Alma Ward Candidate Justin Halliday made this submission at the Special Council Budget hearing on Tuesday (14 May).
Council’s budgets across the last 5 years and forward projections reveal catastrophic inequity in council’s discretionary spending across our 9 new council wards.
This discretionary spending goes toward parks, community facilities, recreation, shopping precincts, landscaping, and urban renewal.
In some parts of Port Phillip, such as South Melbourne, Albert Park, and St Kilda, Council re-invests around $1 for every dollar of residents’ rates.
But in other areas, Port Melbourne, Elwood, and Montague, Council spends almost twice as much, over $1.70 for every dollar of rates.
Sadly, even with recent investment in new public space, Balaclava and Alma ward residents receive just over 60c in each dollar. Lakeside ward is even worse, with almost no discretionary funding.
This underinvestment subsidises the quality of life of residents in Port Melbourne, Montague, and Elwood.
This unfair budget allocation means that there’s no money in Council’s budget for a safe pedestrian crossings at Alma Rd or Nightingale St, but it does include $3m for the Kerferd Rd forecourt.
There’s no money in the budget to revitalise the Argyle precinct or Maryville St, but there’s over $30m for the Elwood Foreshore.
There’s no money to upgrade Port Phillip’s worst playground at Ripponlea station, but there’s $5m for a synthetic pitch on JL Murphy Reserve.
There’s no money to improve Alexandra St, which is an urban heatsink and home to 30 trailers, caravans, campervans, rental vans, storage containers, trucks, mobile dog washes, boats, and dumped cars, but there’s over $10m for Lagoon Reserve (and that project’s budget is still growing).
This budget continues Council’s systemic underinvestment in Balaclava and St Kilda East. Council’s budget process prioritises areas that already have abundant facilities over those that have less; and this amplifies inequity across the City of Port Phillip.
Council’s budget process is broken; and it’s time for change.
