The City of Melbourne has endorsed its Budget and Annual Plan 2023–24, which will deliver what matters most for the community today, while investing in the city’s growth.
The $851 million Budget will deliver vital services, drive visitation and spend, and support business owners with record investments to boost cleanliness and safety, green our city, supercharge infrastructure projects, and grow Melbourne’s events, culture and creative program.
We’re improving cleaning and safety with a $61 million spend and forging ahead with major projects such as the Queen Victoria Market Precinct Renewal and Greenline through a $254.4 million infrastructure investment.
Council will not introduce or raise busking fees and will continue to invest in Australia’s best arts and entertainment sector with a $28.2 million boost.
An additional $100,000 will expand the Salvation Army’s Street Team, boosting safety after dark. A further $50,000 will also be spent to crackdown on litter around Lower Moonee Ponds Creek.
The Docklands community will also benefit from access to up to $100,000 to support neighbourhood and community development activities.
Over the next two years, an extra $100,000 has been allocated for the completion of the Westgate Park Master Plan.
The Master Plan is expected to include agreed capital improvements for the site to be implemented from 2026.
The Budget will build on Council’s work to make Melbourne a cleaner, safer and more caring place to live, work, study and visit.
Other notable achievements in the first six months of 2023 include:
- Another blockbuster Moomba Festival, which saw 1.3 million people flock to the city, pumping more than $58 million into the local economy
- More than 6,000 conversations between the Business Concierge team and city businesses
- Around 416,000 visits to Council’s permanent and pop-up libraries
- Approval of more than 285 planning applications, worth more than $533 million.
- Opening the new Art and Heritage collection at Town Hall –featuring more than 13,000 historical and contemporary items
- Completion of resurfacing works at Fawkner Park southern sports field, lighting upgrades at Royal Park, bike lane upgrades along Albert Street and improvements to Australia Wharf
- Diverting over 900 tonnes of organic waste from landfill, as part of the Food Organic and Garden Organic (FOGO) waste service
- Removing more than 56,000m2 of graffiti across the city, pressure washing more than 44,600m2 of pavement, and collecting more than 2260 tonnes of litter from our streets.
- Planting 650 new trees, adding to the city’s canopy cover.
- More than 3,000 children assisted by school crossing supervisors at 29 sites across the municipality every school day.
- Boosting our night-time economy with exciting events and activations through the Dusk til Dawn Activations Grants program.
Quotes attributable to Lord Mayor Sally Capp
“We’re proud to stand behind this Budget, with a renewed focus on getting the basics right today and shaping a brighter future for all Melburnians.”
“We asked the community to have their say and we’ve listened – making several changes to provide more support for our communities and keeping our city streets safe and clean.”
“We thank everyone for their feedback and ideas, and we look forward to building on our record investment to make the city economically prosperous and a place for residents, workers, investors and visitors.”
Quotes attributable to Finance, Governance and Risk portfolio lead Councillor Philip Le Liu
“This Budget delivers vital services for our ratepayers today, while creating a future-proof city that Melburnians can be proud of.”
“We’re reducing the strain on household budgets by absorbing a range of costs – and through prudent financial management, we forecast a return to surplus in two years.”