Council to form People’s Panel to boost its 2050 vision

To shape the strategic plan for Melbourne over the next 25 years, the City of Melbourne has announced the formation of a People’s Panel, which will be held alongside its 2050 Summit to help make its vision for the city’s future.

The panel will take place over five sessions between May 15 and 31 and will involve a representative group of 50 people with a connection to the city, such as residents, workers, business owners, students, and ratepayers.

The panel will learn about the core challenges and opportunities in delivering services to a changing community and the responsibilities of a capital city council.

It will contribute to the development of the 2050 Vision for Melbourne, with results from the panel also informing the council’s more immediate 2025–2029 Council Plan.

At the Future Melbourne Committee (FMC) meeting on March 18, where the panel was unanimously endorsed, Cr Owen Guest said the proposal was an experiment worth pursuing due to its potential to help identify and improve upon key issues.

He cited potential areas of concern, such as the services and activities provided by the council not aligning with community expectations, and said the panel presented an exciting opportunity to address this.

Both members of the community and councillors expressed concerns about the need for appropriate due processes to be in place for the city to fully benefit from the panel.

Deputy Lord Mayor Roshena Campbell emphasised that for the panel to be effective, how businesses were defined was crucial and must include both business owners and workers.

Cr Campbell urged the council’s management to provide the appropriate support through its Business Concierge Program and other services to ensure businesses were aware of this opportunity.

President of community group Southbank3006 Dr David Hamilton noted that due to the tight timeframe for the panel, it remained unclear how its findings would feed into the June budget.

“This aspect of the project needs more attention,” Dr Hamilton said.

In addition to the People’s Panel, the council will host the 2050 Summit on Friday, May 9, at Melbourne Town Hall, with up to 700 participants from a broad cross-section of the community expected to attend.

The summit will include residents, businesses, workers, visitors, students, Traditional Owners, peak industry groups, and key delivery partners from the state and federal governments.

The event is expected to cost up to $120,000 and is touted to play a pivotal role in shaping the council’s 2050 strategy.

To register interest in either the People’s Panel or the 2050 Summit, community members can express their interest via Participate Melbourne until April 2021.

melbourne.vic.gov.au/m2050-vision-council-plan •