Merri-bek’s 4-year Council Budget has been adopted for 2023-2027, a $217 million budget funding core Council services and community facilities.

Thank you to all of those who participated in the community budget ideas and budget consultation process.

This budget funds vital projects to ensure Merri-bek is a wonderful place to live now and into the future, while also being mindful of cost-of-living pressures faced by our residents.

Some of the key highlights include:

• $32.1 million towards starting upgrade works for several early-years facilities over the next 5 years, including completing Oak Park Kindergarten and Derby Street Children’s Centre in 2023-24
• $24.1 million towards improvements to parks, open space and streetscapes, including continued delivery of new parks in Brunswick, Coburg and Pascoe Vale South
• $278,000 for your Community Budget initiatives, including $80,000 for a shade structures program for playgrounds and parks and $100,000 for accessible tennis facilities and reserves
• $120,000 in funding for a new homelessness outreach service
• An extra $1.5 million to boost to tree canopy coverage through additional tree planting and maintenance.

$250,000 was also set aside to fund 6 ideas that were suggested by the community, and selected via a community vote:

• $80,000 – doubling the amount of shade structures at playgrounds and parks
• $33,000 – Take the First Step Merri-bek (Domestic Violence Prevention)
• $10,000 – installation of nesting boxes

Following the community budget ideas, we also allocated additional funding to these projects:

• $100,000 – accessible tennis facilities and reserves
• $50,000 – drinking fountains in shopping strips
• $5,000 – more bins around parks

View the Budget 2023-2027 in full.