Advocacy Priorities

Council is working with the Hobsons Bay Wetlands Centre Inc to deliver a Wetlands Centre located at HD Graham Reserve in Altona, near the Cheetham Wetlands, an internationally Ramsar protected site renowned for its amazing biodiversity. The multi-functional centre will include indoor/outdoor public spaces, classrooms, field studies centre, care, offices, workspaces, connected walking trails, nature play areas, and more.

Ask: We’re seeking funding of $11 million from State and Federal partners to contribute to the overall cost of the project.

Council is proactively responding to health and wellbeing needs across Melbourne’s rapidly growing western region with the delivery of a new state-of-the-art aquatic centre at Bruce Comben Reserve in Altona Meadows, filling the gap in service at the western end of the city.

Ask: We are seeking support and partnerships to contribute towards the estimated project costs of $55-60 million.

This project actively involves the community in the process of shaping where they live, collaborating to create a vision which is used to create practical ideas. These ideas form a Place Guide for each project area, providing an actionable list of projects.

Ask: We are seeking funding from State and Federal partners towards the overall project cost of $50 million. Contributions will support the implementation of Hobsons Bay Better Places ‘Place Guide' projects across Laverton, Spotswood/South Kingsville, and Brooklyn/Altona North.

Hobsons Bay is a ‘mental health services desert’, with little to no free or low-cost mental health services for young people when compared to other Melbourne metropolitan areas. The nearest ‘headspace’ services are in Werribee and Sunshine – up to an hour away by public transport and both with long waiting lists.

Ask: Council is seeking our community’s fair share of State and Federal government investment in youth mental health services.

Council is committed to addressing climate change. This project will deliver significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and directly supports the Victorian community to deliver on the government’s greenhouse gas emission reduction and renewable energy targets.

Ask: Council is seeking opportunities for funding and partnership to help us deliver local sustainability projects which form the Virtual Power Project, enabling the phase of on-demand battery storage.

With growing population forecasts, Council is advocating for a number of projects which will build the infrastructure needed to keep our growing population moving. Projects include:

• the WEST East Metro Rail Plan
• Shared trails and cycling infrastructure
• Kororoit Creek Trail (Stages 4 & 5)
• Werribee Line Level Crossing Removals Program
• Western transport infrastructure improvements in Laverton
• Traffic congestion in the west.

Ask: Council is seeking greater levels of investment from the State and Federal government and supportive partners towards walking and cycling infrastructure, improvements to freeway infrastructure and improvements to the transport network.