:

Peter Liu, Chief Financial Officer

Elizabeth Erskine, Head of Financial Accounting and Services

1. PURPOSE

1.1 To obtain Council’s in principle approval of the annual financial statements and performance statement for the financial year ending 30 June 2025.

2. EXECUTIVE Summary

2.1 Council is required by the Local Government Act to:

2.1.1 Prepare an annual report each financial year that contains a report on operations, audited financial statements, audited performance statement, and copies of the auditor’s report on the statements.

2.1.2 Pass a resolution giving in principle approval to the financial statements and performance statements and submit these to the Auditor-General’s Office as soon as possible after the end of financial year for reporting on the audit.

2.1.3 Authorise two Councillors to certify the statements in their final form after any changes recommended or agreed to by audit have been made.

2.2 The financial statements and performance statement have been prepared by appropriate Council officers and have been checked and cross referenced by the Chief Financial Officer.

2.3 The financial statements and performance statement were reviewed by the Audit and Risk Committee on 2 September 2025.

2.4 The statements are audited by BDO Australia, agents appointed by the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office.

2.5 The performance statement includes results for 2024/25 and 2023/24 with materiality thresholds established to explain movements between reporting periods.

2.6 Council is required under the Local Government (Planning and Reporting) Regulations to prepare the Governance and Management checklist, which is to be certified by the Mayor and Chief Executive Officer.

2.7 Key financial points for 2024/25:

2.7.1 An overall low risk rating on VAGO financial sustainability indicators.

2.7.2 A cumulative cash surplus of $3.1 million.

2.7.3 A positive net operating result of $30.2 million (10.6 per cent of total revenue).

2.7.4 A working capital ratio of 283 per cent.

2.7.5 An investment portfolio of $105.2 million.

2.7.6 Record capital project delivery of $103.9 million.

2.7.7 $150 million increase in asset valuations.

2.7.8 Permanent ongoing efficiency savings of $0.8 million in addition to the $1.5 million included in Budget 2024/25.

2.8 Material movements and events impacting the financial results are discussed in detail under section 4.

3. RECOMMENDATION

That Council:

3.1 Notes the financial performance for financial year 2024/25 which includes an operating surplus and a low-risk rating on the Victorian Auditor General’s Office Financial Sustainability.

3.2 Gives in principle approval to the annual financial statements and performance statement (the statements) for the financial year ended 30 June 2025.

3.3 Authorises the Mayor, Councillor Louise Crawford, and Deputy Mayor, Councillor Bryan Mears, to certify the annual financial statements and performance statement for the financial year ended 30 June 2025.

3.4 Approves the materiality threshold in the performance statement at +/- 10 per cent of Council’s 2023/24 result for the explanation of variances between the 2024/25 and 2023/24 result.

3.5 Authorises the Mayor and the Chief Executive Officer, to certify the Governance and Management checklist.

4. KEY POINTS/ISSUES

4.1 ANNUAL FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

4.1.1 Council reported a $30.2 million operating surplus, funding a record $103.9 million investment portfolio including land acquisitions to expand open space.

4.1.2 The Operating surplus represents a $24.1 million improvement on 2023/24 driven by increased income and effective cost containment.

4.1.3 Operating revenue increased by $21.7 million (8.3 per cent) due to the following factors:

i. Rates revenue increased by $6.1 million driven by the rates cap increase of 2.75 per cent and growth in property assessments.

ii. Increased parking fees and infringement revenue due by $5.0 million due to increased utilisation in foreshore and tourist areas during summer, events periods and warmer weather, and higher enforcement hours in high traffic and tourist areas.

iii. Monetary contributions for open space from development increased by $3.6 million, rebounding from prior year declines linked to economic conditions and the rise of exempt build-to-rent developments.

iv. Non-monetary contributions increased by $2.2 million reflecting the transfer of infrastructure surrounding the new Anzac Station to Council for our community use.

v. Grants revenue (operating and capital) increased by $1.8 million resulting from the early receipt of the first instalment of the 2025/26 Victoria Grants Commission financial assistance grant.

vi. Other income increased by $1.6 million largely from temporary rental income from the Australia Post site.

4.1.4 Operating expenditure decreased by $2.4 million or 1.0 per cent due to the following offsetting factors:

i. Net loss on asset disposals decreased by $6.6 million, reflecting the transfer of $6.6 million of land to Port Phillip Housing for social housing development in 2023/24.

ii. Materials and services decreased by$3.0 million due to accounting standards and valuation methodology, which reclassified previously recognised maintenance and construction expenses as capital expenditure.

iii. Other expenses increased by $3.4 million primarily due to higher community grant payments.

iv. Employee costs increased by $1.7 million because of the 2.5 per cent increase in salaries and wages under the 2022 Enterprise Agreement, and the legislated 0.5 per cent increase in superannuation.

v. Allowance for impairment losses increased by $1.3 million due to the corresponding growth in parking infringement debt owed to Council.

4.1.5 Total Comprehensive Result comprises net operating surplus/(deficit) and other comprehensive income from net asset valuation increments/decrements for Council’s Property Infrastructure Plant and Equipment assets.

4.1.6 Total Comprehensive Result increased by $254.6 million, resulting in a $179.8 million surplus, compared to a $74.8 million loss in 2023/24. This is significant turnaround is primarily due to large fluctuations in asset valuations over the past two years:

· Land valuation recorded an increment of $2.7 million in compared to a decrement of $101 million in 2023/24.

· Buildings and all infrastructure assets were revalued in 2024/25 to comply with new accounting standards, resulting in valuation increments of $143.3 million, compared to $20.3 million in 2023/24.

· Heritage and works of art assets were formally revalued, increasing by $3.6 million.

4.1.7 Council’s Balance Sheet increased by $189.5 million largely due to asset valuations increments as discussed in 4.1.6. As a result, Total Equity (Net Assets) increased to $3.8 billion, up from $3.6 billion in 2023/24.

4.1.8 Key movements in the Balance Sheet during the financial year include:

· $241.1 million increase in property, infrastructure, plant and equipment largely driven by:

o $149.6 million asset revaluation increments

o $103.9 million of asset additions from the record delivery of the 2024/25 capital project portfolio.

· $39.6 million decrease in cash, cash equivalents and financial assets (current and non-current) reflecting drawdown on reserves as planned for the record capital project portfolio expenditure in 2024/25 including strategic land acquisitions ($51.2 million).

· $6.4 million increased trade payables due to the timing of invoices received.

· $3.9 million decreased other assets due to the Australia Post site purchase deposit being reflected in the prior year.

· $54.5 million net drawdown on reserves supporting strategic land acquisitions, project delivery, and organisational initiatives, including:

o Open Space reserves $16.9 million

o Strategic Property $16.0 million

o Gasworks $2.1 million

o Asset Renewal fund $4.2 million

o In Our Backyard - Affordable Housing $2.3 million

o Project deferrals $7.1 million

o Municipal Growth Fund $5.1 million

4.1.9 Council’s principal financial planning statement is the Income Statement converted to Cash, also known as Rate Determination Statement. This statement determines the budget position based on the net cash position including capital expenditure, lease and borrowing repayments, and reserves transfers.

Under this calculation, Council has a cumulative cash surplus of $3.1 million, closely aligned with the forecast cash surplus of $3.3 million for Budget 2025/26.

4.2 PERFORMANCE STATEMENT

4.2.1 The form and content for the performance statement to 30 June 2025 is prepared in accordance with the Local Government Act 2020 and the Local Government (Planning and Reporting) Regulations 2020.

4.2.2 The performance statement includes:

· A description of the municipal district including its size, location, and population.

· A set of prescribed sustainable capacity indicators

· A set of prescribed service performance indicators

· A set of prescribed financial performance indicators including forecast results for the next four years from the 10 Year Financial Plan.

4.2.3 Local government performance reporting results will be reported for 2024/24 and 2023/24. Council’s must establish materiality thresholds. The threshold will set a movement range for comparing current year results with prior year results, and current year results for the forecast results (for financials only). Each council will set their own materiality threshold based on assessments of their previous year results. If a current year result falls outside the range for the materiality threshold councils are required to explain this movement as a material variation.

4.2.4 Officers propose materiality thresholds at +/- 10 per cent of Councils 2023/24 result. This is based on the example thresholds outlined by the Local Government Performance Reporting Framework and reinforced by feedback from other councils.

4.2.5 There are nine relevant service performance indicators in the performance statement. All nine indicators fell within the expected range; however, two of the nine services did not meet their set targets:

· Sealed local roads made to condition standards was within range however just fell below the target by 0.19%. The number of road sections below the intervention level is expected to improve through ongoing work programs addressing segments of roads in poor condition. Council continues to invest in road condition improvements with a $9m allocation made in the new Council Plan.

· Kerbside collection waste diverted from landfill fell within the expected range and fell just below the set target by 0.55%. There has been continued improvement in landfill diversion in 2024/25 as residents settle into the second year of the Food and Organics (FOGO) service. Increased familiarity with the service has been supported by targeted education initiatives, including flip-top bin audits across both recycling and FOGO streams. These audits provided direct feedback to individual properties, helping reinforce correct usage and improved participation rates. Council is currently reviewing its waste strategy, which aims to further promote diversion from landfill.

4.2.6 The key objective of the financial performance indicators is to evaluate Council’s financial management across five dimensions: Efficiency, Liquidity, Obligations, Operating position, and Stability. There are 11 measures, with 4 falling outside the expected range as follows:

Liquidity

· Current assets compared to current liabilities decreased from 461% to 283% in 2024/25 primarily due to reduced cash reserves following a record $103.9 million investment in community infrastructure, including strategic land acquisitions for open space. Council’s endorsed long term financial plan will see drawdowns on cash in future years as we continue our substantial investment in community infrastructure.

· Council’s unrestricted cash ratio has increased from -152% to -75%. This indicator reflects a snapshot of short-term cash and investments relative to current liability at 30 June 2025, and may fluctuate depending on the allocation between short-term and long-term investments. Overall, this ratio does not recognise the investments held in longer-term deposits which attract higher yield. Council has sufficient in cash and other financial assets to cover the total cash restricted or allocated to specific purpose. This will fund projects in future years, placing Council in a strong position to continue to meet its financial obligations, as reflected in the working capital ratio. Our prudent financial management ensures all current liabilities are settled promptly.

Obligations

· Asset renewal and upgrade compared to depreciation has increased by 118% to 169% in 2024/25 due to record spend on works in 2024/25. Council spent $103.9 million on community assets: $40 million were renewal and upgrade expenditure which represented 169% on depreciation. It is lower than the budgeted ratio of 215%, mainly due to deferred project spend in parks and open space.

Operating position

· The adjusted underlying surplus of 6% has increased from the prior year result of -0.48%. This measures the operating surplus less ad hoc and one-off transactions (such as capital grants and non-monetary contributions). The improvement in the operating surplus for 2024/25 was primarily driven by increased user and statutory parking fees, stronger developer contributions, and the early receipt of $1.8 million in annual general-purpose funding from the Victoria Grants Commission. Our long-term financial plan projects continued positive surpluses in future financial years. Both surplus and depreciation remain vital funding sources to support the renewal, upgrade, and expansion of community infrastructure to meeting growing needs.

4.2.7 There are seven sustainability capacity indicators measured in the performance statement. Two of these fall outside the range as follows:

· Population density per length of road has seen an increase due to Council's estimated resident population increasing by 5.5% in 2024/25, while the length of local roads remained unchanged.

· Work force turnover has seen an increase in overall turnover for 2024/25. This is primarily attributed to the strategic exit of the majority of our Aged Care services in Quarter 2. Additionally, a slight rise in resignations during Quarter 4 reflects broader market trends, as the candidate landscape continues to stabilise following pandemic-related fluctuations. In addition, some frontline services remain affected by ongoing national labour challenges. Internally, we have continued to evolve our practices to strengthen our position as an employer of choice. Our focus remains on enhancing the employee experience for current team members, in alignment with our attraction and retention strategies.

4.3 The Local Government (Planning and Reporting) Regulations 2014 include a requirement for councils to certify a Governance and Management checklist as part of the report of operations in the Annual Report.

4.3.1 The Mayor and Chief Executive Office must certify that the information contained in the checklist presents fairly the status of Council’s governance and management arrangements.

5. CONSULTATION AND STAKEHOLDERS

5.1 The preliminary audit of the statements has been conducted by BDO Australia acting on behalf of and appointed by the Victorian Auditor-General.

5.2 The City of Port Phillips’ Audit and Risk Committee reviewed the draft financial statements and performance statement at its meeting on 2 September and have recommended these to Council for adoption.

5.3 The preparation of the statements is in line with the model accounts template released annually by Local Government Victoria and reviewed by a technical working group of representatives from professional accounting bodies and Local Government Finance Professionals (FinPro).

6. LEGAL AND RISK IMPLICATIONS

6.1 In principle approval of the financial statements and performance statement is required to enable Council to meet its audit obligation to lodge the Annual Report with the Auditor General in October 2025.

6.2 Failure to meet this deadline will have a negative impact on Council’s reputation.

7. FINANCIAL IMPACT

7.1 Council’s financial position is sound.

7.2 Council was able achieve over $1.5 million of efficiency savings in 2024/25 despite increasing cost pressures and rising service delivery.

7.3 An operating surplus was achieved in 2024/25.

7.4 Moreover, Council was able to maintain a cumulative cash surplus of $3.1 million.

8. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

8.1 Not applicable.

9. COMMUNITY IMPACT

9.1 Not applicable.

10. Gender Impact Assessment

10.1 Not applicable.

11. ALIGNMENT TO COUNCIL PLAN AND COUNCIL POLICY

11.1 Consistent with the 2025-2035 Council Plan strategic direction 6- A Trusted and High Performing Organisation, Council is a financially sustainable, high performing, well governed organisation which is demonstrated in the 2024/25 financial results.

12. IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY

12.1 TIMELINE

12.1.1 Council to give ‘in-principle’ approval to the statements and authorise two Councillors to certify the statements in their final form to certify the statements in their final form,

12.1.2 The statements are then forwarded and reviewed by the Victorian Auditor- General who may recommend further changes. Final changes (if required) will be made to the statements which are then certified by the Principal Accounting Officer, two Councillors and the Chief Executive Officer.

12.1.3 The Victorian Auditor-General certifies the statements and issues an independent Audit Report expressing an opinion on the statements.

12.2 COMMUNICATION

12.2.1 Council is required to consider the Annual Report at an open Council meeting within four months of the end of the financial year. This meeting will be advertised in the local media. Council must also advertise that the statements have been audited.

12.2.2 The Annual Report will be produced in hard copy and displayed at municipal offices and libraries and made electronically available on Council’s website.

12.2.3 Council’s key messages regarding financial performance for 2024/25 and financial position at 30 June 2025 include:

· In 2024/25, Council continued to deliver valued community services while investing $103.9 million in infrastructure and community assets. This included $51.2 million in land acquisition to support population growth through the creation of new parks and green open spaces. These investments supported the delivery of priority projects and service enhancements, reinforcing our commitment to continuous improvement, operational efficiency, and keeping rates affordable. We experienced rising costs associated with delivering Council’s core services due to increased contract pricing. Recognising the burden on our community with the cost-of-living pressures from raising inflation to interest rates, Council provided additional support to our community including:

o Increase pensioner rates rebates to $220

o Outreach services assisting rough sleepers

o Expanded food relief programs

o Continued business support under the Economic Recovery Package

· Councils strong financial position is demonstrated by:

1. An overall low risk rating on VAGO financial sustainability indicators.

2. A cumulative cash surplus of $3.1 million.

3. A positive net operating result of $30.2 million (10.6 percent of total revenue).

4. An investment portfolio of $105.2 million.

5. A healthy working capital ratio of 283 percent.

6. Permanent ongoing efficiency savings of over $0.8 million in addition to the $1.5 million included in Budget 2024/25.

7. Cumulative savings since the introduction of rates capping in 2016/17 are more than $113 million.

13. OFFICER MATERIAL OR GENERAL INTEREST

13.1 No officers involved in the preparation of this report has declared a material or general interest in the matter.

ATTACHMENTS

1. 2024-25 Audited Financial Statements⇩

2. 2024-25 Audited Performance Statement⇩

3. 2024-25 Governance and Management Checklist⇩

11.1	South Melbourne Market 2024-25 Annual Report
Executive Member:	Claire Stevens, General Manager, Organisational Capability and Experience
PREPARED BY:	Meagan Scott, Head of Marketing & Customer experience