From solidarity to celebration: a busy summer for Port Phillip

While the City of Port Phillip returned to formal council meetings in early February, the past few months have been exceptionally busy as we worked with local government across Victoria to respond to the events of Bondi, heatwaves, bushfires, and flooding.

On Sunday, December 14, I was having dinner on Bay St, Port Melbourne, when I received news of the Bondi Beach terrorist attack.

That evening, I spoke with Mayor Simone Zmood, my counterpart at Glen Eira City Council, to reinforce our support for diversity and our Jewish community. Between our two councils, we coordinated a joint statement of solidarity across Victorian local government.

Over two days, I contacted Mayors across Victoria to secure support for this combined statement, standing in support of our Jewish community and against hatred. Despite many councils already being in recess due to the end-of-year break, the response was unequivocal. More than 85 per cent of Victoria’s 79 councils signed the joint Statement of Solidarity, including the Municipal Association of Victoria, the peak body for local government.

You can view the statement here.

On December 23 and 24, I joined Mayor Simone Zmood in Bondi to present this statement to Mayor Will Nemesh of Waverley Council. I thank Mayor Nemesh and Waverley Council for extending this invitation and recognising the support provided by local government across Victoria.

I extend my deepest condolences to all who are grieving. I will continue to collaborate closely with Glen Eira City Council and across the sector to ensure our local Jewish communities and all our communities feel heard, supported, and safe.

The City of Port Phillip welcomes everyone, and we cherish our diversity. We are taking the lead in creating a sense of belonging and social cohesion across Port Phillip and beyond.

One of the greatest celebrations of our diversity is Midsumma Festival. I accepted an invitation to participate in Plunge for Pride, where I abseiled down multiple storeys of the Victorian Pride Centre to reinforce our support for our LGBTQIA+ communities.

I thank the Victorian Pride Centre and JOY FM for the invitation, as well as making sure that my harness was safely secured!

Along with my council colleagues I was proud to join Pride March. It was fantastic to see such overwhelming support and participation from our community during Pride March and Midsumma Festival.

The council’s advisory committees are designed to value people of all cultures, identities, ages and abilities. We are currently seeking nominations for our Active Ageing, Multicultural Advisory Committee, LGBTQIA+ Advisory Committee, and our newly established Disability Advisory Committee.

Fishermans Bend is our fastest growing precinct in the City of Port Phillip, so I encourage you to share your voice through our Advisory Committees. If you are interested, please visit haveyoursay.portphillip.vic.gov.au/advisory-committees and apply before nominations close on Monday, March 2.

Formal council meetings have resumed for 2026, and our first meeting, held on Wednesday, February 4 was particularly relevant for Fishermans Bend.

At this meeting, we endorsed community engagement to explore the use of Kirrip Park in the Montague precinct of Fishermans Bend as a dog off‑leash area. Consultation will commence from April this year, to explore how we best meet the needs of our growing Montague community.

Meanwhile, Fennell Reserve within the Montague precinct (between Evans, Ingles and Woodgate streets) is our newest dog park in Fishermans Bend. Consultation will commence later this year to support transforming Fennell Reserve into Port Melbourne and Fishermans Bend’s first fenced off-leash dog park.

I look forward to working with you throughout 2026. Please reach out to me on [email protected] if I can assist you.