Council seeks community input on Fishermans Bend’s creative future

Thank you to everyone who attended our recent community forum at Port Melbourne Town Hall, where more than 100 people came together to discuss plans for Bay St, off-leash dog space and open space.

The strong interest shown in each of these projects helps lead to better community outcomes, and I thank everyone who contributed feedback and took part in the discussion.

Across June, we have also hosted the St Kilda Film Festival and the Port Melbourne Music Crawl, events which reinforce the City of Port Phillip’s role as an arts and creative destination.

It is therefore timely that council is updating its Creative Strategy, which will guide the future direction of arts and culture across Port Phillip.

The strategy is particularly important for Fishermans Bend, where arts and culture, alongside frequent public transport, will be essential to successful urban renewal.

It recognises the need for arts and cultural spaces across Fishermans Bend, while also reinforcing the importance of the creative businesses already located within the precinct.

Importantly, the strategy acknowledges the pressures facing Port Phillip’s creative ecosystem, including rising costs and limited affordable spaces. It considers a range of measures, including grants to help creative organisations establish themselves and remain within Port Phillip and Fishermans Bend.

I encourage residents to share their vision for arts and culture here.

Council’s draft Multicultural Strategy is also open for feedback. This strategy will guide how we foster inclusion and celebrate our diverse community.

It also has direct relevance for Fishermans Bend, identifying service gaps within the precinct and seeking to address them through engagement with cultural and community organisations.

Feedback can be submitted here.

Reinforcing the importance of Fishermans Bend is essential to building a vibrant urban community.

While the recent State Budget did not include public transport improvements for Fishermans Bend, we are continuing our advocacy in the lead-up to the State Government election in November.

It is unacceptable that Fishermans Bend still relies on half-hourly to hourly bus services connecting the precinct to Port Melbourne, St Kilda and Elsternwick.

It is also unacceptable that a promised bus service connecting Fishermans Bend and Port Melbourne to Anzac Station remains undelivered, despite being announced as an immediate priority by the State Government in September last year.

Our growing precincts need the services required to foster community. While council is planning for the future, we need other levels of government to support our vision for Fishermans Bend.

Council’s 2026-27 budget will return to council for consideration on Monday, June 29.

Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on the draft budget. Proposed initiatives include the Fennell Reserve off-leash dog park, precinct planning for Bay St, footpath construction and netball facilities within Fishermans Bend.

Please reach out if you have any feedback for council. You can contact me at [email protected] if you would like to meet and discuss Montague Ward and Port Phillip.